Hikes and Mics Podcast
Hikes & Mics is where the trail meets the conversation. Each week, host Ivan Orozco brings together hikers, backpackers, and outdoor adventurers to share the stories, lessons, and inspiration they’ve found in the great outdoors. From life-changing summits to quiet moments on local trails, our guests open up about how nature has shaped their journeys—physically, mentally, and spiritually. Every episode blends thoughtful storytelling with a dash of fun, closing out with our signature This or That: Hiking Edition lightning round. Whether you’re a weekend wanderer, a long-distance thru-hiker, or someone who simply loves the outdoors, this podcast is your campfire circle for connection, community, and adventure. New episodes drop every Monday—plus occasional bonus episodes on Fridays. Lace up your boots, plug in your headphones, and join us on the trail.
Episodes
🎙️ Season 15 kicks off with outdoor educator and former pro writer Meg Atteberry — and a backcountry survival story that will stay with you.
Six days into Wyoming's brutal Wind River High Route — 86 miles and 23,000 feet of gain, much of it off-trail — Meg's friend shattered six bones in her foot on a steep talus pass, 25 miles from the nearest trailhead. Meg had to hit the SOS button on her Garmin...
What does it take to redesign the outdoors for everyone? Gnara Co-Founder GG Edwards joins our Season 14 finale to share how a glacier in Alaska sparked a revolution in outdoor apparel.
While guiding on the Mendenhall Glacier, GG faced a choice every woman in the backcountry knows too well: trek across crevasses and peel off layers in freezing temps, or risk dehydration. Instead, she asked a simple question — w...
What if Washington's most overlooked landscape isn't a towering evergreen forest — but a sun-baked sea of sagebrush bursting with far more life than you'd ever expect?
Cyrus Philbrick and Bridget Clark of Cowiche Canyon Conservancy join us at Snow Mountain Ranch to talk about the shrub-steppe — the vanishing ecosystem this nonprofit land trust has spent 40+ years protecting across 8,000+ acres and 60+ mil...
What happens when a 33-year McKinsey career ends on Friday — and you're on an ice wall by Saturday afternoon?
Tom French, author of The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back, joins us to talk about trading his corporate corner office for crampons, summiting Everest under a full moon at 2:15 AM, and why it's never too late to reclaim the passions of your younger years.
Tom's story begins with a childh...
What if the most powerful story in a national park isn't the landscape — it's the people inside it?
NYU-trained filmmaker, Explorers Club member, and director Brendan Hall joins us to share the journey behind Out There: A National Parks Story — a feature documentary seven years in the making, born from a post-graduation road trip across 10,000 miles of America's public lands.
Brendan opens up about the Gra...
What happens when you strip away the gear, the gadgets — and even the shoes? Barefoot Ken is here to show us.
Meet Ken Posner, also known as Barefoot Ken — ultramarathoner, analyst, author, and the man quietly redefining what it means to connect with nature, one shoeless summit at a time. In this episode, Ken traces his journey from Chicago city kid to barefoot adventurer, sharing how a single book &mdash...
What makes a hike truly unforgettable? National Geographic Explorer, Outside Magazine contributing editor, and author Stephanie Pearson joins us to find out.
Her new book, 100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A. (out now), was born from one of the hardest seasons of her life — and launched with a lightning storm on the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota. In this conversation, Stephanie opens up about how her mother's p...
What happens when a cancer diagnosis becomes the spark that launches a full-time outdoor adventure career? This week on Hikes and Mics, I sit down with Alec — travel writer, photographer, and the force behind Explore with Alec, for one of the most honest and inspiring conversations we've had on the show.
Alec is a two-time cancer survivor and bone marrow transplant recipient whose brush with mortality com...
What happens when you combine a trailhead, a cold pint, and a community that refuses to leave anyone behind? You get Hiking for Brews — and this episode, we're sitting down with the woman who brought it back to life.
Nicole is the organizer of Hiking for Brews, a DMV-based group drawing anywhere from 20 to 80 hikers across Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Originally founded in Baltimore, Nicole revived the con...
What happens when a touring musician trades the stage for the trail — and starts breaking records?
Meet Cody Taylor: former drummer, endurance coach, and unsupported FKT holder of both the Bruce Trail (900km) and the International Appalachian Trail.
In this episode of Hikes and Mics, Cody takes us deep into what it really means to go fully unsupported — carrying a 55-pound pack, filtering water from the gr...
700+ miles. Alone. Dragging a sled across Antarctica with nothing but training, grit, and the kind of stubbornness that makes history — and she did. Meet the first American woman to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.
On January 18, 2026, Monet Izabeth made history — skiing solo and unsupported across 700+ miles of Antarctic ice to the South Pole. The wild part? Three years before that, she ...
Snacks, Stories, and the Trail That Changed Everything
**The first half of the episode Jared's microphone came from his iPods, the second half is from his condenser microphone.**
What happens when a college writing professor trades plagiarism cases for backcountry trails? You get Jared Champion, aka Snackbox, one of the most thoughtful voices in the outdoor storytelling space.
In this episode, Jared shares how motorcyc...
Season 14 is HERE — and we're kicking things off with a reunion three years in the making.
Welcome back to Hikes & Mics! For our Season 14 premiere, I recorded in person on the banks of the Salt River in Arizona with two beloved returning guests: Tami and Elise — first featured back in Season 2.
In this episode, we cover:
🥾 Elise's life on two coasts — guiding women through her business HER (Hike...
Season 14 of Hikes & Mics launches March 23rd — and it's our biggest season yet. This season's guests include the first American woman to ski solo and unsupported across Antarctica, an ultra-endurance athlete setting FKTs on some of North America's most demanding routes, a conservation photographer documenting climate-threatened wildlife in the alpine and the Sonoran Desert, an outdoor storyteller and auth...
Kelsey Kurtis: Antarctica, Adventure Photography, Branding Yourself as YOU & the Legend of the Crotch Pot 🎒📸🐧
We're closing out Season 13 with an episode you will not want to miss. Kelsey Kurtis — photographer, author, adventurer, and certified force of nature — joins us for a conversation that covers everything from the Sierra Nevadas to the South Pole, and somehow ends with crotch-baked brownies.
...
🧀 From the AT to the PCT: Tramily, Trail Grit & Life Off the Beaten Path with Pimento 🥾🌄
What does it actually mean to find your people on trail — and what happens when the trail ends and real life begins?
In this episode of Hikes & Mics, we sit down with Jacob, better known as Pimento — a thru-hiker from Indiana who's hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Arizona Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail a...
🚨 Survival Starts Before the Trail: Wilderness Safety & Smart Preparation with Dr. Rob Scanlon 🥾💧
What actually gets hikers into trouble on the trail — and more importantly, what keeps them alive?
In this episode of Hikes & Mics, we’re joined by Dr. Rob Scanlon — physician, backpacker, and author of Surviving the Trail: Five Essential Skills to Prepare Every Hiker for Adventure’s Mos...
🎻 Creativity, Courage & Kula Cloth: Finding Joy in the Wild with Anastasia Allison 🏔️✨
In this special milestone episode of Hikes & Mics, we’re joined by Anastasia Allison — founder of Kula Cloth, outdoor educator, former Washington State Park Ranger, professional violinist, and one half of The Musical Mountaineers. This conversation also marks a first for the podcast as our official video episo...
❤️ Love on the Long Trail: Thru-Hiking, Partnership & Shared Miles with Melanie & Dave 🥾✨
In this special Valentine’s Day Week episode of Hikes & Mics, we’re joined by Melanie (Poppi) and Dave (La Bamba), a thru-hiking couple whose love story unfolded one step at a time across some of North America’s most iconic long trails. From the Pacific Crest Trail to the Colorado Trail, Arizona Tr...
🌿 Belonging on the Trail: Motherhood, Healing & Community with Alexandrie 🥾🤍
In this powerful and deeply grounding episode of Hikes & Mics, we’re joined by Alexandrie, founder and organizer of Black Hikers Explore, for a conversation about how hiking, motherhood, and community-building can come together to create spaces of healing, belonging, and joy in the outdoors.
Born and raised in Haiti, Alexandr...
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