15. Zach "Badger" Davis and The Trek (w/ co-host Real Hiking Viking)

This week, Out and Back delves into the psychological side of backpacking. Special guest host and previous Out and Back guest "The Real Hiking Viking" joins Shanty to chat with one of Viking’s buddies: hiking legend Zach “Badger” Davis. Thru-hikers may know Badger as the founder of the popular backpacking resource, The Trek. Badger has also written Appalachian Trials and Pacific Crest Trials, psychological guides for tackling the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. Badger explains how his puzzlement over the “Virginia Blues” led him to start a blog to make sense of why so many thru-hikers quit the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Blogging ultimately led him to write Appalachian Trials and found The Trek. On a lighter note, Badger and Viking dig into the unlikely start of their friendship, and they share wild stories from thru-hiking the PCT together, including how sleeping in an outhouse saved their lives. Seasoned and aspiring thru-hikers alike won’t want to miss this episode to learn how to find the light at the end of the dark, green tunnel.