Today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, brought to you by The Trek, features Nicole “ShotGun” Krovitz. Nicole recently took up long-distance backpacking, but in the last few years he has traveled to the CDT, Arizona Trail, Florida Trail, Hayduke, Pacific Northwest Trail, Oregon Desert Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, Long Trail, Timberline Trail, I thru-hiked through Florida. Keys Overseas Heritage Trail and Low to High Trail. In other words, she somehow crammed a lifetime’s worth of miles into her four years. We learned how she instantly fell in love with backpacking, the lessons she learned from a failed thru-hike attempt, and how she was able to financially make long-distance backpacking a lifestyle. You’ll learn all about him, his experiences as a wildland firefighter, epic stories of decadence, and more. This is a fun chat. Good news for those who like to have fun.
We close out the show with a great winter thru-hike for those who hate snow, the classic Taco Bell order, the triple crown of unwanted camping chores, and some fun pee stories from our listeners.
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Interview with Nicole “Shotgun” Krovitz
Timestamps and questions
00:07:12 – reminder: apply to become blogger or BPR Intern and Please support us on Patreon Limited content!
00:12:20 – Introducing Nicole
00:15:09 – What is the origin of the trail name?
00:18:07 – Tell me about being a wildland firefighter.
00:21:57 – How does the end of your day as a firefighter compare to the end of your day hiking?
00:23:05 – How did you become a wildland firefighter?
00:25:33 – Discussion about fire missions, housing, and schedules.
00:29:04 – Is firefighter burnout high?
00:31:49 – Do you look at trees differently now?
00:33:17 – What is your salary and cost of living?
00:38:40 – When did backpacking become your lifestyle?
00:41:27 – Tell me about hiking the PCT in heavy snow years.
00:47:30 – What kind of drama is there at Kennedy Meadows?
00:51:14 – What part of the trail did you hike last year?
00:51:35 – Why do you hate California?
00:53:08 – Take you on your first successful thru-hike from there
00:58:16 – How did you transition from desert trails to long trails?
01:00:37 – What was your favorite activity on the trail?
01:07:41 – What is your average night of drinking like?
01:11:16 – Tell me about hiking the Long Trail.
01:14:14 – What kind of hiking schedule do you have?
01:18:00 – Discussion about rain gear
01:20:05 – How does the difficulty of AZT compare to long trails?
01:23:35 – How many miles have you run without shoes?
01:25:43 – Tell me about Hayduke.
01:29:55 – How did you develop your route finding skills?
01:34:01 – How many miles do you run per day on average?
01:38:32 – Was the Florida Trail boring compared to Hayduke?
01:41:54 – Does your dog make you want to skip a walk on the road?
01:42:50 – Please tell me about the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail.
01:48:46 – Tell me about the Pacific Northwest Trail.
01:52:45 – How was route finding on PNT compared to Hayduke?
01:54:10 – Did you have any special experiences on the Oregon Desert Trail?
01:56:23 – Would you recommend the Oregon Desert Trail to new thru-hikers?
01:57:14 – Tell me about the Grand Enchantment Trail.
01:59:02 – What are some other routes for Brett Tucker?
02:01:00 – Discussion about optimal trail length
02:02:55 – What do you do to make ends meet during the off-season?
02:13:10 – If you normally prefer short trails, how was the CDT?
02:20:28 – Where can people follow you?
segment
Trek promotion: 10 Great Snow-Free Winter Thru-Hikes Written by Diane Duffard
QOTD: What do you order from Taco Bell?
Triple crown of hated camp chores
mail bag
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