Negotiating with Al-Qaeda, Drill Sergeant Secrets, and Healing from War on the AT with Stephen "Near Miss" Palazzo (BPR #357)
Release Date: 05/18/2026
Gear Leaching PFAS, Silence Disappearing from Wilderness, and Building a Quinzhee with Steven from MyLifeOutdoors (#369)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Steven of My Life Outdoors, a gear-obsessed backpacker who grew his YouTube channel to over 1.2 million subscribers through high-production gear breakdowns and hands-on science experiments. In this one, we dive into Steven's emotional year supporting his wife through three separate cancer diagnoses, her rare complete response to immunotherapy, and the story of how Luke Nichols from Outdoor Boys randomly gifted him a fully-edited video to keep his channel afloat during the crisis. Steven...
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FarPointe Sun Cruiser Review, Favorite Thru-Hiking Memories, Losing Your Spoon vs. Your Shelter, and Movies Everyone Loves that You Hate
Backpacker Radio
Segments Sun Hoodie Review: FarPointe Sun Cruiser Trek Propaganda: by The Norris Trio by Kelly Floro QOTD: Would you rather, on day 1 of your thru-hike, lose your shelter and have to always cowboy camp on the AT, or lose your spoon and have to eat all meals with only your hands? Triple Crown of movies everyone loves but you hate Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy and . (and please leave us a review)! Find us on , , and . to get bonus content. Follow , , , and on Instagram. Follow , and on YouTube. Follow on Tik Tok. Our theme song is ...
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From Near-Death Sepsis to Triple Crowning while Carrying Larry the Log with Shawn Mahoney (BPR #368)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Shawn Mahoney, aka the guy who carries a 20+ pound log named Larry over his shoulders, and with Larry he’s hiked the Triple Crowner, Te Araroa, and just about all of the Northeast peaks. In this one, Shawn explains why the heck he carries a massive log everywhere he goes, describes losing Larry down a steep slope on the PCT and spending two hours bushwhacking to retrieve him, recounts nearly dying from a septic heart infection and medically induced coma- and the impact...
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Outdoor Research Sun Hoodie Review, the Triple Crown of Shitty Beers, and Pausing vs. Rewinding Your Life
Backpacker Radio
Segments Sun Hoodie Review: Outdoor Research AstroMan Trek Propaganda: by Gerjan "Hungry" Hertgers by Livvy Weld by Katie Jackson QOTD: Would you rather have access to a life rewind button, or a life pause button? Triple Crown of shitty beers Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy and . (and please leave us a review)! Find us on , , and . to get bonus content. Follow , , , and on Instagram. Follow , and on YouTube. Follow on Tik Tok. Our theme song is by . A super big thank you to our Bob Peoples Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex...
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Why the PCT is Boring, Hitting SOS on the CDT, and Summitting Denali with Tina "Cash Money" Currin (BPR #367)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Tina Currin, aka Cash Money, a Triple Crown thru-hiker, Andrew Skurka guide, park ranger, wilderness EMT, and Guinness World Record holder. In this one, Tina explains how she set the world record for most air horns blown simultaneously outside the North Carolina governor's mansion, details how she bought her Colorado house sight-unseen off Zillow during a zero day on the CDT while soaking her feet in a trash can, and she recounts getting separated from her husband in a snowstorm on the...
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Jolly Gear Sun Hoodie Review, Sounds that Trigger Happiness, and Water Filter Science
Backpacker Radio
Segments Sun Hoodie Review: Jolly Gear Trek Propaganda: by Katie Jackson QOTD: When was the last time you were in a tornado warning? Switchback Recap Triple Crown of sounds that trigger happiness Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy and . (and please leave us a review)! Find us on , , and . to get bonus content. Follow , , , and on Instagram. Follow , and on YouTube. Follow on Tik Tok. Our theme song is by . A super big thank you to our Bob Peoples Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex and Misty with NavigatorsCrafting, Alex Kindle, Andrew,...
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Losing 150 Lbs, An All-Time Poop Story, and Theater Hacks for Content Creators with Andrew Livingston aka Coach from Marion Outdoors (BPR #366)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Andrew Livingston, aka Coach from Marion Outdoors and host of the Chafed Outdoors podcast. In this one, Coach tells the story of losing 150 pounds his sophomore year of college largely thanks to hiking, details his background in theater, ballet, and tap dancing- and how that's helped him grow a massive following on Instagram and TikTok, the biggest challenges of running an outfitter, he gives us an all-timer poop story that ended with him naked in the woods covered in shit and...
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Chaunce's Live Podcast Sendoff in Denver (BPR #365)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we're live at the Skylark Lounge in Denver- and we are giving Chaunce a proper send off. For this one, we’re joined by Fireball, Elise, Sassafras, Jolly, and of course Jabba. This one is a grab bag of odd games, including the Newlywed Game, a Triple Crown of behind the scenes crisis-management stories, we play Two Lies and a Truth, and Jolly hosts a highly contentious "Judge Jolly" debate between Chaunce and Jabba. This one features some surprise cameos, tequila shots, and signature Chaunce...
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Epic Dreams, Chaunce's Last In-Studio Segments, Ways You'd Behave Differently without Ramifications, and Lots of Processing
Backpacker Radio
Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code “BPRADIO15” for 15% of Segments Epic Dreams Processing Trek Propaganda by Katie Jackson by Izzy Wagner QOTD: Would you rather A) every time you eat a particular meal, the rest of the world loses access to this meal for 24 hours, People know about this (may receive threats, but you are protected or B) anytime you use an air fryer or microwave, all others on earth become unusable until you finish using it (may receive threats, but you are protected)? Triple Crown of ways you’d behave differently if there were no ramifications Sun Hoodie...
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Getting Charged by a Moose, a Month of CDT Solitude, and Going Pro as a Hiking Photographer with Caleb "Meatball" Adcock (BPR #364)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Caleb "Meatball" Adcock, a professional photographer and thru-hiker who completed the AT last year and is currently midway through the CDT, doing it almost entirely alone. Caleb walks us through how he built a career shooting for brands like Hyperlite and Jetboil while thru-hiking, why authentic trail photography looks so different from what brands used to put out, getting Lyme disease on the AT and spending four days at the Yellow Deli, sleeping on a pool floaty for four days,...
info_outlineIn today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Stephen Palazzo, aka Near Miss, an Army veteran, thru-hiker, and peak bagger who has completed the AT, CDT, AZT, and Colorado Trail, summited all 58 of Colorado's 14ers, and knocked out three of the seven summits.
This one runs the gambit. Stephen walks us through 24 years of military service, from crossing into Iraq on the first wave of the ground war in 2003 to negotiating with the number two guy in Al-Qaeda over a solitary confinement dispute, to a very geopolitically tangled deployment in Syria. He also shares how thru-hiking became the thing that finally got him to put down the bottle, why post-trail depression hit harder than anything he experienced in war, and a magical moment in the Wind River Range where he locked eyes with a bull moose. And- as Chaunce comes to grips with her impending move, she has made it her mission to make each podcast an ultra-marathon. This one is sure to give you enough content to get through the week (or year). Also, warning: this episode contains discussions of war, combat, death, PTSD, and alcohol abuse.
We wrap the show with an article about thru-hiker entitlement, discussing why a Sawyer filter lasts a lifetime but you're supposed to swap a Brita every few months, the triple crown of mountain peaks, a new sun hoody review series, a detailed mailbag about a listener’s experience on the San Diego Trans County Trail, and Chaunce schedules an impromptu summit of Mount Rainier.
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Interview with Stephen “Near Miss” Palazzo
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:25 - Reminders: Check out our new merch, get tickets for our LIVE Chaunce send-off podcast, apply to be a guest co-host, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon
00:13:40 - Introducing Near Miss
00:15:50 - What got you started in the military?
00:22:00 - Were you still on your five year plan when 9/11 happened?
00:26:45 - Talk to us in your drill sergeant voice
00:28:30 - Discussion about Stephen’s time in the military after 9/11
00:40:50 - Did you prefer your more managerial or front-line roles?
00:45:40 - What are your go-to stories that you tell about your deployments?
00:49:18 - What was one of your near-death experiences?
00:53:00 - Discussion about post-trail depression
00:55:30 - Discussion about PTSD
00:56:00 - How did you deal with your drinking problems?
01:01:15 - Do you have any advice for hikers that want to process something on trail?
01:06:17 - Chaunce’s voice memo story
01:09:50 - As a drill sergeant, what ticks you off the most?
01:14:00 - How many people left in the first few weeks?
01:21:00 - Tell us about your Ursack freezing to a tree
01:26:50 - Have you talked any of your veteran friends into hiking?
01:28:30 - Was there a moment you realized that hiking was healing you?
01:35:00 - Tell us about your trip to Ecuador
01;37:30 - Discussion about rhabdomyolysis
01:40:45 - How did you get interested in mountaineering?
01:44:16 - Do you have advice for someone who wants to save money for an adventure?
01:51:45 - How did you decide to hike the CDT next?
01:56:10 - Is there a difference between the fear you experienced while deployed versus hiking?
01:58:50 - What are your favorite stories from the CDT?
02:02:10 - What’s the most real between ghosts, aliens, and mountain lions in New England?
02:14:35 - What time span did you complete all the Colorado 14ers in?
02:18:30 - Discussion about paratroopers
02:25:15 - Which was your first of the 7 summits?
02:31:17 - Discussion about summiting Denali
02:38:15 - Fuck Marry Kill: Denali, Kiliminjaro, Aconcagua
02:39:50 - If you had to cut a summit from the list, which would you cut?
02:43:00 - Discussion about deciding to quit a thru-hike and town food
02:49:50 - Tell us about the 13ers you’ve done recently
02:52:00 - Are you afraid of dying?
02:53:55 - What do you wear in extremely cold conditions?
02:55:45 - What advice would you give to someone interested in getting into mountaineering?
03:03:30 - Do you feel like a different person now?
03:06:00 - Zach and Chaunce have a fight
03:12:50 - What’s next on the docket for you?
03:13:45 - In what way did you burnout on thru-hiking?
03:16:40 - Tell us about your Buffalo Wild Wings points
03:23:00 - Stay Salty Question: What’s your hottest take in the world of backpacking?
03:25:50 - If you were 18 again, would you join the Army again?
Segments
Trek Propaganda: 7 All-Too Common Signs of Entitlement I’ve Noticed in the Thru-Hiking Community by Peg Leg
QOTD: Why does a sawyer filter last a lifetime but you’re supposed to swap a brita every few months?
Triple Crown of mountain peaks
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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