The Army and the Trails - What Was It Like to Be Under a Ruck?

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, we are joined by Jack Jones better known on trail as Quadzilla.  Quadzilla has packed a lot of life into his time on this earth- he is a bonafide renaissance man with a great outlook on life.  We chat about his time in the army, running a CrossFit gym in his late 20s, serving as a wildland firefighter, participating in several multi-day meditation retreats, backpacking thousands of miles including the triple crown, we touch on his bikepacking, and Chaunce and I lather him with an uncomfortable amount of praise on those giant, beautiful quads.  Needless to say, this conversation covers a lot of ground- we certainly enjoyed it a lot and hope you do too. We wrap the show with a triple crown of our new year's resolutions, we give a shoutout to the youngest person to complete all eleven National Scenic Trails, and the details for the Backpacker Radio Sponsorship are officially announced.  2022 thru-hikers, you can enter today. 

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Download this episode.

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Interview with Jack “Quadzilla” Jones

Time stamps & Questions

00:04:07 - QOTD: Is chewing gum a suitable substitute to brushing your teeth?

00:05:41 - Reminders: Backpacker Radio Sponsorship 

00:07:30 - Introducing Jack “Quadzilla” Jones

00:07:36 - Is Quadzilla your trail name? 

00:09:09 - What’s the recipe for good quads? 

00:09:26 - Are the good quads genetic?

00:10:22 - Is your muscular make up a help or hindrance to hiking? 

00:12:12 - What is your trail resume? 

00:13:49 - Does lyme disease stay in your blood? 

00:16:54 - Did you do the full Oregon Coast Trail?

00:18:08 - Do you commonly do impromptu thru-hikes? 

00:19:05 - Have you tallied all your hiking miles?

00:19:41 - What was your inspiration to start thru-hiking?

00:20:49 - After almost 6 years of hiking, do you ever get lonely? 

00:24:52 - What was your life like before finding thru-hiking? 

00:28:55 - What is the retreat like? 

00:31:58 - How long does that clarity last you?

00:33:43 - Can you give us a summary of the meditation type? 

00:34:59 - How do you practice your meditation on trail? 

00:37:11 - Tell us about your earlier years in the Army? 

00:39:55 - Do you hold any resentment over the way your dad passed? 

00:44:05 - Do you feel your time in the Army influenced your interest in hiking? 

00:45:21 - Do you feel like you battle aggression issues? 

00:46:06 - What do you attribute your centeredness to? 

00:46:56 - What is the Deadman Peaks Trail Race? 

00:49:44 - Were you pacing yourself towards the end of the CDT? 

00:51:33 - We need to hear about you smashing a watermelon between your legs! 

00:54:26 - Did you all eat the smashed watermelon?

00:54:44 - Are you a runner outside of hiking?

00:55:58 - Zone 2 Cardio 

01:00:23 - How did you get into Wildland Firefighting? 

01:04:03 - How does the intensity compare to bootcamp? 

01:07:45 - How do you deal with fear on the job? 

01:09:18 - How do you handle the hydration aspect? 

01:10:09 - Will you return next year? 

01:13:07 - What would you tell people that still have fires during fire bans?

01:15:06 - If you could redo one of the trails you’ve done, which would you do? 

01:17:08 - What is your backpacking advice for new hikers? 

01:18:54 - What are your big 3? Or 5? 

01:25:02 - What goals do you have for 2022?

01:26:32 - Do you have any gear sponsors?

01:27:03 - Follow Quadzilla on Instagram

01:29:47 - Thank you, Quadzilla! 

 SEGMENTS

Trek Propaganda

• Ryan ‘Constantine’ Bunting sets North Country Trail FKT and Becomes Youngest Hiker to Complete All 11 National Scenic Trail

Triple Crown of New Year’s Resolutions 

5 Star Review

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