20. Juliana Chauncey, Author, Podcast Host + Long-distance Backpacker
Explicit content warning
02/01/22 • 72 min
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Guess what y’all? This is the 20th episode of Girl Gotta Hike the Podcast, whoop – whoop! It seems like with every new episode and every new interview, this podcast actually inspires me to want to get outside and adventure more, and I hope that it’s been doing the same for you!
On this landmark episode, I go for a day hike in Denver with long-distance backpacker, author, fellow podcaster, and fellow New York State native, Juliana Chauncey, trail name, Chaunce. Many of you may recognize Juliana’s voice as the co-host of Backpacker Radio, the crème-de-la-crème of backpacking podcasts. Juliana’s been hosting BPR alongside my long-time trail buddy, Zack “Badger” Davis, ever since its inception, 4 years ago. But she’s been a part of the greater theTrek.co family for even longer, when, in 2017, she became the popular backpacking website’s first vlogging contributor during her Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.
Post PCT, Juliana’s gone on to traverse the Appalachian Trail, the Colorado Trail, and the John Muir Trail, among others, and has kept herself busy in non-hiking-seasons by editing videos, writing a guidebook, raising Harper, (her cutie-pie Australian Shepherd), and oh yeah, keeping down a 9 to 5.
Throughout the episode, we talk about how she got interested in the outdoors to begin with, what brought her to Denver, how she wrote her book, “Hiking From Home: A Long Distance Hiking Guide for Family and Friends,” at a Starbucks in just one month, and a new podcast project she’s got coming our way, which, let me tell you, sounds like it’s going to be nothing short of amazing!
Useful links:
Gossamer Gear Discount — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Link here to check out GG’s Vagabond Jet Backpack
@juliana_chauncey on Instagram
@juliana_chauncey on TikTok
Hiking From Home: A Long Distance Hiking Guide for Family and Friends on Amazon
William F. Hayden Park on Green Mountain, Lakewood, CO
Guess what y’all? This is the 20th episode of Girl Gotta Hike the Podcast, whoop – whoop! It seems like with every new episode and every new interview, this podcast actually inspires me to want to get outside and adventure more, and I hope that it’s been doing the same for you!
On this landmark episode, I go for a day hike in Denver with long-distance backpacker, author, fellow podcaster, and fellow New York State native, Juliana Chauncey, trail name, Chaunce. Many of you may recognize Juliana’s voice as the co-host of Backpacker Radio, the crème-de-la-crème of backpacking podcasts. Juliana’s been hosting BPR alongside my long-time trail buddy, Zack “Badger” Davis, ever since its inception, 4 years ago. But she’s been a part of the greater theTrek.co family for even longer, when, in 2017, she became the popular backpacking website’s first vlogging contributor during her Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.
Post PCT, Juliana’s gone on to traverse the Appalachian Trail, the Colorado Trail, and the John Muir Trail, among others, and has kept herself busy in non-hiking-seasons by editing videos, writing a guidebook, raising Harper, (her cutie-pie Australian Shepherd), and oh yeah, keeping down a 9 to 5.
Throughout the episode, we talk about how she got interested in the outdoors to begin with, what brought her to Denver, how she wrote her book, “Hiking From Home: A Long Distance Hiking Guide for Family and Friends,” at a Starbucks in just one month, and a new podcast project she’s got coming our way, which, let me tell you, sounds like it’s going to be nothing short of amazing!
Useful links:
Gossamer Gear Discount — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Link here to check out GG’s Vagabond Jet Backpack
@juliana_chauncey on Instagram
@juliana_chauncey on TikTok
Hiking From Home: A Long Distance Hiking Guide for Family and Friends on Amazon
William F. Hayden Park on Green Mountain, Lakewood, CO
Previous Episode
19. Liz Forkel, Fitness Coach + Future Thru-Hiker
Melissa recently had the absolute honor of guiding Liz Forkel on a 5-day backpacking trip. Liz is a personal trainer, fitness coach and owner of LizFit, a fitness center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Nearly seven days a week, she helps her clients find their way to a fitter and healthier lifestyle by leading them in small group classes, personal training sessions and nutrition consultations. She works side by side with them to help raise their confidence and reach their fitness goals, but like many small business owners and busy entrepreneurs, it’s rare for her to be able to take some time out for herself.
Liz has had thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail as an item on her bucket list for nearly 30 years now, and with a milestone birthday approaching next June, she has decided that 2022 is her time to attempt it! But setting aside your actual business and only form of income for a 6-month trip on trail isn’t a decision made lightly. While she is starting with a base fitness level that is unparalleled, and has every intent on success, she’d done no actual backpacking up until a few weeks ago, so she knew she needed to seek out a trusted source to help show her the ropes. A google search gratefully brought her to Girl Gotta Hike, and after a couple of zoom planning sessions, Melissa was stoked that Liz decided to choose GGH to be her guide. We spent 5 days and 52-miles together from New York to Massachusetts, hiking the entire Connecticut section of the Appalachian Trail.
What follows is their post-hike convo. They started recording just after they reached the Mass border in order to catch her in the moment – feeling accomplished and proud but not too far removed from their 5 days and 4 nights, (some of them rainy and cold), out there. Liz is super insightful about her time on trail, and at almost 60 years old, proves that there’s no time like the present to fufill a dream!
SHOWNOTES AND USEFUL LINKS:
Gossamer Gear Discount — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Link here to check out GG’s Vagabond Jet Backpack
LizFit – Instagram
LizFit - Website
AMC - Connecticut Chapter
Next Episode
21. Jasmine Guadalupe, The Hood Hikers
On today’s episode I head up to East Harlem for a chat with Jasmine Guadalupe, founder of The Hood Hikers, a hiking and outdoor adventure company based right here in NYC! The Hood Hikers creates a safe space in nature for all Black and Brown folks, regardless of gender, income bracket or any other divider. While everyone is welcome on her hikes, the Black and Brown experience is at the core, allowing participants to enjoy the outdoors on their own terms.
A self-described “Bronx-bred, 80s baby of Puerto Rican descent,” Jasmine was blessed with being able to escape the bustle of the big city as a kid, spending many summers upstate, exploring the woods of her grandparent’s property in central New York. Fast forward through law school and a demanding schedule as a litigation attorney, she was re-introduced to her love of hiking in April 2020, during the early days of the pandemic. Those first outdoor adventures were so therapeutic for her, she knew she needed to help her fellow city-dwellers overcome the obstacles of getting out into nature too, so she got her Guide License and boom, The Hood Hikers was born.
Through the magic of social media (and having some hikers in common), we’d been following each other for a while, but this was Jasmine and my first meeting IRL! And while we were gonna go out for a walk together, the weather proved inhospitable, so we simply switched gears and recorded at Jasmine’s apartment instead. Thankfully, one thing us New York based guides know how to do well is pivot!
Useful links:
Gossamer Gear Discount — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Link here to check out GG’s Vagabond Jet Backpack
The Hood Hikers - website
@thehoodhikers on Instagram
@thehoodhikers on TikTok
@thehoodhikers on Twitter
@thehoodhikers on Facebook
@thehoodhikers on YouTube
The Hood Hikers video / Timberland All For Nature Nature For All
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