#27 | The Colorado Trail Episode with Bill Manning, Chaunce's Big Reveal, and The Top Sleeping Bags on the Appalachian Trail
Backpacker Radio
Zach Davis
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 17 January 2019
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, the Cinnamon Connection catches up with Bill Manning, the Executive Director at the Colorado Trail foundation. We do a deep dive on all things Colorado Trail related, including the best time to hike the trail, the biggest mistakes aspiring thru-hikers make, and the inner workings for keeping such a beautiful trail afloat. Chaunce lets us in on a mega surprise, and we cover the most popular sleeping bags used on the AT last year.
Subjects discussed in today's show include:
- Gossamer Gear Anniversary Video
- Sawyer Permethrin
- Sawer Micro vs. Sawyer Squeeze
- Chaunce's big reveal
- How to Get to Springer Mountain
- Barefoot Hills Hostel (formerly Hiker Hostel)
- NikWax Down Wash
- DownTek Products
- Ursack
- Loksak Opsak
- Bill Manning interview
- Bill's backpacking experience - has done full length of the CT split between horse, bike, and hike
- Difference between cycling and hiking route
- Do you notice tension between the bikers and hikers
- How he got involved with Colorado Trail Foundation
- Responsibilities as executive director
- Difference between Trail Crews and Adopt-a-Trail
- Why do Trail Crews cost money?
- What kind of skills does someone need to work on a trail crew?
- The biggest challenges the CT currently faces?
- Biggest mistakes Bill sees people make who want to thru-hike the CT
- Recommendations for dealing with altitude
- NOBO / SOBO/ SWOBO / NEBO?
- How has the trail changed since Bill's involvement with the CTF
- How have hikers changed
- Story of Gudy Gaskill
- Collegiate East vs Collegiate West
- Bill's favorite section of trail
- What does the future of the Colorado Trail look like?
- What to do if you see a moose.
- What's the most bizarre story Bill's heard on trail?
- Ideal time to start the trail
- Ctf@coloradotrail.org
- Colorado Trail Photos
- Trek propaganda
- The Top Sleeping Bags, Quilts and Pads on the Appalachian Trail
- TOP BRANDS
- 1. Enlightened Equipment
- 2. Rei
- 3. Kelty and Big Agnes
- TOP SLEEPING BAG MODELS
- 1. Kelty Cosmic
- 2. Zpacks Classic (hybrid quilt and sleeping bag)
- 3. REI Joule and REI Magma
- TOP QUILTS
- TOP SLEEPING PADS
- Therm-a-Rest NeoAire Xlite, followed by the Z-lite
- Fan mail (podcast@thetrek.co)
- 5-Star Reviews
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A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Sawyer Products, Travis Smith, and S11N.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, the Cinnamon Connection catches up with Bill Manning, |
| 0:08.4 | the Executive Director at the Colorado Trail Foundation. |
| 0:11.9 | We do a deep dive on all things Colorado Trail Foundation. We do a deep dive on all things Colorado Trail related |
| 0:14.7 | including the best time to hike the trail, the biggest mistake aspiring through |
| 0:18.6 | hikers make, and the inner workings for keeping such a beautiful trail afloat. |
| 0:23.5 | Chaunce lets us in on a mega surprise and we cover the most popular seapen bags used on the AT last year. |
| 0:29.9 | But first, if you've listened to Backpacker Radio, know that both Chonson I are big fans of gossamer gear, |
| 0:35.8 | manufacturers of lightweight backpacking gear and accessories. |
| 0:39.2 | Their packs carry comfortably, the roomy shelters protect in harsh weather conditions and the |
| 0:44.3 | trekking poles are some of the lightest on the planet. Gossam gear is changing the |
| 0:48.6 | perception of delicate ultralight gear. Tont and I are both very familiar with Gossamer Gears products. |
| 0:54.6 | I use the Gorilla, their 40 liter pack on the PCT in 2017. |
| 0:58.9 | I've also used the Mariposa for probably about a thousand miles. |
| 1:02.8 | Chaunts use Gossamer Gears the one shelter. |
| 1:05.5 | It's the one you need, after all. |
| 1:08.1 | Also, to celebrate being in business for 20 years, |
| 1:10.7 | Gossamer Gear recently put together |
| 1:12.4 | an awesome short video highlighting |
| 1:14.3 | their history. |
| 1:15.3 | It's certainly worth checking out and we will of course link to it in the show notes. |
| 1:19.5 | Listeners of this podcast can score an exclusive deal on Gosmer Gear products. |
| 1:24.2 | Use discount code Trek15 for 15% off your cart at gossamer Gear.com, which is valid for a limited time |
... |
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