Liz "Handstand" Kidder: Scary Moments in the Sierra, Skydiving Near Miss, and Donating a Kidney (BPR #322)
Backpacker Radio
Zach Davis
4.7 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2025
⏱️ 143 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by social media and YouTube sensation, Liz "Handstand" Kidder. Liz is a thru-hiker, vlogger, dreadlock artist, former skydiving fanatic, and a handstand-expert. Liz gives us her full story, including the events that lead to her becoming sober in 2014, how she nearly died in a horrifying skydive gone wrong, how the internet got way too much into her biz almost immediately into her thru-hiking journey, the time she donated a kidney, and we make her choose which trail reigns supreme between the AT and PCT- for which she does not hesitate to pick a winner.
We wrap the show with why you shouldn't wear underwear on a thru-hike, a call for 2026 Blogger applications, which is better- hiking steep and short and long and steady, I offer a REPEAT stupid thing of the week, and we do the triple crown of things we'd step in barefoot.
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Gossamer Gear: Use code "LT520" for 20% off LT5 Trekking Poles at gossamergear.com.
Ka'Chava: Get 10% off at kachava.com/backpacker.
[divider]
Interview with Liz "Handstand" Kidder
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:15 - Reminders: Sign up for the Trek's newsletter, apply to blog for the Trek and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:08:40 - Introducing Liz
00:12:50 - Where's the most epic place you've done a handstand?
00:15:10 - Do you have tips for someone who wants to get better at handstands?
00:17:10 - What was your introduction to the world of backpacking?
00:21:05 - What is the New Hampshire uniform?
00:22:00 - Tell us about skydiving
00:31:00 - How as the first week on trail?
00:32:40 - Had you done any social media prior to the AT?
00:34:50 - What was the drama?
00:36:35 - At what point were you hooked by the AT?
00:38:24 - Why did you end the AT in a more sour mindset than the JMT?
00:39:40 - How did the trail change you?
00:43:24 - Tell us about donating your kidney
00:52:10 - Tell us about your career
00:55:35 - How do you create dread locs?
00:57:20 - Do you get a lot of business through hiking?
01:00:10 - Tell us about the Annapurna Circuit
01:04:35 - How did the Annapurna Circuit compare to your other hikes?
01:06:45 - Tell us about the Colorado Trail
01:07:45 - How has the PCT experience compared to the Colorado Trail?
01:12:00 - Tell us about the scary moments in the Sierra
01:22:24 - Tell us about the Tehachapi challenge
01:30:20 - Tell us about spraining your ankle
01:38:30 - How did you feel about going home during trail?
01:40:51 - Are you still on a continuous footpath?
01:45:00 - Did you capture either of the sprains on camera?
01:47:45 - Do you like the PCT or the AT first?
01:50:11 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?
Segments
Trek Propaganda
- Day 93: The Katahdhin Stream Campground Miracle Arrives by Anniversary and the Historian
- Why You Shouldn't Wear Underwear on Your Thru-Hike by Kelly Floro
QOTD: Would you rather hike 2 miles uphill with no switchbacks, steep grade, or 5 miles uphill with switchbacks, moderate grade?
Stupid Thing of the Week
Triple Crown of things you'd step on/in barefoot
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, present with the Shrek, brought to you by Topo Athletic. |
| 0:04.1 | We are joined by social media and YouTube sensation Liz Handstand Kidder. |
| 0:09.9 | Liz is a throughhiker, vlogger, dreadlock artist, former skydiving fanatic, and a handstand expert. |
| 0:17.0 | Liz gives us her full story, including the events that led to her becoming sober in 2014, |
| 0:22.6 | how she nearly died in a horrifying skydive gone wrong, |
| 0:26.8 | how the internet got way too much into her biz almost immediately into her through hiking journey, |
| 0:32.5 | the time she donated a kidney, |
| 0:34.7 | and we make her choose which trail reigns supreme between the AT and PCT, |
| 0:39.8 | for which she does not hesitate to pick a winner. We wrap the show with why you shouldn't wear |
| 0:45.3 | underwear on a through hike, a call for 2026 blogger applications, which is better, hiking |
| 0:50.7 | steep and short or long and steady. I offer a repeat stupid thing of the week. I'm |
| 0:56.7 | very dumb. And we do the triple crown of things we'd step in barefoot. But first, |
| 1:03.5 | a backpacker's most important piece of gear is their footwear. You can have the rest of your |
| 1:08.3 | pack absolutely dialed in, but if your feet aren't happy, |
| 1:11.3 | you aren't happy. And that's why we're thrilled to introduce today's sponsor, Topo Athletic. |
| 1:16.8 | If you've tuned into our footwear episode with Dr. Courtney Conno, you already know that Topo |
| 1:21.1 | Athletic was on her short list of brands she recommends for hikers. That's because Topo Athletic |
| 1:26.0 | makes trail runners with a zero or |
| 1:27.9 | minimal drop and a roomy towbox. The minimal drop promotes a more natural gate, while the |
| 1:32.8 | wide towbox allows your toes to fully splay. Throughhikers are catching on the topos as well. |
| 1:37.8 | According to the Treks Appalachian Trail through hikers survey, Topo went from not even cracking |
| 1:41.7 | the list in 2021 to being the third most used brand in our most recent survey. Topo went from not even cracking the list in 2021 to being the third most used brand |
... |
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