This is a Thanksgiving special episode of the Free Outside Podcast, a mix of long-run thoughts, unpopular opinions, and one of the most meaningful adventures of my life, the Great Western Loop. I talk about why I think we are historically illiterate, why it is okay to chase goals even if they feel pointless to other people, whether turkey trots have gotten too serious, and my very important theory on whether drones killed the blimp. I also get into why self-supported FKTs matter so much to me and why I think they deserve more respect than they get. Then I rewind eight years to finishing the Great Western Loop on Thanksgiving. I break down what the Loop actually is, how I planned the massive cross-country connector from the Grand Canyon back to the PCT, why self-supported style creates better adventure, and some of the wildest moments from the entire 7,000-mile journey. From cowbell mornings on the Pacific Northwest Trail, to getting all the bikers in Yaak, Montana in trouble for cooking 20 pounds of bacon, to freezing on the CDT, navigating by map and compass on the Grand Enchantment Trail, sleeping in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and finishing on Thanksgiving near Parker, Arizona. This adventure changed the entire direction of my life and planted the seed for every FKT that followed. This episode is brought to you by Janji at janji.com. Use code FREEOUTSIDE for 10 percent off. Also brought to you by CS Instant Coffee at csinstant.coffee and Garage Grown Gear at garagegrowngear.com Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com Chapters 00:00 Thanksgiving Intro 02:15 Historically Illiterate 03:50 Turkey Trot Travelers 04:35 Did Drones Kill Blimps 06:10 Supported vs Self-Supported 08:30 What Is the Great Western Loop 10:45 Planning the Unknown 13:55 Prescribed Burn Detour 15:45 Cowbells and Solitude 16:55 Yak, Montana and the Bacon Incident 18:25 Snow on the CDT 19:20 Grand Enchantment Navigation 20:40 First View of the Grand Canyon 22:15 Nolan’s 14 Detour 24:10 Thanksgiving Van Build Camp 25:40 Finishing the Loop 26:50 Full Circle Reflection Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at
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