Wander Women Kristy and Annette on Retiring to Thru-Hike, RV, and Adventure Full-time (BPR #333)

In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we’re joined by Kristy and Annette Burns—better known as the Wander Women. 

About seven years ago, Kristy and Annette ditched the home with the white picket fence, retired, moved into an RV, and shifted their focus to a life centered on freedom and adventure. Since then, they’ve taken on the AT, PCT, CDT, Arizona Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, the O Circuit, plus a slew of cycling and packrafting trips. We get into what it takes to keep your body ready for thru-hikes at retirement age, why downsizing has made them so much happier, the community they’ve found on trail, and a whole lot more. 

We wrap the show with what to wear when hiking in the desert, how to dry the inside of your water bladder, and the triple crown of chairs.

Gossamer Gear: Check out the Type II collection at gossamergear.com. 

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Interview with Kristy and Annette Burns

• Wander Women Instagram
• Wander Women Youtube

Time stamps & Questions

00:02:45 - Reminders: Take the Triple Crowner Survey, apply to blog for the Trek, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:05:06 - Introducing the Wander Women

00:07:00 - How did each of you get into the outdoors?

00:09:44 - How did you two meet?

00:12:20 - How did you go from the sweat lodge to thru-hiking?

00:16:50 - Did you have physical fitness top of mind before getting into thru-hiking?

00:19:05 - How far prior to retirement did you plan to hike?

00:22:55 - What specifically would you do differently, financially?

00:26:25 - What was it like downsizing?

00:31:30 - What physical activity do you do in the RV?

00:36:04 - Do you ever get sick of each other?

00:38:55 - How do you handle difficulties in your relationship?

00:41:00 - Did you know there’d be other retired folks on the AT?

00:45:17 - How have you expanded your social networks in retirement?

00:48:35 - What are some of the common questions you get?

00:50:03 - How do you slowly ramp up your mileage when hiking?

00:51:52 - Describe your gear to us

00:57:40 - Was it easy to transition between RVing and thru-hiking?

01:01:15 - Do you feel like time has slowed down since you retired?

01:10:45 - At what point did you reach this mindset?

01:12:40 - Are you particular with your nutrition?

01:16:20 - Standout stories from the AT?

01:19:35 - At what point did you know you were going to Triple Crown?

01:23:35 - Did you know what you were getting into with the CDT?

01:30:11 - How many other CDT hikers did you encounter?

01:34:50 - Tell us about flip flopping the PCT

01:38:46 - What were your spookiest or scariest moments on trail?

01:49:23 - When did you start getting the Youtube fanfare?

01:50:30 - What’s the best trail magic you’ve gotten?

01:53:10 - Tell us about the adventures outside of thru-hiking

01:57:14 - Tell us about your rafting trip in Alaska

02:02:50 - Tell us about your encounter with a grizzly bear

02:10:30 - How did you decide where to camp?

02:13:00 - What were the biggest gear differences for this trip?

02:16:15 - What adventures does the future hold?

Segments

Trek Propaganda: Desert Hiking Clothing: The Backpacker’s Guide by Katie Jackson

QOTD:  How does one dry out the inside of their water bladder when you're done using it?

Triple Crown of chairs

Mail Bag

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