“We get along a lot better in the canoe if I’m not carrying a fishing pole.”
Welcome Renee and Tim!
Today we sit down to chat with Renee and Tim, also known as ThruHikers…well you guessed it, all things thru-hiking!
We begin the show by taking a proverbial dip into the backstory of being from the Midwest and growing up seeking adventure. We wish it could be a “literal dip” into the Midwest waters, because it seems the more and more folks we talk to, the more and more we hear of athletes, explorers, record setters, intense steppers coming from the Midwest! Has to be something in the water.
We chat their first thru hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018, and then the travel to Germany for work, and the exploration of trails in their new home.
We chat their growth of a hiking app as a hobby to gather better maps and information and the trajectory it currently is on.
We chat their 2021 CDT thru hike and stumbling upon a new outlet on trail, social media. We chat follower count, monetizing, and the constant equation of addition vs subtraction of social media while hiking. We chat the thought that goes into each post, nightly chores, and falling asleep writing blog posts. We chat fuel from toxicity, overall joy, and social media as a connection to community on lesser known trails. We have nothing but kudos to say as Renee and Tim seem to have an incredibly healthy mindset.
We then dive deep into their completion of the Pacific Northwest Circuit. A route they created starting at the terminus of the PNT, walking into the GDT, connector route, and then paddling the Columbia River to the ocean. We chat map saying 2700 miles and ground truthed 2850~ miles all in.
We chat hiking the wrong direction, clinging to a tree, snow being the greatest humble check, and even knowing it’s the right decision and the safe decision the feelings that ensue.
We chat connected steps, border conundrums, harder trails, and time stressors. We chat somebody drawing a line on a map and that line not existing. We chat transitioning to a canoe, miles per day by water, and different habits canoeing vs hiking.
We chat physicality and mentality differences, flowing water, and new levels of proximity in a canoe. We chat snacks, time vs distance, and chores. We chat daylight, resupplies, and enjoying one’s life.
Truly a wonderful chat with Renee and Tim, thank you for sharing some of your story with us!
Favorite Quotes:
“You have to do something with your life, why not do something you are enjoying.”
“What is a fun way to share it?”
“That line sure looked like a trail…”
Follow them:
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube: @thruhikers
Website: ThruHikers.co
To learn more about who we are click below:
Website: www.ElevenSkys.com
