Getting Charged by a Moose, a Month of CDT Solitude, and Going Pro as a Hiking Photographer with Caleb "Meatball" Adcock (BPR #364)

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, what it's actually like to hike the CDT almost completely solo for months at a time, what he's learning about himself in the solitude, and the time he was charged by an angry momma moose multiple times near Leadville. 

We wrap the show with my review of the popular KETL Mtn No Fry Sun Hoodie review, a complex question of the day involving depriving access to the rest of the world’s meal access or cooking appliances, the triple crown of ways you’d behave differently if there were no ramifications, Why You Should Never Take Gear Advice to Heart, and many tears are shed as this is Chaunce’s last Backpacker Radio studio visit as a Colorado resident.

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

Gossamer Gear: Use code "BACKPACKERRADIO" for $20 off LT5 Trekking Poles at gossamergear.com. 

Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code “BPRADIO15” for 15% of hyperlitemountaingear.com

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Interview with Caleb “Meatball” Adcock

• Caleb's Instagram
• Caleb's Website

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:15 - Processing

00:06:45 - Reminders: Sign up for the Trek’s newsletter, subscribe to the Trek’s new Youtube channel, the Trek: On Trail, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:12:50 - Introducing Meatball

00:20:40 - Discussion about balancing impressions on social media

00:21:45 - Did you ever worry about posting shitty pictures?

00:23:43 - What’s the least professional thing you’ve done in one of your videos?

00:27:30 - Discussion about authenticity with brand photography

00:29:14 - Which of your photos or videos have gone the most viral?

00:33:03 - Where in your career arc did you get into photography?

00:36:00 - How did you determine your pricing?

00:39:00 - What brands have you worked with?

00:43:45 - Have you had any entertaining requests you’ve turned down?

00:46:55 - What did you study in college?

00:51:00 - How do you quantify the value of your work?

00:55:25 - What’s the funniest interaction you’ve had with someone who’s recognized you?

00:58:30 - How did you get into backpacking?

01:04:05 - How did you decide to thru-hike the AT last year?

01:11:40 - Give us the pros and cons of section hiking versus thru-hiking

01:19:40 - Tell us about getting Lyme

01:32:45 - Do you have any fun trail hookup stories?

01:35:15 - Are you obsessed with hot dogs?

01:43:10 - Why did you pick the CDT for your second trail?

01:47:20 - How has the solitude been on the CDT?

01:52:10 - How do you keep yourself happy and motivated when hiking alone?

01:55:41 - What’s one of the hard days you’ve had so far?

01:58:20 - Are you considering slowing down to join up with other hikers?

02:02:15 - Did you ever consider quitting?

02:07:00 - Discussion about taking zero days to reset

02:10:00 - Do you feel a greater sense of presence on this hike?

02:11:56 - Tell us about getting charged by a moose

02:23:00 - What else do you want to share about the CDT?

02:25:10 - If you were the director of photography for the BPR studio, what would you do differently?

02:26:20 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance enhancing or backpacking hack?

Segments

Processing

Trek Propaganda

• Teen Hiker Dies in Grand Canyon National Park Amid Extreme Heat by Katie Jackson
• Why You Should Never Take Gear Advice to Heart 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 Review

Stupid Thing of the Week

Processing Again

Patent Pending

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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