Welcome to Sounds of the Trail! This is a podcast about the ups, downs, and switchbacks of trail life. Follow along with our contributors as they hike on the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest trail, and send back transmissions, updates, and interviews with other hikers. We cover a different bit of trail life in all the episodes, and we only give bad advice.
– By Hikers, For Everyone –

The Sounds of the Trail Team:

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Gizmo – the host and producer of SOTT. All audio quality problems are her fault. She hiked the Arizona Trail in 2016 and the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014. When she’s not podcasting, she’s sticking to her day job and rock climbing on the weekends.

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2016 Trail Correspondents – The Appalachian Trail Crew

Hey Girl (previously known as Laura) – 13 years after her first steps on the Appalachian Trail, she is back – this time for the thru. She is passionate about spending time in nature (and getting others to do so). Off the trail she is an environmental professional who has spent the last eight years working in international environmental conservation.

Wanderer (aka Juan Durer) – He’s out in the woods, and he’s got his banjo-lele. You might hear him coming before you see him. A long-term traveler, Wanderer been around the globe, but still couldn’t resist the draw of the Appalachian Trail.

Cornelius Rumblejunk – his words: “I don’t think too hard, I just have fun with things.” Yes, that’s his real name.

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2016 Trail Correspondents – The Pacific Crest Trail Crew

Hollywood (previously known as Lesley) – she’s got a grimy past, a sunny disposition, and an undoubtedly bright future. Between an aggravating inability to stay in one place for too long and a costly obsession with ultralight gear, thru-hiking the PCT seemed like the thing to do.

Droplet (aka Lafe) – he’s been a wilderness ranger with US Forest service for the past couple years, but dreaming of hiking the trail for a lot longer. Almost ten years of plans later, he’s finally making a thru happen.

Morning Glory
(aka Kim) – Australian born, Midwestern raised, she ended up in LA where she got her intro to the PCT. She’s taking a break from being a middle school Assistant Principal to do a bit of walking instead.

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2016 Trail Correspondents – The Continental Divide Trail Crew

Homework – he enjoys brewing beer, whittling spoons, getting tattoos, picking up litter, making popcorn, reading hiker blogs, and hanging out with his family, dog, and tribe of friends. When’s he got some extra time, he likes to hike too. He hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014, and now’s he taking on the big bad CDT.

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2015 Trail Correspondents:

Kimchi – our official Appalachian Trail correspondent. Her trail name is Kimchi because, as she says, she’s “spicy, delicious, and maybe a little bit foul”. She also hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014 (where she met Gizmo), and you can read about her PCT 2014 thru-hike here: Part i, Part ii, Part iii, Part iv, Part v. When she’s not podcasting, she’s hiking, obviously.

Saina – our first official Pacific Crest Trail correspondent, (spoiler alert) she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from the southern monument almost to the Sierras before an on-trail injury ended her 2015 thru-hiking attempt. You can check out her blog here.

Par 3 – recruited mid-trail, Par 3 is our second official Pacific Crest Trail correspondent. He attempted to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014 (when he met Kimchi) and settled for a 1000 miles under his belt. He’s back on the trail this year to do the entire thing.