In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek and brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are doing a thorough breakdown of the differences and similarities between the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. We are joined by Trek Bloggers, Abby Evans, aka “Shitwater Fireball: Queer of the Salamanders" and Hannah “Spring” Goodman, who are both 2024 PCT thru-hikers, and had previously thru-hiked the AT as well. We talk about the differences in overall difficulty, including weather, terrain, logistics, and gear, the difference in trail cultures, the various highs and lows, and ultimately, each person gives which of the two trails they prefer overall. The results may surprise you.

We wrap the show with some news of a positive update on the new Lyme disease vaccine, who we would trade bodies with and what we would do first, the triple crown of streaming services, and a reader prompts Chaunce into giving us a more detailed breakdown about the time she pooped into a mountain house bag in her tent.

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Duer: Get 15% off at shopduer.com/backpacker.

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Panel with Abby Evans aka “Shitwater Fireball” and Hannah “Spring” Goodman

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:30 - Reminders: Come to our Brooklyn meetup TODAY (September 16)! And support us on Patreon for exclusive bonus content and get your tickets for our live Denver show on December 7!

00:07:50 - Introducing Shitwater & Spring

00:09:03 - Spring, how did you get into the outdoors?

00:10:20 - Shitwater, how did you get into the outdoors?

00:12:57 - What are your trail name origin stories?

00:16:00 - What backpacking trips did you do before the AT?

00:17:08 - How has your PCT experience been?

00:18:27 - Zach & Chaunce’s AT/PCT experience

00:19:10 - AT vs. PCT: Overall difficulty

00:25:00 - Discussion about fire logistics and impacts

00:28:16 - Zach & Chaunce’s difficulty comparison between the trails

00:32:30 - Discussion about hike mindset between the AT and PCT

00:47:22 - What was the hardest part of skipping miles on the PCT?

01:01:00 - AT vs. PCT: Social experience

01:11:35 - Do you think being on trail was a good place to process the breakup?

01:18:00 - Chaunce’s trail social experiences

01:33:25 - AT vs. PCT: Gear differences

01:50:20 - How much rain did you experience on the PCT?

01:54:40 - AT vs. PCT: Highs and lows

02:14:20 - If you could only pick on trail for the rest of your life, which would you pick?

02:17:30 - Where can we keep up with you?

Segments

Rapid Fire Interviews

Trek Propaganda: Lyme Disease Vaccine Passes Stage Three Trials by Kimberly Featherston

QOTD: If you could trade bodies with someone for a day who would be and what would you do first?

Triple Crown of streaming services

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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AT vs. PCT Panel: Gear, Culture, and Logistics with Abby Evans and Hannah Goodman

Backpacker Radio