A Marine Corps Veteran on Hiking to Heal from PTSD and Reclaim His Peace, ft. Gabe "Wing It" Vasquez (BPR #334)
Release Date: 12/01/2025
How to Start Off-Trail Hiking and Routes with Eric Volk (BPR #340)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Eric Volk, who we attempt to trail name “5-16.” In just six years, Eric went from novice hiker to expert off-trail adventurer, completing his own custom routes across the Sierra, Grand Canyon, North Cascades, and Alaska, including his Brooks Range Traverse and Arctic thru-hike. He is believed to be the first or second person to hike from the Canadian border to the Arctic Ocean entirely on foot. Today, we’re getting an in-depth tutorial on all things off-trail and route-based...
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8 Epic Shorter Thru-Hikes: the Long Trail, Teton Crest Trail, and More (BPR #339)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are talking “shorter” thru-hikes. We’re joined again by our guy, Michael Grizzly Ivey, to give you an overview of eight standout US thru-hikes that you can hike in four weeks or less. We cover the Long Trail, Teton Crest Trail, Superior HIking Trail, Timberline Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, Foothills Trail, and Uinta Highline, give you the trail overviews, relative difficulty, resupply strategy, the best time to hike, which direction, travel logistics, permit requirements, resupply strategy,...
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Adventure Alan on High Routes, the Evolution of Ultralight, and Maintaining Health & Fitness (BPR #338)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Alan Dixon, better known in the backpacking world as Adventure Alan. Alan is a literal rocket scientist, a lifelong adventure junkie, and a foundational figure in the early days of ultralight backpacking, having co-founded Backpacking Light. Alan shares some jaw dropping stories from his many routes, including a near-death experience in the Tetons, his philosophy for developing routes—most notably his popular Wind River High Route, the South Sierra High Route, and the Escalante Overland Route. We dig into...
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Girl Stuff 4.0: Disordered Eating, Chronic Illness, PCOS, and Waxing (BPR #337)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, I’m sitting this one out because it’s the fourth edition of Girl’s Stuff. Chaunce is joined by former guest Christine Reed and BPR first-timer Maggie Schoemann. The three cover hiking with a partner, where to get a vag wax on trail, birth control, weird body changes, including managing a beard on trail as a woman, eating disorders and how thru-hiking can trigger or resurface disordered eating (trigger warning), and much more. These are Chaunce’s notes, so I’m just going to assume they’re all accurate. We wrap...
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Jess "Stitches" Guo, the First Woman to Connect the CDT and GDT in a Calendar Year (BPR #336)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Jessica Guo known on trail as Stitches. This year, Stitches became the first woman on record to connect both the Continental Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail northbound in one calendar year. We talk all about this logistically and physically impressive feat, hiking through the Sierra during a record snow year, how she earned her trail name the hard way, her unconventional relationship with pain, how 10 her day silent meditations better prepare her for thru-hiking and gives us a sample 2...
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Walking the Length of the Americas: Culture Shocks, Risk Mitigation, and Her Security Dog with Lucy Barnard (BPR #335)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we’re joined by Lucy Barnard. Lucy, along with her pup Wombat, has walked from the southern tip of Argentina all the way through the Great Divide Trail in Canada, and she’ll be picking up the final leg of this monster journey — through northern Canada and into Alaska — later this winter. We get into what compelled Lucy to take on such an audacious mission, especially given that she had virtually zero long-distance hiking experience beforehand. She shares some truly wild stories from the trail, including being held at...
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A Marine Corps Veteran on Hiking to Heal from PTSD and Reclaim His Peace, ft. Gabe "Wing It" Vasquez (BPR #334)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we’re joined by Gabe Vasquez, known on trail as “Wing It.” Gabe is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, long-distance kayaker and cyclist, and the first known Mexican-American to complete the Triple Crown. Gabe opens up about his time in the Marines and the challenges that followed- PTSD, becoming addicted to prescription meds to manage the PTSD in addition to anxiety and depression, losing friends to suicide after their service, and night terrors. In his efforts to heal, Gabe turned to...
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Wander Women Kristy and Annette on Retiring to Thru-Hike, RV, and Adventure Full-time (BPR #333)
Backpacker Radio
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...
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Casey "Vegas" Huffman on His WILD Trail Name Origin Story, Reinventing Himself through Hiking, and an Expedition in Alaska (BPR #332)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Casey Huffman, known on trail as Vegas. Vegas has been mentioned a couple of times on this podcast in the past, as “the guy whose chest we signed” in 2023, and more recently, “the guy whose ass we signed”. As we learn in today’s episode, “signed ass guy” is also a real good hang. We chat about how Vegas’ mental health struggles ultimately lead him to the trail, how the hiking community and culture gave him the space to reinvent himself, and he shares quite possibly the...
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Triple Crowning with a Trombone, Working as a Hiking Guide, and the South Dakota Centennial Trail with Amy "Slider" Hunsucker
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Amy Hunsucker. On trail, Amy is known as “Slider” because she hikes with a trombone- something she’s done for the entire triple crown. We of course learn all about this fun quirk, including which animals were most appreciative of her on-trail concerts, which parts of trail provided the best acoustics, the reactions she’d get from other hikers and the broader trail community, and her go-to on-trail trombone jams. Slider also gives us the low down on getting her sawyer...
info_outlineIn today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we’re joined by Gabe Vasquez, known on trail as “Wing It.” Gabe is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, long-distance kayaker and cyclist, and the first known Mexican-American to complete the Triple Crown.
Gabe opens up about his time in the Marines and the challenges that followed- PTSD, becoming addicted to prescription meds to manage the PTSD in addition to anxiety and depression, losing friends to suicide after their service, and night terrors. In his efforts to heal, Gabe turned to adventure. He began by paddling the Mississippi with a friend, then took on a PCT thru-hike, followed by eight consecutive years of long-distance backpacking, paddling, and cycling. Gabe shares how that time in nature helped him reclaim his peace, and why he’s happier today than he’s ever been.
Worth noting- this episode includes graphic descriptions of PTSD and suicide. If these topics are sensitive or triggering for you, please take care while listening.
We wrap the show with news of a pair of fatal bear attacks near the Ozark Highlands Trail, a partially blind grandmother who thru-hiked the PCT- averaging nearly 40 miles a day in the process, the definitive etiquette around holding doors for strangers, and the triple crown of the worst phrases and expressions.
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Interview with Gabe “Wing It” Vasquez
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:20 - Reminders: Apply to blog for the Trek, subscribe to our Youtube channel, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:12:45 - Introducing Gabe
00:16:10 - What was it like to join the Marines?
00:22:45 - What was your specific job like in the Marines?
00:23:30 - Tell us about your deployments
00:29:20 - What was the vibe like in that sort of environment?
00:33:37 - Did you know you were actively pushing things down at the time?
00:35:06 - What was the comedown like when returning from a deployment?
00:36:40 - At what point did you seek professional help?
00:38:30 - How did the PTSD show up for you?
00:42:35 - How did you know you needed to get off the meds?
00:49:30 - How did you transition from experiencing these symptoms to advocating for others?
00:56:04 - How did you decide to kayak the Mississippi River?
00:59:20 - Did you feel a sense of accomplishment after the kayak trip?
01:09:20 - Did you go into the PCT excited to hike it?
01:13:20 - At what point did being in nature start to click for you?
01:14:45 - Knowing what you know now, would you still have joined the Marines?
01:17:22 - At what point did the nightmares subside or improve?
01:20:00 - Have you met other veterans on trail?
01:22:40 - Do you have a lot of people reaching out to you?
01:25:00 - Is the period between adventures extra tough for you?
01:26:30 - Are you trying to do all Seven Summits?
01:27:55 - Was it weird with the PCT being so white?
01:36:15 - Do you have favorite summit music?
01:37:26 - What are some of your favorite trail angel stories?
01:40:00 - What’s a typical MRE meal like?
01:41:30 - What drew you to the bike after the PCT?
01:46:30 - What are the pros and cons of long distance cycling over thru-hiking?
01:50:50 - Fuck Marry Kill: cycling, paddling, and hiking
01:54:10 - What did it feel like to complete the Triple Crown?
01:58:00 - Discussion about LNT
01:59:20 - What other hot takes do you have?
02:05:20 - What other gear do you like?
02:10:16 - Tell us about almost getting arrested in Egypt
02:19:05 - Do you worry that drugs could trigger PTSD?
02:26:00 - What’s your favorite trail or trail story?
02:28:35 - Do unrealistic war movies bother you?
02:30:55 - Stay Salty Question: What’s one piece of advice you’d like to give?
Segments
Trek Propaganda
- 2 Fatal Bear Attacks in Past 6 Weeks Near Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas by JT Simmons
- Partially Blind Grandmother Thru-Hikes PCT in Under 70 Days by Katie Jackson
QOTD: What’s the proper distance to hold a door for someone?
Triple Crown of the worst expressions/phrases
Mail Bag
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