Fancy Feast 2.0: Drinking “Pig Water”, Hiking Through Poodle-Dog Bush, and Trail Work with the PNTA (BPR #342)

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 2024 calendar hikes of the PCT and CDT, her experience navigating the Hayduke Trail with Horsepower (former guest) after he convinced her with a PowerPoint presentation, and the hilarious mismatch in hiking styles from this somewhat random pairing. 

She details what it’s like being a PNTA crew lead, and the challenges associated in light of funding cuts and crews being reduced to a skeleton staff. 

Feast also shares standout stories from her international travels, including a "pig water" disaster in the Andes, her time at the Green Mountain Club with a persistent bear that turned her food box into a rolling pinata, and her hot takes on thru-hiker "main character energy" and entitlement. 

We wrap the show with whether we'd rather have three butt cheeks or just one, the triple crown of mild yet particular icks or phobias, and the news of how one Hayduke hiker got caught in quicksand. Yes, really. 

LMNT: Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/trek.

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Interview with Marla Davidson aka Fancy Feast

• Fancy Feast's Instagram
• Backpacker Radio 122 | Hot Ones & Fancy Feast

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:05 - Reminders: Apply to vlog or blog for the Trek, apply to be a Trail Correspondent, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon, and subscribe to The Trek's Youtube!

00:10:00 - Introducing Fancy Feast

00:14:00 - Remind us of your trail name origin story

00:19:25 - What was the first trail you hiked after you were on the podcast?

00:22:50 - Tell us about your encounter with poodle-dog bush

00:31:55 - What was worse, poodle-dog bush or poison ivy?

00:33:17 - How was your experience in the conservation corps?

00:37:40 - Tell us your bear story

00:42:20 - How did you handle the CDT when you don’t like black bears?

00:45:50 - What is the ManHump/HumpMan challenge?

00:50:00 - Discussion about Fancy Feast’s Allegheny Trail FKT attempt

00:52:30 - Why do you think you should have dropped out of school to do seasonal work?

01:00:50 - Why did you go to Peru?

01:11:50 - Tell us about dumpster diving

01:19:12 - How did you like the Oregon Coast Trail?

01:30:11 - At what point did you get a job with the PNTA?

01:36:25 - What’s the deal with mayonnaise?

01:41:38 - What’s your best chafe prevention strategy?

01:42:53 - Tell us more about your trail maintenance work and the current state of the PNT

01:46:08 - What volunteer opportunities are there with the PNTA?

01:48:11 - Tell us about working smarter and harder

01:53:55 - How would a former thru-hiker get involved with volunteering?

02:03:30 - How did you end up on the Hayduke?

02:13:50 - What was it like hiking with Horsepower?

02:16:15 - Did the Hayduke make you want to do more off trail routes?

02:20:10 - What questions should you ask someone you might hike with?

02:27:25 - Tell us about the Ice Age Trail

02:42:10 - Stay Salty Question: What’s your hottest take in the world of backpacking?

Segments

Trek Propaganda: Hiker Trapped in Quicksand on Hayduke Trail: “Nothing About It Seemed Unusual or Dangerous” by Kelly Floro

QOTD: Would you rather have one butt cheek or three butt cheeks?

Triple Crown of mild yet particular icks or phobias

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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