Episode #295 - Rebecca Brackbill (Savage)

When I went out to hike the AT in 2014, I met a breed of woman I'd hardly known existed. These were strong-willed, fiercely independent young women, many of who were vastly more impressive than a lot of the men I met out there. It has been a theme of the trail for this past decade. Women are hitting the AT, and other trails, with little or no backpacking experience and proving to be more than equal to the task. Rebecca Brackbill turned out to be one of those women this year. She turned up in 2020 with few overnights under her belt, yet, as you listen to her, you'll hear a steely determination to succeed, even though she considered quitting while in Shenandoah, of all places! Rebecca developed a habit of getting her picture taken doing a backbend at various spots on the trail, including one in front of the Katahdin sign, one on Mt Washington's cog railway, and even one on the top of Odie's bus! If you'd like to connect with Rebecca or follow her adventures, check her out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/brackbill421/ With no Katie to catch up with this week, I brought back a friend of the show, JC Van Etten, or Catmando, to tell us about his observations on forming a tramily on the PCT after his epic experience with his tramily on the AT. Winton Porter's Passin' Though brings real life drama to Mountain Crossings, with a mystery boot. If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at https://www.hikingradionetwork.com If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, PO Box 6161, Sun City Center, FL 35751. Any support is gratefully received. If you'd like to take advantage of Steve's Trail Days book offer (all three of his printed hiking books for $31, including postage to the United States) send a check payable to Mighty Blue Publishing at the address just above.