Backpacker Radio Triple Crowning with Stage 4 Cancer with Jeff "Long Strides" Vonvai (BPR #330)
Diagnosis And Emergency Colostomy
- Jeff Vonvai was diagnosed with stage‑4 colon cancer after an ER visit and received a 3–6 month prognosis.
- Doctors performed a colostomy, started aggressive chemo, and enrolled him in an experimental drug trial.
Long-Term Goals As A Survival Tool
- Jeff made a ten‑year hiking plan immediately after diagnosis to give himself purpose.
- That long‑range carrot helped him focus and choose life‑affirming actions over despair.
Control Your Focus, Not The Outcome
- Put blinders on and control what you can control instead of consuming every prognosis detail.
- Choose action over rumination to avoid spiraling into fear.
In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we're joined by Jeff Vonvai, known on trail as Long Strides. This conversation will put life's problems into perspective—because for the past seven years, Long Strides has been thru-hiking with stage 4 colon cancer, despite being given just a 3–6 month prognosis. Jeff shares what it's like to balance intense rounds of chemo and surgery between hikes, the challenges of rebuilding his trail legs each time he returns to the trail, and how cancer has transformed his outlook on life—saying he's happier now than he was before his diagnosis. Be ready to feel inspired.
We wrap the show with the news that the Continental Divide Trail's southern terminus now requires U.S. citizenship and an Army-issued permit, how to hike the Colorado Trail on less than $800, what crime Chaunce committed to wind up in prison, and the triple crown of things that make us cringe.
LMNT: Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/trek.
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Ka'Chava: Get 10% off at kachava.com/backpacker.
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Interview with Jeff "Long Strides" Vonvai
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:00 - Reminders: Take the AT Thru-Hiker Survey, apply to blog for the Trek, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:07:15 - Introducing Long Strides
00:09:41 - How did you go from Arizona to thru-hiking?
00:12:10 - Describe what it was like to get your diagnosis
00:19:50 - How do you maintain your mindset?
00:22:10 - What do your doctors think about your thru-hiking?
00:24:50 - When does poop start smelling like poop?
00:28:21 - What is the main goal of the surgery?
00:30:25 - Walk us through the timespan between surgery and your next hike
00:34:00 - Tell us about starting the AT a couple weeks after finishing chemo
00:37:25 - Did things get easier after that internal dialogue?
00:40:10 - Is it possible hiking makes anything worse?
00:41:45 - Discussion about hiking the PCT and getting surgery before the CDT
00:45:00 - Are you sharing things with your tramilies?
00:48:35 - Do you have any practices you maintain while hiking?
00:51:20 - How has your mindset changed since your diagnosis
00:53:05 - Discussion about going between the PCT and CDT
00:55:45 - Why did you decide to go southbound on the CDT?
00:56:55 - What's the buzz on the trail with the southern terminus?
01:02:04 - How has the CDT compared to the other two for you?
01:09:30 - Fuck Marry Kill: AT, PCT, CDT
01:11:30 - Discussion about Long Strides' future plans
01:15:35 - Have people met up with you along the trails?
01:16:30 - Tell us about seeing moose
01:18:02 - Are you looking forward to New Mexico?
01:18:55 - What do you have planned between 2025 and 2028?
01:21:05 - Do you have any advice for someone who's gotten a recent diagnosis?
01:23:05 - Stay Salty Question: What's your hottest take in the world of backpacking or the outdoors?
01:25:10 - How'd you get your trail name?
Segments
Trek Propaganda: CDT Hikers: US Citizenship, Army Permit Now Required to Access Southern Terminus by Katie Jackson
QOTD: If I got arrested, what crime would you assume I committed?
Crisis Thing of the Week
Triple Crown of things that make you cringe
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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