Packrafting expert Luc Mehl has spent decades creatively exploring Alaska. He worked his way up the learning curves of skiing, bikepacking, ice skating, and packrafting — sometimes at the expense of his own safety. But when a friend drowned in a packrafting accident, Luc critically examined his lifestyle. He decided to relearn how to packraft the right way. Buckle up as Luc takes listeners on a wild ride this week on the Out and Back podcast.
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Pacific Crest 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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Tune into the Out and Back podcast for a talk with Will “Akuna” Robinson. An army vet and the first Black man to complete the thru-hiking Triple Crown, Akuna shares how hiking helped him recover from PTSD and depression. He opens up about hate he has experienced on social media, how outdoor brands can be better allies to people of color, and how he handles an overwhelming number of media requests during this time of racial reckoning.
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.