Anna McKinney's guest appearances

Anna McKinney

Backpacker Radio

Hike

OwlTail

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Anna McKinney.  Anna is an AT thru-hiker (where she met her fiancé), a hiking guide in the Smokies, a Trek Writer, and an all around giver of good vibes.  We get the full scoop on how her budding trail romance evolved to impending wedding bells- and Chaunce gives us a detailed breakdown on the stages of love on trail, we learn about some of the more interesting flora and fauna in the Smokies, battling imposter syndrome, and her recent LASH on the Arizona Trail. We wrap the show with me getting angry about spiders and octopi, a triple crown of things serious thru-hikers don't compromise on, and also other stuff!   Enlightened Equipment: Use code “EETREK10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment’s Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at  enlightenedequipment.com. Backpacker’s Pantry: Use code “TWINSFORWINS” for 25% off at backpackerspantry.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code “TAKELESSTREKMORE” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  RTIC Outdoors: Shop at rticoutdoors.com. OnX Backcountry: Use code “BACKPACKERRADIO20” for 20% off a Premium or Elite Membership at onxmaps.com. [divider] Interview with Anna McKinney  Anna's Instagram Anna's Trek profile  Anna's blog  Time stamps &amp; Questions 00:06:07 - QOTD: Excluding water, what’s the difference between spiders and octopus? 00:08:40 - Reminders: Suggest a guest! Fill out our listener survey by June 15! 00:09:35 - Introducing Anna 00:10:35 - What’s your trail name and origin story? 00:12:53 - Do you have any standout trail magic stories? 00:15:06 - What got you into the outdoors? 00:16:30 - What was your big girl job? 00:17:30 - What was it like going through your own backyard on the AT for the first time? 00:20:20 - How steep was your backpacking learning curve? 00:22:23 - Discussion about losing people on the trail 00:24:29 - Did a zero degree bag with a liner prove to be excessive? 00:26:11 - What was your process of working your pack weight down? 00:29:00 - What’s your base weight nowadays? 00:32:35 - We love love - tell us about meeting your fiance on the AT! 00:36:45 - When you’re into someone, how do you let them know without creeping you out? 00:39:27 - When did the physical aspect come into play? 00:41:27 - How did he ask you to be his girlfriend? 00:44:08 - What was finishing the trail like for your relationship? 00:45:50 - Did you ever feel like the relationship was in jeopardy after the trail? 00:47:09 - What did you learn about him off-trail that you didn’t learn on-trail? 00:49:19 - Ask your on-trail romance these questions! 00:52:43 - What are the stages of a trail relationship? 00:54:07 - Chaunce’s stages of a trail relationship 00:59:22 - Tell us about working with Blue Ridge Hiking Company 01:01:53 - Tell us about caretaking the AT bunkhouse in Hot Springs 01:04:05 - What was the vibe when it’s not only thru-hikers but some thru-hikers? 01:05:31 - Tell us about your experience with imposter syndrome 01:08:38 - Tell us about underrated sections of the AT 01:12:50 - What is it like to guide in the Smokies? 01:15:55 - Discussion about interacting with thru-hikers within the National Park on guiding trips 01:19:14 - What are some fun facts about the Smokies flora and fauna? 01:23:21 - What are some trail highlights in the Smokies that aren’t on the AT? 01:25:57 - Tell us your engagement story! 01:29:13 - Where did you get your rings made? 01:31:32 - Tell us about the Arizona Trail! 01:35:22 - Discussion about the snow on the AZT 01:38:00 - Did you know at the beginning things could change due to the snow? 01:39:19 - Tell us about how your travel plans changed 01:41:01 - Which day of your National Parks trip would you revisit? 01:42:11 - What differences did you notice hiking with a partner between the AT and AZT? 01:44:45 - Did you get in any major fights? 01:46:54 - Have you lost any fights? 01:49:44 - Where can people go to follow you? 01:51:45 - What’s next? SEGMENTS Trek Propaganda   Italian Hiker Discovers 2,000-Year-Old Buried Treasure by Rachel Shoemaker  Triple Crown of things serious thru-hikers don’t compromise on Pupdate Twin Update 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 Backpacker Radio, The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  Our theme song is  Walking Slow by Animal Years. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Austin Ford, Brad &amp; Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Brent Stenberg, Cameron Brown, Christopher Marshburn, Dayne, Greg McDaniel, Matt Soukup, Mike Poisel, Morgan Luke, Patrick Cianciolo, Sawyer Products, Timothy Hahn, and Tracy “Trigger” Fawns. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Dcnerdlet, Jake Landgraf, Jeanne Latshaw, Jeff LaFranier, Joann Menzer, Keith Dobie Jr, Kelly Heikkila, Liz Seger, and Peter.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Anna McKinney.  Anna is an AT thru-hiker (where she met her fiancé), a hiking guide in the Smokies, a Trek Writer, and an all around giver of good vibes.  We get the full scoop on how her budding trail romance evolved to impending wedding bells- and Chaunce gives us a detailed breakdown on the stages of love on trail, we learn about some of the more interesting flora and fauna in the Smokies, battling imposter syndrome, and her recent LASH on the Arizona Trail. We wrap the show with me getting angry about spiders and octopi, a triple crown of things serious thru-hikers don't compromise on, and also other stuff!   Enlightened Equipment: Use code “EETREK10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment’s Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at <a href="https://www.enlightenedequipment.com/?avad=151515_b277215f9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> enlightenedequipment.com</a>. Backpacker’s Pantry: Use code “TWINSFORWINS” for 25% off at <a href="https://backpackerspantry.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">backpackerspantry.com</a>. Gossamer Gear: Use code “TAKELESSTREKMORE” for 15% off at <a href="https://gossamergear.com/?rfsn=2017538.0cd2c9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">gossamergear.com</a>.  RTIC Outdoors: Shop at <a href="https://rticoutdoors.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">rticoutdoors.com</a>. OnX Backcountry: Use code “BACKPACKERRADIO20” for 20% off a Premium or Elite Membership at <a href="https://www.onxmaps.com/backcountry/app" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">onxmaps.com</a>. [divider] Interview with Anna McKinney <ul> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/annamckinney22/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anna's Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://thetrek.co/author/anna-mckinney/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anna's Trek profile</a></li> <li><a href="https://mountainmagic21.wixsite.com/magicinthemountains" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Anna's blog</a></li> </ul> Time stamps &amp; Questions 00:06:07 - QOTD: Excluding water, what’s the difference between spiders and octopus? 00:08:40 - Reminders: <a href="https://forms.gle/ymZ34EbK1YFe57sK8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Suggest a guest</a>! <a href="https://forms.gle/UNSKeQrMC3wBuvGT7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fill out our listener survey by June 15</a>! 00:09:35 - Introducing Anna 00:10:35 - What’s your trail name and origin story? 00:12:53 - Do you have any standout trail magic stories? 00:15:06 - What got you into the outdoors? 00:16:30 - What was your big girl job? 00:17:30 - What was it like going through your own backyard on the AT for the first time? 00:20:20 - How steep was your backpacking learning curve? 00:22:23 - Discussion about losing people on the trail 00:24:29 - Did a zero degree bag with a liner prove to be excessive? 00:26:11 - What was your process of working your pack weight down? 00:29:00 - What’s your base weight nowadays? 00:32:35 - We love love - tell us about meeting your fiance on the AT! 00:36:45 - When you’re into someone, how do you let them know without creeping you out? 00:39:27 - When did the physical aspect come into play? 00:41:27 - How did he ask you to be his girlfriend? 00:44:08 - What was finishing the trail like for your relationship? 00:45:50 - Did you ever feel like the relationship was in jeopardy after the trail? 00:47:09 - What did you learn about him off-trail that you didn’t learn on-trail? 00:49:19 - Ask your on-trail romance these questions! 00:52:43 - What are the stages of a trail relationship? 00:54:07 - Chaunce’s stages of a trail relationship 00:59:22 - Tell us about working with Blue Ridge Hiking Company 01:01:53 - Tell us about caretaking the AT bunkhouse in Hot Springs 01:04:05 - What was the vibe when it’s not only thru-hikers but some thru-hikers? 01:05:31 - Tell us about your experience with imposter syndrome 01:08:38 - Tell us about underrated sections of the AT 01:12:50 - What is it like to guide in the Smokies? 01:15:55 - Discussion about interacting with thru-hikers within the National Park on guiding trips 01:19:14 - What are some fun facts about the Smokies flora and fauna? 01:23:21 - What are some trail highlights in the Smokies that aren’t on the AT? 01:25:57 - Tell us your engagement story! 01:29:13 - Where did you get your rings made? 01:31:32 - Tell us about the Arizona Trail! 01:35:22 - Discussion about the snow on the AZT 01:38:00 - Did you know at the beginning things could change due to the snow? 01:39:19 - Tell us about how your travel plans changed 01:41:01 - Which day of your National Parks trip would you revisit? 01:42:11 - What differences did you notice hiking with a partner between the AT and AZT? 01:44:45 - Did you get in any major fights? 01:46:54 - Have you lost any fights? 01:49:44 - Where can people go to follow you? 01:51:45 - What’s next? SEGMENTS Trek Propaganda <ul> <li><a href="https://thetrek.co/italian-hiker-discovers-2000-year-old-buried-treasure/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Italian Hiker Discovers 2,000-Year-Old Buried Treasure</a> by Rachel Shoemaker</li> </ul> Triple Crown of things serious thru-hikers don’t compromise on Pupdate Twin Update Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paulyboyshallcross/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> @paulyboyshallcross</a>. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/backpacker-radio/id1339028551" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes</a> (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5FO5edVqPbDcny0ja8kF4d" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/backpacker-radio-by-the-trek/backpacker-radio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Stitcher</a>, and <a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Iiacyqmtlnhu4z3vkaeskn4odga" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Google Play</a>. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/backpackerradio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Support us on Patreon</a> to get bonus content. <a href="https://thetrek.co/advertise-on-backpacker-radio-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Advertise on Backpacker Radio</a> Follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thetrek.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Trek</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliana_chauncey/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chaunce</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zrdavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Badger</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/trailcorrespondents/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trail Correspondents</a> on Instagram. Follow <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@backpackerradio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Backpacker Radio</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/apptrials" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Trek</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/julianachauncey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chaunce</a> on YouTube. Follow <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@backpackerradio?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Backpacker Radio</a> on Tik Tok.  Our theme song is <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2op5uvEvzAE5TXH12Mo1hl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Walking Slow</a> by <a href="https://www.animalyearsmusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Animal Years</a>. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Austin Ford, Brad &amp; Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Brent Stenberg, Cameron Brown, Christopher Marshburn, Dayne, Greg McDaniel, Matt Soukup, Mike Poisel, Morgan Luke, Patrick Cianciolo, Sawyer Products, Timothy Hahn, and Tracy “Trigger” Fawns. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Dcnerdlet, Jake Landgraf, Jeanne Latshaw, Jeff LaFranier, Joann Menzer, Keith Dobie Jr, Kelly Heikkila, Liz Seger, and Peter.

#202 | Anna McKinney on Finding Her Fiancé on the AT, Guiding in the Smokies, and Battling Imposter Syndrome

Anna McKinney shares her journey from being an Appalachian Trail thru hiker to Backpacking Guide in the Great Smoky Mountains. She provides her insightful experiences and advice for those newer to long distance hiking. Anna is currently hiking the AZT with her partner. She also is blogging her hike for The Trek.  Follow her and find out more! Connect with Anna:Blog: https://mountainmagic21.wixsite.com/magicinthemountains Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/annamckinney22/ Support the showConnect with Hike:Instagram: @thehikepodcastTwitter: @thehikepodcastFacebook: @thehikepodcastEmail: hikepodcast@gmail.com 

Anna McKinney shares her journey from being an Appalachian Trail thru hiker to Backpacking Guide in the Great Smoky Mountains. She provides her insightful experiences and advice for those newer to long distance hiking.  Anna is currently hiking the AZT with her partner. She also is blogging her hike for The Trek.  Follow her and find out more! Connect with Anna: Blog: <a href="https://mountainmagic21.wixsite.com/magicinthemountains" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://mountainmagic21.wixsite.com/magicinthemountains </a>Instagram profile: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/annamckinney22/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/annamckinney22/ </a><a href="https://www.patreon.com/thehikepodcast" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">Support the show</a>Connect with Hike: Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehikepodcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@thehikepodcast</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thehikepodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@thehikepodcast</a> Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thehikepodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@thehikepodcast</a> Email: hikepodcast@gmail.com