This week I am excited to talk with Author, Influencer, & Hiker Kara Richardson Whitely. Kara Richardson Whitely is the author of Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds, which is being made into a movie starring This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz. She took on 100 miles of The Long Trail in 2020 and wrote about being fat shamed along the way in this piece for Backpacker magazine. As an advisor & influencer, she helps brands connect with the 67 percent of women who are size 12...

Welcome to The Hiker Podcast. This week I am excited to talk with Hiker and Influencer Nelson Holland. Hey my name is Nelson Holland better known as Fatblackandgettinit. I was born in NY but moved to Colorado in 2014. Ever Since I saw the Rockies in person, I was enamored. At first I would drive around and take in the beautiful views but before long, I knew I had to get out and explore. One day I ran into a herd of elk hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park and I turned into the 5 year old...

Welcome to The Hiker Podcast. This week I am excited to talk with Hiker and Trail Angel Skye "Trouble" Schneck. Skye "Trouble" Schneck grew up in the Sierra hiking and camping. It wasn't until she was 30 that she started backpacking and it was love at first sight. Since then, she has backpacked all over from the Adirondacks to Patagonia. "Trouble" has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the Long Trail and the Colorado Trail. In the future she plans to complete the Continental Divide Trail,...

Welcome to The Hiker Podcast. This week I am answering your questions from Instagram. Be sure to subscribe to Andy’s new YouTube Channel- ‘Andy Neal: Plus Size Hiker”- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQMSeBpY4zwyFBB5Z8U79Q Follow Host Andy Neal on Instagram: www.instagram.com/andyfilmsandhikes Follow Andy on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andyfilmsandhikes  We'd like to thank our sponsors: CNOC Outdoors making our adventures the best possible, simple, enjoyable, fulfilling and...

Welcome to The Hiker Podcast. This week I am excited to talk with influencer, writer, and hiker Shilletha “Dragonsky” Curtis. Shilletha Curtis (she/her) known on trail as "Dragonsky " is a queer hiker, professional writer and influencer from New Jersey who is actively pursuing the Triple Crown of hiking. She will be the second Black woman to achieve the status and will be thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail this April. And, she successfully completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail...

Welcome to The Hiker Podcast. This week I am excited to talk with hiker, writer, and adventurer Retha Charette. Retha Charette is a long-distance hiker, travel writer, and adventure lover. As a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts, she learned at a young age how to get outside and make the perfect s'more. In 2015 after her divorce she decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on a whim. After that, there was no turning back from a life of adventure. Since then she started her blog, roamingnanny.com,...

Welcome to The Hiker Podcast. This week I am excited to talk with Chamise Kramer, Public Affairs Specialist with the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest! A Southern Oregon local, Chamise Kramer got her art degree in 2001 from Southern Oregon University, and realized that her soul craved the next step. So, she went back to school to become a botanist—because plants are COOL. (Fun Fact: “chamise” is a plant—a shrub—and Chamise’s mom is also a botanist. Hence Chamise’s name!) Chamise’s career...

Welcome to the Season 4 Premiere of The Hiker Podcast. This week I am excited to talk with Hiker, Traveler and Author Tim Mathis! Tim Mathis was raised near Middletown, Ohio. The town was the subject of J.D. Vance's memoir of poverty and suffering, "Hillbilly Elegy," but he didn't think it was that bad. He completed a Masters Degree in Theology and worked as a minister in Ohio, New Zealand and Seattle before leaving religion and retraining as a psychiatric nurse a decade ago. Along with his...

This week I am finally closing out Season 3 with the promised Ask Andy Anything Episode. Thank you all for an amazing 2021. Season 4 Begins Monday January 17. Be sure to subscribe to Andy’s new YouTube Channel- ‘Andy Neal: Plus Size Hiker”- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQMSeBpY4zwyFBB5Z8U79Q We'd like to thank our sponsors: CNOC Outdoors making our adventures the best possible, simple, enjoyable, fulfilling and sustainable. Go to https://cnocoutdoors.com and be sure to use coupon...

This week I am so excited to talk with hiker, backpacker, & photographer Mike “Nomenclature” Aspiras. Born in California and have been living along the West Coast Mike is serving as a member in the US Coast Guard as an Operations Specialist with main focus on emergency management and search and rescue. Outside of the service, Mike is a volunteer with the National Park at Point Reyes National Seashore patrolling the trails and assisting other backpackers. In addition, Mike is also a...

This week I am so excited to talk with hiker, baker, & small business owner Lucy Navarrete. Lucy Navarrete, 27, is a baker & small business owner in Big Bear Lake, Ca. When she isn’t busy making cakes, she uses any chance she gets to get outside with her dogs, Oli and Xena. Lucy started hiking only about a year and a half ago after a hard break-up. The day she made one of the hardest decisions of her life, she went on a hike and has continued to hike regularly since then; she even...

This week I am so excited to talk with hiker, lawyer and outdoor advocate Charlotte Buell. Charlotte is a lawyer by trade and outdoor junkie at heart. When you meet her, you’ll quickly learn she is all about supporting others in believing they can do and be anything they want, regardless of their life history or body type, and to be gentle with themselves along their life’s journey. Backpacking and hiking are her favorite ways to spend time outside. However, she doesn’t stop there....

This week I am so excited to talk with Kristen Berkeley of Amplify Outdoors. Kristen Berkeley (she/her) is originally from Toronto and has been living in the Northwest Territories for nearly four years. Kristen is a former journalist that enjoys writing about social issues and outdoor lifestyles. When she's not cooking delicious meals, Kristen can be found exploring the Northwest Territories and promoting diversity in outdoor spaces with her organization Amplify Outdoors. Follow Kristen's...

This week I am so excited to talk with Ginny and Josh of Trail Keepers of Oregon. Almost all of today’s hiking trails were built more than 80 years ago.Almost all of them are currently maintained by volunteers.  Explosive trail use and a lack of funding for trail maintenance is a real threat to our favorite trails. In 2007, a group of concerned hikers founded Trailkeepers of Oregon. Our work takes the form of trail maintenance projects and advocacy work to restore proper funding to a resource...

This week I am so excited to talk with hiker, backpacker and advocate Kamrin Peterson. Kamrin is a PNW raised gal who prioritizes any opportunity to get outside. You can often find her reading in a fire lookout, backpacking into an alpine lake, or snowboarding down a mountain. Her passion is fueled by helping other women feel safe and prepared in the outdoors. Follow Kamrin on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/kamrinkaylee/ We'd like to thank our sponsors: CNOC Outdoors making our...

This week I am so excited to talk with poet, author, artist, advocate, & avid hiker Bronwyn Preece, PhD Bronwyn is a writer who documents her unfurling understandings on, and of, the trail  through poetic narratives — weaving in ethical considerations, humorous realities, soundbites and historical anecdotes. She is also, recovering from a leg-shattering injury which has left her with an actutely-angled knee. Though significantly slowed — instrumental to her recovery — has been a return...

This week I am so excited to talk with writer, travel blogger, and hiker Alex Schnee. Alex is a professional writer and travel blogger. Her work has been featured in USA Today, the Huffington Post, Travel + Leisure, Fodor’s, and many more. Montana born-and-raised, she now runs her own international travel blog, Alex n the Map, where she shares her passions of cooking, photography, and traveling as a digital nomad, as well as encouraging conservation and respect for natural spaces. She has...

This week I am so excited to talk with rock climber, mountaineer, chiropractor, & advocate Dr. Megan Banker. Dr. Megan Banker is rock climber and mountaineer living in Portland, OR. At her day job, she is a Health At Every Size chiropractor that owns and operates her wellness clinic. She stands for diversity, equity and inclusion in both the outdoor and healthcare industries and aims to bring awareness to inequities in these areas. She is one of the newest ambassadors for Outdoor Research...

This week I (Andy) take some time and answer your questions from Instagram!  We'd like to thank our sponsors: CNOC Outdoors making our adventures the best possible, simple, enjoyable, fulfilling and sustainable. Go to https://cnocoutdoors.com and be sure to use coupon code 'Hiker Podcast' for 10% off trekking poles.  Or is this link:...

This week I am so excited to talk with Fat/Plus Size Personal Trainer, Coach, Hiker and Outdoor Enthusiast Tasheon Chillous! Tasheon Chillous (she/her) is a Fat/Plus Size Personal Trainer, Coach and Outdoor Enthusiast located in Western Washington. She believes that all bodies are capable and worthy of finding movement that brings them joy and supports them in all their big and small adventures. She is the creator of BOPOMO, a series designed for fat and plus size folks looking for community...

This week I am so excited to talk with Hiker, Adventurer, Author, & Host of the new Unlikely Stories Podcast, Derick Lugo. Derick Lugo had never hiked, camped or pitched a tent a day in his life. However, this Brooklyn-born, New York City urbanite hopped a train to Georgia, grabbed a taxi to the beginning of the Appalachian Trail, and then he did as he has always done — put one foot in front of the other and never looked back. After thru-hiking for 2,192 miles and several thousand more...

This week I am so excited to talk with Andrea Kelly. Andrea Kelly is an outdoor enthusiast, size inclusion advocate, public speaker, and curvy model. She has been with Columbia Sportswear for over 10 years and now serves as the Senior Merchandiser for the brand’s Extended Sizing division. She’s spent the last half of her 20-year career in the Outdoor Apparel industry championing size inclusivity, with the intention of changing the industry from the inside out. Follow Andrea on Instagram:...

This week I am so excited to talk with HIKER, ADVENTURER, EDUCATOR & AUTHOR Gail Muller! Gail Muller is an adventurer, hiker, author, and educator. For fifteen years she struggled with muscular-skeletal issues and the chronic pain that would arise from them. In 2019, after years searching for cures for her physical and mental health, she realized it was time for a profound change. She knows now she’s not able to live a regular life and is embracing this new understanding of herself:...

This week I am so excited to talk with a climber… that’s right, I have Cimber and outdoor advocate Drew Hulsey on the show! Drew is a climber and plus sized outdoor advocate from Tennessee who believes that climbing is for everybody and everyBODY! Drew’s goal is to let everyone know that climbing is an amazing sport that you should at least try it once. Drew’s INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/drewclimbswalls/  We'd like to thank our sponsors: CNOC Outdoors making our adventures the...

This week on The Hiker Podcast Andy has another great conversation talk with filmmaker, YouTuber, PCT and Te Araroa thru-hiker Elina “Tip Tap” Osborne. Most recently Elina completed the Te Araroa which spans the length of Elina’s home of the nation of New Zealand. In 2019 “Tip Tap” also hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650 mile (4270 kilometers) trail that runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington in the US, in 2019.  Her short documentary film on her PCT...