Trails Worth Hiking

Jeremy's daughter Sonya joins him on this episode to talk about her adventure on the Kalalau Trail on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.  In the first part of the show, they recount a bit of Hawaii's history, explain why Kauai doesn't have tall buildings (except one), and talk about the largest canyon of the Pacific.  Then they bring us to the Na Pali coast and its ancient footpath, the Kalalau Trail.  Sonya tells us about her hike along this beautiful and possibly dangerous coastal trail, including her encounters with some of its mysterious outlaw residents.  For more on that, see the February 2018 issue of Hakai magazine's article "Hawaii's Last Outlaw Hippies."  After talking about the trail, Sonya tells us about what growing up a backpacker has meant to her and why jelly beans just might be the solution to backpacking with kids.  She also tells us about her favorite footwear, key travel advice, and her aspirations to hike some longer-distance trails in the future.  And if all that wasn't enough, going nude in the outdoors comes up multiple times on this episode, so don't miss it!Membership/Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/trailsworthhikingwebsite: https://www.trailsworthhiking.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailsworthhikingpodcast/email: trailsworthhiking@gmail.comJeremy's YouTube channel:  Go-Go Retirement: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeko5J9u1WD-7Pc7TnCa9qQ

Jeremy's son Justin joins him to talk about Ecuador and the Quilotoa Loop (spoiler alert:  it's not actually a loop).  They discuss visiting Ecuador's two rival equator theme parks, the capital city Quito, studying Spanish in the beautiful and friendly city Cuenca, visiting the crest of the Andes in El Cajas National Park, the Inca ruins at Ingapirca, the possibility of climbing the Cotopaxi volcano, the city of Latacunga and its legendary Mama Negra festival, as well as the indigenous Inti Raymi festival and how Ecuador celebrates Corpus Christi.  They talk about walking the Quilotoa trek on the route from Sigchos to Quilotoa, including their favorite hostel on the route, Llullu LLama, and its social media star St. Bernard dog (Baloo) and namesake llama, Tito.  And of course they recount the dramatic and exhausting finish of the trek at the beautiful and mysterious Laguna Quilotoa at almost 13,000 feet of elevation (almost 4,000 meters).  Justin tells us about what it was like growing up backpacking from a young age and how it impacted him.  He also talks about the benefits of warm socks, the joy of seeing the world at the speed of walking, and why he wants to hike in a jungle.  To plan this trek check out the Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Hiking the Quilotoa Loop on the Whirlwind Travellers blog, which Jeremy relied heavily on for planning his family's trek.  Reach out to us with any questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes at trailsworthhiking@gmail.com.Membership/Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/trailsworthhikingwebsite: https://www.trailsworthhiking.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailsworthhikingpodcast/email: trailsworthhiking@gmail.comJeremy's YouTube channel:  Go-Go Retirement: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeko5J9u1WD-7Pc7TnCa9qQ

Special guest Tony Wong joins Jeremy to talk about the High Sierra Trail in Sequoia National Park.  Jeremy and Tony talk about the bizarre history of the creation of Sequoia National Park and the giant trees that give the park its name.  They also recount the history of the building of the High Sierra Trail itself, some key information on hiking in the high Sierra, logistics for hiking the trail, and a possible itinerary.  And then Tony tells us about gear he doesn't leave home without, the best backpacking advice he's gotten, his favorite hike, what's next on his list, and whether there's actually a hike that Jeremy couldn't convince him to do.Membership/Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/trailsworthhikingwebsite: https://www.trailsworthhiking.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailsworthhikingpodcast/email: trailsworthhiking@gmail.comJeremy's YouTube channel:  Go-Go Retirement: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeko5J9u1WD-7Pc7TnCa9qQ

In this episode our host, Jeremy, introduces Trails Worth Hiking, the podcast that brings you some of the most interesting backpacking and trekking routes in the world.  Jeremy describes the show, the kinds of trails the show will cover, talks about the difference between backpacking and trekking, and previews future episodes, including a preview of the first trail we will cover on the next episode. Membership/Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/trailsworthhikingwebsite: https://www.trailsworthhiking.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailsworthhikingpodcast/email: trailsworthhiking@gmail.comJeremy's YouTube channel:  Go-Go Retirement: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeko5J9u1WD-7Pc7TnCa9qQ