Just think of me as like an ugly version of Larry King, that's what I feel like right now. Welcome to Backpacker Radio. This is episode number four of our Trail Correspondence

series. I am your host, Zach Badger Davis. In our last episode I told you that this episode would be the night before the trail for our remaining correspondence.

I lied.

Due to the way the timing worked, it actually makes more sense to do things a bit

asynchronously.

The next episode will be part two of our night before the trail for our remaining

correspondence, but today is going to be our first on-trail update

from a handful of our AT and PCT hikers.

In today's episode, our correspondence

are going to be interviewing their fellow through hikers.

And it covers a lot of ground. Conversations are all

over the place including the through hiking camarader where total strangers are

both willing and happy to help their fellow through hiker,

a hallmark hiker trash trait.

They talk about the physical adjustments of the trail,

including foot, joint, and muscle pain.

What it's like to cross your first state line, or what it's like to gorge on food without

any guilt.

One of the interviews is done from a motel room while recovering from some big miles and enjoying some beer.

One of our correspondence talks about her experience of sleeping in a public bathroom

in an effort to ward off some truly punishing weather.

And we are reminded to not focus solely on the miles and to quote,

...