Balancing Hiking Dreams with Financial Savvy

In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, and brought to you by Topo Athletic, we’re coming to you live from Austin, Texas with our guest, Paul Magnanti, aka Mags, aka Pmags. A longtime co-host of The Trail Show and a triple crowner, Pmags has spent decades exploring trails across the country, with a special love for the Southwest. We dive into the future of public lands, hear some of his hot takes on gear,  including his love for 100-weight fleece pullovers, his beef with sun hoodies, and where hikers tend to overspend, and get a look at his go-to "snivel gear." Pmags also shares stories from some of his lesser-known adventures, including the Ring the Peak Trail, A Walk Across Southern Utah, the Northern New Mexico Loop, the Grand Moab Route, and the Southeast Utah Group Circuit. 

We wrap out the show with a rundown of the best sections of the Appalachian Trail (spoiler: #1 shocked our live audience), a "stupid thing of the week" (lost phone edition), a "gross or not gross" (chapstick edition), and the triple crown of trail towns.

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Interview with Paul Magnanti

• PMag's Website
• PMag's Instagram

Time stamps & Questions

00:07:05 - Reminders: Sign up for the Trek’s newsletter, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon, and apply to blog for the Trek! Trek booth location

00:10:00 - Introducing PMags

00:10:40 - What’s your backpacking origin story?

00:12:17 - Have you backpacked in Texas?

00:14:00 - How many people in Rhode Island backpack?

00:16:25 - Tell us about being a “structured rambler” and living in Moab

00:19:20 - What advice do you have for thru-hikers to incorporate more rambling into their hikes?

00:21:30 - What’s your backpacking resume?

00:24:15 - What’s your take on what’s happening with public lands?

00:28:47 - What do you look for in a headlamp?

00:35:00 - Tell us your opinion about sun hoodies

00:40:40 - Have you had a midlife crisis yet?

00:41:30 - Tell us about your wife!

00:43:22 - Are you worried about microplastics?

00:45:02 - What camera do you use?

00:50:00 - Discussion about The Trail Show

00:51:40 - Tell us about the 100-weight pullover fleece

00:56:38 - Tell us about snivel gear

00:57:40 - What’s your solo baseweight for a typical trip?

01:00:18 - What’s your take on trowels?

01:03:05 - What’s your take on campfires in the west?

01:09:55 - Tell us about the Ring the Peak Trail

01:13:50 - Tell us about A Walk Across Southern Utah

01:16:20 - Discussion about the beer in Utah

01:17:20 - Tell us about the cultures of Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico

01:20:35 - How much research do you do prior to your ramblings?

01:22:08 - What are some places that people should know about?

01:23:40 - Have you seen any megafauna in etchings?

01:27:13 - Tell us about the Northern New Mexico Loop

01:30:35 - Tell us about the South East Utah Group (SEUG) Circuit

01:34:15 - How do you prepare for paddling trips?

01:35:50 - What’s your most embarrassing moment while backpacking?

01:36:45 - What’s your scariest encounter with wildlife?

01:37:45 - What’s your most recent mistake?

01:39:50 - Fuck Marry Kill: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico

01:41:40 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?

01:42:40 - Where can people keep up with you?

Segments

Listener Q&A

Trek Propaganda:

• Appalachian Trail Conservancy Head Sandi Marra Announces Retirement by Katie Jackson
• Thru-Hikers Consistently Say These Are the 7 Best Sections of the Appalachian Trail by Katie Jackson

QOTD:  What’s a hill you’re willing to die on that has nothing to do with hiking?

Stupid Thing of the Week

Gross or Not Gross

Triple Crown of trail towns

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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