Today we thank our veterans for their service. And we take a moment to reflect on how the history of one of our favorite pastimes, thru-hiking, remains inextricably linked to “walking off the war.” From the father of thru-hiking Earl Shaffer to the founder of Warrior Expeditions Sean Gobin, explore how veterans find catharsis on the trail.
Tag:
appalachian trail
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Once a year, fleeting reds, yellows, and oranges light up national parks across the country. How do you choose which of the 61 national parks to visit? Learn about the best national parks for leaf peeping this October, along with their top hikes and tips for the trail.
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Special Out and Back co-host The Real Hiking Viking joins Shanty to chat with hiking legend Zach “Badger” Davis. Badger shares how meditation and mental preparation helped him complete thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail despite having zero backpacking experience. He shares how that thru-hike changed his life, leading him to write Appalachian Trials and found The Trek. Plus, Viking and Badger share wild stories from their joint PCT thru-hike.
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Last July, Andrew Baldwin set out southbound on the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail thru-hike. His previous year, filled with untethered travel throughout the US, left Baldwin searching for a purpose. Determined to find clarity paired with unbridled challenge, he joined just three percent of hikers who choose to hike north to south on the AT. Along the way, he found his trail family, wrangled the voice inside his head, and emerged with a new outlook on his life.
Read more to meet the host of the new Out and Back podcast.
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Yesterday, Heather “Anish” Anderson completed her southbound hike of the Appalachian Trail, and set the unsupported speed record. The trail spans 2,189 miles, which Anderson covered in 54 days, 7 hours and…
Episode two of the Out and Back podcast drops today featuring thru-hiking legend the The Real Hiking Viking. In this episode, meet free-spirited and fun-focused Thomas Gathman, who picked up the Viking trail name due to his Norse-like beard and his warrior status as a former Marine Scout Sniper. Viking served two combat tours in Iraq before coming home, selling all his possessions in 2013, and hiking more than 20,000 miles on America’s longest trails. Tune in to hear Viking’s story about how he turned from sniper to pro hiker and never looked back.
We’ve been remiss in introducing everyone over the years, so we’re doing short profiles on the folks at Gaia GPS. We introduced Aileen Gardner last week, and going chronologically backwards in time,…