Finding Thru-Hiking Community, the Jordan Trail, and Bigfoot Trail Mishaps with Claire "Marmot" Dumont (BPR #354)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Claire "Marmot" Dumont, a mapmaker, writer at The Trek, and thru-hiker who has completed the AT, Mountains to Sea Trail, Oregon Coast Trail, JMT, and more.

In this one, Marmot walks us through what it's like to spend three months on trail with your dad, how a Fulbright fellowship brought her to Jordan to research land ethics and outdoor recreation, and what happened when COVID shut down the borders and kicked her off the Jordan Trail mid-hike. She also shares the story of assisting a rescue on Mount Washington and hitching out to town in the ambulance, what it meant to find a queer trail family on the AT and how she thinks about femininity and queer identity in spaces that have traditionally skewed pretty dude-bro, and why she will never apologize for hiking in a dress with an AeroPress in her pack.

We wrap the show with a new YouTube channel from The Trek, some kick ass trail days we’ll be hosting, how a billionaire game developer has been buying up thousands of acres of wilderness in North Carolina, asking whether we'd rather be able to thrive off of 4 hours of sleep, or have the full month of September off each year, the triple crown of BBQ foods, why Chaunce now likes inflatable sleeping pads, we reignite the gas station bathroom debate, and we opine on whether a listener should hike the AT as a flip flop or NOBO.

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Topo Athletic: Use code “TREK15TOPO” at topoathletic.com.

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Interview with Claire “Marmot” Dumont

• Claire's Instagram
• Claire's Trek Author Page

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:35 - Reminders: Subscribe to The Trek's Youtube and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:11:45 - Introducing Marmot

00:14:04 - How did you get into backpacking?

00:18:15 - What is the Manaslu Circuit?

00:20:30 - How did you find the gap year program?

00:22:40 - What did you do after the gap year?

00:24:30 - Were you the youngest person you knew on the JMT?

00:29:45 - Do you have any advice for a younger person who wants to get into thru-hiking?

00:33:45 - How did you decide to do the Tahoe Rim Trail next?

00:36:00 - How did the Tahoe Rim Trail compare to JMT in terms of people?

00:38:30 - What is your career?

00:41:15 - What makes a good map?

00:44:15 - Tell us about the Oregon Coast Trail and Bigfoot Trail attempts

00:59:22 - Did you like the parts of the trail that you did see?

01:02:15 - Tell us about hiking the Long Trail

01:04:35 - Tell us about your Fulbright and the Jordan Trail

01:10:45 - Discussion about being abroad when Covid started

01:15:30 - Tell us about getting on the Long Trail

01:17:55 - Give us the elevator pitch on the Jordan Trail

01:23:45 - Tell us about the Mountains to Sea Trail

01:30:13 - Are they aiming to get the trail all on single track?

01:35:20 - How did you decide to hike the MST?

01:36:50 - What was it like to start the AT?

01:39:10 - Tell us about your tramily experience on the AT

01:42:45 - Did being queer impact you on your hikes before the AT?

01:45:25 - What were your takeaways about intentional community building?

01:48:24 - What are the biggest differences between hiking with men versus women?

01:49:44 - Tell us about hiking in a dress and practicing femininity on trail

01:52:53 - Tell us about your article, Four Things I Will Never Hike Without Again

01:56:30 - Any other standout stories from the AT?

02:05:25 - Tell us about the Teton Crest Trail

02:09:35 - Tell us about your article, Actually No, the Trail Won’t Always Be There: Why You Should Thru-Hike Now

02:12:15 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?

Segments

Trek Propaganda

• 121 Years of Forest Service Doctrine, Undone. What Comes Next? By Katie Jackson
• A Billionaire Game Developer Has Been Buying Up Thousands of Acres in North Carolina. Why? By Katie Jackson

QOTD:  Would you rather have every September off — fully paid, no PTO touched, or be able to thrive off 4 hours of sleep?

Triple Crown of BBQ foods

One-Minute Gear Reviews

Listener Voicemail

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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