Girl Gotta Hike The Podcast Melissa Goodwin

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my Mount Everest Base Camp Trek Travelogue from May of 2018. If you haven’t yet listened to Part 1, I highly recommend starting there so you can catch up on the journey so far, as I travel from to Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar with a group of five fellow New York City based photographers.


This episode covers days 8 through 18, as we continue up and across the Sagarmatha National Forest, all the way to Base Camp, and back down, stopping in different villages and teahouses along the way. If you’ve already listened to Episode 1, thank you so much! I’ve gotten some lovely feedback about the format and am excited to share the conclusion with you today.
 
And if you happened to hear it back when it was first released and have been eagerly awaiting this follow up, I sincerely thank you for your patience! Podcasting has been a fun and creative way for me to share outdoor adventures and stories with you, but it’s just one part of my greater Girl Gotta Hike universe. While I fully intended to pop out this second installment the following week, I found myself both booked up for the foreseeable future with guided trips and photo gigs, and bogged down with the boring behind-the-scenes business stuff that eats away at my best intentions.
 
While six er.. seven months may have slipped by between that last recording and this one, the sentiment remains the same -- I’m so stoked that you’ve tuned in to head back to the hills with me and hear about the second half of this Base Camp Adventure!
 

Gossamer Gear — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Check out GG’s amazing backpack lineup here:
Vagabond Jet (25-Liter)
Mariposa (60-Liter)
Gorilla (50-Liter)
G4-20 (42-Liter)
Kumo 36 (36-Liter)


1-Hour Coaching call with Click – use code “EXTRAHELP” for 15% off three or more
sessions at girlgottahike.com


Anjali’s Cup Turmeric Blends — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKE” for 10% off your cart at anjaliscup.com



Camera Voyages travel company

Kancha The Last Sherpa video by William Vazquez

Kancha Sherpa Foundation

Nirvana Home, Namche Bazaar

Himalayan Rescue Association

Kids of Kathmandu

Today’s episode is a bit of a departure from the usual. I’m going to take you back in time to the beginning of Girl Gotta Hike, or actually, before the beginning. Living in New York City, it’s all too easy for me to get tied into the day-to-day hustle and while I often dream of heading out on long hikes, it’s been the rare occasion that I’ve been able to step out of the fast lane for an extended break.
 
In the summer of 2017, I had become an officially licensed Outdoor Guide. I hadn’t quite worked up the courage to lead my own hikes yet, and my website was a series of blog posts from my John Muir Trail thru-hike from the year prior. But that December, the neon sign for my next adventure started flashing right in front of my eyes.  I got an invitation to join a small group of photographers on trek up to Mount Everest Base Camp, and in a few short months, I found myself traveling halfway around the world with William Vazquez, photographer and founder of Camera Voyages, plus four other new York city based photographers.
 
And it was five years ago this week that we reached Mount Everest Base Camp, at 17,598 feet above sea level. The journey to get there has been taken by many before us and many since, but walking amongst the highest mountains in the world was unbelievably special, and somehow, despite the lack of oxygen in the air, I had enough reserves to write down my daily  experience along the way. 
 
This episode covers the first 7 days of my trek, from Katmandu to Namche Bazaar. Part two will be headed your way next week.


Anjali’s Cup Turmeric Blends — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKE” for 15% off your cart at anjaliscup.com

Gossamer Gear — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Check out GG’s amazing backpack lineup here:
Mariposa (60-Liter)
Gorilla (50-Liter)
G4-20 (42-Liter)
Kumo 36 (36-Liter)


Camera Voyages travel company
Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer
Everest, 2015 movie
Kancha Sherpa Foundation
Nirvana Home, Namche Bazaar

Today we’re talking all things thru-hiking on a super special Q&A episode featuring three New York City-based hikers, who are all aspiring to hike the Appalachian Trail this year! Alyssa, Micaela, and Haley have participated in many Girl Gotta Hike day hikes, snowshoe excursions, and weekend backpacking trips over the last couple of years, and it’s been a blast getting to explore the outdoors with them. Hiking the Appalachian Trail had a huge impact on my life, so I was stoked when I learned that they were all independently gearing up to take their backpacking to the next level and give this thru-hiking thing a go!
 
Escaping regular life to embark on a five-to-six-month journey by foot is no easy feat, and there’s no right or wrong way to prepare for it. There’s a lot to consider in the lead up, and these future hikers had some questions about what to wear, what to eat and how to stay safe out there. To help set them up for success, I invited everyone to gather upstate in the Catskills, and enlisted two of my most favorite thru-hikers and regular podcast guests, Kelley “NoSeeUm” Blosser and Lauren “Woodchuck” de la Vega to weigh in on the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
 
No matter if you’re a newbie to the backpacking scene or a seasoned thru-hiker, this episode is sure to teach you something, or at the very least make you laugh along with us. So go ahead and grab a snack, your favorite brew and settle in for some trail talk!

Show Notes for Episode 26 :
Anjali’s Cup Turmeric Blends — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKE” for 15% off your cart at anjaliscup.com

Gossamer Gear — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Check out GG’s amazing backpack lineup here:
Mariposa (60-Liter)
Gorilla (50-Liter)
G4-20 (42-Liter)
Kumo 36 (36-Liter)

1-Hour Coaching Call with Click – use code “EXTRAHELP” for 15% off three or more sessions at girlgottahike.com

Previous thru-hiking themed episodes:
Episode 1 – A.T. Trail Besties Talkin’ Trail
Episode 13 – Talkin’ Trail with Woodchuck, NoSeeUm & Click
Episode 17 – The Slackpack Series with Sprout, Woodchuck, NoSeeUm & Click
Episode 19 – Liz Forkel, Fitness Coach & Future Thru-Hiker
Episode 24 – Kelley “NoSeeUm” Blosser on the PCT

Follow these hiking adventurers on Instagram:
@alyssa.on.the.at - Alyssa
@kkbgotgame – Kelley “NoSeeUm” Blosser
@westmountainguideco – Lauren “Woodchuck” de la Vega

On today’s episode, I go for a hike in the Catskills, with local artist and ceramicist extraordinaire, Cheyenne Mallo. Cheyenne and her partner Zac handmake functional pottery such as mugs, bowls and dishes that feature topographic map-imagery of mountains, hiking trails and rivers out of their home studio. I’ve been a big fan of Cheyenne’s style ever since I first laid eyes on one of her mugs back in 2017. As someone who is drawn to all things hiking maps and coffee-drinking, I certainly fall right into her target market, and have been happily adding her pieces to my kitchen cabinets ever since. My fan-girling got a major boost last summer, when I got to chat with her in person at an event in the Catskills and find out just how much she beams with mid-western friendliness.  
 
During this conversation we talk about her love for hiking and her connection to her surroundings, her artistic process, the importance of residency programs in the arts, as well as some of the challenges and joys of being a small business owner. It was a true pleasure to head out for a walk alongside Cheyenne in the very landscape that inspires her art!

Discount Links:
Anjali’s Cup Turmeric Blends — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKE” for 15% off your cart at anjaliscup.com

Gossamer Gear — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Check out GG’s amazing backpack lineup here:
Mariposa (60-Liter)
Gorilla (50-Liter)
G4-20 (42-Liter)
Kumo 36 (36-Liter)

Cheyenne Mallo can be found at:
@cheynnemallo on Instagram
Cheyenne Mallo Pottery website
Cheyenne Mallo on ETSY

Other info:
Ashokan Quarry Trail info from Catskill Mtn. Club
Olive Library – Ashokan Reservoir Photo Collection
Map of land taken for Dam – From Olive Library Collection
PeakFinder App
NYNJTC Maps – New York New Jersey Trail Conference

NEW! Get yer Girl Gotta Hike hats here!

On this episode, I get a chance to catch up with my good friend and regular Podcast guest, Kelley “NoSeeUm” Blosser, at the halfway point of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail! Kelley’s been making her way north from the Mexican border toward the Canadian one for the last few months, and now by the time this episode is airing, she’s almost halfway through Washington State and nearly finished already! 
During our conversation she talks about what it’s like to finally be on a journey that was over two years in the making. We chat about how her pre-conceived notions of what she thought the experience would be like stack up to what it’s actually like to be out there and doing it, day after day after day. She talks about the different types of topography she’s traversed, how her body is holding up and how she’s adapted what she’s carried (and what she’s eaten) to fit the demands of the terrain. 
While I was lucky enough to tag along for the first 100 miles of Kelley’s trip, I was not able to head back to California to interview her in person for this episode. Instead, I caught up with her over zoom, while she was on a rare night off in a hotel with good wifi!

Useful links:
Gossamer Gear Discount — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Check out GG’s amazing pack lineup here:
Mariposa (60-Liter)
Gorilla (50-Liter)
G4-20 (42-Liter)
Kumo 36 (36-Liter)

Kelley "NoSeeUm" Blosser can be found at:
@kkbgotgame on instagram

Find more info about the PCT:
Pacific Crest Trail Association

NEW! Get yer Girl Gotta Hike hats here!

 

Hello and welcome to Episode 23!


This episode sounds a bit different than usual, because I’m the one who’s answering questions, while guest host Alexandra Kenin is the one asking them! Alexandra is the founder of Urban Hiker SF, an urban hiking tour company in San Francisco and author of two guidebooks, Urban Trails: San Francisco, and Urban Trails: East Bay. She is super passionate about getting out and exploring cities by foot, and she also happens to be a big fan of Girl Gotta Hike!


Well I’m a big fan of hers too – in fact I interviewed her back on Episode 9 of this podcast – so when she proposed the idea of interviewing me during a recent visit to Brooklyn, though I was a bit nervous, I just couldn’t say no!


When I started this podcast, I assumed that my listeners would mostly consist of those who get to come out for a hike with me in person. On trail, I’m often answering questions about how I got into guiding and sharing snippets of my thru-hiking adventures, so my podcast goal was to talk less about me and highlight other women who are rockin’ their outdoor passions instead!


But it turns out that so many of you listeners, and especially those that are new, come from locations that are much further afield than my New York City-based circle, and until Alexandra pointed it out to me, it hadn’t really occurred to me that you might want to learn some of the history and details about how I got into the outdoors too! 


So many thanks to her for the invite, and I hope you enjoy our walk and talk together in Prospect Park!


Useful links:
Gossamer Gear Discount — use code “GIRLGOTTAHIKEGOSSAMER” for 15% off your first purchase at GossamerGear.com
Check out GG’s amazing pack lineup here:
Mariposa (60-Liter)
Gorilla (50-Liter)
G4-20 (42-Liter)
Kumo 36 (36-Liter)
 
Melissa "Click" Goodwin can be found at:

Girl Gotta Hike - Website

@girlgottahike - Instagram

Facebook -  @GirlGottaHike

Guest Host Alexandra Kenin can be found at:

@urbanhikersf  - Instagram
Urban Hiker SF - Website
Facebook - @UrbanHikerSF

Twitter - @UrbanHikerSF

Trip Advisor - Urban Hiker SF - Day Tours
Urban Trails: San Francisco - guidebook to the trails of San Francisco

Urban Trails: East Bay - guidebook to the trails of Oakland, Berkeley, Freemont, & more!