Backpacker Radio's Origin Story, Evolution, and Behind the Scenes with Zach and Chaunce (BPR #360)
Release Date: 06/08/2026
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,...
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Nasty Celebrity Encounters, Triple Crown of Things You Can Live Without But Should Be Free, and Do You Face the Showerhead?
Backpacker Radio
Segments Nasty Celebrity Encounters Trek Propaganda: by Peg Leg QOTD: Do people face the shower head when they shower? Triple Crown of things you can easily live without, but nonetheless should be free for everyone Smitty’s Experience Being Navajo in the US 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...
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Falling 35 Feet Free Soloing, Hiking the CT in 15 Days, and What It Means to Be Navajo in America with Jeremy "Smitty" Phoenix (BPR #363)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by Jeremy Phoenix aka Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, aka Javos, a Navajo-born, Amish-country-raised, REI-employed, grave-digging, Princeton-attending thru-hiker who completed the Colorado Trail in 15 days on his first ever backpacking trip and has been making up for lost time ever since. In this one, Smitty walks us through completing the 24-hour challenge three separate times on the PCT, a free solo fall from 35 feet- that he just kind of walked off, getting stalked by a mountain lion,...
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Tiger Facts, End of the Timberline Lodge Breakfast Buffet, and Poop, Pees, and Peen Talk
Backpacker Radio
Segments Tiger Facts Trek Propaganda: by James Townsend QOTD: Do poop pees count as full pees? Sun Hoodie Review: Fjällräven Abisko Wool Hoodie Triple Crown of words for penis 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, Austen McDaniel, Bill...
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Stalked by a Mountain Lion, a 25-Foot Fall in the Sierra, and Canoeing 2,400 Miles Down the Mississippi with Matthew "Masochist" Hengst (BPR #362)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Matthew Hengst, aka Masochist, an IT-professional-turned-full-time-adventurer who over the past eight-plus years has racked up 20,000 miles hiked, nearly 3,000 miles paddled, 2.5 million feet of elevation climbed, and somewhere north of 300 diving sessions across multiple continents. Masochist walks us through canoeing 2,400 miles down the Mississippi, the time he fell 25 feet in a remote part of the Sierra and laid there for 15 hours waiting for a helicopter, catching COVID...
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Lyme Disease Research Update, Raccoon vs. Goose, the Triple Crown of Girly Gear, and 2026 Hiking Gear Trends
Backpacker Radio
Segments Lyme Disease Update Trek Propaganda: by Livvy Weld QOTD: Would you rather have one raccoon know all your secrets and occasionally hint at them or one goose publicly overreact to everything you do? Stupid Thing of the Week Triple Crown of gear you can find that’s girly 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)...
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Walking the Portuguese Camino with Her Parents to Honor Her Late Brother with Elise "Sauce" Ott (BPR #361)
Backpacker Radio
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined by our pal Elise Ott, aka Sauce, who gives us a play by play of her recent hike on Portuguese Camino coastal route along with her parents. SOS walks us through doing the Camino as a tribute to her late brother Curtis, who passed away in February of 2025 after years of living with schizoaffective disorder. She shares his story with honesty and humor, including the time he stole a county parks truck in a three-piece suit, drove it across state lines, and complimented the cop who tackled him, and...
info_outlineIn today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are bringing you the rare Chaunce and Zach solo pod.
In this one, we tell the full origin story of Backpacker Radio, from the unofficial co-host audition at a hiker meetup, to Chaunce showing up at the wrong restaurant on day one, to almost not making it past the early episodes. We get into how our interviewing dynamic has evolved over eight years, the technical disasters of the early days, the team that quietly makes this whole thing work, our all-time favorite guests, the ones we never aired, the dream guests we still haven't landed, and answer a slew of listener questions.
We wrap the show with a triple crown of worst ways to die, share the news that apparently Roundup is being sprayed in our national forests, opine on whether we’d rather give up sauces or kissing (and debate whether butter is a sauce), and give an overview on how to negotiate a thru-hiking sabbatical from your employer.
Topo Athletic: Use code “TREK15TOPO” at topoathletic.com.
Gossamer Gear: Use code "BACKPACKERRADIO" for $20 off LT5 Trekking Poles at gossamergear.com.
OnX Backcountry: Use code “TREK70” for 70% off at onxmaps.com
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Interview with Chaunce
Time stamps & Questions
00:06:15 - Reminders: Support Akuna during his recovery, join us for Chaunce’s live podcast sendoff, submit your favorite Chaunce moments or a voicemail for Chaunce, apply to be a co-host, check out our new merch, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:15:05 - Introducing Chaunce
00:17:10 - What was Zach’s initial idea for the podcast and how you decided you wanted a co-host?
00:25:42 - What were your first impressions of each other
00:27:48 - What were your expectations for the podcast's longevity and success?
00:34:20 - Did you discuss the style of the podcast and interview format you wanted?
00:39:43 - How has your co-interviewing strategy changed over the years?
00:59:25 - How are guests chosen for the show?
01:09:58 - What are some surprising things you've learned about making the podcast?
01:19:13 - How many interviews or segments have had to be cut?
01:24:18 - How long did it take to get over saying something dumb on air?
01:32:46 - How has the other person changed since episode one?
01:35:49 - What phrases or habits have you picked up from each other?
01:36:31 - How is the Mile by Mile project going?
01:45:45 - How have you balanced full-time work with hiking and the podcast?
01:53:18 - Were there any episodes where you were sick or physically unwell?
01:59:44 - Discussion about listener & Instagram questions
02:00:28 - How do you manage a friendship while working together?
02:02:43 - If you could go back to the beginning, what advice would you give yourselves?
02:13:27 - Discussion about highest highs and lowest lows from the podcast
02:20:23 - What are a few all-time favorite guests?
02:26:32 - Which guest were you most nervous to interview?
02:28:53 - What were your "I love my job" moments from the show?
02:31:51 - What will you miss most about interviewing together?
02:35:51 - Discussion about podcast segments that lived and died
02:39:23 - What are the remaining dream guests you haven't landed yet?
02:48:00 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance enhancing or backpacking hack?
Segments
Trek Propaganda: Roundup Is Being Sprayed in National Forests. Here’s What PCT Hikers Should Know by Kelly Floro
QOTD: Would you rather give up sauces or kissing?
Triple Crown of Ways NOT to die
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/ and his coffee.
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Our theme song is Walking Slow by Animal Years.
A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex and Misty with NavigatorsCrafting, Alex Kindle, Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Bill Jensen, Brad & Blair Thirteen Adventures, Bret Mullins aka Cruizy, Bryan Alsop, Carl Lobstah Houde, Christopher Marshburn, Clint Sitler, Coach from Marion Outdoors, Eric Casper, Erik Hofmann, Ethan Harwell, Gillian Daniels, Greg Knight, Greg Martin, Griffin Haywood, Hailey Buckingham, Jackson Storm, JaredNotFromSubway, Jason Kiser, Jason “The Snail” Snailer, Luke Netjes, Matty in AZ, Patrick Cianciolo, Randy Sutherland, Rebecca Brave, Rural Juror, Sawyer Products, The Saint Louis Shaman, Timothy Hahn, Tracy ‘Trigger’ Fawns
A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Bells, Benjy Lowry, Bonnie Ackerman, Brett Vandiver, Chris Pyle, Dakota J, David Neal, Dcnerdlet, Denise Krekeler, Jack Greene, Jeanie, Jeanne Latshaw, Lloyd Harris, Merle Watkins, Peter, Quenten Jones, Ruth S, Salt Stain, Sloan Alberhasky, and Tyler Powers.