Into the Woods with Holly Worton

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Aaron Owens Mayhew. She’s a backpacker, thru-hiker, and nutritionist. With years of outdoor adventures under her belt, she finally combined her two loves—backpacking and nutrition—into her current business. 

Aaron has plenty of tips to help you figure out the best lightweight backp...

I'm excited to invite this week's guest back on the show! Susan is an online friend of mine, and she’s been on the show twice before to talk about her adventures. First, we discussed the Valley of Flowers and then the Camino Inglés. Now she’s back to talk about a 40-year dream she had that she finally fulfilled.

One of the things I love about Susan’s adventures is that she talks and writes about lesser-known places and routes, so I...

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Christine Reed. I recently read her fantastic book, Alone in Wonderland, about her experience on the Wonderland Trail in Washington State, USA. It’s a fantastic blend of a travel journal and personal memoir, including reflections on her life experiences. I highly recommend it!

In this episode, we talk about lessons learned from hiking multiple trails. We discuss how trails can help us to ...

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, J. F. Penn. Joanna is a friend of mine, and I’ve been listening to her fantastic podcast for over a decade now, The Creative Penn. Like me, Jo is a fan of solo walking, and she’s recently written a book on pilgrimage.

While I’ve done various long-distance trails in England, I’ve never done a pilgrimage. The Camino de Santiago has been on my list of things to do since 1996 when I first rea...

I'm back again, with another solo episode! I've been thinking lately about how certain adventures have tested my “limits.” I say that in quotes because I'm talking about perceived limitations: things we think we aren't capable of doing, when in reality it's possible.

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I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Gwendolyn Zywicke. I recently read her fantastic book, Ultrarunning Mysticism: Mind, Body, Spirit and the Sacredness of Overcoming Suffering. This book put words to an experience that I had had many times but couldn’t describe.

It’s also not just for ultrarunning. If you do any type of endurance sport, such as cycling, walking, or hiking, you may have experienced this yourself.

About Gw...

I'm back again, with another solo episode! Inspired by an entire week of armchair adventures over the holiday season, I've decided to share my experience with you and remind you of the importance (and pleasure!) of armchair adventures. We don't always need to be on the go—we can balance activity and rest by getting inspired through armchair adventures.

In this episode, I talk about the benefits of armchair adventures, and how you c...

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Lauri McKean. I often get asked by women how to overcome fears of solo adventures. That’s why I talk about it so much on this podcast and on my blog.

Lauri has a great story of how she overcame her fear of solo backpacking and camping, and how facing that fear has had a positive effect on other areas of her life. I hope you find it inspiring!

About Lauri

Lauri is a lover of the natural ...

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Helen Lear-Grant. Helen has traveled to many of the remote places I want to visit in Scotland, like the Inner and Outer Hebrides. I’ve had other friends visit there over the years for outdoor adventures, and it’s been on my list ever since.

In this episode, we talk about adventures in the Hebrides, and also Helen’s adventures as a disability travel blogger. We explore how her adventures h...

I'm back again, with another solo episode! This week's episode is late because I've been ill for a couple of weeks, lost my voice, and had to cancel two interviews. My voice is still a bit off, but at least I'm no longer croaking like a whispering frog.

In this episode, I reflect on my experience working toward my black belt in kickboxing. I discuss what it took to pass the grading, and what I learned from the experience. I also re...

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Doug Noll. Doug was born with multiple disabilities: he had both audio and visual disabilities as well as two club feet. After struggling with sports in school, he turned to Scouts and the outdoors and started to thrive.

Doug is a whitewater guide, Level III PSIA ski instructor, sailor, and fly fisher. He has also been a rock climber, mountaineer, competitive swimmer, and Class IV kayaker...

I'm back again, with another solo episode! Fear is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. A few weeks ago, on episode 483 with Erica Terblanche, we briefly discussed the importance of choosing things you're terrified of.

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Ethan Gallogly. I originally discovered him on PodcastGuests.com which, incidentally, is a great place to find guests for a podcast – or to pitch yourself to be featured on other shows. A few months ago, I read his fantastic novel, The Trail, which I really enjoyed.

I'm back again, with another solo episode! This week, I'm talking about how outdoor adventures teach you what you can accomplish when you increase your tolerance for discomfort. This is a conversation that's come up with a couple of different people recently, and I wanted to share it here.

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Marie-Pier Tremblay. We were recently introduced by Allison Boyle from episode 475. Just three years ago, Marie overcame doubt and fear to hike one of my dream trails: the Pacific Crest Trail.

I'm back again, with another solo episode! This week, I discuss the pagan new year or cycle and why this is such a great time to evaluate your year of adventures and plan the upcoming year. As you may know, I'm a big planner. In my experience, if I don't get clear on my vision of what I want to experience in the coming weeks and months, time can pass by and I don't do anything meaningful.

I’m excited to introduce this week’s guest, Erica Terblanche. Erica was recently introduced to me by Eric Deeter, who was a guest on this show, on episode 368. You’ll hear us saying “Thanks Eric!” in this episode, and that’s who we’re talking about.

I'm back again, with another solo episode! Today I'll be talking about something that I've been reflecting on a lot lately. I talk a lot about personal growth and mindset – and it's true these two things are a big part of my life. I'm always looking at how I can learn and grow.

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Corinne Kowal. I first discovered Corinne on Instagram, where I saw that she was planning to hike the Cape Wrath Trail, which has been on my bucket list for a couple of years now. I avidly followed her preparations for the trip, and couldn’t wait to hear more once she returned.