Today we sit down with the one and only "She-Ra" A.K.A Renee Patrick!
We begin the show with what it means to identify as a thru-hiker. Renee has been involved in the outdoor, backpacking, thru-hiking world for 20+ years now, and we dive into what it means to her to be a thru-hiker, and whether or not that definition has changed over the years.
We dive deeper into time itself and as she describes it "Deep Time." Is there a finite amount of time needed to reach this type of time and what are the conditions that it is found? Along the way we go through her time in the outdoors and her progression into who she has become today. We start with her initial thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail back in 2002, and how the fire that began there, never was quenched. Travelling forward through 4 years of college to her next thru-hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2006, we chat the thoughts when she reached the point many in the outdoors eventually reach, the question of. "How can I make hiking my life?"
We discuss the growth from a hiker into making hiking your life. We chat Wilderness First Responder courses, meeting other hikers involved in the industry, and following your curiosity. We chat being open to wherever the job may take you and learning the lessons along the way. We learn the steps Renee took to follow her passion and create a life in the outdoors.
We chat all things trail maintenance. We discuss the incredible amount of work that goes into even just a mile of trail. We wander the line of thought of when doing trail maintenance, when it is done the best, it is the least "seen" or "felt." We send out appreciation to all past, present, and future trail maintainers, for without them, well there would not be trails.
We go into all things Blue Mountains Trail and Oregon Desert Trail. Two trail systems both located in the state of Oregon, which Renee has an important role in the decisions of trail routing, conservationism, and trail awareness. We discuss the missions of both trails, and how one goes about bringing the thought of conservationism to the forefront of each hiker's minds and most importantly actions. Is it the maps, the trail association, the individual's responsibility, the preparation, the information along the way, what are the ways and how does it become a reality? We discuss what a trail mean's when sometimes the very point of a "trail" is to not become a "trail."
We chat a pair of scissors and $5 per cut of hair "fundraising", the immensity of time in 6 weeks to build 30ft of trail, and the beauty of alternates. We discuss waypoints as suggestions, hiker-trash as a company, concept, responsibility, and connection amongst hikers. We discuss dirt being the greatest equalizer. We chat not being ashamed of one's stink and circle back to the definition of "thru-hike" and how it becomes different for every hike.
As she puts it: "The trail is the unknown but the trail is also me."
Truly a wonderful chat, thank you Renee!
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"I identify as a thru-hiker over most other things."
"I didn't really have the money, but I had the time."
"Follow your curiosity."
"Dirt is a great equalizer."
To learn more about She-Ra:
Oregon Desert Trail Website: ONDA.org
Blue Mountains Trail Website: HellsCanyon.org
To learn more about who we are click below:
