The By Land Podcast

Dan Becker is a backpacker from Wisconsin who turned his passion into his full-time profession. If you’ve poked around YouTube for backpacking, you’ve no doubt seen his videos a time or two. He’s grown a massive following and for good reason - he’s just a great guy. Dan is genuine, sincere, funny, and just loves to backpack. I didn’t know much about him before we spoke, but sincerely enjoyed getting to know him and now have a fond appreciation for what he’s been able to accomplish. We cover...

The Hexatrek is a 3000 km long-distance trail across France that begins at the border of Germany, traverses the Pyrenees Mountains, and ends at the Bay of Biscay. Thomas works for the Hexatrek organization and spent the summer and fall of 2022 hiking and documenting the trail. Thomas is able to recognize the realities of hiking a long and share all sides of that reality. He can describe the trail as an epic adventure that includes vineyards, castles, and mountains, but he’ll also tell you...

Andrew Skurka is known throughout the backpacking industry as someone who knows what they’re talking about when it comes to spending time in the backcountry. He was thru-hiking before it became popular and has hiked well over 20,000 miles across both long and short expeditions. Andrew now operates a backpacking guide service. Andrew is a wealth of knowledge for all things backpacking but also has great insight into the mindset the backcountry requires. If you enjoy learning from the best,...

Katie O’mara is the driving force behind Trail Magik, an outdoor brand whose mission is to make hiking and backpacking with toddlers efficient and more enjoyable. Once kids grow out of their backpack-style carriers, parents are forced into deciding how far their little ones can hike before needing to be picked up, but oftentimes riding in a backpack is too much trouble because all the toddler really needs is a small break from walking. That’s where Trail Magik comes in. Katie is the best....

Tommy Corey’s eye for outdoor portrait photography landed him front and center in the hiking community during his 2018 PCT thru-hike when he began posting fashion-esque portraits of fellow thru-hikers under the project name “Hiker Trash Vogue.” The photo project captured the attention of major outdoor brands and was even featured in Outside Online. Tommy received high accolades for his work, but it was also pointed out that his subjects did not represent a range of diverse backgrounds in the...

This is the second part of a two-part mini-series with Marketa and David Daley who in 2022 hiked 1300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail with their 3 young kids. David and I dive into the more holistic side of hiking the trail and explore the meaning behind the struggle and process of a thru-hike. For anyone who enjoys the non-technical side of a thru-hiking discussion, you’ll enjoy this, especially if you’re a parent yourself. David and I dive into what it was like to hike as Father on the...

Marketa and David Daley backpacked 1300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022 with their 3 kids and proved to themselves that yes, it was possible to hike the PCT as a family. At times they moved at a snail's pace, questioned their own sanity, and were forced to find creative ways to motivate their kids to continue moving down the trail. Together as a family, they experienced the highs and lows of trail life, strengthened their family bonds, and in the end, found what they were looking...

Evan Guzik is a Public Affairs Officer for the US Forest Service out of the Bridger Teton Forest and joins the podcast to walk me through the basics of wildfires. Not only am I honored to have the US Forest Service represented on my show, but it’s made even more special because Evan and I served together in the Marine Corps nearly 20 years ago. We cover what prescribed burns are and why they’re useful, how fires are managed from beginning to end, what to do if you see a fire or you’re...

Alex Harz is a man of many talents. He’s a filmmaker, mountaineer, and even a radio host, but for the purpose of this episode we’re diving into his Mount Everest Expedition and the film he’s produced about it called “The Quest: Nepal.” Alex might be the physical vehicle for the telling of a story or the driving force behind it, but when you watch this film, you’ll learn quickly that while he does have a personal reason for being there and climbing, he also knows that without the culture and...

You might be wondering what canoe camping and backpacking have in common and why I’d be covering this on a “backpacking” podcast so to answer that question outright - they have ALOT in common. You’re required to plan, pack, stabilize a load, and bring what you need to get the job done safely and efficiently. Some canoe trips might be a day or two while others could last months on end if you’re on a large expedition. Canoes have been around since the dawn of time and it’s a hobby I’ve always...

Paul McTaggart is a family man and backpacker out of New Zealand who in recent years reignited his passion for the outdoors. He and I have been exchanging emails back and forth for some time now and I thought it was time we sit down for a real and open-ended conversation about backpacking. This is the very first episode of the By Land Podcast where I bring you the audience member, and in this case Paul, on the show for a conversation for no other reason than to get to know one another. I...

Melodie Edwards is the host and senior producer of the Modern West Podcast which dives into the history of the west, and how it’s shaped our landscapes and modern culture while digging up little-known facts about the past. The show is produced for Wyoming Public Media (aka the state’s NPR station) which is now going into its 5th season so for me, it was great to connect with someone who is doing some really great work out there. Being a podcast producer isn’t the only thing Melodie is...

Hammock Gear is one of the original cottage companies in the ultralight backpacking space. When I was just getting into backpacking, it was Hammock Gear that was prolific in the search engines and forums when it came to ultralight quilts. Having such a prolific and respectable brand represented on the podcast is both honoring and humbling to me. Adam and Sally from Hammock Gear join the By Land Podcast to talk about the origins of the company, why and how Adam started it in the first place,...

The REAL Hiking Viking, aka Jabba, joins the podcast to talk about his upcoming hike up the Continental Divide Trail, life before backpacking, and the importance of doing what makes you happy in life. I’ve known Jabba for a while now and bumped into him a few places, but this is the first time we’ve had a chance to sit down to have a conversation. The last time we spoke, he introduced me to the magic that is double-stuffed Oreo and since that was pretty game-changing for me, I figured he...

Backpacking with dogs is something I think most of us dream of doing, but for Bailey Bremner, it’s a reality. Bailey is not only an accomplished backpacker and thru-hiker in her own right, but her dogs are too. Prima and Skittles have likely hiked more miles than most, and between the 3 of them, they’ve hiked thousands of miles along some of the most beautiful trails in the United States. Sometimes we tend to overcomplicate things while at the same time underestimating what is actually...

Dylan Tonkin had the crazy idea to take the fun design of a lightweight Hawaiian shirt and marry it with a design that would remind thru-hikers of their favorite long-distance trail. The result was “TownShirt” and it’s awesome. This is Dylan’s second time on the podcast and in the two-plus years that have passed since our last chat, a lot has changed. Dylan is now married, has a kid, and has taken a fun little business concept and made it a reality with TownShirt. Since that first episode,...

Bruce McGlenn is the founder and lead instructor for Human Nature Hunting, a hunting school designed to teach newcomers, instill a connection to our past heritage, and create stewardship in the community by being an active participant in our ecosystem. For those who never grew up in a hunting family, getting into hunting can be a massive hurdle to overcome. Between navigating regulations, gear, and acquiring the skills to not only pursue wild game but then care for it the right way, hunting...

Moose Mutlow is a member of the Yosemite Search and Rescue, the Senior Projects Director for planning, design, and construction of the National Environmental Science Center at Naturebridge in Yosemite National Park, and has spent a lifetime learning and teaching outdoor skills. As a member of SAR, Moose has seen a bad turn to worse and he believes there are things we can learn from these situations if we’re simply willing to stop talking and just listen. As you’ll hear, Moose has a big...

Adam Foss grew up hunting sheep in the mountains with his father and brother. He learned at a young age what it looked like to work hard for something, admire the beauty of accomplishment, and fully appreciate where sheep call home. If you want to hunt sheep, you’re going to experience some pretty incredible yet rugged country. Sheep hunting doesn’t come easy, which is probably why those that do it are in a league of their own. Adam is now a professional photographer and his imagery can be...

Joey Bennett headed west this past September to meet a personal goal of hunting elk in Colorado. It would be the first time he’d hunt elk, the first time he’d hunt Colorado, the first time he’d ever go backpack hunting, and he did it alone. When I saw Joey’s big smile on an Instagram post after his hunt, I knew we needed to talk. He spent a solid 5 days backpack hunting in Colorado in an area he was completely unfamiliar with and although he never punched a tag, he couldn’t have been more...