The Wonderland Trail: A 90-Mile Crash Course in Backpacking

I finally got Allison Powell—producer, ultrarunner, and now bonafide backpacker—on the podcast to talk about her first solo thru-hike: the Wonderland Trail. Spoiler alert: she tried to bring hummus, carrots, and a full picnic on a 90+ mile, three-day solo trip around Mount Rainier. But somehow, despite a heavy pack, trail math struggles, and losing her travel mug to the forest gods, she pulled it off.

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In this episode, we break down how a seasoned ultrarunner transitions (read: suffers) into backpacking, what she learned about weight, gear, solo hiking, and bear hangs, and how her view of thru-hiking shifted after 14-hour days of nothing but walking, couscous, and waterfalls. This is an honest, hilarious, and pretty relatable first-time thru-hiker story—and maybe even a cautionary tale.

Brought to you by:

👕 Janji – for the gear that won’t get you arrested

⛺ Garage Grown Gear – for the ultralight life

☕ CS Coffee – because walking 30 miles a day is better caffeinated

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Wonderland Trail Adventure

05:32 The Challenges of Backpacking Alone

11:29 Lessons Learned from the Journey

17:11 Navigating the Trail and Overcoming Obstacles

23:15 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

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