Signs of Thru-Hiker Entitlement, Weird Smells, the Triple Crown of Mountain Peaks, and a "Geography" Quiz

Summary

Backpacker Radio — Episode Summary

Episode: Signs of Thru-Hiker Entitlement, Weird Smells, the Triple Crown of Mountain Peaks, and a "Geography" Quiz
Hosts: Zach "Badger" Davis & Juliana "Chaunce" Chauncey
Date: May 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the quirks and realities of the thru-hiking community, with a focus on entitlement on trail, trail etiquette, health signals from strange smells, and gear talk. The hosts, joined by guest "Chance," keep the tone lively and unfiltered, moving between both thoughtful and comical perspectives on trail life, mountain nostalgia, and through-hiker culture. Bonus segments include a humorous and revealing geography quiz centered on North Carolina, and a "Triple Crown" roundtable of beloved mountain peaks. The episode is punctuated with memorable stories and classic Backpacker Radio banter.

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Key Segments & Timestamps

1. Geography Quiz: "Why Does North Carolina Keep Coming Up?"

[01:33 – 04:22]

• Recurring Bit: The quiz, clearly tongue-in-cheek, repeatedly targets North Carolina with negative stats.
• Topics: Worker protections, union rates, teacher salaries, hurricane landfalls, minimum wage—all connected to North Carolina's standings.
• Funny Exchange:
  • Trance: "Are all the answers going to be North Carolina in a bad way?" [02:24]
  • Host: "You got a lot of them, right? Good job." [04:15]
• Vibe: Playful teasing and self-aware humor.
• Quote:
  • Trance: "That made me feel terrible. Thank you." [04:35]

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2. Weird Smells and What They Mean About Your Health

[05:12 – 13:01]

• Trance’s Research: Fascinating (and sometimes alarming) breakdown of what unusual bodily odors might indicate about health.
  • Burnt toast — stroke.
  • Ammonia/fishy breath — kidney failure.
  • Fruity/acetone breath — ketosis/diabetes.
  • Musty/sweet — liver failure.
  • Maple syrup urine — Maple Syrup Urine Disease ("it's an inherited disorder where the body can't break down certain amino acids")
  • Typhoid — "like freshly baked bread"
  • Yellow fever — “butcher shop” skin.
  • Dogs sniffing breath for health checks.
• Mischievous banter:
  • Host: "So if you smell your friend's breath and it smells like maple syrup..." [08:43]
  • Trance: "You should suggest that they see a doctor." [08:45]
• Shift into trail culture: Heavy sweating and unusual scents encountered on trail as potential red flags.
• Notable Quote:
  • Chance: "You know this. The sense of smell is tied specifically to memories." [09:13]
• Memorable Moment:
  • Host: “I'm all piss.” [09:10]—self-deprecating trail humor.

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3. Removing Raw Onion/Garlic Odor from Hands

[09:27 – 13:01]

• Tips from The Trail:
  • Trance: Soft-girl tip—wearing latex gloves to avoid kitchen odors, even if it's a single-use plastic issue. [10:06]
  • Host and Chance: Rubbing hands on stainless steel to remove odors—“science fiction how quickly it got rid of it.” [11:04]
  • Fish-shaped stainless “soap bars” for kitchen smells.
  • Other options: salt, toothpaste, lemon juice.
  • Trance (joking): “You could also just take the hand off.” [13:33]

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4. Backpacker Radio's Discussion: Thru-Hiker Entitlement

[16:06 – 24:29]

• Prompted by user-submitted post (All Star Peg Leg):
  • Ungratefulness in the hiker community.
  • Not looking out for other hikers.
  • Ignoring the rules, assuming special privilege as a thru-hiker.
• Host’s Reflection:
  • “Through hikers make up less than 1% of visitors on National Scenic Trails... it can begin to feel like you have a special privilege.” [17:38]
• Nuanced Discussion: Navigating unsolicited advice vs. letting people learn for themselves.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Trance: “It’s a fine line between how do I give someone advice on what they're doing… versus what part do you want to sound like a know-it-all?” [18:45]
  • Host: “Unsolicited advice, whether it's received well or not, is the right thing to do because it could be saving someone's life.” [20:49]
• Hostel networks: Importance of supporting “hostel owners, shuttle operators, and trail angels.”
  • “You get branded as that guy, for sure or gal.” [23:30]

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5. Gear Deep Dive: Sawyer Squeeze vs. Brita Filters

[24:30 – 29:35]

• Why does a Sawyer water filter last forever, but Brita needs to be swapped so often?
  • Trance and Host hypothesize, then clarify:
    • Sawyer: uses a physical filter (membrane), can be backflushed (mechanically cleaned).
    • Brita: uses activated carbon, chemically binds contaminants and is used up over time (“adsorption”).
    • Stakes are different: Sawyer is “putting it through mossy, gross cow ponds,” Brita is for “blonde housewives in Lululemon … filling the kids’ water bottle.” [27:10]
    • “One is more taste and some health, but not the kind that prevents you from shitting your pants relentless, right?” [29:25]
  • Sawyer bags/CNOC partnership celebrated for quality.

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6. TRIPLE CROWN: Favorite Mountain Peaks

[30:54 – 57:08]

- Snake draft format ("Triple Crown") sponsored by OnX Backcountry.

- Picks span from beloved U.S. 14ers to international mountains to personal, nostalgic moments.

Notable Peaks & Stories:

• Pyramid Peak (Maroon Bells, CO)
  • Chance: “It’s so badass… That’s my fave 14er.” [32:06]
• Maroon Bells (CO)
  • Trance: “It was just different. And I thought that for where I was at in life… cool view.” [34:25]
• Mount Rainier (WA)
  • Host: “Always most in awe of in every circumstance.” [37:41]
  • Chance & Trance: Impromptu Rainier climb planning! Candid exchange about gender, trust, and mountaineering mentorship.
    • Trance: “People don’t just volunteer to carry dead weight.” [43:03]
    • Chance: “I love helping people accomplish their goals and I love mountaineering.” [43:29]
• Mount of the Holy Cross (CO)
  • Host: “View of the mountain … the way the snow gets caught in the cross.” [46:04]
• Dolomites peak (Italy)
  • Trance: Recalls unrepeatable childhood moment in wildflowers and a mystery mountain. “It lives up there in a magical state.” [48:55]
• Little Bear-Blanca Traverse (CO)
  • Chance: “Most technical traverse you can do out of the 14ers… rated as Class 5.” [49:46]
  • Serious talk of risk and skill development.
• Mount Adams (PCT, WA)
  • Trance: “Alpenglow on Mount Adams… a reminder of why you stay out there.” [55:49]
• Mount Katahdin (AT, ME)
  • Host: “The first time I saw Katahdin … puts this whole thing into perspective for me.” [57:51]
  • Trance: Contrasts experience, finding it physically and emotionally tough, not a favorite due to height and challenge. [59:03]

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7. Sun Hoodie Gear Review (North Face Summit Series)

[62:20 – 69:08]

• Host’s ongoing “sun hoodie” testing series.
  • Details on North Face Summit Series Direct Sun Hoodie—UPF 40, lightweight, breathes well, a little snug at the cuffs.
  • Commentary on natural fibers vs. synthetics.
  • Trance: “But my only critique on this one as a non user is there’s no hole for my ponytail.” [69:26]
  • Running joke about rating hoodies “in terms of my boobs.” [68:35]
• Banter: Balancing technical specs, environmental issues, and user-experience (“Can you rate these in my boobs?”).

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8. Listener Mailbag

[70:32 – 76:45]

• Featured reader feedback on the San Diego Trans County Trail (SDTCT):
  • Details on route difficulties, sketchy road segments near El Cajon Mountain, bushwhacking, endangered arroyo toads, trail camping, and personal anecdotes (discovering pregnancy on trail!).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On advice and entitlement:

“It’s a fine line between how do I give someone advice…versus what part do you want to sound like a know-it-all?”
– Trance, [18:45]

“Unsolicited advice ... could be saving someone's life.”
– Host, [20:49]

On health and weird trail smells:

“So if you smell your friend's breath and it smells like maple syrup... you should suggest that they see a doctor.”
– Trance & Host, [08:43-08:45]

On gender, mentorship, and expectations:

“People don’t just volunteer to carry dead weight. I want to make sure you know ... you are volunteering to carry dead weight, for no other reason than kindness.”
– Trance, [43:03]

On trail nostalgia:

“I wish I knew what mountain it was ... I can’t go back because I don’t know what it was ... but it lives up there in a magical state.”
– Trance, [48:55]

On trail views vs. meaning:

“Anyone who likes it just for the view hasn’t seen enough views. Because when you see enough views, the views don’t really matter anymore, do they?"
– Trance, [56:28]

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Tone & Language

• Conversational, irreverent, often self-deprecating: Cohosts riff, tease, and get philosophical about the highs and lows of backpacking.
• Informal and candid: No topic is too weird, no story left unshared. Occasional swearing and mature banter.
• Community-focused: Frequent shoutouts to readers, writers, and trail community members.

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Episode Takeaways

• Trail life is messy—people, smells, gear, etiquette, and moments of vulnerability all combine in unique ways.
• Entitlement and etiquette in hiking requires ongoing self-awareness and humility.
• Gear deep-dives offer practical takeaways with room for humor and critique.
• The best trail stories balance nostalgia, challenge, and the unpredictable—often marked by the smallest or silliest moments.

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For Further Listening

If you want to peel back the layers of long-distance hiking, the culture around it, and how hikers navigate community, hardship, and gear, this is classic Backpacker Radio—a blend of wisdom, humor, and plenty of dirt (literally and figuratively).

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Listen if:
You want a window into authentic trail life, enjoy unfiltered gear reviews, or just need a reminder that it’s OK to bring both emotional baggage and questions about weird body odors with you to the trailhead.

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Instagram/YouTube Comment Challenge:
"Viva La Chaunce / Viva Lechant" – Riffing on the hosts' humorous parting shot and Chaunce's impending exit.

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Next Episode Preview:
More sun hoodie reviews, gear debates, and the return of triple crown picks. Stay tuned for Chaunce’s “ultimate send off.”

Transcript

[Host]

You may think you know McDonald's drinks, but you don't know them like this.

[Chance]

From fruity refreshers like the Strawberry Watermelon

[Host]

refresher and the Mango Pineapple refresher with popping boba to crafted sodas like the Sprite Berry blast with berry flavored sprite topped with cold foam.

[Chance]

Who knew ice cold drinks could be so fire six.

[Host]

All new drinks are here. Try them all now at McDonald's.

[Chance]

Refreshers contain caffeine.

[Host]

You didn't start a business just to keep the lights on. You're here to sell more today than yesterday. You're here to win. Lucky for you, Shopify built the best converting checkout on the planet. Like the just one tapping ridiculously fast acting sky high sales stacking champion at checkouts. That's the good stuff right there. So if your business is in it to win it, win with Shopify. Start your free trial [e-mail] Winner. Bonus segment.

[Trance]

Take pictures of us here. We're making memories.

[Host]

So this one is a geography quiz. So I'm going to ask geography questions and see here you really don't want

[Trance]

me to say my segment too?

[Host]

You're going to get a turn to do your segment.

[Trance]

I know I've got two. Just wait. I know you want to go home at 8. I just don't want to ever leave here.

[Host]

Well, that this was part of process passed a long time ago. I know it's a marathon.

[Trance]

There's a part of self sabotage in this where I'm just like I don't want to leave so I'm just going to keep dragging on.

[Host]

It's 8:30, 8:40.

[Trance]

Depends on what time. Right?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Not in Hawaii.

[Host]

Yeah, time flies. Okay, for the fifth year in a row, Oxfam ranked this state dead last in the US for workers based on wages, worker protections and the right to organize.

[Trance]

Louisiana.

[Host]

Correct answer is North Carolina.

[Trance]

You got to let him. Is this targeted no.

[Host]

Or doing geography quizzes?

[Trance]

Are all the answers going to be North Carolina in a bad way?

[Chance]

I would have said West Virginia to be honest.

[Trance]

Yeah, I thought for a second that he was with me.

[Host]

Okay,

[Trance]

according to wait is worth rank, it's ranked least for what?

[Host]

For US Workers based on wages, worker protections and the right to organize.

[Trance]

Oh, Garrett, clock that.

[Host]

According to the U. S. Bureau of labor statistics, this state has the lowest union membership rate in the entire country at just two and a half percent of its workers.

[Trance]

Florida?

[Host]

No, it's.

[Trance]

What do you mean it's even.

[Chance]

I'd say California.

[Host]

North Carolina.

[Trance]

This is targeted. Are these all convincing me not to go?

[Host]

This is the only state in the country where teacher salaries are projected to actually decrease this school year, and it ranks 46 in the nation for teacher pay. Which state is it?

[Chance]

Garrett?

[Host]

Are you.

[Trance]

I'm starting to understand why he wouldn't let me take the segment. Is it North Carolina?

[Host]

Is North Carolina. Ding, ding, ding.

[Chance]

I actually grew up.

[Trance]

This is funny. This is funny. I didn't see this coming.

[Host]

This state has experienced a hurricane landfall roughly once every two years since 1951, with 36 direct hurricane landfalls in recorded history.

[Trance]

You're not usually this good at being funny. This is good. I get what you're doing.

[Host]

Do you have any guesses?

[Trance]

I bet it's North Carolina.

[Host]

It's North Carolina.

[Trance]

You don't say.

[Host]

This state's minimum wage has been stuck at 6, 725 an hour since 2009, the same as the federal floor, and has never gone higher. What state?

[Trance]

That's okay. I'm doing what? Babe, stand up the camera. What am I doing? Q. Q. Quiet. Quitting. We don't care about the statement.

[Host]

Yes, true 0 is the actual minimum wage when you quit.

[Trance]

Unless you're my employer. I'm not quitting. I'm just telling my husband I don't want to work anymore.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

So that concludes the geography quiz. But you got a lot of them, right? Good job.

[Trance]

That was 2 minutes and 57 seconds. And you want to do an entire second episode in a week around that? Let me tell my fun story.

[Host]

I mean, it packed a punch. It punched above its weight for a second.

[Trance]

Yeah, it made me feel terrible. Thank you.

[Host]

Just saying. There's still time.

[Trance]

I get it. I get it. Talk to him.

[Host]

No.

[Trance]

My loving husband, who drove here because I drank too much whiskey and he has to take me home.

[Host]

That's a very good deal.

[Trance]

And if anyone's watching this on YouTube and they see that I refilled my cup and I didn't know where Denali was. Mind you, I do. I just forgot the name of what we were talking about. I thought it was Anaconda. I'm not driving home. I'm not driving home.

[Chance]

Actually, a better way to say it.

[Trance]

Honestly, it looks like that word, I'm not driving home. I can drink as much whiskey as I want.

[Host]

Do you want to burn a bonus segment?

[Trance]

What do you mean, do I want to burn it?

[Host]

Because you have to do one for the next episode.

[Trance]

No, no, I brought two.

[Host]

Okay.

[Trance]

One I did in the middle of this because I was curious I was asking him follow up questions.

[Host]

Okay.

[Trance]

Remember when he was saying that it smells like ammonia?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

When XYZ recall I had looked up unusual scents that mean different health things, and it wasn't my original. I came with reasons. You could die.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

But this I thought was also cool. So burnt toast or metallic or chemical smells, those can signal neurological issues like a stroke. That's why they say if you smell. You've heard that?

[Host]

I think I have heard that one, actually.

[Trance]

Yeah. If you smell burnt toast, you're having a stroke. So then I was thinking that with the ammonia, what else do things smell like? Any sudden phantom smell, like, just like a strange random one could indicate a brain tumor, Alzheimer's, or more commonly something benign like allergies or sinuses. Breath odors. If on breath odors, it's fruity or acetone, like nail polish remover. Smell signals the body is breaking down fat instead of glucose and can indicate keto.

[Host]

Ketosis, yes.

[Chance]

Ketosis.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah. That is a critique on the ketosis diet.

[Trance]

Ammonia or like a urine, like fishy breath smell. In terms of breath smell, that can be a sign of chronic kidney failure.

[Host]

That's. That's rhabdo.

[Trance]

Common knowledge.

[Host]

No, no, I was just saying that rhabdo is also a kidney issue.

[Trance]

Okay, yeah, I know you're into the health stuff, so I don't know. What's you versus smidge? If you have musty sweet breath, then this is a sign of advanced liver failure occurring when the liver can no longer filter toxins, which are then exhaled through the lungs. If your breath smells like actual, like literal feces, you've been eating too much. This one's kind of a silly one. It can occur with prolonged vomiting or bowel obstruction. That one I kind of think you see coming. But here are some fun ones. Body odor or urine odors. If it smells like maple syrup, it smells like maple syrup.

[Host]

That's just pheromones.

[Trance]

There's a word for it. Msud. Maple syrup. Urine disorder. No, urine disease. Sorry.

[Host]

Your pee smells like maple syrup.

[Trance]

Maple syrup. Urine disease.

[Host]

Sounds like a blessing.

[Trance]

It's inherited.

[Host]

Nice.

[Trance]

It's an inherited disorder where the body can't break down certain amino acids causing the mapley sweet smell. And it's serious, but mostly diagnosed in infants. Huh. And then there's just like a baby smells like pancakes. Right. Throw it out.

[Host]

Classic.

[Trance]

That's mostly. That's mostly it.

[Chance]

I wonder if that's because there's too much sugar in their diet.

[Trance]

Okay, in conclusion, one random one, typhoid Fever a thing of the past.

[Host]

Oregon Trail Downfall yeah.

[Trance]

Turns body odor into something resembling freshly breaked bread. Like while yellow fever, though yellow fever makes sense. Skin apparently smell like a butcher shop.

[Host]

Okay. So lots of concerning odors.

[Trance]

I've read that for Harper, my cute precious angel baby. Like sometimes she'll come up to me and want to smell my breath. And I've read that dogs do that to get like a health tech on you. Like they try to see where your health is lined up.

[Host]

I buy that.

[Trance]

So if you're.

[Host]

Sarah always licks my wounds. Or if I'm sick, she acts weird around me.

[Trance]

But there's nothing saying we can't do this to our friends. So if you smell your friend's breath and it smells like maple syrup.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

You should suggest that they see a doctor.

[Host]

Right? Yeah. Right? Totally.

[Chance]

I think it was the urine. With maple syrup?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Was it? Yeah. Oh yeah. Maple syrup, urine disease.

[Chance]

The literal shit.

[Trance]

So if you're smelling your friends, if you are just. If you're just being a good friend and smelling your friend's piss and you happen to notice it smells like maple

[Host]

syrup or drinking it maybe bring it

[Chance]

up or drink it.

[Trance]

It didn't mention taste, to be honest. It just mentioned smell.

[Host]

But you can smell things that you're tasting.

[Trance]

I know you're eager to drink it,

[Host]

Zach, but I am all piss.

[Chance]

You know this. The sense of smell is tied specifically to memories.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like you smell something and it'll take you back in time to.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

Being at your.

[Trance]

That's how we could smell rain, right?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Cuz you can smell it and then it comes and you associate.

[Host]

Yeah. Another scent related one. This one was bothering the out of me and has for a very long time. But do you know when you cook and you handle raw onions how your hands smell like ass? And it's not even onions. Like it's a undescribable smell that is somehow onion mixed with like your body's oils. Like that's maybe the scent that bothers me more than any other. Do you know how to get rid of that?

[Trance]

Yes.

[Host]

It's not soap.

[Trance]

No, No. I have a very easy. This is a soft girl tip. This is a gear review. Patent bending. This is just a life hack. This is.

[Host]

I know the answer.

[Trance]

Wow, she's strange. She does this. I order boxes of surgical gloves. Like the latex gloves that like you put on that like are skin tight. Not just like I don't like them loose. And if I cut garlic or I cut, you know, if I'm. Or if I'm cleaning things, like, around the house, like floors, I'll put gloves on for everything, and they're single, and I throw them out after. But if I'm. If I'm going near anything that I don't want to go near, I put them on, and then I take them off, and it never existed. So if I cut garlic, I wear them. They're pink too. Onions. I wear them, and then I take them off. Chicken. If I have to cut chicken, I wear them, and it never touches my hands. And then I never freak out about it, and it takes away a whole cleaning process. I'm not washing them. Is it bad for the environment? Probably. Could I, like, get crucified by this audience because we all care so much and I'm getting one use plastics out? Yeah, probably. But it. It helps the inner part of my brain that fears these weird scents and feelings.

[Host]

Yeah. Well, if you don't want to ruin

[Trance]

the planet, it's a really good tip. It is a really good tip. I mean, if you're like. If you're capable of doing this without it, like, take one for the team. But if you struggle to do these tasks because you hate that stuff, this is a really good tip to get through them.

[Host]

Sure you're gonna be changing diaper soon?

[Trance]

No.

[Host]

Okay. But another way to get rid of the onion smell. I don't know if it works with garlic. Also, the one. That one doesn't bother me quite as much is if. If you run cold water onto stainless steel and rub your hand on the stainless steel, it takes the compounds, like the sulfur compounds off of your hand. Something about this stainless steel binds to the compounds. I tried this the other day. It was like science fiction how quickly it got rid of it. I had the stinkiest hands. It was bothering me. I Chat. GPT did. I think I found a stainless steel pot, ran cold water, and then ran my hand under the pot and got rid of, like, 80% of it right away and then did a second round and basically got rid of it. It was the most incredible thing.

[Trance]

Well, you're killing more of the environment than I am by asking. ChatGPT versus my rubber gloves. But

[Host]

you didn't even hear what I said. You were just holding.

[Trance]

I did. The stand. No, the stand. Well, I was thinking, what can you use that stainless steel? Because I don't want to rub my hands on knives and toasters, and I couldn't think of an in between. So pots make sense. Classic pot.

[Chance]

Rubbing your hands on stainless steel, such as A spoon, faucet or specialty stainless steel bar under cold water neutralizes stubborn garlic, onion and fish odors.

[Trance]

Well, for the fish, they have that. It looks like a bar of soap and it's, it's, it's like a steel colored. Obviously because it's fucking stainless steel. But it's a, it's a bar of soap that looks like a fish and it's stainless steel and it sits like the way a bar of soap would. And you wash your hands with it. If you had just cut up fish.

[Chance]

Yeah, yeah.

[Trance]

I now understand they have, they have them in fish shaped bars of soap. They're really cute.

[Chance]

It's fascinating.

[Host]

It's. I couldn't believe how efficiently that works.

[Trance]

I'll get you one as a going away present for me. The fish, the fish bar of soap so you don't have to wash your hand on your pots anymore.

[Host]

Yeah, I, well, the thing is, didn't stick to the pot. I smelt the pot. The pot did not smell like onion.

[Trance]

No, but you still have to wash your hands on a pot. Like that kind of looks pathetic, right?

[Host]

I'm not performing for an audience. I don't care.

[Trance]

I know you are. I'm gonna get you on. And then you have to walk, you have to walk the insert trail.

[Chance]

In my alternatives, if stainless steel is unavailable, running hands with salt, toothpaste or lemon juice can also remove orders.

[Host]

Interesting.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

You could also just take the hand.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

Off. Yeah. Remove it.

[Trance]

Can't smell if it's not there.

[Host]

Face off. All right, good. That's the bonus segment. The following ZipRecruiter radio spot you are

[Chance]

about to hear is going to be

[Host]

filled with F words when you're hiring.

[ZipRecruiter Announcer]

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[Host]

Fantastic.

[ZipRecruiter Announcer]

So whether you need to hire four, 40 or 400 people, get ready to meet first rate talent. Just go to ZipRecruiter.com zip to try ZipRecruiter for free. Don't forget, that's ZipRecruiter.com zip Finally, that's ZipRecruiter dot com zip.

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[Host]

Now we're to non bonus segments. Just good old fashioned regular ass segments. But we learned a lot on that one.

[Trance]

As we should on all of them.

[Host]

So much geography.

[Trance]

Yeah, North Carolina sucks. Who would move there?

[Host]

Whoa.

[Trance]

I don't have any friends there so if you live in the Raleigh area, let me know.

[Chance]

Was it okay I talked on that one?

[Host]

You can talk the entire time.

[Trance]

You need to stop apologizing is what you need to do.

[Host]

You didn't apologize.

[Trance]

No, but he's apologized a lot throughout this.

[Host]

He has.

[Trance]

I need him to stop doubting himself.

[Host]

I'll admit I haven't had a chance to read this one yet, so we're gonna go through it together. This is from All Star Peg Leg. God, I've been so busy of late. This is seven. All two common signs of entitlement I've noticed in the through hiking community. Title speak for speaks for itself. Let's see, which ones do we want to go with here? How about number one, being ungrateful or expecting too much. There is immense generosity and support in the through hiking community. Whether that be hikers helping other hikers, hostel owners providing rides and other assistance, or trail angels feeding and offering other services to hikers. That assistance isn't something that should be taken for granted, but it can be a common occurrence depending on which National Scenic trail you are hiking. Jump down to number four here. Not looking out for other hikers on trail. Over the years I have not only witnessed hikers disrespect hostile owners, shuttle operators and trail angels, but also each other. Even hikers who think themselves kind, engage and polite might unknowingly be overlooking the needs of other hikers. And number seven, this one is a thing I think we've all seen classic thinking the rules don't apply to you. Through hikers make up less than 1% of visitors on National Scenic Trails each year. The majority of individuals supporting these trails are actually those doing maintenance day hikes and weekend trips. But when you spend all your time out on trail it can begin to feel like you have a special privilege.

[Chance]

That's huge. Yeah, I see that here in Colorado all the time though too. Just with like day hikes.

[Host]

Yeah it's and it's a good thing I think that the through hiking community is self policing this. Cuz yeah I will say it is easy to let your mind kind of wander in that realm because people especially on a trail like the at you get so much positive feedback on what you're doing that it kind of builds you up to make you feel special. And to let that go to your head and start to act that way is not the appropriate way to go through these trails and towns. Yeah I think it's good when we self police like that. And peg leg did a great job

[Trance]

with this for is hard too because not looking out for other hikers. There's a part of it where if you've seen a trail where someone else has done another trail and it's your first trail or like they know more than you.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

But going in like for when I went into the 80 having come from a different trail like I she's an overthinker but in my mind I was like imagine someone gives you the trail name tips because you just can't stop giving fucking tips to people to just think you fucking. You know like this is the shit I would beat myself up about. But it's like a fine line between how do I give someone advice on what they're doing that could be better without not letting them live and learn for themselves. And I know that's not like what the first half of this has said but I could see that being hard for not looking out for other hikers on trail where it's like what part do you Want them to learn themselves versus what part do you want to sound like a Know it all?

[Host]

You know, it is tough to give unsolicited advice in today's environment because there's so much condensation. And I think, mind you, the part of the.

[Trance]

The part of the paragraph where it says disrespecting hostile ownership, whatever, like, yeah, say something for sure. You know, that's not what I'm talking about, but I'm saying in terms of not. Not looking out for them, there's an other side where it's like, I don't. You don't want to be the person that's not letting someone learn for themselves or that's explaining something to them that they could figure because that's part of the journey, you know? Yeah, tough.

[Host]

But I also. I learned a lot on the 80, especially from other hikers, and a lot of it was unsolicited advice. And I'm not defensive about that stuff, especially if it's somebody that I think built a rapport and, like, somebody that, like, I know has more experience than me. I think that's part of the issue is, like, we get a lot of the keyboard warriors that don't know as much as they think, but you know,

[Trance]

they have more experience from you because you've built a rapport.

[Host]

Yep.

[Trance]

Like, if I saw someone hiking, and I'm saying this because I have on the at. I saw someone hiking in front of me that had their shoes, their spare shoes dangling from their pack, swinging back and forth, going uphill, and in my brain, I'm like, that's pulling you back every time it swings, and that's actually countering, and that's going to make it harder for you. But it's like, how worthwhile is this tip tips in my brain to stop the person and tell them versus letting them figure it out, you know?

[Host]

Yeah. And I mean, like, obviously it's heavy and inefficient, but it's not like, dangerous or anything like that. So, like Steven's point before, he'll give comments to people that are starting a 14 or like, in the early afternoon where they're putting their lives at risk. Like, that's a scenario where some unsolicited advice, whether it's received well or not, is the right thing to do because it could be saving someone's life. So that's. There's obviously a lot of different angles here.

[Trance]

I'm. I'm not countering. Yeah, I'm. I'm agreeing. And for sure, it's like I'd rather be the dick that says something out of turn, and then you think about it and you don't die.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

You know, like, okay, cool. One minute of shame for me, you're alive.

[Host]

I mean, it's also really easy to be like, actually, trail runners are better than like, I love boots. You like, don't. I don't. I'm not asking for this advice.

[Chance]

Why does it have to be like, it's my way or, you know, it's so polarized. Everything today is so polarized. Like, it's, look, do what you want to, do what works for you.

[Trance]

But what I'm saying is, and again, love Peg Leg. I'm not saying anything about this has nothing to do with her article. I'm making a side tangent. I have no qualms with the quality of her opinions or writing. But what I'm saying is, in terms of, like, not looking out for other hikers, if I. I don't think it shows entitlement for me to not tell you, hey, I think that this might be a. A not great decision. Unless it's truly dangerous. Yeah, if it's truly dangerous, sure. But I don't. I don't think I'm acting too cool for school because I'm not willing to talk to you about it.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

I think there's a part of the other side where it's like, I don't want to overstep. And in. In contrast to acting too cool for school, I don't want to act like a know it all where I don't let you get those lived experiences. You know, it's like a hard balance.

[Chance]

It's a very thin line.

[Trance]

So I think there's very thin. And there are people that are too cool for. In terms of. They won't give you the time. Trust me, as a fucking 51 girl, I've seen it where they won't give you the time of day because you're not on their caliber. And that's completely different. Yeah, but you don't always have to, you know, like, wait out.

[Host]

Right.

[Trance]

You don't always have to go and be like, hey, I think you're doing this wrong. Otherwise I'm entitled.

[Chance]

Right.

[Trance]

But you get very little from the, from the snippets of this, which is why I say it.

[Chance]

The hostile one. I feel like when I was on the at, hostel owners had a very good connected network. And if there was a troublesome hiker that was moving through, through the.

[Host]

Oh, yeah, the at, they know.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

It travels to this Day.

[Chance]

Yeah. Still to this day, like, you'll talk

[Trance]

to Shaws up in Monad and like, they're connected with Woods Hole. They're connected with all those places and they know.

[Chance]

They know and they should.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

That's so great. It's. It's another part of the at, or it's the trail in general where it's like everything is connected and then, you

[Chance]

know, you get branded as guy for sure or gal.

[Trance]

But for. On the hostile owner side, you help. You help each other. Where it's like if you see someone that's a problem, you help each other by letting each other know, hey, this person might come and this and that and yeah, that's good for people to know. In general, it's like, hey, this isn't. If. If you're going to act out in one place, that's not an isolated incident.

[Chance]

Right.

[Trance]

Like, this is a network of communication and we all talk and it'll go back to people. It's not just like, you got too drunk in this one town and no one will ever know again you're leaving the town.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

I feel like it's not like that on the cdt. I've not done the pct, so I can't speak to that. But the CDT was so. It seemed so disconnected.

[Host]

Yeah. It's harder too, because the AT is really unique in that you really can go from hostel to hostel, whereas, like, on the pct, there's not really that many hostels. You're staying at motels and sometimes at an Airbnb, whatever it might be. But yeah, it's not like a hostile network. Like, the AT is pretty unique in that.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah. Question of the day. This one's mine. So it's implied that I don't know the answer. I did look it up, but I want to hypothesize amongst us to see if we can get somewhere close to what the answer is. Why does a Sawyer filter last a lifetime but you're supposed to swap a Brita every few months?

[Trance]

Because they're built too. That's my answer. Because they're built too. And production is money and features are

[Host]

planned obsolescence is what you're saying.

[Trance]

No, it. There is a cost to produce versus cost to sell in a consumer environment and for people that are Britta users, they are not using on the scale that Sawyer is. So they don't need as many precautions, probably. I haven't looked this up. This isn't me coming in with a point. This is my fault.

[Host]

No, I Love it. Hypothesize.

[Trance]

But if you're a Birdie user, you're expecting them to change every three to six weeks. You're not expecting them to use any water that is like a random stream. You're expecting them to use tap. You're not expecting a lot of different variables. So you build them differently. And. And you have the red light on the sensor that says replace it. And if it costs more to produce to do these extra filters and checks and your margins are smaller. As a business, that doesn't make sense. So they're not going to do it versus somewhere like Sawyer. If you're putting your neck on the line to say we will work in these different conditions, you need to go the extra mile for these things. I don't know if you came with an answer, but that's my guess.

[Host]

I didn't have an answer.

[Trance]

Oh, that's my. Okay, well that's my guess.

[Host]

I know the answer, but I didn't have the answer.

[Trance]

If I randomly dialed Travis, I bet he'd answer and answer us.

[Host]

That's it's 11 o' clock is time. Let's not do that to him.

[Trance]

I just don't want to leave any thoughts.

[Host]

Stephen Johnson is going to do a marathon.

[Trance]

Yeah, I'm going to make these last as long as I can tell.

[Host]

I can tell. I can tell.

[Trance]

Buckle up.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Are you supposed to change your British filter every three to six weeks?

[Host]

No, no, no, I don't.

[Trance]

But apparently the filter light changes to red and you are like, like the same way you're supposed to change your H vac filters.

[Chance]

Fuck. I don't know. The last time I changed mine.

[Host]

I think the light is on a timer. I don't think it's actually a sensor.

[Trance]

Well, it's not going to kill you.

[Host]

No, no. I'm just saying it's not. I don't think it's sensing anything. I think it's just like it's a timer.

[Trance]

You don't think these things are built to last? These Brita filters leave one in for two years.

[Host]

What I'm saying is the red light goes off after a certain period of time and not like a. It detects that. It's got so much tread on the tires left.

[Chance]

They have to be built differently though, right? I mean you can put a Sawyer through a freaking cow. Like a chocolate milk cow pond.

[Trance]

Yeah, because they're expecting to be like. Like if you're. Think about this. If you're a Sawyer and you are manufacturing these for long distance hikers, you expect that they're putting them through mossy green fucking gross cow ponds in Mexico. On the cdt. If you're Brita, you like a blonde, a blonde housewife in a Lululemon who's like, got to fill her kid's water bottle for soccer.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

You know, it's not the same water that you're dealing with. And I think that for me is the difference is that with Brita, the target audience of the type of water is tap. Where with Sawyer, the target audience of the type of water is typhoid, malaria, whatever fucking puddle you can find on the side of the road. The stakes are different.

[Chance]

Yeah. Is that the answer?

[Host]

Chauncey's pretty close, yeah.

[Trance]

You said you didn't look it up.

[Host]

I. I mean, now I know the answer.

[Trance]

Oh, you did look it up.

[Host]

I. I conceded that I didn't know the answer. Be it was my question. So at the time I asked it, I had no idea.

[Trance]

But you have since looked it up.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Great.

[Trance]

What's the answer?

[Host]

That they are just one, different technologies and two, designed to do entirely different things. And also that there is a maintenance component to the sawyer squeeze. Like the sawyer squeeze will up if you don't backflip. You got a backflash, you're not doing anything.

[Chance]

You're not going to backflip, you throw it away.

[Host]

Yeah, but a Sawyer to Trance's point is meant to remove bacteria and protozoa by physically blocking them. Again, this only works if you are actively back flushing it and maintaining it. Whereas a Brita is more about taste. It's not like removing things that are going to get you sick. Because it is tap water, I assume it would fail at that if you try to use it that way. How they fill up the sawyer works like a microscopic sieve, gets clogged by particles, but you can backflash to clear it. As long as fibers aren't damaged, performance mostly returns. Nothing inside is being chemically used up. Brita uses adsorption. Not absorption, but adsorption. Carbon binding contaminants. The carbon has a finite capacity. Once binding sites are full, it stops working effectively. You can't clean or reset it.

[Chance]

That's what I was going to say. They both work off of. Like carbon to filterize the water.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

Yes. So Sawyer uses a physical membrane to block bacteria and protozoa.

[Chance]

It doesn't block neuro though.

[Host]

Yeah. Brita uses activated carbon that chemically absorbs contaminants like chlorine and metal, but has limited capacity.

[Chance]

So they're Absorbing different types of contaminants.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. One is more taste and I guess some health. But like not the kind that prevents you from shitting your pants. Relentless. Right? So.

[Chance]

But that was pretty well though. I mean, do you know they've started making their own. You know how they had seen Ock bags for so long? Sawyer makes their own C Knock bag now they.

[Host]

I think they've branded a C knock bag.

[Trance]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host]

They just. Yeah, but that's a game changer because the original Sawyer bags are like cool. Do you want to get your hands cut up? Filtering water.

[Chance]

Why would they put that.

[Host]

They've never been good there. And they're aware of that. I mean, at least the person that we know there is aware. But they did the right thing and partnered with a company that has figured it out.

[Trance]

So.

[Host]

So yeah. Those Canuck bags are fucking awesome. I have a stupid thing of the week, but I'm gonna save it for.

[Trance]

No, come on. I don't wanna leave.

[Host]

I understand.

[Trance]

I don't wanna go home.

[Host]

The good news is I have another bonus segment and I do wanna go home, but I have another bonus segment outside of our.

[Trance]

Well, you know what? You shouldn't have told me. We only have like 5 or 6 left. Cuz that was really where I started to spy. Right.

[Host]

I assume Garrett wants to go home. There's probably playoff hockey on right now.

[Trance]

No offense, Garrett. I love you so much. I don't care if he wants to go home. He's here for me. He's here supporting me. I'm the moment.

[Host]

Thomas is like, I'm going to North Carolina. You can sit here and watch.

[Trance]

I'm not saying that. I'm saying that I am. The moment is around me right now. He is here to support me.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

And he will stay here as long as I want.

[Host]

Me and my desire to get some sleep.

[Trance]

I get it. You can go home. You can go to sleep. I'm just having. I just don't want to. I just don't want to. This is processing part seven. I'm just not ready to let go. So I'm trying to drag all these conversations out as long as possible. It's a defense mechanism.

[Host]

Triple crown. This is a unique triple crown because this is a sponsored triple crown.

[Chance]

What?

[Trance]

I want to know why you cried wolf. Whatever.

[Host]

Oh, I'm gonna. We'll say that for the next one. It is. It is a funny story. But we're gonna save it.

[Trance]

Save it for the one when I'm not here anymore.

[Host]

This is the triple Crown sponsored by Onyx Backcountry. Save 70% off a premium plan at Onyx Backcountry with code TREK70 from now through Memorial Day. So you don't have much time to act on that. But thank you to Onyx for supporting us here. This is the given our guest. I think this will be a fun combo. Triple count, Triple crown of mountain peaks. Take it in any direction you want to take it.

[Chance]

Can we just do fourteeners?

[Host]

Could do whatever you want. You could pick international peaks. You could pick. I have one that's debatably not even a peak, but I'm gonna pick it anyway.

[Chance]

Which one?

[Host]

Well, we'll get there. So it's a snake draft. Do you want to go first?

[Chance]

What is snake draft?

[Host]

So snake draft means it'd be you choms me. And then we reverse back like the

[Trance]

body of a snake. It turns back, he gets two and then you get two.

[Host]

So if you go first, then your last pick in the second round.

[Chance]

Okay.

[Host]

The third pick in the first round.

[Chance]

Okay. Pyramid. Pyramid Peak.

[Host]

Which is where?

[Chance]

It's in the Maroon Bells wilderness.

[Host]

Okay.

[Chance]

Yeah, it's. It's fucking amazing. It's awesome. It's so chill for a Class 4 to like. It's not Class 4. I'm going to die. It's Class 4, like, fun.

[Host]

I see why it's called Pyramid Peak.

[Chance]

Yeah. It looks exactly like a pyramid. And when you get up there past the saddle, it's all these blocky rock type formations. It looks like Egyptians brought blocks up there.

[Host]

It looks a little bit like Maroon Bells as well.

[Chance]

It does, yeah. Yeah. Because it's right adjacent to them. I mean, it's literally right across from them.

[Host]

Okay.

[Chance]

Yeah. So it has the same type of. Not what a geology or whatever. Geological. Geological formations.

[Host]

That's cool.

[Chance]

Yeah. It's so badass, man. That's my fave. 14 or. Sure.

[Host]

Great. Great pick.

[Trance]

Is it you or me?

[Chance]

It's you.

[Trance]

Okay. I. This one was really hard for me. As she drags it out. I can't remember the views from a lot of them in terms of like a standout way. It all blends like. It's one of those jaded things where it all blends together. So mine is either views of mountains that I think look cool.

[Host]

Yeah, I've got one of those.

[Trance]

The mountains look cool.

[Host]

That's probably the more important thing, frankly.

[Trance]

Right.

[Host]

The best view of the peak is the peak. Oftentimes. Yeah.

[Trance]

Okay. So my first one. None of. In retrospect, they all start to look the same. So I can't differentiate them. It's very difficult for me. I would say one of mine is Maroon Bells in Colorado. And I hate to say that because you just said something so. But you didn't know. But Maroon Bells. I moved out to Colorado before long distance hiking and so things. I wasn't as jaded at the time. Things still looked more unique and cool. There were no permits or buses or any of that at the time. It was like a drive up in do and it was just different. And I thought that for where I was at in life in 2015, 2016 and where I mentally was when I got there and saw it, I think that was a cool view. You know, it's a great pick.

[Host]

Room bells are beautiful. Maroon peaks.

[Trance]

Yeah. I mean but it's not like the most awe. I'm not. It's not like a sweeping vista, you know, like I'm not telling someone go here because you're. If someone goes there, they're gonna be like, why?

[Host]

They're probably also going to die if they get to the peak.

[Trance]

Without the requisite skills and let it be known I never went to the peak.

[Host]

Yeah. You're just talking about the view of it. But yeah.

[Trance]

I stood on Crater Lake, the well manicured Ada Trail that went up to the water. I stood there and looked at it.

[Host]

I disagree. I think that it will take your breath away. I think Rubells is very pretty even

[Trance]

if you haven't had your breath taken away yet.

[Host]

Sure.

[Chance]

There wasn't a permit system back then.

[Trance]

No. Even with like with quandary, for example. Quandary. Now you need to get a permit to even park in the parking lot.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

When I did quandary it was when. So I had left. I left California because I'd gone through a breakup and I was like, I'm out of. And I was driving back east and I stopped in Denver because I had a friend here. And on my way in, I slept in Breckenridge because I was living out of my car and I had googled in the morning trails to hike in Breckenridge and the top rated one was quandary. So 10am I wake up. I drove there, I parked in the parking lot, I started hiking it. I didn't even know what a 14 or was. And I got, you know, I got to the top. I met this lovely bachelor party that was hiking it. We went out later that night. They brought me into the fold. We. We fended off some horned goats together. But you know, it was. So you just don't know it's a thing yet. And now to hear that you can't even go into the parking lot, it's like, I'm glad I did it when I did.

[Chance]

Yeah. I think they regulated during the summer. During the winter, it's. It's full. It's. It's like full on. Yeah.

[Trance]

I mean, I'm not competing in the winter.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

You don't need to worry about me doing that.

[Chance]

Quandary's so fun, though. That's such a great.

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Great one to do.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Yeah. It looks like somebody took a chainsaw and, like, cut half of it off. You know when you sit there and look at it, because it's got that summit that, like. Because there's a flat portion, and then it just kind of goes up like that.

[Trance]

I hate.

[Chance]

So bizarre.

[Trance]

I hate to sound unknowledgeable, but I was sleeping in my car in a fancy, ritzy neighborhood of Breckenridge, and I woke up and said, what can I do today? And Googled it and said this one. And I went and did it where it was like I. Until I saw that picture on your phone where it literally had the arrow and said, quandary. Couldn't have told you. Couldn't have told you.

[Chance]

That's the first one you did.

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

But I didn't know.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

And you don't know it's hard and you know it's supposed to be difficult and you don't know it's supposed to be a thing until, you know. I didn't know.

[Chance]

The fact that you started at 10am and you finished, though, that's. That's pretty impressive.

[Trance]

But you don't know.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Right. Like, if there's a pressure, then it, like, weighs more. But if you walking to where they tell me to walk and then I turn around.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

You don't know to be afraid yet.

[Chance]

Yeah, that's true.

[Trance]

And that was something for me with snow, where it was like, you learned to. You learn to have a healthy amount of fear for it, but I also miss when I had no fear for it because I didn't know any better.

[Chance]

Yeah. Ignorance is bliss.

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Is it my turn?

[Host]

Nope.

[Chance]

Nope.

[Host]

I got two. I'm going to go. I have also not done this peak, but this is the one that I'm just always most in awe of in every circumstances. Mount Rainier.

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Host]

Which you're about to go do. Yeah, it's.

[Chance]

I did it last year, too.

[Host]

Oh, you did it last year also. Fuck. Yeah.

[Chance]

In preparation for Denali. But yeah, hell yeah, it's. Dude, you want to go?

[Trance]

I'll go. Yeah. When are you going?

[Chance]

This month?

[Trance]

This month? What days?

[Chance]

I'm doing a speed ascent on the 23rd, so a single push and then I have a solo permit for the 30th.

[Trance]

How fast? Well, hold on. How fast is a single push? I don't want to hold the guy back.

[Chance]

A thousand feet an hour of elevation gain.

[Trance]

Yeah, I can't do that. I can't do that.

[Host]

It's pretty fast.

[Trance]

I can't do that. 5 1.

[Host]

Is that with like crampons and everything? Yeah, yeah.

[Trance]

You want to add £100 to your back?

[Chance]

If you seriously want. Both of you, if you seriously want to go, I will go with you. I. I have the skills and expertise. I could take you up.

[Trance]

I would do the second half. Well, I would do Rainier with you in the second half of May.

[Host]

I don't have that flexibility right now.

[Trance]

You're gonna have to baby the out of me though. I'm a pussy. I'm scared of heights. I get vertigo. I, I like. I. But you know what? I'll do it. I don't, I don't. Here's the thing. I don't say no. I won't, I won't, I won't out of it.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

But it will be an experience for you to drag me through it. Does that make sense?

[Chance]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Trance]

I just don't want to sell you a story that's not real. I want you to go into it knowing what you're signing up for.

[Chance]

Absolutely.

[Trance]

Are you still interested?

[Chance]

Yeah, for sure.

[Trance]

Even knowing that you're gonna have to. I want to hand mentally. You're gonna have to mentally coddle me the whole way.

[Chance]

Yeah, I will. I will take you up. Rainier. You want to go up?

[Trance]

What day do you want to go?

[Chance]

I could fit it in between my the 23rd and the 24th and then my solo ascent on the 30th. So anyway, permits. We could get a permit. So they reserve 30 of the permits when you for walk ups. So if you get there early enough of the ranger station at paradise we would go the Disappointment Cleaver route though just DC we're not going to do Emmons Glacier, anything like that.

[Trance]

I don't know what any of that means. I'm actually going to not do any research cuz I don't want to scare myself. I'm just going to follow you where you tell me to go with what gear you say.

[Chance]

Do you have Crampons.

[Trance]

Yeah, I have.

[Chance]

Do you have an ice axe?

[Trance]

Yep, I have the ice axe, yeah. And I'll buy a new one if I don't.

[Chance]

Do you have a harness?

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Chance]

Do you have mountaineering boots?

[Host]

You have a harness?

[Trance]

I. Yep. Cuz I climb. I've rock climbed. I have a harness. I. I can buy. I can buy mountaineering boots. I could go. The 26 boots are expensive.

[Host]

We could probably.

[Trance]

I've got a husband that makes a great income. I've got the 22nd to the 26th free.

[Chance]

I could. I. Yeah, I could do the 27th for sure.

[Trance]

No, no, no. I've got the 22nd to the26th free.

[Chance]

Oh, okay.

[Trance]

Actually, the 22nd to the 27th free. We have a recording on the 28th.

[Chance]

So you don't want it. You want to. You probably don't want to do a single day push. You want to do a two day push.

[Trance]

I'll do whatever you're willing to put up with. I just am asthmatic and 5:1, so I want. I just. I just really want you to understand who you're signing up with.

[Chance]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Trance]

I don't want you getting pissed off at me when I'm tired because I'm out of breath when you think it's not reasonable to be.

[Chance]

Why would I get pissed off at you?

[Trance]

People do actually. 20th to 26th. If we're not looking at the hold we have on the calendar. Chance. Okay. Yeah. Not the 22nd. 20. 22nd to 26.

[Chance]

Let's. Let's talk after the pocket. I could seriously do this though, if you're. You would have to get mountaineering boots. They're expensive. Or you could rent them. You could rent some.

[Trance]

No, I'll get them.

[Host]

We could probably get them for review.

[Trance]

I'll get them. Don't worry. I'll get them.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

You want to be responsible for me on Mount Rainier? Rainier.

[Chance]

Never done Rainier. You've never done a crevasse rescue course, I'm assuming, right?

[Trance]

No, I'm good at instruction. Like you can. You can tell me, don't move, do this, do that, and I'll listen. I'm not like a. Not listener, but I don't know my own stuff.

[Chance]

Yeah, no, no, it's more of like if I fell into her crevasse.

[Trance]

Oh, you're.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

No, no, no. Don't trust me.

[Chance]

So I'd be anyway way, but.

[Trance]

Well, that's what I'm saying. You've done so much of this solo.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

So am I a detriment there in that I can call for help.

[Chance]

Yeah, it would. And honestly, if you went this time of year, this is the best time of year to do Rainier. It's not later in the season.

[Trance]

You need to understand when you commit to this because I. Here's the thing is at the moment I have the time, so I could very easily go do this.

[Chance]

Yeah,

[Trance]

I love to do these kinds of things. And this is actually it. This is, this is the plight of. This is the. Not the plate of women, but it's the plate of me. Is that so many times when you want to do this kind of shit where you don't have maybe the experience to do so you can find someone who will do it with you? Typically they want to fuck. Right? Like typically it's like. No, no, seriously, seriously. Let's say, let's say, let's say. I'm not saying this that way. I'm not saying this that way, but like, let's say I to want to go climbing, I'm gonna climb this peak and I find a guy that even more fun context. If a guy wants to go climb that peak with me and he's willing to take me with him, chances are he wants to hook up. Right. Like there's an ulterior motive. I'm not saying you have one. No part of me feels like you have one. I get what I'm saying is that like people don't just volunteer to carry dead weight. I want to make sure that, you know.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Like, cuz usually when guys volunteer to carry dead weight, like there's something in it. Right. They're like, oh, I have a chance here. No, this is, you know, like, do you understand that you are volunteering to carry dead wheat? I'm saying there's no benefit to him. You know what, you know what I mean? It's not like, oh, I'm gonna take her climbing and we're gonna go get drinks later and have a fun night. It's like I am carrying dead weight for no other reason than kindness.

[Chance]

I, I love big ass. I love helping people accomplish their goals and I love mountaineering. Honestly, I. It doesn't, it doesn't matter to me. Like, I'm bringing a group that the speed ascent that I'm doing on the 23rd, 24th is with a group of three people that have never done it before that live here in Colorado and want to do it. And I volunteered to bring.

[Trance]

If you want to fucking do rainier between the 22nd and 27th, I'll go and Do. I'll make it happen. We're not talking. No, he knows that too. You're making it feel weird. You're making him feel weird.

[Host]

You're the one who brought it up.

[Trance]

Because. Okay, because that is how it goes.

[Host]

Like, but how is that relevant?

[Trance]

Because he is taking me on his own accord. I do something really cool and he is bringing all the skill and I'm bringing nothing to the table. Sure, guys.

[Host]

He offered for me too.

[Trance]

Men don't do that. Men don't do that. Men don't do that normally unless they want something out of it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

She.

[Trance]

So you learn as a woman that knows that to set the record straight where you're like, hey, just so you know, this has nothing of those agendas to it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

And I'm not saying this about the guy I climbed with. The guy I climbed with was very respectful, very great. Still to this day would be a great friend. We. The friendship has drifted out of respect. Obviously only hooked up once, but every time, every time we've climbed together since, it was like. I think the reason why he's being so nice to me in this occurrence

[Chance]

is because of that reciprocal quid per quo.

[Trance]

No one is just. No one just wants to dull down their tolerance level to teach you with nothing in exchange. It's not how life works.

[Chance]

I. I do. I kind of like. I enjoy. I love teaching, though.

[Trance]

And you can.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

But like, do you blame me for being like.

[Chance]

No, no, absolutely.

[Trance]

Hey, FYI, like, you know, you're getting absolutely nothing out of this. I bring nothing to the table. I just want you to know. Going. Because I don't want you getting pissed at me halfway up a mountain being like, man, you bring nothing to the table. I want you to know, like, shit, this girl brings nothing to the table.

[Host]

It's.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

All right, May 22nd. Fine. We'll do a follow up podcast then.

[Chance]

And if you want to do it seriously, I'm.

[Host]

I'm very intrigued by the idea. I just, I can't right now.

[Trance]

Acts like if Chance is doing it, I don't want.

[Chance]

But you have my. If you ever want to do it in the future.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, let me know.

[Trance]

I'm serious. I'll go do it. Talk to me after this. Yeah, I have nothing going on those dates.

[Chance]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Trance]

I'm. But eat this.

[Host]

With my second pick, I'm gonna go with another Colorado 14er mount of the Holy Cross. And there's not so much the view from the mountain, but the view of the mountain. The Way the snow gets caught in the cross.

[Chance]

Cross?

[Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chance]

Cross Kular. That's what it's called.

[Host]

Is that what it's called?

[Chance]

Yeah, I did that one last year. Yeah, you go straight up that snow line.

[Host]

Oh, you did that line?

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

Damn. That's crazy.

[Chance]

It's fucking sick, dude.

[Host]

I did the most basic bitch version of that peak, but, dude, it was good.

[Chance]

It's epic no matter what, though. It's right there, like on Veil. Yeah.

[Host]

I didn't know the naming convention of it until we got out there and someone pointed out, like, there's a cross.

[Chance]

There's the cross.

[Host]

That's cool.

[Chance]

Yeah, it's sick, man.

[Host]

That is a good one.

[Chance]

So cool. That ridge is awesome, too. Halo Ridge, if you get a chance. Dude, it's the connecting ridge that comes across, like, as you're coming up to the peak. It's on the back side of it.

[Host]

Okay.

[Chance]

There's like, that shelter that's over there way off in the distance.

[Host]

I've done it long enough ago where my memory is very faded at this point. But, yeah. Yeah, I remember enjoying that hike. We did that as a overnighter. We camped at that little basin at the bottom.

[Chance]

Yep. That thousand feet of gain coming out of that. That sucks, dude.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Chance]

That's the worst part of it. Such a beautiful wilderness, though.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah, That's a cool one.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

John's

[Trance]

not from the top of view, actually. Both the Dolomites.

[Host]

Yeah, great.

[Trance]

Dolomites. In Italy there was.

[Host]

So we have a particular peak.

[Trance]

Yes. But I can't say it. And if there are any Italian listeners in the audience that could break this down for me, basically, my family is from Zuklo, which is in Trentino, and we went there in 2001 for a family trip. And my. We say cousin, I don't know, a blood relative of whatever distance drove us up to one of the mountaintops. And I remember my mom was freaking out because she hates, like, vertical, anything similar. And it was steep and she was whatever. I remember there was a waterfall on the side of one of the switchbacks of the road that he pretended to swing me off of, and she had a panic attack. But when we got to the top, it was like. I don't know where we parked the car. There were no roads. It was just wildflower fields. And then all of a sudden, there was a cabin. And people had signed their names on this cabin. We hadn't brought a marker, so we couldn't sign our names either. This was part of, like, the learning process. Of like, it took until I got on trail to realize that that's not, you know. Lnt Whatever. But at the time it was like, oh, my God, we can't sign our names. But I remember just standing there in that field with the view of, like being on top of one of the mountains looking at the other, and it's just silence.

[Host]

And.

[Trance]

And wildfires. In this one. Wildflowers. Excuse me. And this one cabin where, like, in my brain like that is. It doesn't. It's not even real in my brain anymore. I wish I knew what mountain it was.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

I wish I could go. I can't go back because I don't know what it was. It was just a mountain. This dude that is my Italian cousin that I've never spoke to since, decided to drive us to.

[Host]

Sounds magical.

[Trance]

Yeah. It live. But it lives up there in a magical state.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

And part of you is like, I don't need to go back because I don't want. I don't want the real life. I don't want to go up there and see.

[Host]

Second experience is going to be.

[Trance]

I go up and I see a dilapidated cabin. There it goes, my oasis.

[Host]

There's like a dead cow, you know? Yeah.

[Trance]

So. But. Oh, that view. I. I can't explain it in my brain. I can't tell you. She's gatekeeping. No, she just. I can't. That's. That's my triple crown answer. And I cannot tell you where it is. Is.

[Host]

You get two now.

[Chance]

I get two.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Snake. You're the. You're the belly of the snake.

[Chance]

First one would be Little Bear Blanca traverse hands down.

[Host]

Where's that?

[Chance]

That's in the Sangras. The Christos. Yeah. And it's a ridge that connects Little Bear to Blanca.

[Trance]

What state?

[Chance]

Colorado.

[Trance]

Okay.

[Chance]

It's the most technical traverse that you can do out of the 14ers. It's rated like as a Class 5. There's serious exposure, like thousands of feet on either side.

[Trance]

Yeah. It's a large.

[Chance]

No, it was sick. It was. Here I have some pictures from.

[Trance]

You taught us you are risk adverse.

[Host]

Yeah, I think we've determined that was. But. But also calculated to your point, you have been building up your skill set slowly. So you're comfortable in this time?

[Chance]

I'm comfortable now.

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Chance]

That's my buddy Joe on the first down climb.

[Trance]

Shut up. Yeah, it's one of those Red Bull videos where they just like show the guy on the bike going down. That makes no sense.

[Host]

That to me looks like. Gosh, what's the. What's the one that's the 14 year that's rated the hardest and blanking on it.

[Chance]

Capital.

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Chance]

It's not really that. Capital is easy. No longer Long. I did longs in winter.

[Trance]

I won't do it. There's that one part. You have to, like, hop from one rock to the other. People die.

[Chance]

No, that's.

[Trance]

That might be, like, a sketchy part.

[Chance]

That might be. Pyramid has, like, a gap that you have to hop over. But longs is super, super fun. It was.

[Trance]

I heard that for long people do

[Host]

die in longs, but I think because they do attract so many people.

[Chance]

It's so close to Denver.

[Host]

Yeah, right.

[Chance]

Yeah. And people go up there without the necessary skill set and expertise.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

But how do you get like. Like, okay, yeah. I've hiked the AT and the PCT and, like, the X amount of other trails. Do I have the skill set? I don't know. I'm not. Like, those trails don't go over these types of peaks. So how do you gain that?

[Chance]

You have to do the piece. I didn't either. Right. When I fell in love with this kind of stuff, I had just on the 18, a little bit of the CT. Okay.

[Trance]

You know, but what I'm saying, when you're talking about the people that. The effects and you're like, they don't have. They don't have the experience on this type of. You could think that you are so experienced because I've got 5,000 miles under my belt.

[Chance]

Yeah. It's not.

[Trance]

And I'm not experiencing the same way.

[Chance]

It's different. It's definitely different. Yeah. But Little Bear Blanca and then massive.

[Host]

Massive. Interesting.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah. I mean, I'm not on massive. Massive's awesome.

[Chance]

It took me three times to summit this.

[Host]

I assume you're doing it in winter.

[Trance]

Yeah.

[Chance]

In winter.

[Trance]

Is this video Little Bear Blanca?

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Gary. Zach. Look at this. I honestly, I do this a lot.

[Host]

I know.

[Trance]

And it's not in any way other than I'm just, like, calling a name to yell at. No, not that. I'm just going to an instinctual yell.

[Host]

I'm joking. You're not drunk.

[Trance]

Garrett, fight him. Look at this. Look at the fucking. Look at that. Steep down. But then look at the other side. Wait, hold on. Other side.

[Chance]

I think I'm explaining which side to go on.

[Trance]

That's a massive no for me.

[Host]

No pun intended. Massive.

[Chance]

Yeah. Honestly, do you know. Do you have the 14ers app at all? Like, Bill Middlebrooks?

[Host]

I don't bag peaks. Often enough to be fluent in it.

[Chance]

Fair. So he didn't have the Little Bear Blanco traverse on the app for a very long time because of the danger that's associated with it. Yeah. Because he didn't want people that weren't experienced enough to go out there and attempt it. And Little Bear itself is just. It's gnarly. Like, if you go through the hourglass, people get hurt all the time. They built a fucking helo pad down at the bottom of Little Bear for medical evacuations because it's that dangerous of a beak.

[Host]

Wow.

[Trance]

Is this a 13 or 14er?

[Chance]

It's a 14er.

[Trance]

Really?

[Chance]

Yeah. It was so much fun, though, because that was like. So that was 56 and 57 for me. And then my finisher was Handy's, so I felt like I had finished at that point, you know, doing the Little Bear Blanca traverse. Because Handy's you could do drunk.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

You know, with one leg in a cast.

[Trance]

Who names them out in Handy's? That's funny.

[Chance]

As I know some of the names are crazy. You know, there's a 13 are named after a female. Silver heels from.

[Trance]

That blows my mind more than Andy's. Look at his feet on each side of this drop.

[Chance]

Yeah. That's thousands of feet on that catwalk.

[Host]

The cascading down my pants.

[Chance]

Yeah. That one spot right there.

[Trance]

Rainier, right?

[Chance]

No, that's Little Bear Blanca.

[Trance]

No, no, I know it's obviously not, but what I'm saying is you're not taking me on something like, I just. No, Rainier, that's not what we're doing.

[Chance]

No, no, no, no, no. That's not like that. No.

[Trance]

We're gonna talk.

[Host]

Your last peak.

[Trance]

My last peak. She doesn't know. It's hard. I don't feel a lot of nostalgia. Oh, my God. The life of the universe. When I get to the top of a peak, it's more of just that this looks cool, and then I leave.

[Host]

Good enough.

[Trance]

But I will say there was a morning I woke up in my tent on the PCT and I was camping outside of Mount Adams, and I saw Mount Adams. Out of it was like the V of the tent. That arch, that triangle of the tent was the triangle of Mount Adams. And I woke up to, like, the alpine glow, but not the evening alcohol, like the morning sunrise. Alpine glow on Mount Adams. And that looked so cool. And it was one of those things where it was like, I'm tired. I don't want to do this. We've got so many more days. They want to go this amount of mile, like, I just. I don't feel like it. And you, like, you wake up and you see that and you're like, I'm in a really cool place. And I wouldn't say in terms of, like, it's the best. Like, put this on your bucket list. Go here before you go, you know, other. Other places. No, but for me, on my list of, like, moments that meant something, that was the start of, I think Washington. And if it was in Oregon, sue me, but I think Washington. I don't know. It was somewhere up there. Wherever it was, I needed to pick me up. I needed, like, a reminder of not why you're out there, but why you stay out there.

[Host]

I think you can see Adams from Oregon. I remember seeing it from home.

[Trance]

That's what. That's what I'm saying is I don't. I don't remember where this viewpoint was. It could have been in either. Because it was a viewpoint of it, not on it. And it wasn't a this is why I'm out here. It was more of a this is why I stay out here.

[Host]

Sure.

[Trance]

Where it was like, everything sucks. This is hard. Everyone wants to go faster. We're so close to the finish line, every mile counts. We're actually, like, counting stuff now, but taking a moment and looking at this. This is cool.

[Host]

Yeah. Good. Love that. It's good to tie it back. I think those are the best reasons to like Peaks is like a personal moment, story, highlight.

[Trance]

I mean, anyone who likes it just for the view hasn't seen enough views. Because when you see enough views, the views don't really matter anymore, do they?

[Host]

I mean, I still get giddy about certain peaks, for sure.

[Trance]

Certain ones. Not all of them.

[Host]

Not all of them.

[Trance]

There's probably some you go up that other people get giddy and you feel nothing.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

She's got a point, though. After you've seen so many, like, beautiful views, it's got to be one that, like, sweeps you off your feet to stop in your tracks and be like, that's an oil pain.

[Trance]

But that's why you need some extracurricular. You need that extra pain that you're going into it with or that extra. I don't know if I can do it. Or that there's something extra that goes into it where it's not just the view, it's the view and the feeling.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

And that elicits some sort of thing.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Host]

My last pick here. Ooh, I'm gonna go. Anaconda, the 20 footer similar to Tronce, I think more for nostalgic reasons than the peak itself, was the first time I saw a Katahdin. In the context of northbound through hiking the at. I just wanted to see, like, you're chasing Katahdin for months, obviously. And like, the first time you get. You're trying to see it for miles before that you can actually see it. Like, you're staring out at every vista, being like, I think I see it, you don't see it. And then you see it, you're like, oh. It puts this whole thing into perspective for me. That was like. I didn't cry, but I got very close to crying at that point. Katan.

[Trance]

I don't think everyone does that. What, what you just described.

[Host]

Get emotional seeing Katan.

[Trance]

Yeah. All those, all those, all those mile points and check marks and thoughts like, I. I didn't know when it was coming until I saw it. And I had A. I'm 5:1, if anyone didn't know. I had to get, like, boosted up for some of these rebars. I cried the whole time. It wasn't fun. I talked to someone recently. I think it might have been Mims because she's about to do the at South Mountain. She was like, come do Katahdin.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

I was like, you actually know what mountain I would rather not do in the mass of a sixcent? Is this one.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Just didn't like it. Just didn't. I don't know. I just felt. It felt. It felt like I was putting on a pair of pants that were a size long and I'm not a size long and they don't fit properly. And I'm trying to make them fit properly, but I don't have the length to do them in the way that the experience is meant to be enjoyed.

[Host]

Is that like a metaphor for. You didn't want to finish the trail, therefore you weren't excited?

[Trance]

No, it's a metaphor for. The rebar is built for someone that's an average height taller than me. And I felt like every time I got up to it, like, it wasn't built for me and I needed assistance

[Host]

getting to it, actually climbing, Literally. Yeah.

[Trance]

But I felt like I needed assistance up it. And when you need assistance up it, it's like, I can't necessarily do this on my own if I need someone to hold a foothold for me to get up to the rebar. And so I think it was Mims when she mentioned it, and I was like, I. I don't want to, because it was one of Those I'm doing this next or not next year, but now it's actually July where it's like, do you want to come do it? And I was like, I actually. And it was a. It was a revelation for me because it was like, I actually don't want to do this mountain again. And so many people that do the at want to do it. I was like, I. I don't want to. I didn't enjoy it. I didn't have a good time. I felt stressed the whole way. I cried the whole way. And I heavily depended on the person I was hiking with to get up it. And I don't like being someone that needs that. I mean, you can see why I explained so much to him about Rainier, you know, like, I don't want. I don't want to need that.

[Host]

He's rethinking it right now.

[Trance]

He should be. He should leave here and be like, I actually don't want to do it. Yeah, he should. He really should. But what I'm saying is I don't want to go into it with that. And for me, when someone's like, oh, we should go do that again, I'm like, you don't see the hidden weight of all the extra help I'll need to get up that. And that causes me stress, so that's not on my list.

[Host]

Okay, good.

[Chance]

I remember seeing it too, for the first time.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

And it wasn't an able bridge. It was like one of those climbs in the 100 mile wilderness. It's. Yeah, yeah.

[Trance]

You can see it from, like, white.

[Chance]

White Mountain. Is that what?

[Trance]

No, White House Landing. White House Landing. It's that fishing camp. The thing I like most about Steven, and he's with me on drawing this out, he's not trying to rap any faster than I am.

[Host]

He's got a long drive. I think he's trying to rap also.

[Trance]

I'm trying to rap.

[Chance]

I'm. I'm here for the pod.

[Host]

Yeah,

[Chance]

yeah, hang on. I got a picture. I swear. Okay. I don't know where I was, but that's the first time I saw it.

[Host]

Yeah. Yes.

[Chance]

Yeah. And then you get to Abol Bridge, and then it's like, huge.

[Trance]

Can you conceptualize it at this point? Like, do you know I'm gonna climb that? And you can, like, feel the weight of it, because to me, I Like, if I was sitting there going like that, that means nothing to me. I'm like, that's a. That's a thing. And I can't grasp the weight of it.

[Chance]

I think I. This was the first thought that I had that it was ending, that it was close to being done.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Chance]

You know. Yeah, it was kind of. It was sad.

[Host]

Emotions of all kinds. Yeah, for sure.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

All right, Zach, take us home.

[Chance]

Sorry.

[Trance]

No, it's not. Stop fucking apologizing. You're gonna drink every time you apologize.

[Host]

With Verbo care, help is always ready

[Grow Therapy Announcer]

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[Trance]

We've planned for the plot twists, so

[Host]

support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of mind. We have the tech to get food delivered in 15 minutes, but we all

[Chance]

have horror stories about buying tickets.

[Host]

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[Chance]

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[Trance]

Let's stay longer.

[Host]

I. On a recent, like, day hike, slash trail run, I. The light bulb went off that I wanted to do, like, categories of reviews of things. And having had so much skin cancer, I'm now I wear sun hoodies all the time in the Colorado heat. This particular day when I was like 85 degrees. So brands have now been sending me a shit ton of sun hoodies. But this is actually spurred by one that I saw at Switchback last year. He's like, dude, you have to try this. This is going to be amazing. And this is the first one I've tested in the series. I've obviously tested a lot of sun hoodies throughout my backpacking life, hiking life, but this is the North Face Summit series and all the sun hoodies that I'm gonna reference. Not all of them, almost all of them I've gotten for free. So there's the disclaimer there. That's true for probably most gear I've mentioned here on the podcast. This is the North Face Summit series, direct sun hoodie. This thing is. It's not the cheapest. It's 120. It's not like, outrageously priced. It's kind of in the ballpark, but at the pricier end. But it uses a proprietary technology called Light Range, which bundles upf, anti odor and moisture management at the Fabric level rather than via a separate coating or treatment. So it's very lightweight. It breathes really well. It feels nice and light and cool. And it has a UPF of 40, which, if you know, sun hoodies. That's a really good UPF rating. Most of the ones I wear are not 40, so I was shocked to learn that this was actually a 40. Yeah, I just it for it being a day where it was pushing 80 degrees, I was very pleasantly surprised by how cool this thing wore it. Forgot I've got it here.

[Chance]

There it is.

[Trance]

Look at that.

[Chance]

Oh, it's got a half zip, too. Quarter zip. Yeah.

[Host]

Zips down, lets the. The pom poms breathe a little bit. Yeah, it's got the thumb holes. My biggest critique.

[Trance]

Can I touch it?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

I'm like a feel to believe person.

[Host]

That one is a large, and it weighs 7.1 ounces, according to the scale in my office.

[Trance]

What's the material?

[Host]

It's 89 recycled polyester. 11 of their, like, proprietary polyester.

[Trance]

Made in Jordan Main Jordan. I don't know what that means. It's not China.

[Host]

Yeah, was. Was impressed with it. Some of the sun hoodies out there are, like, built for climbers, which means the hoods are just way too big. This one I didn't have that issue with, so I like that. The one thing that I didn't love is that the cuffs are a little bit too tight to get, like, up to your elbow. There's times where I want to push up. Like when I'm in the shade, I want to be able to, like, cool off a little bit faster. That's one thing I like about, like the jolly gear, for instance, does a really good job. You can roll it up and get basically to a short sleeve. But overall, this sun hoodie is really, really nice and exceeded my expectations.

[Trance]

You said they're not paying you.

[Host]

Not paying me.

[Trance]

Do you have any thoughts on the polyester? That's usually people's gripe, right?

[Host]

No. Most sun hoodies are going to be a synthetic fabric. Yeah.

[Trance]

So this is by necessity.

[Host]

It's just. It's cooler. So the next one that I'm testing is not. I don't want to tip it, but I am generally anti the natural fibers for the purpose of a sun hoodie.

[Trance]

You're anti natural fibers From a environmental

[Host]

standpoint, it's not ideal.

[Trance]

Not in a trap way, but in a. This sounds contrary to what people would think, so please explain.

[Host]

Well, I'll save that for the next one. When I do. When I do the dedicated review of it. But in my experience, the synthetic fibers are just much cooler. And, like, especially in hot conditions, it can be different circumstance. If you're backpacking, like, 50, 60 degrees, then I would opt for some sort of a wool.

[Trance]

Let me rephrase. You have a reason for saying what you're saying. You're not just pulling that out of your booty.

[Host]

I've tested a lot of merino sun hoodies in my life. A lot of people.

[Trance]

I would love to hear why the. Because I. Everything I hear is, like, polyester is bad. Avoid it. And so if. If you.

[Host]

I mean, there might be considerations for, like, I don't know if it's leeching pfas or whatever it might be. I don't know to that level. But, like, the sun hoodie that Elise wears all the time, the one that's, like, iconic Elise, that's polyester, like most sun hoodies are.

[Trance]

I just want to. I just want to hear the person.

[Chance]

No, I'm not.

[Host]

I'm not. I'm just explaining why that's.

[Trance]

Stop yelling at me.

[Chance]

This one's polyester. Yeah. Yeah. This Mountain Hardware one.

[Host]

That's one of the. I've actually got that one.

[Trance]

I don't know. You hear. You hear the people talk, you know, and it's like.

[Host]

Yeah. There's some features that I think are throwaways for the context of backpacking. Like, it's got a little pocket here that you can tuck the hood into, which.

[Chance]

Oh, that's cool.

[Host]

Conceptually is cool, but, like, I don't know if I'd ever use it.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

Do you think we'll get through a whole series where you can give, like, an. In conclusion, I like this best.

[Host]

While I'm still here, I am going to rank them as I go. It's tough to do.

[Trance]

I'm still here.

[Host]

No, because I. I'm not exaggerating. I've got eight in my office right now. I've got another six at home. Like, this is going to be an ongoing series, and you got to try

[Chance]

them out on a hike.

[Trance]

I know the problem is realizing my own mortality. It's one of those things where I'm like, yeah, it's only eight. And then I'm like, oh, I'm only around for six. But here it feels nice.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Trance]

I like this idea. I think it's a good idea.

[Host]

Thank you. Appreciate that. But, yes, that's the first one.

[Trance]

You have the. You have the merits to say, like,

[Chance]

storage thing in there.

[Host]

I haven't totally figured it out storage. It's one of those things where I think sometimes stuff just gets over engineered. So that's a feature that doesn't need to exist.

[Chance]

I kind of like this though. Like the. The lip.

[Host]

Yeah. But yeah, that is again the North Face Summit series direct sun hoodie.

[Chance]

And it's got a. What does it weigh again?

[Host]

That's the large. That's 7.1 ounces.

[Chance]

It's not bad for having a zipper and a tie.

[Host]

Yeah. I'm going to have a rating system. I need to wear more of them before I can start rating because I don't have a context.

[Trance]

Have you seen what's the podcast where they rate things in Kate Upton? Boobs.

[Host]

I don't know. Sounds right.

[Trance]

Can you rate things in my boobs? I want a lasting legacy. Can you rate these?

[Host]

I'll rate them in my boobs.

[Trance]

I want them to be my boobs.

[Host]

There's 14.

[Trance]

You don't need a legacy. You're staying. Can you rate these things?

[Host]

I know best. It's probably not appropriate for me to be rating things in your pom poms.

[Trance]

First of all, if I'm giving you express permission in a non sexual way.

[Host]

If I get Garrett's permission. Okay.

[Trance]

Garrett, come here. Yes, yes,

[Host]

I consent.

[Trance]

Okay, cool. I would like you to rate all these sun hoodies for the future of the life of this podcast. In terms of my boobs, they get X amount. How many boobs does this get for Johnson?

[Host]

I have to test more out before I feel comfortable having a conversation.

[Chance]

Would you want a different color than white in that?

[Host]

I thought I would. I thought that white would be bad on my very pale skin. But yeah, it's cooler obviously. And the fact that white can pull off a UPF 40 is like, I don't know why.

[Chance]

Yeah, that's true.

[Host]

A darker color.

[Trance]

But my only critique on this one as a non user is there's no hole for my ponytail. Where's my hair go?

[Host]

They do have a female specific model, so I don't know if there's a pony hill ponytail hole for them.

[Trance]

You know what? My male specific guest has a ponytail and he wouldn't be accommodated.

[Host]

He could wear the ladies. It's fine.

[Chance]

I. I do agree with you. There's very limited things in the through hiking gear community that has stuff for ponies.

[Trance]

Yeah, they do.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

And I said this on the a previous episode we put out where I'm like, I'm not a proponent of anti pinket and trinket. I understand the anti pinket and trinket and the like. Let's make things that make sense for us. And that aspect I'm all for. But I love the color pink.

[Chance]

Yeah.

[Trance]

And I hate feeling bad about liking it. And sometimes I do because it's like we don't want to pink it and shrink it. And then it's like. But I like that color. So what I'm saying is that just do the same colors, do the same stuff, but just put in the little features that both people can use.

[Chance]

Yeah, I agree. I concur.

[Host]

Mailbag.

[Trance]

Mailbag. This is me.

[Host]

You get to skip the smaller text. We've decided. Rachel and I.

[Trance]

What? The run in red? We already talked about that. We've done an entire segment on that.

[Chance]

They're not.

[Host]

No, I'm saying if you go. If you look at the actual mailbag, there's text that's smaller that you can skip.

[Trance]

Okay. Ready?

[Host]

I think.

[Trance]

Are you ready?

[Chance]

Sure. I don't have it. What am I doing?

[Trance]

There's nothing to be ready for. I'm just trying to ground us. Hi, I'm a San Diego local and I've hiked the SDTCT in the past 2018. I just listened to the podcast episode and agree it's not a great hike to recommend due to the issues you guys discussed. That segment behind El Cajon Mountain has always been the main problem and many people have had ideas for solving it, but nothing has actually come to fruition.

[Host]

Johnson ever read this slow in her life.

[Trance]

I am enunciating in the right areas. A listener would love them. What do you mean is this slow?

[Host]

I'm not making fun of you. I feel like this is consistent with you trying to drag on the episode.

[Trance]

I thought I was doing a great job.

[Host]

He's doing a great job.

[Trance]

Yeah, I'll read faster. Fine. Whatever. Do I say the fruition part discussed? I don't know.

[Host]

Fruition.

[Trance]

Fruition. God. On the maps, only a small corner is reservation land, but I believe the tribe has said they don't want people walking on that road. I'll pass the gate. On my hike, we did jump that gate and follow the original route without any issues, but did feel sketchy. The suggested suggested. Sorry. The suggested alternative parallel to the road seems to be doable, but greatly lengthens the bushwhack. Even on the original route, we were bushwhacking for almost two hours, which the normal thru hiker probably doesn't have the patience for. Going back to the start, I just wanted to share a few other things that I thought while listening. One I actually hiked the old route through the south side of the desert floor and didn't do the badlands. The badlands are a more scenic and for sure a better way. I didn't get a wellness check on the second day as the plane rangers saw me hiking alone and then they sent two rangers out and truck. I was napping under a tree when they came and I was fine but my hiking partner saw I was spread out. 3 stagecoach RV is great. Did you guys road walk after this? I wasn't sure. On the podcast the root goes back onto a sandy single track that parallels the road and the entire way you head up until the great crest. The grade of the crest, that's where we separated with Jess Lake is also amazing. You guys pronounced it wrong. FYI, random fact, I packed him pregnancy test in my resupply and found out that I was pregnant in the bathroom at the pub. Woohoo. Congrats. This day was also my longest hike ever of 29 miles because we were racing to get to Ramona since a storm was coming in. We hiked all the way to the TH in there and got picked up by a family. These toads are arroyo toads and they are endangered. Also the host at the TH often lets people camp there. We had to take a zero the next day as it rains buckets maybe 2 to 3 inches. And honestly it was a well needed rest day especially before the bookwag bushwhack. Skip Skip. All in all, I came camped legally three times and slept at home two nights. I agree that the Salton Siege the crest is a great hike in itself. I think the easiest solution to the thru hike is to get permission from whoever owns the Christian camp and then hike down to Wildcat Canyon Road to the next park. It is. Oh yeah. And then hitch down. Sorry, hitch down to Wildcat Canyon Road to the next part. It is so dangerous to hike down that road. I actually don't even like driving that road.

[Host]

Yep.

[Trance]

Also, if you're going in this with a chance, sidetrack. If you're going this with a purist mentality digit, follow the advice. Anyway, thanks for the long form podcasting. You're welcome. I did revisit all my memories. I did enjoy revisiting all my memories from this amazing hike from Deanna. Thank you Deanna. Sorry to yada yada this Jack Zach's just. He doesn't want me to drag this out. What can I say? He's. It's giving me eyes.

[Host]

Yeah, this is a long one. Thank you, Deanna. That was very thoughtful feedback and it's always good to hear from other hikers because, yeah, we felt a little bit weird on that one, but it sounds like our experience was at least corroborated by Deanna.

[Trance]

Yeah, it's interesting. Well, so for when, like the Superior Hiking Trail, for example, I thought that one was just like a cool, go do it. And then we had a guest on that talked about the not great parts of it. And it sounds the same where it's kind of like there are parts that grizzly. No.

[Host]

Okay.

[Trance]

It was someone else. They talked about the Detroit area.

[Host]

Detroit, right. Superior Hiking Trails. Minnesota. Detroit's in Michigan.

[Chance]

818.

[Trance]

No, there was a part. What's. What's the city?

[Host]

Minneapolis. St. Paul.

[Trance]

What's the Detroit one?

[Host]

I don't think there's the Detroit Trail. That's my knowledge.

[Trance]

Someone talked about this. I'm not drunk. I'm just not Iceland. This is wrong. Someone talked about this.

[Chance]

That's Wisconsin.

[Host]

That's Wisconsin. Maybe like the north country trail.

[Trance]

No, someone talked about this and I remembered it and I thought this. Oh, I thought about the screw.

[Host]

Five star review. This one's from hex 2x's 11 1. Release the files. Leaving a five star review because I still need to Hear the real episode 349. Sorry to the listener, but not gonna happen. That one got canned for reasons previously addressed. But we have the segments of that available in the Patreon, so. And that is it for today's show. If you've listened all the way through, especially on the Monday episode. What do they say? Let's give one for the Instagram comments and then another for the YouTube. I want to differentiate.

[Trance]

Viva la chance.

[Host]

For which one.

[Trance]

If you've listened to anything in the comments, put Viva Lechant. Long live me.

[Host]

Long live trance on YouTube. And then for Instagram, Viva Lechon.

[Trance]

This would be cocky if I was staying. I'm not staying. I want. I want to hear my, like, battle cry.

[Host]

Drawn out, oriented I am.

[Trance]

They are both. They're both the same thing. It's both Viva Lechons. On every comment, put it. And then just let me know that you're thinking of me. And if. You know what? If you've hated me the whole time and you thought I was annoying the whole time, don't comment at it. And then I won't get that memo. But the ones that don't hate me, that will do that. I would love it.

[Host]

Do that comment with a winky face at the end.

[Trance]

No if you don't like me, just don't fucking put it. Or, you know what? Comment and say, I never liked you to start. And I will respect. I'll respect that much more than a winky face. A person that can go on and be like, I never liked you from the start. Yeah, respect.

[Host]

Cool.

[Trance]

Respect.

[Host]

All right.

[Trance]

One or the other. But this is. We're in the. We're in the final eight weeks of my ultimate send off. At this point. We're in the final six. I'm making everything about me comment. Tell me you'll miss me because I'm collapsing mentally.

[Host]

Yeah, Chaucer's gonna filibuster the remaining episodes.

[Trance]

No, I'm not gonna filibuster them. I'm just gonna die of sadness and lack of purpose.

[Host]

Oh. And that is it for today's show. Thank you so much for listening and happy hiking.

[Trance]

Bye.

[Host]

Oh, yeah, I was haunted once. I just came back from Nam. I was hitching through Oregon and some

[Chance]

cop started harassing me.

[Host]

Next thing you know, I had a whole army of cops chasing me through the woods. I had to take them all out. It was a bloodbath. That's Rambo, dude. What? You just described the plot of Rambo. Yeah, that's the first from the first one. Yeah, I think the first one. Your life with Rambo, bro. That's not the first time you've described

[Chance]

your life in the way of John Rambo's life.

[Host]

I've been out walking slow Many miles I've yet to go Never been one that's had to choose but every time I do I find I lose I guess I'm a loser stomping ground A welcome man for the loving crowd

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[Trance]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying.

[Host]

It's not just for celebrities.

[Trance]

So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail].

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[Trance]

then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail].