Sleeping in an Outhouse on Christmas, 5.5-Pound AT Baseweight, and the Arkansas Triple Crown with Austen McDaniel (BPR #378)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by our longtime pal Austin McDaniel, aka P.I., a Triple Crowner, Ultralight masochist, and full-time tennis instructor. In this one, we dive into Austin hiking the Ouachita Trail in ten days while recovering from COVID, navigating the Ozark Highlands Trail through freezing January temps, and surviving record-breaking 18-degree winter freezes on the Florida Trail. We also cover his pitch for the "Arkansas Triple Crown" consisting of the Eagle Rock Loop, Buffalo River Trail, and Sylamore Trail, his gear hack of wearing a heavy fleece sleeping bag liner as a mid-layer hiking dress, and why he carried a plastic toy golf set and a toilet plunger along the AT. We wrap the show with 91-year-old "Gray Beard" Sanders reclaiming his record as the oldest person to thru-hike the AT, a Question of the Day on how long we could evade the FBI on trail after committing a white-collar felony, a Triple Crown of minor discomforts that are actually major problems, and an all-time mailbag recounting what its author calls "Neptune's wrath" inside a Food Lion restroom. LMNT: Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/trek . Gossamer Gear: Use code "BPR10" for 10% off shelters at gossamergear.com . Darn Tough: Use code "BACKPACKER" for free shipping from darntough.com . Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code "BPRADIO15" for 15% off at hyperlitemountaingear.com . [divider] Interview with Austen McDaniel aka P.I. Austen's Instagram Austen's Youtube Triple Crowning in Three Years, Ultralight Tips, and Cold Soaking with Austen McDaniel (BPR #297) Time stamps & Questions 00:05:20 - Reminders: Apply to vlog or blog for the Trek , sign up for the Trek's newsletter , and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon ! 00:09:35 - Introducing Austen 00:11:05 - Remind us of your trail name origin story 00:13:30 - How has your gear changed between trails? 00:15:00 - How much of your baseweight is from ultralight gear versus just not bringing things? 00:20:00 - What has been your coolest ultralight gear find? 00:22:54 - What's your midlayer? 00:26:20 - What's the coldest you've been on trail? 00:34:00 - How did the Christmas Eve hike alter your gear? 00:35:06 - How did you manage heat starting the trail later than usual? 00:36:50 - Tell us about the Arkansas Triple Crown 00:46:00 - Would you recommend someone do your Arkansas Triple Crown or pick one of Arkansas's longer trails? 00:47:30 - Tell us about your experience on the Ouachita Trail 00:49:40 - Give us the fast facts of the Ouachita Trail 00:54:15 - Do you get good views? 00:56:30 - Did you see wildlife? 01:00:05 - Is there a trail association? 01:01:25 - Why did you take a year off hiking? 01:04:10 - How fast is your tennis serve? 01:08:20 - Discussion about the best tennis players 01:14:10 - What makes a kid a great tennis player? 01:16:00 - What was the gap betwe