The Outdoors Station

Episode Overview

Bob's Podcast Success (00:00:19)

Bob discusses the success of the podcast and his recent experiences at the outdoor trade show.

Plans for a Night Out (00:03:00)

Bob and Rose discuss their plans for a night out on the local hills and the impact of weather on their schedule.

Sleeping Under the Stars Experience (00:04:26)

Bob and Rose discuss their experience of sleeping under the stars and the morning after.

AI-generated Information (00:17:04)

An AI-generated voice provides information about the benefits and cultural significance of sleeping under the stars.

Morning After (00:20:58)

Bob and Rose talk about their morning after sleeping under the stars and the weather conditions.

Sleeping Under the Stars (00:24:34)

Discussion about the experience of sleeping on top of a hill during the rain and waking up to a nice cup of tea and a biscuit.

Gear Maintenance and Refurbishing (00:27:40)

Conversation about the maintenance and refurbishing of outdoor gear, specifically a sleeping bag, and the benefits of repurposing rather than buying new.

Cooking and Survival Skills (00:30:12)

Humorous discussion about cooking skills and survival experiences, including the first meal cooked for a partner and the importance of basic skills.

Exploring the Local Hills (00:31:25)

Reflections on the morning after sleeping under the stars, including observations of the local landscape and historical landmarks.

Podcast Conclusion (00:36:12)

Bob Cartwright, the host, encourages listeners to share the podcast within their outdoor circles and previews upcoming content.

Equipment discussed in this podcast:

Rab Ascent Bivvy
Sierra Designs Cloud Sleeping Bag
Thermarest Pro-Lite Short sleeping pad
Sea to Summit X Collapsible Silicone Cup

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Outdoor enthusiast and freelance writer Anna Richards was sitting at her desk one day when a notification popped up on Twitter directing her to this advert.

"We’re seeking intrepid, experienced hikers to be the first thru-hikers on the new 1,500km Transcaucasian Trail. Will you be one of them?

For the past 6 years, we’ve been stitching together routes, building trails, and putting new destinations on the map (literally) across the Caucasus.

Our goal: to create the most culturally interesting and geographically diverse long-distance hiking trail possible across Georgia and Armenia as part of the Transcaucasian Trail.

The result: a challenging and stunning 1,500km route connecting the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains. The route weaves between high alpine passes, red desert canyons, bucolic meadows, volcanic plateaus, and more– all while traveling through one of the most culturally and biologically diverse regions on the planet.

Now, we’re inviting the first cohort of intrepid hikers to hike the Transcaucasian Trail through Armenia and Georgia in summer 2022.

In its current stage of development, this route is ideal for experienced hikers who are seeking an off-the-beaten-track adventure that combines rugged terrain, diverse cultures, rich history, and awe-inspiring landscapes– and who don’t mind a few thorns along the way."

How would you respond if long distance trails were your passion, plus you realised you knew nothing about Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and it just so happened you had a few weeks to spare in 2022?

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This is a part two of a two part interview with the author of Grandma Gatewood’s Walk. The book is a New York Times best seller and writer Ben Montgomery was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2010.

Part one covers her younger history, the life and times she lived through in the early 1950’s, the abuse she suffered for 30 years and her discovery of the Appalachian Trail, before setting foot in it initially in 1954.

We all know the basic story, that in 1955 67 year old Grandma Gatewood set off on a remarkable journey, to accidentally become the first woman to walk the entire 2050 miles in 145 days of the Appalachian Trail.

Today her name is iconic within the lightweight backpacking community, as she carried only 15 pounds of supplies and a tiny amount of food in a simple knapsack, hiking in sneakers, sleeping under a shower curtain and living off the land.

Not only that, she did again 2 years later, followed by the Oregon Trail then aged 71.

This audio is an extract from the video live stream (which can be found on YouTube) I broadcast recently with the author Ben Montgomery who found that Grandma Gatewood was his Mother’s Great Aunt.

In it you’ll hear previously unearthed stories about this amazing woman, her diaries, her gritty life and what led her to set off on the trail all of which can be found in his fascinating biography - Grandma Gatewoods Walk.

Part two concludes with a few stories from the trail, her subsequent fame and celebrity status and how she became the iconic ambassador for walking with her name and legacy living on.

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In 2 days time we will be starting the TGO Challenge 2015 200 mile walk across Scotland and I wanted to update people as to the delay in the release of recent podcasts. We have now had illness, injury and the backpackinglight outdoor show in the last few weeks. We will be recording the walk this year, so stay tuned for some epic stories!

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This podcast and video is for people who want to understand the full impact of long term travel.

To many, more than a couple of weeks travelling/hiking/backpacking/camping may seem like a long time. However there are those who have made it a life's journey or project to go further, much further for much longer.

This is a story about two women who have travelled by self powered means almost 20 thousand miles over 7 years in one continuous trail.

It is a journey that began in South America on Nov. 23, 2015. It was on that day that Bethany Hughes and Lauren Reed embarked on Her Odyssey, a human-powered journey on trails some established, others ancient which connected the Americas.

Their objective to travel from the southern most tip of the Americas to the northern most tip where it meets the Artic ocean. All by self powered means, walking, cycling and paddling.

In the middle of all this came Covid and my first interview with them back in July 2020 they were just south of the Canadian border trapped by lockdown.

Please listen to Podcast No 526 and 527

The self funded and supported by a handful of Patreons quest has been anything but a small endeavour which they completed on the 24th August 2022.

In total the journey has covered 18,221 miles and taken 7 years.

It would be easy in a conversation like this when the topic is so big to stick to surface level questions about 'how many pairs of shoes' and 'what did you eat', but I wanted to explore the more emotional bigger questions about the difficulty in letting go of fear and opening yourself up to people, their communities and human interaction.

They travelled together for much of the time, but still had time apart one cycling and the other walking different route, always starting off from the last latitude to ensure the spirit of continual travel was adhered to.

I ask them about how they interacted with section hikers when they shared campfire stories on the trails. If their 18 thousand mile project blew the mind of through hikers on the CDT. How do they pigeon hole themselves now, how differently do they see themselves now to seven years prior. And also if they now feel calm, with no urgency to rush off to another destination without good reason.

I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too. Please leave a comment below and on social media.

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