In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Kevin “Sunshine” Silvernale. Originally a commercial pilot from Seattle, Kevin thru-hiked the PCT in 2016 and immediately fell in love with the Hiker Trash lifestyle. That passion led him to put his flying career on hold to hike the AT, Colorado Trail, much of the CDT, and most recently, to begin creating a brand-new long trail route, the Northern Colorado Trail.

We chat about his life as a pilot, including when Chaunce coaxed him into sharing a story about how he joined the mile high club, and how thru-hiking ultimately pulled him away from aviation.

We go deep into the Northern Colorado Trail (or the NoCo Trail as he calls it), a 300-mile route he’s developing, covering what goes into designing and rerouting a trail, working with public lands agencies, the best time of year to hike it, standout sections (including a hair-raising traverse of the Devil’s Causeway), the wildlife, its growing popularity, resupply and town stops, how to access both terminuses, what he envisions for the trail’s future- and much more.

We wrap the show with the sad news of the drowning death of a 2025 Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, Chaunce talks in depth about how she’s pooing liquid, the triple crown of bodies of water, Chaunce’s car getting broken into of the week, how I voluntarily stepped into a patch of poison ivy, and the best listener email of all time.

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Interview with Kevin “Sunshine” Silvernale

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:16 - Reminders: Sign up for the Trek’s newsletter, apply to blog for the Trek and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:08:22 - Introducing Sunshine

00:09:30 - Tell us about being a commercial pilot

00:12:55 - Are you part of the mile high club?

00:14:08 - What are some quirks of pilot culture?

00:15:55 - What’s a go-to pilot movie?

00:18:05 - How accurate are flight simulators?

00:18:55 - What would you tell someone about the safety of flying?

00:25:36 - On average, how many hours per week would a commercial pilot fly?

00:26:40 - How did the PCT fall on your radar?

00:29:27 - Was there anything acutely dissatisfying about working as a pilot?

00:32:00 - What is a pilot lounge like?

00:33:30 - When you’re hiking, do you track planes you see overhead?

00:34:50 - Any standout moments from the PCT?

00:40:20 - What’d you do after the PCT?

00:41:25 - What was your impression of the AT after doing the PCT first?

00:43:55 - Were you able to enjoy the CDT given how isolated it is?

00:45:50 - When did the NoCo Trail idea come to you?

00:47:15 - Tell us the basics of the NoCo Trail

00:52:24 - How much of the trail is on roads?

00:54:30 - How do you get permission to hike across private land?

00:56:30 - How would you recommend section hiking the trail?

01:00:05 - What would a typical day of hiking look like?

01:01:27 - What are the highlights of the trail?

01:04:30 - How many people have hiked this trail?

01:07:00 - Did the route change as you thru-hiked it?

01:10:40 - Which alternate would you want to become the de facto trail?

01:11:50 - Are there 14ers along the way?

01:13:08 - What’s the water situation like along the trail?

01:16:42 - Would you recommend this as a first thru-hike?

01:18:10 - What’s the process of creating waypoints for navigation?

01:19:47 - What’s the camping situation like?

01:21:00 - How did you store your food?

01:22:30 - Which direction is best?

01:24:25 - Would you ever want this trail to connect to the Colorado Trail?

01:26:00 - How do you decide on a priority structure for continuing to develop the trail?

01:29:25 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?

Segments

Trek Propaganda: Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker Drowns in Virginia by Katie Jackson

QOTD: How many days until my bowels remember what a solid is?

Car Getting Broken Into of the Week

Triple Crown of bodies of water

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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The Northern Colorado Trail with Kevin "Sunshine" Silvernale (BPR #316)

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