Backpacker Radio

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Heidi Nisbett aka Sketch. Heidi is a thru-hiker, hiking guide, and an exceptionally talented artist, having recently been commissioned to paint a giant mural at the Trail Center in Damascus. Heidi gives us the lowdown on why she loved the Foothills Trail, the Superior Hiking Trail, Pinhoti Trail, and more. We also go in-depth on Heidi's journey as an artist, how she fell in love with it as a kid, fell out of love with it post-college, and rekindled the flame during her time hiking the AT. She shares her top advice to aspiring trail-focused artists, we learn about a CDT thru-hike that went wildly awry, and we chat the best and worst beer styles. This is another fun chat guaranteed to bring a smile to your head.

We wrap the show with reasons why the Florida Trail is actually awesome, I'm shamed for liking things I'm good at, we do a triple crown of hiking things we just don't get, a Florida Man segment, and much more.

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Interview with Heidi Nisbett

• Heidi Nisbett Instagram
• Sketching Summits website
• Sketching Summits TikTok

Time stamps & Questions

00:03:05 - Reminders: Chaunce is unwell & we’re still collecting poop stories for our book. Send your story here!

00:08:54 - Introducing Heidi Nisbett

00:09:42 - Is it safe to say you’re a beer connoisseur?

00:09:55 - What’s the style of beer you’re into now?

00:10:07 - Do you have a favorite wheat beer?

00:10:24 - What is your trail name and the origin?

00:11:10 - Why didn’t you like the name Picasso?

00:11:56 - What did Picasso do for art history?

00:12:45 - Were you sketching at all shelter logs?

00:13:58 - How long do the paintings take you?

00:14:58 - Was it hard to maintain a social group if you stop to paint?

00:15:40 - Do most people break up with art after their degree?

00:20:07 - When did art stand out as something you were talented in?

00:20:50 - Do you come from artsy people?

00:22:58 - At what point were you getting positive feedback on your art?

00:23:40 - What role did social media play as you re-entered the art world?

00:26:13 - What happens between your art career and hiking the AT?

00:29:11 - How does a paint and sip class work?

00:30:44 - What tips do you have for amateur artists?

00:34:00 - Tell us about your style of art now

00:35:08 - How would you describe the style of art?

00:37:36 - How did you transition from art girl to hiking girl?

00:40:28 - What was your hiking experience prior to the AT?

00:42:06 - Tell us about the evolution of your art as you hiked along the AT?

00:44:46 - How did you decide to make your art your full-time business after hiking?

00:47:20 - What draws people in the most?

00:48:40 - How do you overcome imposter syndrome?

00:49:50 - Tell us about your work with the ATC

00:52:52 - Was that your first mural?

00:54:40 - How does it work when painting around features in the room?

00:55:44 - Is this the piece of art that has consumed the most amount of your time?

00:55:52 - What is the second longest?

00:56:51 - What’s the most popular piece of art?

00:57:22 - What do you mail most often?

00:59:07 - How do you determine what to turn into a sticker?

01:00:23 - Have you asked if the Pinhoti has any mural needs?

01:02:10 - How was the Pinhoti?

01:04:30 - Why pick the Pinhoti over other trails?

01:05:48 - How does the difficulty compare to the AT?

01:06:54 - Is there a bad time of year to hike the Pinhoti?

01:08:01 - Would you pick Pinhoti or Superior Hiking Trail?

01:09:42 - How was the Foothills Trail?

01:11:57 - What’s the hiking culture in North Carolina?

01:12:56 - Are you familiar with the Overmountain ...

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we're joined by Tara Dower, the new holder of overall Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail. Tara gives us the low down on every aspect of her recent record-breaking trek, including how she fell wildly behind pace after the first two states, her nutrition, her sleep habits (or lack thereof), how vital her crew was in her success, the criticism she's faced for "hiking too fast", running a 100-mile race just a few weeks prior to the attempt, and much more. Tara also goes into more depth on her backpacking and FKT background and we subject her to a pair of brutally awkward fornicate, marry, kill questions. Fun times all around. We wrap the show with our triple crown of guilty pleasure songs, a stupid thing of the week (Zach hurts himself again), and the most unrealistic thing we thought we could be when we were kids.

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Interview with Tara “Candy Mama” Dower

• Tara's Instagram
• Tara's Website
• Tara's Youtube

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:55 - Reminders: Support us on Patreon for exclusive bonus content, join us in Denver on December 7th and apply to be a 2025 blogger!

00:07:55 - Introducing Tara

00:09:29 - Are you still recovering?

00:10:45 - What mantras did you have?

00:13:00 - What was your origin story in the outdoors?

00:17:12 - When did you decide to pursue the Mountains to Sea Trail FKT?

00:19:00 - Did you impress yourself at that moment?

00:21:30 - Tell us about getting off the AT because of anxiety

00:23:05 - How do you manage anxiety during an FKT attempt?

00:24:25 - Were you tough growing up?

00:26:45 - What inspired you to want to continue pursuing FKTs?

00:29:55 - Tell us about the John Muir Trail

00:31:20 - What part of running do you dislike the most?

00:32:30 - Tell us about the Benton MacKaye Trail FKT

00:34:40 - Tell us about the Colorado Trail FKT

00:36:20 - Discussion about support classifications

00:40:25 - How do you deal with critics?

00:44:30 - How did the Colorado Trail change your outlook on future FKTs?

00:46:00 - When did you decide to go after the AT FKT?

00:48:38 - Did you initially plan to beat the overall record?

00:50:08 - Were you intimidated by others who tried and failed to beat the record?

00:51:30 - Did you notice a transition in social media as you were running?

00:55:18 - Why did your anxiety influence which direction you went?

00:57:20 - How long before you started was the Hard Rock?

01:00:00 - What was it like going through Mahoosuc Notch at FKT pace?

01:01:44 - Tell us about being behind pace at first

01:05:27 - How did your crew chief motivate you?

01:07:03 - Did you ever disagree about decisions?

01:08:00 - How much of a trail was solo or with a pacer?

01:09:50 - What was your adjustment like after the FKT?

01:12:45 - How has your nutrition changed over the years?

01:18:55 - Did you have any near injuries?

01:19:40 - Can you pinpoint a low moment?

01:23:30 - Did you hallucinate?

01:26:45 - Tell us about your average mileage and sleep during the FKT

01:30:40 - Is Rascal’s position a paid position?

01:31:34 - Did you have any paid sponsorship during this run?

01:32:26 - When did you know you had it?

01:35:02 - Did you conceptualize how big of a deal it was going to be?

01:36:35 - Tell us about raising money for Girls on the Run

01:38:20 - Fuck Marry Kill: thru-hiking, FKTs, ultraracing

01:39:31 - Fuck Marry Kill: Outside Magazine, Washington Post, The Trek

01:40:34 - Kumo Question: What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the courage to do yet?

Segments

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