#178 | Leonard Adkins on 20,000 Miles of Backpacking, Thru-Hiking in the 1980s, and Authoring 21 Books

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Leonard Adkins. Leonard is a backpacking legend and author of more than twenty books, including several guide books, a book about the flora, fauna, and geology on the the Appalachian Trail, and his most title, "All About the Appalachian Trail" the first and only book for children grades 4-8. We go in depth on Leonard's backpacking history, which includes more than 20,000 miles dating back to the early 80s. We learn what it was like to be one of the first to hike the Pacific Northwest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and the first (alongside his wife) to hike the Allegheny Trail. We learn some fun facts about the plants along the AT. And we get the ultimate endorsement for this interview from Leonard himself, who says, "I enjoyed that more than I was expecting." We were flattered. We wrap the show with the worst all-time Christmas songs, the triple crown of baked goods, a new stupid thing of the week, and more. RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com . Organifi: Use code "BACKPACKER" for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker . Enlightened Equipment: Use code "ULTRALIGHT10" for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com . Gossamer Gear: Use code "TAKELESSTREKMORE" for 15% off at gossamergear.com . [divider] Interview with Leonard Adkins Leonard's Website Time stamps & Questions 00:05:15 - QOTD: What is the all-time worst Christmas song? 00:13:52 - Reminders: Hiker Meetup, Saturday December 10! 00:17:08 - Reminders: apply to blog in 2023 , shop the Trek's new shorts and hats! 00:18:34 - Introducing Leonard 00:19:19 - What's your origin story? 00:22:56 - How popular was the trail in 1980? 00:26:18 - How was the trail or route different in 1980? 00:29:14 - Did you hike the trail to research for your books or did your books result from hiking? 00:31:55 - How much time did you spend on your first book? 00:33:33 - Tell us more about hiking the AT in 1980. 00:37:50 - If you could backpack the AT today or in the 80's again, which would you pick? 00:40:11 - Do you remember your original backpacking gear? 00:44:29 - Tell us about the Allegheny Trail. 00:50:42 - How long do you think it would take the average thru-hiker to complete? 00:54:30 - What was the Pacific Northwest Trail like in 1983? 00:57:54 - How did you know about these trails to hike them before they were completed? 01:00:22 - How did you plan your hikes without guide books or maps? 01:03:30 - Discussion about hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 1987 01:05:26 - How many maps did you carry on the CDT and how did you get them? 01:07:37 - What does your navigation setup look like today? 01:10:05 - What shorter trail stands out from the ones we haven't talked about yet? 01:11:54 - Would you describe your hiking experience as Type I or Type II fun? 01:12:50 - What was your most challenging day of backpacking? 01:14:58 - What percent of your time is spent hiking, researching, and writing books? 01:16:21 - If you could hike one of your international trails again, which would it be? 01:21:39 - Did you re-hike sections of the trail to write your books? 01:25:37 - What's your favorite story about nature that's in your books? 01:27:44 - What's your favorite story about the animals you researched? 01:29:43 - Tell us more about your educational and professional background. 01:32:08 - What are the best overnight hikes on the AT? 01:34:06 - Are the ponies in Grayson Highlands wild or feral? 01:35:41 - Tell us about your wife getting struck by lightning. 01:40:14 - Was the pain localized to her foot? 01:42:00 - Laurie's perspective on the story 01:42:55 - What was the inspiration for writing a book for kids? 01:45:42 - What feedback have you gotten on the book? 01:47:50 - Do you have a larger mission for writing books? 01:48:53 - Where can people follow you and get your books? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda 5 Stupid Light Gear Choices That Take Ultralight Too Far by Alex Brown aka GPS Stupid Thing of the Week Triple Crown of baked goods Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @paulyboyshallcross . Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)! Find us on Spotify , Stitcher , and Google Play . Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek , Chaunce , Badger , and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, Greg Mac, Tracy "Trigger" Fawns, Mike Poisel, and Kristina Diaz. 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