Jess "Stitches" Guo, the First Woman to Connect the CDT and GDT in a Calendar Year (BPR #336)
Release Date: 12/15/2025
9 Tips for Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2026 (BPR #348)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek brought to you by LMNT, we are breaking things down for the class of 2026 PCT thru-hikers with another edition of our top tips for hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Chaunce and I are joined by everyone’s favorite sauce/SOS, Elise Ott to share some brand new tips for trekking between Mexico and Canada, including advice about managing the sun, thoughts for approaching the trail during a high snow year, tips for dealing with wildfire, the beauty of cowboy camping, the importance of rolling with the punches, and much more. We wrap the...
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The San Diego Trans County Trail with Jabba, Jolly, Zach, and Jess (BPR #347)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, myself, along with Jabba, Jolly, and Jess are giving you a rundown of our recent hike of the San Diego Trans County Trail. And this one is about as long as the trail itself, as we give a detailed daily overview of our hike, including the standout LOL stories, the biggest challenges associated with this trail - namely the amount of private land the route takes you though, the highlights- including some gorgeous desert terrain, an epic western terminus, and how our torrid hiking pace and some...
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9 Tips for Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2026 (BPR #346)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are once again firing off our best advice for the upcoming class of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. Chaunce and I are joined by Trek Community Ringleader, Jess Stone, to bring you 9 tips for thru-hiking the AT in 2026. Because this is not the first time we’ve done this subject, Chaunce and I are unveiling brand new advice for this one (with an asterisks)- and today’s tips cover advice to ensure you don’t lose your precious media (which is more common than you might think), trail name advice,...
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Valentine's Day 2026: Pistol and Lobo's Appalachian Trail Love Story, McAfee Knob Engagement, and Advice for Courting on Trail (BPR #345)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we are once again putting love front and center-stage. We’re joined by Annie and Jake, known on trail as Pistol and Lobo, who met at mile 166 of the Appalachian Trail in 2021 and are about to come full circle, getting married at Fontana Dam, the exact spot where they first met. We get the low down on how this romance was absolutely love at first sight, how and where things evolved from flirtation to romance to a full-blown committed relationship on trail, moving...
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The Santa Fe to Taos Trail, Backpacking with Your Dad + Brother, and the Transcaucasian Trail with Lauren Roerick 2.0 (BPR #244)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined once again by outdoor filmmaker and long-distance backpacker, Lauren "Longway" Roerick. Lauren shares the highs and lows of a massive year of international backpacking and adventure, including dragging her "indoor cat" brother along on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan and her not in such great shape dad on the Camino del Norte in Spain, her less than stellar experience on the Via Dinarica and how one especially unfortunate stretch in Montenegro ultimately forced her off trail, quickly...
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Hookups, Trail Grooming, and Chafing: Guy Stuff with The Real Hiking Viking and Lt Cookoo Bird (BPR #343)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic…today’s episode is pure chaos. If you’ve listened to any of our Hiking Viking episodes, you already know what I’m talking about. After four “Girl Stuff” episodes, Chaunce figured it was only fair to balance the scales with what we’re officially calling the Guy Stuff episode, a panel-style conversation that goes off the rails almost immediately, featuring Jabba and Lt Cookoo Bird. We cover everything from trail grooming strategy (aka pube management), to whether you’d rather...
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Fancy Feast 2.0: Drinking “Pig Water”, Hiking Through Poodle-Dog Bush, and Trail Work with the PNTA (BPR #342)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined yet again by our pal and Hall of Fame trail name holder Marla Davidson, better known as “Fancy Feast”. Fancy Feast is a wealth of knowledge and unfortunate and embarrassing stories. She shares a nasty medical mishap involving poodle dog bush on the PCT, we look back at her time with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, where she and other "malnourished minors" subsisted on moldy bread and Sriracha, which was presented as a vegetable. Fancy Feast gives us an overview of her...
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Andrew Skurka & Katie Gerber: Vapor Barrier Layers, Beginner Backpacking Mistakes, and Off-Trail Route Ethics (BPR #341)
Backpacker Radio
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined yet again by our pal Andrew Skurka and wayyyyy back former guest and now co-director of Skurka Adventures, Katie Gerber aka “Salty”. Today's episode covers a lot of ground. Today’s conversation is part backpacking advice, part gear nerd chat, part a glimpse inside the operation at Skurka Adventures. We first dive into Katie’s list of the five biggest mistakes she made as a beginner backpacker and her take on why she loves her alcohol stove- after a decade of use....
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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,...
info_outlineIn 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 minute meditation, what it was like becoming social media famous this year- going from less than 2K followers to 50K, and much more.
We wrap the show with a call for Trek Vloggers, a breakdown of how hard the Long Trail is as measured by Katie's steps per mile, apparently some people can smell ants, and the triple crown of peanut butter combinations.
LMNT: Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/trek.
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Ka’Chava: Get 10% off at kachava.com/backpacker.
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Interview with Jessica “Stitches” Guo
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:00 - Reminders: Apply to VLOG for the Trek, subscribe to our Youtube channel, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:11:47 - Introducing Stitches
00:14:15 - What is your background?
00:20:00 - Scenario: If Zach & Chaunce are fighting, how would you help them work through it?
00:22:25 - How did you get into the outdoors?
00:30:15 - Were you an athlete when you were younger?
00:31:35 - How did you like the Teton Crest Trail?
00:32:40 - Tell us about getting started on the PCT and your injury
00:40:20 - What did it feel like to walk on your injured leg after 8 days?
00:48:35 - What does your meditation practice look like?
00:55:50 - What does a silent meditation retreat look like?
00:58:05 - Are there purists in the meditation world?
01:03:00 - Stitches leads a guided meditation
01:08:20 - Tell us about your second injury on the PCT
01:20:55 - Was the Sierra Type 1 fun for you?
01:21:30 - Tell us your fun story from the Colorado Trail
01:26:20 - Where did the idea come from for the CDT + GDT?
01:32:50 - Why can it be nice to have a detailed itinerary and plan?
01:38:10 - If someone’s interested in the GDT, what advice would you give?
01:40:20 - What were the differences between your three itineraries?
01:42:10 - Would a silent retreat be a good way to mentally train for a thru-hike?
01:44:15 - What are some standout moments from the CDT?
01:47:38 - What are you afraid of?
01:51:10 - How did your experience change when you got a ton of followers?
01:55:55 - Tell us more about making videos on trail
01:59:00 - Discussion about evidence of climate change on trail
02:00:05 - Tell us about how you interacted with your ethnicity on trail
02:08:22 - Tell us about your post on women in the outdoors
02:14:20 - Tell us about your friction video
02:16:00 - What were the highlights of the GDT?
02:19:00 - Did you have any practices for when you felt mentally low?
02:22:45 - Tell us about the birds you saw
02:27:15 - What are your Big 5 for gear?
02:34:15 - Stay Salty Question: What’s your hottest take in the world of backpacking?
02:39:30 - Where can people go to keep up with you?
Segments
Trek Propaganda
- How Hard Is the Long Trail, and Is It Worth It? The Stats From My Thru-Hike Reveal the Answers by Katie Jackson
- Rescuers Say a Hiker Died on Mount Whitney Over the Weekend by Anna McKinney Smith
QOTD: Can you smell ants?
Infection Thing of the Week
Triple Crown of peanut butter combos
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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