Graduating Army Ranger School and Thru-Hiking After 30+ Years in the Military with Jay "Meat Grinder" France (BPR #303)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Atheltic, we are joined by Jay "Meat Grinder" France. Meat Grinder is a thru-hiker, author, and 31-year veteran of the Air Force, having completed 10 deployments and graduated from Army Ranger School in the process. Jay details his military background, including some key similarities and differences relative to thru-hiking, how he used vlogging as a way to stay in touch with his sons on trail, and the hilarious blood nipple origin story of his trail name. Meat Grinder also recently served as a volunteer advocate for Hike The Hill, an annual event where trail advocates meet with U.S. Congress to promote policies and funding that support trails, public lands, and outdoor recreation. Jay offers some important advice for those who want to advocate for public lands, especially relevant in today's climate. We wrap the show with the top AT hostels, our triple crown of airplane snacks, and two completely unnecessary improvements to the Appalachian Trail. Topo Athletic: Use code "TREKSPRING15" at topoathletic.com . Gossamer Gear: Use code "BACKPACKER20" for 20% off packs at gossamergear.com . Vaer Watches: Check out Vaer Watches at vaerwatches.com . Purple Rain Skirts: Use code "BACKPACKER20" for 20% off at purplerainskirts.com . Burgeon Outdoors: Use code "BACKPACKER15" for 15% off at burgeonoutdoor.com . [divider] Interview with Jay "Meat Grinder" France Jay's Youtube Jay's Instagram Jay's Book, Five Million Steps Time stamps & Questions 00:05:42 - Reminders: Take our survey ! Say hi to us at Trail Days, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon , and apply to blog for the Trek ! 00:09:33 - Introducing Jay 00:10:14 - When did you almost ambush AT hikers? 00:15:25 - Tell us about Army Ranger School 00:20:07 - Did you see alligators in Florida? 00:22:13 - How did you decide to join the military? 00:24:07 - Fuck Marry Kill: Jay's US assignment locations 00:25:50 - Tell us about being a canine officer 00:29:44 - Tell us about your deployments after 911 00:32:25 - When did you have kids amidst your deployments? 00:33:10 - What were some of the terrifying experiences? 00:35:50 - What do they teach you in Army Ranger School? 00:41:20 - Do you think you could have passed early on in your military years? 00:45:25 - Tell us about hiking the Wonderland Trail in 2003 00:48:25 - Do you have tips for people from the military getting started hiking? 00:49:40 - How did you decide to go on that hike? 00:51:10 - Did you still enjoy the hike? 00:52:30 - What led to your retirement from the military? 00:55:25 - How did you get your trail name? 01:03:00 - How did your family react to your decision to hike the PCT? 01:06:15 - How were the snow and fires on the PCT? 01:15:30 - How did you handle skipping miles due to the fires? 01:20:18 - What was your social environment like on the trail? 01:24:27 - Do you think unplugging was good for you? 01:26:55 - Did you know right away you'd do another thru-hike? 01:29:15 - Did the ranger school prepare you for the CT? 01:34:25 - Are your sons interested in hiking with you? 01:37:25 - Tell us about the Tahoe Rim Trail in 2023 01:40:12 - Tell us about your book 01:43:40 - What aspect of the book have you gotten the most positive feedback on? 01:47:00 - What were some of the mental health challenges you dealt with? 01:54:27 - Tell us about being a Hike the Hill advocate for the PCTA 01:59:38 - Do you have advice for people who want to get involved? 02:05:52 - Where can people go to keep up with you? 02:06:50 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack? Segments Trek Propaganda: The Best Hostels to Visit on the Appalachian Trail in 2025 by Katie Jackson QOTD: If you could make one completely unnecessary improvement to the Appalachian Trail, what would it be? Triple Crown of airplane snacks Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/ and his coffee . Sign up for the Trek's newsletter Leave us a voicemail! 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 Backpacker Radio , The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok. Our theme song is Walking Slow by Animal Years . 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