Catch Me Outside turned one year old on January 14, 2022!

One of my favourite things about producing this show is getting to live vicariously through all the brave, curious and adventurous people I interview.

In the past year, guests have taken us to the tundra of the Northwest Territories, the peaks of some of the tallest mountains in Canada and the U.S., up and down the Hudson River, across the Great Lakes and along hiking trails that trace Canada's coasts and cover the span of the United States.

For Catch Me Outside's anniversary, I wanted to focus on the people who've shared their adventures on the show, so I reached out to every guest I've interviewed and asked them to record an update on their life since we last heard from them, or what they've got planned for 2023. Planning adventures and building communities is hard, time-consuming work, so not everyone was able to send an update, but a handful of past guests were.

In today's episode, you'll hear adventure updates from Nicole Dubeta, Canice Leung, Pascale Marceau, Maddi LeBlanc, Laura Johnson, Chev Dixon, Kyla Fuller, Greg Zolob, Ana McBride, Alex Tran, Jessica Raechelle and Zwena Gray.

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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. You can also support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content by becoming a Patreon patron, at patreon.com/catchmeoutsidepodcast.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs

You probably know by now that Catch Me Outside is hitting the Pacific Crest Trail this spring. What you might not know is what went into getting my long-distance permit for the hike.

You may or may not also know about another Canadian outdoor podcast called A Long Walk North. It's a podcast about PCT hikers hosted by fellow Ontarian Dan Deveau. Dan and his daugher Chantal are preparing to hike the PCT in 2024, and as part of that journey, Dan interviews all kinds of folks with PCT stories to tell.

On today's A Long Walk North crossover episode, you'll get to hear me go through the agonizing (and very melodramatic) process of trying to apply for a PCT long-distance permit, plus a follow-up nterview with Dan about the aftermath of that process, the miracle that resulted in my eventually snagging a permit and some details of my trip planning.

You can listen to A Long Walk North wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow them on Instagram @alongwalknorthpodcast.

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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. You can also support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content by becoming a Patreon patron, at patreon.com/catchmeoutsidepodcast.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs

Food is the fuel that allows adventurers to hike, climb, paddle, swim, cycle and, well, adventure.

It’s more than just calories. It contains the vitamins and minerals that help our muscles repair themselves, our bones stay strong and our eyes stay sharp. It helps keep us warm during chilly nights in the backcountry. A delicious meal at the end of a long day can be a huge source of comfort.

Nutrition can make or break a thru-hike. So for today’s episode, I interview Aaron Owens Mayhew, founder of Backcountry Foodie. Backcountry Foodie is a leading source for ultralight backpacking recipes and meal planning resources, and Aaron is a registered dietician and ultralight long-distance backpacker.

Aaron founded Backcountry Foodie in 2017 while preparing homemade, lightweight meals for her thru-hike attempt of the PCT, and has since section and thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Oregon Coast Trail, the Colorado Trail and the Condor trail.

In this episode, she shares advice for beginner and casual backpackers, as well as her best meal planning and nutritional advice for before and during a long-distance hike.

You can follow Aaron on Instagram at @backcountry_foodie

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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. You can also support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content by becoming a Patron, at patreon.com/catchmeoutsidepodcast.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs

What would it look like if mermaids took up backcountry camping? It would probably look kind of like swimpacking.

Swimpacking is an adventure sport that involves swimming in open water with a drybag that contains everything a backpacker would normally keep in their pack, like food, clothes, shelter and other gear.

Swimpacking trips are usually combined with hiking or biking, and allow participants to travel by land and water to places they couldn’t otherwise access, like old growth forests and other remote wilderness gems.

Ilya Kapralov has been swimpacking in British Columbia since 2018. He’s even helped start a small but growing community of new swim packers, mostly in Vancouver. Ilya’s trips in 2018, 2019 and 2020 with his friend Martin Cermac were all documented by Cermac in a two-part Youtube series called The Swimpacking Diaries. Ilya has swimpacked in lakes, rivers and even coastal waters throughout Vancouver Island and B.C.’s lower mainland. He’s kept company with seals and glided over many blooms of jellyfish.

On episode 26 of Catch Me Outside, Ilya talks about his adventures and the ins and outs of this growing sport.

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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. You can also support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content by becoming a Patron, at patreon.com/catchmeoutsidepodcast.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs

Everyone who spends time in the outdoors will lose their way at some point. According to the Government of Canada, search and rescue personnel provide assistance to more than 20,000 people in Canada each year.

In this episode of Catch Me Outside, a listener tells his story of getting lost in Killarney Provincial Park after dark, and then Tom Girrior of Yellowknife Search and Rescue shares some insights into lost person behaviour as well as some advice that should help outdoor adventurers avoid getting lost, or at least improve their odds of being found. Tom has worked in the industry for 15 years and, as training director for Yellowknife SAR, has trained countless SAR volunteers.

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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. You can also support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content by becoming a Patron, at patreon.com/catchmeoutsidepodcast.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs

Today, not only are we talking about Canada’s longest and oldest continuous hiking trail, which stretches for 900 km from Niagara Falls north to Georgian Bay, but I’m also joined by Zwena Gray, the first modern Black woman to thru-hike the trail.

I say modern, because the trail has extensive Black history, and at least partially follows the route Black abolitionists and freedom seekers took north through Ontario after they entered Canada from the U.S. via the Underground Railroad.

One border crossing that was often used as part of the Underground Railroad is close to home for Zwena: Detroit. Zwena studies environmental sciences in Ontario now, but she grew up in Detroit, Michigan.

The more she learned about the legacy of Black history in southwestern Ontario, the more she wanted to learn and share with others. She came up with a plan for achieving this goal and called it the Black on the Bruce. In the name of Black on the Bruce, she hiked the entire trail over May and June this year with her friend Sima.

On episode 24, Zwena talks about the technical aspects of her hike, what she learned about Black history and Black joy on the trail, her favourite sections, favourite meals and so much more. To learn even more about Zwena and Black on the Bruce, follow her instagram @just.zee

📍I’d leaving out an important piece of trail history if I didn’t mention some of the people with the longest-standing relationships to the land the Bruce Trail runs along. Those are the Anishinaabek, Huron-Wendat, Tionontati, Neutral Nation, Haudenosaunee, Métis, and all the other Indigenous Peoples who provided stewardship of these lands for thousands of years.

Sources:

Detroiter aims to be the first modern-day Black woman to hike a Canadian Underground Railroad trail, Black Like Us

The Underground Railroad and Black history on the Bruce Trail, Toronto Bruce Trail Club

The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Centre website

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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. You can also support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content by becoming a Patron, at patreon.com/catchmeoutsidepodcast.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs

This is one for the weekend warriors who want to try long-distance hiking.

There are lots of people each year who complete long-distance hikes with zero prior backpacking experience. They start with little to no practical backpacking knowledge, but with a clean slate, so to speak. Then there are people who hone their backpacking skills and test their gear on shorter trips in the backcountry first, and then take on a long-distance trail.

That's what this episode's guest, Jessica Raechelle, did in 2020. Before she hiked more than half of the Pacific Crest Trail that year, Jessica (AKA Frosty) gained years of backpacking experience on shorter trails in Canada. She had ingrained habits and favourite pieces of gear.

On the PCT, she quickly learned about the differences between, backpacking and long-distance hiking: physical, mental and in terms of gear needs. Some old habits and cherished pieces of gear gave way to new ways of doing things and lighter gear. Some things stayed the same. Since 2020, Jessica has applied many of the lessons she learned on the PCT during subsequent hikes in Canada.

On today’s episode, Jessica will talk about the expectations she had going into the PCT, the new skills she developed on the trail and the habits she picked up from other long-distance hikers.

📍The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the traditional territories of dozens of Indigenous Peoples, including the Western Shoshone, the Kumeyaay, the Serrano, Washoe and others. To study an interactive map of the territories along the PCT, visit native-land.ca.

Like, rate, review and follow

If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. You can also support the show and gain access to exclusive bonus content by becoming a Patron, at patreon.com/catchmeoutsidepodcast.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs

What do you know about the potentially endocrine-disrupting “forever chemicals” in your favourite waterproof gear and garments? Or about your favourite outdoor gear manufacturers’ side gigs selling bullets and combat uniforms?

We’re joined on this episode by friend of the pod Alex Tran to unpack a couple not-so-rosy aspects of the outdoor industry. Alex is a backpacker, bike packer and gear head who’s been going on outdoor adventures for almost 20 years. We’ve had lots of conversations about the ethics of the outdoor gear industry in the months since I started the podcast, and I consider Alex to be a pretty conscientious person. For this research-heavy episode, Alex and I chat about plastic waste, PFAS and the military-industrial complex. We both acknowledged before recording that some of the core problems at the base of all these issues are white supremacy, capitalism, imperialism and patriarchy, and while we touch on some of these a bit during the episode, we ultimately decided to keep the scope of the conversation pretty narrowly focused on the three topics I mentioned above. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of hot takes. Notes: At one point, we say that DWR means “durable water resistant” coating, but it’s actually "durable water repellent." Also, I refer several times to Clarus Company, but it’s actually Clarus Corporation. Sources:

By the Numbers: The Outdoor Industry’s Plastic Problem

Your laundry and plastic pollution — which fabrics shed the most microplastics

The lawyer who became DuPont's worst nightmare

The Madrid Statement

Gore-Tex, PCFS and pollution: Harmful chemicals in outdoor gear

Gore-Tex manufacturer announces availability of new PFAS-free membrane, but still uses “forever chemicals” to make its outdoor apparel and gear

The Lost Arrow Project by Patagonia – Military Alpine Recce System: Program History

#BoycottBlackDiamond: Everything You Need to Know and How You Can Help

Like, rate, review and follow

If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page. Also, keep an eye out for the Catch Me Outside Patreon, launching in September.

Music

Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com

Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT

Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs