Off You Pop!

Philip Clark
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Wilderness

A hiking and adventure podcast for people who want to take on the best one‑day hikes in the United States. Off You Pop is the official podcast of BlisterPop Adventures, home of the US21 — a curated list of the most iconic single‑day hiking routes in America.We cover everything from national park hikes, long‑distance day hikes, and high‑elevation routes to gear tips, training strategies, trail psychology, and real‑world logistics. Each episode breaks down a major hiking route with detailed guidance, safety insights, and immersive storytelling to help you plan your next adventure with confidence.If you’re searching for the best hikes, hardest day hikes, bucket‑list trails, or expert hiking advice — this podcast is your starting point. Keywords: best hikes in the US, hardest day hikes, national park trails, hiking tips, adventure planning, long‑distance day hikes, US21, BlisterPop Adventures, hiking routes, outdoor podcast.

  1. 2d ago

    Manzanitas and Mayhem - The Sisters, Sweetwater Range, NV - CA

    Send us Fan Mail A three‑summit volcanic spine that moves like a quiet procession across the Sweetwaters, where East, Middle, and South Sister rise in sequence like sentinels of an old Nevada kingdom. It’s a traverse built from wind, solitude, and long ridgelines that feel ceremonial — a mountain line that doesn’t test you with brutality, but with the kind of silence that asks who you are when the world falls away and it’s just you. In this episode, we take on the Sisters of the Sweetwater Range (East Sister, Middle Sister and South Sister)— a volcanic trio rising above the Nevada–California line with more solitude than signage and more character than most people expect from this corner of the Great Basin. What was supposed to be a clean traverse turned into something far better: an off‑trail, north‑side ascent that forced us into the raw texture of the range. I was out there with my friend Ben, who joins me on the show to talk through the day. We ended up climbing a line almost no one uses — a direct push from the north that pulled us through steep ribs, loose volcanic rubble, and the thick, red‑green manzanita belts that define the Sweetwaters. Those manzanitas are no joke: waist‑high, interlocked, and stubborn, the kind of brush that makes you earn every foot of elevation. They’re also part of the mountain’s personality, the thing that tells you you’re not on a trail, you’re in the Sweetwaters proper. This is the story of the geology and the history of the mountains and of a route that didn’t go the way we planned — and ended up being better for it. www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    Manzanitas and Mayhem - The Sisters, Sweetwater Range, NV - CA

  2. Sep 11

    Naked Hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail with Dom

    Send us Fan Mail A 12‑day loop around Lake Tahoe becomes a full‑body story as Dom walks us through the long ridgelines, the granite mornings, the mental resets, and the unexpected freedom of naked hiking — a conversation about what happens when you strip the trail down to its essentials and let the landscape decide who you are by the time you finish the circle. Twelve days. One massive loop. A trail that circles an entire lake and quietly reshapes the person who walks it. In this episode of Off You Pop, Dom joins Philip to unpack his full 170‑mile journey around the Tahoe Rim Trail — the highs, the lows, the granite, the grit, and the unexpected moments that made the experience unforgettable. Dom takes us day by day through the rhythm of long‑distance hiking: the early starts, the mental resets, the tough climbs, the trail magic, and the quiet revelations that only arrive when you’ve been walking for a very long time. It’s not just a recap — it’s a look at what happens when you commit to something big and let the trail do its work. If you’ve ever wondered what a multi‑day effort really feels like, or you’re dreaming of tackling the TRT yourself, this episode gives you the insight, the honesty, and the inspiration you need. Off You Pop — let’s walk the long way around. www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    Naked Hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail with Dom

  3. Sep 4

    Death to Hiking Poles

    Send us Fan Mail A debate that starts with two hikers and ends with a full‑blown philosophy of movement — one side arguing that poles are the secret to efficiency and saved knees, the other insisting they’re nothing but clacking crutches that ruin rhythm, clutter the trail, and turn humans into four‑legged metronomes.  Philip and Jason take on one of the most divisive questions in the mountains: should hikers use trekking poles, or should they be banished to the same dusty corner as zip‑off pants and bear bells? Philip comes in hot on the anti‑pole side — arguing that poles ruin rhythm, clutter the trail, and turn perfectly good hikers into four‑legged metronomes. Jason fires back with the pro‑pole gospel: efficiency, stability, saved knees, and the smug satisfaction of clicking your way up a climb like a Nordic superhero. What starts as a gear debate turns into a full‑blown philosophy of movement — how we climb, how we descend, how we carry ourselves through the backcountry, and why the tools we choose say more about us than we think. It’s sharp, funny, occasionally unhinged, and surprisingly heartfelt. Death to Hiking Poles is Off You Pop at its best: two friends on opposite sides of a ridge, arguing their way toward a deeper truth about hiking, identity, and the strange little habits that make us who we are. www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    Death to Hiking Poles

  4. Aug 27

    Shotgunning with Bill the Lion - Snow Valley Peak, NV

    Send us Fan Mail A long, wind‑shaved ridge where the Sierra granite softens into open sky, the watershed divide runs under your boots like a hidden border, and the summit feels less like a peak and more like a quiet throne above two worlds — a place where Carson City reaches its highest point without ever raising its voice and lion named Bill. In this episode, Philip heads up Snow Valley Peak, the quiet high point above Carson City where the Great Basin meets the Sierra Nevada in a long sweep of granite, sage, and sky. It’s a climb with views that stretch from Washoe Valley to the blue bowl of Lake Tahoe — and a ridge that carries more history than you’d ever expect from a trail this gentle. As Philip moves along the Tahoe Rim Trail, the story shifts from the landscape to the shoreline below: the east‑shore forests cut over by Comstock logging, the improbable engineering of Marlette Lake, and the granite point where Thunderbird Lodge still sits, built into the rock like it grew there. And then comes the legend. This episode dives into the eccentric life of George Whittell Jr., the millionaire recluse who bought most of Nevada’s shoreline and filled his estate with a menagerie that included cheetahs, an elephant named Mingo, and — at the center of it all — Bill, the African lion who lived on the property like he owned it. Bill padded along the granite paths, lounged by the boathouse, and, in the most unforgettable image ever to come out of Tahoe, rode shotgun in Whittell’s 1936 Duesenberg as the two cruised the empty shoreline roads. Shotgunning with Bill the Lion blends ridge‑top hiking, Tahoe history, and one of the strangest true stories ever tied to a mountain view. It’s Snow Valley Peak — and the legend beneath it — the way only Off You Pop can tell it. www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    Shotgunning with Bill the Lion - Snow Valley Peak, NV

  5. Aug 20

    The Black Sheep Circuit, A New British Challenge

    Send us Fan Mail A stitched‑together mountain circuit where six peaks and a horseshoe move like chapters, the weather decides the plot, and the route feels less like a challenge and more like a pilgrimage across the old spine of Britain — a journey named for the lone black sheep that stood on Mickledore as if it were guarding the threshold between the world you came from and the one you were about to walk into.  The UK has its famous mountain challenges — the National Three Peaks, the Welsh 3000s, the Yorkshire Three Peaks — but they all share the same limitation: they’re built around speed. You rush the summits, race the clock, and barely touch the landscapes you’ve come to climb. The Black Sheep Circuit is something different. This episode introduces a new British hiking challenge: a five‑day odyssey across six nations and seven peaks, linking Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, the Isle of Man, and Wales into one continuous mountain story. No stopwatch. No shortcuts. No drive‑by summits. Just the harder, more meaningful way — the way these landscapes deserve to be experienced. The peaks majore peaks included were: Carrantouhil, Slieve Donard, Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Snaefell, Snowdon and Pen-Y-Fan. Philip breaks down the logistics behind the challenge: the flights, the long drives, the weather windows, the fatigue management, the gear problems, the planning puzzles, and the realities of executing a multi‑nation mountain circuit in real time. From London to Cork, Dublin to Glasgow, Manchester to the Isle of Man, and finally into Wales for the Pen y Fan Horseshoe, this is the story of how the Black Sheep Circuit was built and what it takes to complete it. Along the way, Philip explores the deeper identity behind the challenge — the idea of the “black sheep” as the wanderer, the boundary‑walker, the person who chooses difficulty on purpose. And he shares the moment on Mickledore that gave the challenge its name: a stand‑off with a lone black sheep on a narrow ridge between Scafell and Scafell Pike. If you’ve ever felt the pull of the edges, the borders, the ridges — if you’ve ever wanted a challenge that’s about range, not speed — this episode is your invitation. The Black Sheep Circuit: A new British mountain challenge for people who don’t just climb peaks — they cross worlds. www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    The Black Sheep Circuit, A New British Challenge

  6. Aug 6

    A Journey through a Stratovolcano - Mt Houghton, NV

    Send us Fan Mail A wind‑cut climb along the tilted spine of a fault‑lifted range, where ancient volcanic remnants shape the gullies, the Basin‑and‑Range stretching is written into every contour, and the summit feels less like a viewpoint and more like a quiet observatory of Nevada’s broken‑open geology — a mountain named for the scientist who understood this land’s moods better than anyone.  Mt. Houghton hides in plain sight above Tahoe — a quiet summit north of Mt. Rose that most hikers pass without ever knowing what they’re walking on. But this mountain is no ordinary Sierra bump. It’s the eastern flank of a stratovolcano whose core sits at Gray Creek, lifted thousands of feet by the rise of the Sierra Nevada and sculpted by ice during the Pleistocene. In this episode, we explore the layered volcanic anatomy of Houghton: the andesite flanks, the welded‑tuff mid‑sections, the chaotic pyroclastic breccia gullies, and the altered volcanic ridge that forms the summit dome. We connect the mountain to the deep glacial carving at Gray Creek, the microclimate complexity that defines the Carson Range, and the legacy of Dr. John Greenleaf Houghton — the UNR geographer who studied Great Basin microclimates and whose name now rests on this volcanic peak. This is a story of fire, uplift, ice, and wind — and a mountain that reveals its true identity only when you look closely. www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    A Journey through a Stratovolcano - Mt Houghton, NV

  7. Jul 30

    Brychan's Kingdom of Saints - The Pen-Y-Fan Horseshoe, Wales

    Send us Fan Mail A sweeping, wind‑cut circuit where the Old Red Sandstone rises in great steps, the Horseshoe pulls you across three story‑heavy summits, and the mountain reminds you that Wales doesn’t need altitude to feel epic — just a ridge that knows exactly what it is.  The Pen y Fan Horseshoe isn’t just a loop — it’s a ridge layered with deep time, old kingdoms, strange folklore, and some of the most evocative place‑names in Wales. In this episode, we open the Horseshoe as a story stack: a Devonian desert turned mountain wall, the high edge of Brychan’s lost kingdom, the fairy‑door legends of Cwm Llwch, the chained afanc, the witches of Fan Frynych, the shapeshifting hares, the watching blackbirds — and the horse‑lore of Rhiannon and the Mari Lwyd woven quietly into the landscape. We break down the Welsh names — Craig y Fan Ddu, Cribyn, Corn Du, Rhiw yr Ysgyfarnog — and explore why this ridge has become both a mythic boundary and a modern proving ground for SAS selection. If you want to understand the Pen y Fan Horseshoe, don’t just walk it. Read it. Listen to it. Let it speak. This is the Beacons as stone, kingdom, myth, language, and trial — all in one big day www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    Brychan's Kingdom of Saints - The Pen-Y-Fan Horseshoe, Wales

  8. Jul 29

    The Trial of the Blossom Princess - Mt Fuji, Japan

    Send us Fan Mail A volcanic pilgrimage where the air thins, the trail steepens, and the mountain stops pretending to be gentle — a climb where every switchback reminds you that Fuji isn’t a hike, it’s an initiation. In this episode, Philip takes us through one of the most demanding single‑day traverses on Mount Fuji: a full ascent from the Subashiri 5th Station, a complete loop around the crater rim, and a long descent all the way to the Gotemba 5th Station. It’s 11 miles of movement and more than 13,500 feet of vertical change — all completed without hut rest or acclimatization. Along the way, we break down how most climbers tackle Fuji, why 60–70% sleep in mountain huts to acclimatize, and why same‑day ascents and descents are far less common. But this episode goes deeper than the stats. We explore the geology of Fuji — how three ancient volcanoes (Komitake, Ashitake, and the modern Fuji cone) stacked themselves over hundreds of thousands of years, how the Hōei eruption blasted open the mountain’s eastern flank, and why the summit crater is a living reminder that Fuji is still an active stratovolcano. We also dive into the mythology: the story of Konohanasakuya‑hime, the blossom‑princess goddess said to dwell in the crater; the ancient pilgrim mandala around the rim; and the way Fuji’s shape, symmetry, and volcanic fire shaped centuries of spiritual practice. This is Fuji as climbers rarely experience it — not just a mountain, but a geological giant, a mythic symbol, and a physical challenge that reveals its true scale only when you cross it the hard way. www.blisterpopadventures.com Support the show

    The Trial of the Blossom Princess - Mt Fuji, Japan
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About

A hiking and adventure podcast for people who want to take on the best one‑day hikes in the United States. Off You Pop is the official podcast of BlisterPop Adventures, home of the US21 — a curated list of the most iconic single‑day hiking routes in America.We cover everything from national park hikes, long‑distance day hikes, and high‑elevation routes to gear tips, training strategies, trail psychology, and real‑world logistics. Each episode breaks down a major hiking route with detailed guidance, safety insights, and immersive storytelling to help you plan your next adventure with confidence.If you’re searching for the best hikes, hardest day hikes, bucket‑list trails, or expert hiking advice — this podcast is your starting point. Keywords: best hikes in the US, hardest day hikes, national park trails, hiking tips, adventure planning, long‑distance day hikes, US21, BlisterPop Adventures, hiking routes, outdoor podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Philip Clark
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Off You Pop!
  • Show Website
    Off You Pop!