Lyme Disease Research Update, Raccoon vs. Goose, the Triple Crown of Girly Gear, and 2026 Hiking Gear Trends

A

Okay, I have a bonus segment. I don't know. I don't think this is news.

B

Is it trivia?

A

No. Oh, we're down with the trivia though. That was a fun one. This is again we're doing Lyme disease. This is something that surfaced on my Instagram recently though I don't think that this is. Like I said, I don't think this is brand new, but new enough and I had never heard of this as someone that is paranoid about Lyme disease is apparently one of the ways that they're testing trying to combat Lyme disease is by using genetically modified mice. So the main way that apparently deer ticks are contracting the bacteria for Lyme disease is from mice and they're trying to use genetically modified mice to help combat that. Core project Mice against Ticks led by Kevin Esvelt at MIT's Media Lab, his sculpting evolution group. The project targets white footed mice which are the primary reservoir for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Ticks acquire the pathogen by feeding on infected mice, not primarily from deer, a common misconception. The logic is make mice mice resistant and ticks that feed on them won't pick up the bacteria, breaking the transmission cycle. The plan involves introducing genes that cause mice to produce antibodies against the bacteria, making them immunologically resistant. This is distinct from a traditional self spreading gene drive, though gene drive concepts have been been part of the broader research conversation. What made this notable beyond the science asphalt was unusually proactive about community engagement, holding public meetings on Nantucket, a target island with high lime rates, before pursuing trials. He framed this as the model for how to do ecologically interventionist research transparently. That community consent approach got significant attention and this was back in the summer of last year. 25 the most recent research, a 2026 paper in Nature Communications reported success. Engineering lab mice to produce a single chain antibody against the bacteria. Heterozygous mice showed strong resistance to infection and effectively interrupted the transmission cycle and testing. The team has also established protocols to engineer the actual target species, the white footed mouse. This is a meaningful step moving from concept to peer reviewed lab validation. I don't want to bore with additional details that aren't exciting here, but yeah, apparently one of the things they're talking about doing is releasing just a shit ton of these genetically modified mice to break the cycle of transmission.

C

Nothing can go wrong there.

A

I know this feels like a Simpsons episode or something like that. It will introduce something far worse. But I see so much Lyme in the news right now. I know it's worse this year than it has been in prior years, but it's. It just feels like there's something in the zeitgeist that is happening.

B

Yeah.

C

They're, like, paying attention to it now, finally. Which is great.

A

It is great. And the vaccine is progressing, which I know that there's some skepticism in our culture with that currently, but this is something that we have to figure out because especially in New England, this is just such a true epidemic that. Yeah, we gotta get the best scientists figuring this one out. I thought using genetically engineered mice was. I share interesting. It is interesting. I share your kind of. Just like, this has to go poorly.

C

I'm sure they're factoring that in.

A

Yeah.

C

You know, but. Yeah, it's just the initial reaction is definitely like, oh, are we gonna have mutant mice now?

A

Yeah.

C

That are resistant. And now we have an overrun of mice because they're not dying from. I don't know if they. I don't even know if it kills the mice or if they just pass it along.

A

If they get infected with the bacteria. I don't. I. I don't believe it kills them.

C

I don't know. So maybe. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't. Doesn't really make much of a difference to the mice.

A

Yeah.

C

Yeah.

A

So. Yeah, anytime. Lyme disease.

C

Maybe they can do that for Hunter, too.

B

Yeah.

A

Fortunately, I'm sure by the time this comes out, that'll be especially true. But I feel like it's left the news cycle.

C

Yeah, I think so, too. And I remember I was first introduced to that, like, I think a long, long time ago in a bathroom, like, in a public. Like a national park bathroom. And I've been afraid of mice ever since.

A

So I think I learned about it

C

in

A

a walk in the woods. I think in the beginning, he's going through, like, all the things that can go wrong on a backpacking trip. And then I know there were some notable cases of hantavirus on the PCT over the last few years.

C

I think that's the bathrooms that I saw it in was like, in Yosemite or something. Yeah. They had some signs up that were like, be careful. Yeah. So, yeah.

A

No, I was able to negatively affect Jenna's perception of mice when I dropped the fun fact that hantavirus comes from mice because she thinks, like, she just sees a cute little critter.

C

I wish I could. They terrify me.

A

Yeah. No, my protective. Especially now with kids, my protective dad instinct comes into play. It's like, yeah, they're cute, but I'm going to kill anyone tries to get close to my house.

C

Yeah, they're diseased.

A

They are nasty. So yeah, that was the Lyme disease update.

B

There's a fun thing happening in the hallway right now where there's a cell phone on the this is inside baseball for whoever knows the layout of our office. There's a cell phone on the water fountain on the loudest volume playing Spanish music. And the door to the bank is open.

C

Yeah, that makes sense.

B

And there is no one in sight. Nor has there been on my way in or out. Door to the bank's wide open right now.

A

Yeah. Just saying to the Trek propaganda portion of today's show. This is a fun one. This is by Livy, who we've featured now a few times on the podcast Grow and Star in Trek land. This is 2026 hiking trends and whether I think they're actually worth it. I think she highlights eight different trends here. I'm just going to touch on a couple because I want you to go check out the article. One of them is sleeping Sleeping Pad Inflators. She argues that this one is one of the best hiking luxury items to come out in years. A tiny 1 ounce device that spares you from hyperventilating into your sleeping pad after a brutal day on trail. Is it worth it? Uh, she was initially skeptical on these and she now swears by them. Have you guys used one in the yes.

B

In 2017 at PCT days there was a contest to inflate a sleeping pad with them and I played nice. I this is one of my more conspiracy esque theories which is that I think that if and this is from someone who like only recently was like I'll, I'll bring an inflatable. I've been taking non inflatable the whole time. But I wonder if there is a benefit in having to blow it up every night because yes, it hurts your lungs and yes you would be swear like you would be saving like some hyperventilating as she says. But does it then strengthen your lungs for your uphills on the next day's climb? That's what I always think when I'm inflating. It is not like I'm doing it the hard way and I'm not against them but instead of getting one I'm like I'm making myself stronger.

A

Yeah, I would not bank on that one. Maybe make a good core workout when you exhale really strong.

B

I don't think it like works your

A

lungs at all when you're I mean, it's mostly the exhaling that you're doing. I think that inhaling would be more of a. Also just like 12 hours of backpacking is probably doing a pretty good job of that.

C

Yeah, I think it'd be. I'm. I use the bag inflator that comes with the Nemo Tensor. I don't know if they come with other ones, but I think this. The inflators would be good for the longevity of your sleeping pad because when you breathe directly into them, you put a bunch of bacteria and stuff into your sleeping pad. And that's where mold comes from. When. If you ever had a molding sleeping pad, it's because you're the like wetness and the bacteria from your mouth. That's a very convincing statement there. Yeah.

A

Yeah. I used one for the first time.

B

Not great.

A

It's. It is really nice.

B

They make it stupid easy.

A

It's. Once you try it, it is tough to go back to being the asshole who's like doing 35 full breaths to full of your fill up.

B

It's like when you use one of those balloon pumps to blow up one of those, like long balloons that they use for balloon animals versus when you try to just blow one up.

A

Yeah.

B

And you're like, oh, this is how it was supposed to work.

A

Yeah. The other one that Livy, or that I'm gonna highlight of Livy's list is Alpha Direct. I'm glad to get her take on this because I've had some thoughts on it myself. She argues that the ultralight hiking community is right to rave about this one, calling it absurdly, absurdly light while still being incredibly warm, breathable, and fast drying. The one caveat she raises is durability. The fabric can feel fragile for the price, especially over months on trail. And she mentions in the piece that she's gotten large holes in hers, which that has been my hesitation with it is it feels like if it. If it got snagged by a thorn of any kind. I mean, probably true for most fabrics, but especially Alpha. Yeah. It just. It also seems like normal wear and tear is just going to eat through that, whereas, like, a more traditional fleece is going to last way longer.

C

Yeah.

B

But if you're doing a through hike, are you looking for something to last way longer or is it like one of those things where you just want it to last? The trailer because, like a puffy jacket, like, if I got a. I got my Ghost Whisperer for the pct, I carried a different one on the at. But when the Trail was done. That thing was freaking shot.

C

But I think the job it should have. Yeah. But I think a through hike is a lot of wear, so you would want something that can like, hold up for that at least the duration of the trail.

B

I'm just thinking like a puffy jacket. Like I would. I. I've gotten a couple holes in the puffy jacket. If I got a couple holes in an Alpha, I think it would be worth the trade off.

A

Yeah. I don't know. Anyhow, I haven't worn it enough to feel strongly about it, but that has been my hesitation with Alpha direct personally. But yeah. Get the full list. Livy's done a ton of backpacking and she's great. Question of the day. I'll let Chauncer this one because this sounds insane. Like something she would.

B

Okay, Zach doesn't understand this one, so I'm going to explain it a little more thoroughly. Would you rather have one raccoon know all of your secrets and occasionally hint at them or one goose publicly overreact to everything you do? Now, to give you the background to the episode, we started talking before the show aired about how this doesn't seem realistic because if these animals could talk, then, like, we're not living in the land of the real. My interpretation of this is that these animals can't talk, but it's like, let's say you were like DMing someone on Instagram or like texting a girl on your phone and you've. You're in a relationship and like, that's naughty. Right? This raccoon wouldn't be like going up to your girlfriend and being like, hey, he's cheating on you. This raccoon would take your phone and just put it on her lap. You know, like something that seems realistic and like the goose, let's say the goose publicly overreacting everything you do. The goose isn't being like, oh my God, this every time you do something. The goose is just like making loud obnoxious goose noises every time you do anything. Like, imagine you make like, like the slightest quip, like the littlest joke. It's not that funny.

C

But just like a big ass.

B

And the thing is laughing and you're like, that wasn't like that didn't warrant that. And it's just following you around, doing that every time you do something.

A

No, a raccoon.

C

You get it?

B

What would you pick?

C

The raccoon.

B

I would pick the raccoon too.

C

This is also very poignant, cuz raccoons remind me of Curtis. So I'm like, yeah, yeah, have a raccoon show up all the time. That would make me so happy. And I also feel like I'm not a super secretive person, so I, I, I pretty much just, like, wear things out on my chest. So if I don't know what it would really be hinting at, but I think it'd be funny.

B

Yeah. I'm not trying to brag that, like, I'm winning the best person award. I don't think I am, but I don't have, like, that dark of secrets.

C

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm getting at too.

B

And so I'm like, like, if a raccoon exposes me, it's going to be exposing me for, like, less frequently than I let on. Yeah, yeah, that's not that harmful.

C

It's all stuff I like, would probably tell you about and have a laugh about it with you.

B

Anyway, so if a goose obnoxiously followed me around, it was just like, laughing at all the wrong times or just, like, overreacting everything. My mental health would go down the drain.

A

You just kill the goose.

B

Right. Well, so that at one. So there's your answer. At one of these animals, you're reacting with death. And one, you're not. You wouldn't kill the raccoon.

A

Why not?

B

Just for handing Jenna your phone.

A

Well, you're supposing that's my secret. What if it's something like he murdered

C

somebody pulling Zach dildos out of his

B

drawer and just leaving them all over?

A

I mean, classic raccoon beads.

B

Yeah. Okay, it could be like that, but I don't know. I think that would be less like I wouldn't. I wouldn't twitch and snap the way I would at a goose honking at everything I do. Yeah, that would really eat at my psyche after a certain point. Okay, Zach's not even gonna have a conversation.

A

Yeah, this one. That one was stupid. Speaking of stupid, I have a stupid thing of the week, which is in my pursuit of now testing as many sun hoodies as possible. It's been slowed because I pulled my hamstring.

C

Ouch.

A

Running a wind sprint with my friends.

C

What's a wind sprint?

A

Just like a race. We were doing a 30 yard dash and, like, I tried to warm up. I did, like, one leg swing, and then we got out of the gate and immediately I just felt something pop.

B

Yeah, when you're saying a dash. Did any of the. Just because I know that this has happened to Garrett recently. Recently.

C

Well, this.

B

It seems like a boy thing were you at by any chance racing to see who was still faster?

A

Yeah, of course.

B

Okay, good.

C

That's.

B

It always checks.

C

Josh often asks me, he's like, do you think you could beat me in a 200 yard dash? I'm like, no.

B

Well, you know any guys, like it was, it was a sort of, it was a sort of a sprint. You're like, you're racing. You want to see what's faster.

C

He always me and I'm like, but I could beat you in a 50 mile run.

B

Gary and his old housemate went to the. They went to a track like one day like they made it fairy boy a thing very wholesome boy. So you did that and you ouched.

A

The bigger issue is now that you can't test this on I. I can hike. So I'm now at a place where I can hike. Also shout out to BBC 157 cuz like my progress is that's like the

B

peptide sounds like a Star wars droid.

A

Every day I can feel myself getting better. But I literally tried to go for a run before the podcast today and I got like 20 yards into it and I was like, no, I can't. And this was 10 days ago. So I'm realizing how much I actually love trail running because it allows me to actually get like a real workout in during the weekday pretty quickly. Like 90 minutes and I feel whooped. Whereas like hiking is now a day hike. It's just too slow for me.

C

Yeah, you have to like go for a long time before it feels like you did. Yeah, a significant.

A

And I don't, I don't have like five hours to dedicate to get to that point anymore. So I'm really, I'm really appreciating trail running. So when I'm healthy again, I think I'll be back with a vengeance. But yeah, hamstring pull.

C

Ten days isn't bad for a hamstring pull though. That's pretty good. That sounds like you're healing pretty quickly at least.

A

I am actually very amazed at like how much how rapidly I am improving like each day. I can feel it. I've also been leaning on AI to give me a little bit of a PT overview, but.

B

Nice.

A

Yeah, yeah, I'm a fucking idiot is the moral of the story. Okay, let's do the triple crown of another thing that I can't wait to participate in the triple crown of gear you can find. That's girly.

B

I'm going first.

C

Go for it. Because inspired by and this is sponsored

A

by Onyx use our code Trek70 to get a 70 discount with a premium plan.

C

And this was. You guys were talking about Cameron a little bit on a an episode a while ago and. Yeah. And she recently posted a story that was like kind of just talking about how it can be hard to find gear that is in fun colors basically.

B

So okay, so when I did the pct, the whole like Casa de Luna Hawaiian shirt there was huge. And then we went to Walmart and I had found a Hawaiian shirt at Walmart or a thrift store, I can't remember where that I kept hiking with. And that was fun. And then when I did the Colorado Trail, I was like, I want a new Hawaiian shirt for this at I want a new Hawaiian shirt. I found one in the kids section at Walmart Colorado Trail. I actually had time so section hiking it to put an effort. I went to rei. They had a bunch of fucking Hawaiian shirts in the men's section, none in the women's. And I know that things. The landscape has changed since 2018, but in 2018 you could not find a single Hawaiian shirt in REI in a women's cut or really any of the other outdoor brands out online. I had to buy. I bought a shirt from Tipsy Elves. It was Crustacean Vacation. It's blue and it has crabs on it and pink. And then I cut apart all the seams and I resoed it to be a woman's fit. And I remember just like being pissed while I did it that it was like where do we not want fun? Do are we not. Do we not also like a Hawaiian print? You know, we don't have one option. That made me so mad. So yeah, I like this triple crown and I agree with what she's saying there. Cuz I've gone through that frustration of it being like it doesn't have to be pink or practical or pink and practical. But like what about the fun prints? What about like the whimsy? What about like the. This is stupid, but it's functional.

C

It's fun to just I think feel fun on trail, right? Yeah.

B

Why. Why is that?

C

Why is that some personal style? Especially when it's an outfit on a through make you're wearing every single day. I got really into like wearing a skirt on the pct. Found one I really loved. Yeah. Same vibes.

B

Yeah. And I'm just gonna say it again. I freaking love that girl's page because it's like I want to go out and wear my mascara.

C

Yeah.

B

And I'm. I don't wear it every day. Even right now. But I just. I love that she's owning herself. Anyway. Triple crown of gear that you can find. That's girly. I'm going first because I don't want this taken by anyone else. And it will be. And that's hiker kind of my girl Chelsea. She came. She was on Patreon with us before she did the Colorado Trail. And she told us how she wanted to go start this company. And she did. And it's freaking crushing it. And it's got the cutest stuff that is both functional for trail and in town. And she sent me a few pieces that I've tried and are great. And I've seen so many people on trail in that dress.

C

I wear my hiker kind dress on the Camino.

B

Yeah.

C

Yeah. You know the thing.

B

That's why it's such cute cut.

C

Yeah. So it isn't. It doesn't come in pink, but it comes in at least green and yellow. I know.

B

Yeah.

C

And it's a cute cut. And yeah, it's very functional, too. It dries really well, which is nice. Has pockets.

B

Yeah.

C

Just helpful.

B

I wonder if brands fear pink because of the pink it and shrink it. You know, where it's like there's a stigma around taking a version of something and just making it pink.

C

I found some cute pink stuff in research for this triple Crown, so I don't know.

B

But any who. Yeah, the dresses are great. The colors are also good. Like, the yellow is a cute yellow. It's not a obnoxious yellow.

A

You want to go le.

C

Sure. I feel like I'm surprised ch didn't take this one, but I was going to say enlightened equipment quilts because you can customize them. I think they have purple, pink, teal. They have a lot of different colors. I think a theme for me might end up being like a lot of the ul customizable brands. But those quilts, you can. You can do a lot with them.

B

I was starting to think about which way I would go with these. Zach's next. But that's the customizing. The.

C

There's a lot of cottage brands that you can. Which does require more time. You can't just get it in town. I have few. There are quick, more quickly accessible. But yeah.

B

Yeah.

A

Going to go with former guest of the podcast Symbiosis Gear from Sarah.

C

Yep.

B

She does you. You said another word.

A

Yeah, I was going to say Katie Jackson is a big proponent of her Symbiosis gear backpack. And she's not backpacking. Very smart about gear. So it's a good endorsement.

B

They do specific, like women's cuts backpacks that are sized.

A

And I think they're all women's cuts backpacks.

B

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. They do specifically.

A

Yeah.

B

Women's cuts backpacks that are like sized and specific to women's body types and shapes, which is cool. I've gotten to try one on and it fits really snug. So that's a good one.

A

Kula cloth.

C

That's a good one too.

A

The original girl equipment stuff and they

C

have all sorts of patterns and stuff. So if you. If you're looking more in like a color category, mindset that they have endless options. Yeah. Nice. Oh, and me again, I'll go slightly different because I think. I'm deciding. Sorry. Customizable packs. Easy Low hanging fruit. But like Nashville packs, Neighborhood packs. Superior wilderness design designs. Exotic packo. I just saw one they posted that was also former guest of the podcast. Janice Joplin is who makes those. And they made this really beautiful, like purple and like floral backpack and it had like running vestile straps. But anywhere that you can get a customizable pack, you can probably get a fabric color that you enjoy and is functional as well. So that's a. Yeah.

B

Yeah. I agree. I. And I like you taking that category in general because we could name each one that does it, but we're kind of the same type of thing.

C

Yeah.

B

So I like that my next one is Cotop Paxi. I think that the multicolor, like style vibe they go with is very fun. And I think it all depends on which one you grab. Like, I would be hesitant to buy online from them because everyone. I've heard something that said, like when they mix together the different colors, like they let the people that are sewing choose which colors to mix together.

C

Temporary. What am I trying to. Words. Yeah, I can't think of them right now. Temporary. Potential glitch. Glitch in the tech or pre plotted.

B

An intentional sabotage. No more.

C

No new guest coast hosts after John

A

taking out of trauma.

C

Graceful.

B

I call that graceful. I just spilled my can of Coke Zero.

C

You fully bonied it off the. Is that the switchboard?

B

What was I gonna do, let the switchboard fry?

C

Yeah, Zach went to move it. I was like, move.

B

I got this.

C

John's

B

okay. Yeah. I've heard that they get to pick which colors they mix together. And so everyone's different because they just get to like.

C

Yeah, pull it.

B

You know, if you order it online,

C

it's just you get whatever you get.

B

But if you're look, if you're getting them in store, like, you can find ones that have like all your favorite colors together. And that for me, is so fun. I've got one windbreaker from them that brings me joy whenever I see it because it's just all my happy colors. So them and then my next one. I'm going a little out of the box on this one and maybe I'll get crucified. But this is gear you can find. That's girly. I'm taking gear to be more clothes than backpacks in this context. And I'm gonna say Abercrombie and you can come at me for that. But they have a line called YPB that I've gotten to try some pieces from. I wore their leggings on the Foothills Trail. I've worn some of their stuff on other trails either as bras or as tank tops. They're durable. They're moisture wicking. They work. And I get that it's easy to be like it's a women's fashion brand. But I will say Abercrombie and Fitch started off in New York as a camping and outdoors company that doesn't really, like, make it anything right now. But their outdoor line is very cute. And I've worn it on hikes that are 50 plus miles.

C

And

B

I say 50 plus because the foothills was 72. But I've worn it on other things too. But I. I have liked their stuff. And it. But it's more. I would say more. It's stuff like, let's say you're not through hiking for six months and you're looking for something to gear up with for that six months. But let's say you like to hike, but you also go to yoga in town and you do walks around your neighborhood park and stuff like that. That would be where I would consider this category is for me, sometimes it's weird to buy so much outdoor gear and spend so much time in town and not on a through hike, because it's like I'm buying for who I want to be, not who I currently am. And I feel like a lot of their stuff functions really well on trail and then also functions really well in the real world. And so if you are at terms with reality and that you are like more of a town person at whatever phase of life you're in when that might happen, it's a. It's a good double up on. I've done it for both. But yeah, whatever.

A

Are there any financial disclosures with that one?

B

No. Because they're not buying anything from me. I mean, if you buy something through my Instagram story with a link that I post, it would be an affiliate. But if it's not that, they're not paying me to say this.

A

Okay. You still have to disclose that.

B

Okay, well, then disclosed.

A

Okay.

C

Through pack.

B

Yes. I thought we're going to be on my list.

C

Nice. Sticking with the customizable.

B

Yes.

C

Stuff, but fanny pack is kind of front and center like on your fit. So being able to choose the colors for that is really nice. Plus, I just. The guy who, like, runs it and owns it, he's awesome. So you're supporting a cool business and yeah. You can customize the color of the pack, the pocket, the belt, and the size.

B

Like the size of the pack and the shape of the pack is huge too. Because I feel like when you're walking, sometimes it like, you know, it slaps

C

if you have a big one.

B

Yeah, yeah, big one. It slaps while you walk. And so when that happens, maybe you would prefer a different shape with less slavage and you got options there.

C

Yeah.

A

Last one for me is Skeeta. Skeeta.

C

I was gonna.

A

I have them on hats. Yeah, I see those every time I go to Trailblaz. I see them especially popping up everywhere. Seem quite popular.

C

And they have awesome patterns.

B

Yeah.

C

And they have. They do buffs and stuff too.

A

Oh, they do.

C

Nice.

B

Yeah.

A

Sweet.

C

Can I do a few quick honorable mentions? Yeah, yeah. I'll do rapid fire through. Looking for stuff for this, I found out Z packs makes an AR call in pink. Not my favorite pack, but I. I did carry an AR call on the entire pct. Um, so it works. But. And they make one in pink now. Um, Light Heart gear makes a duo Sil nylon tent that is pink. Um, you can find it on Garage Grown gear. Sam Bob. Again, you can customize places or I know he has lines that are already have like fun colors pre made. And then frog Togs comes in a bunch of different colors. If you buy them online, it's hard to find them the colors in the store, but they make a pink flower. Pink sets.

B

Really? Wow, that's great to know. I think that's really useful because I didn't know that there were so many that made pink. I've got one honorable mention and that is my good friend Heidi, AKA Sketching Summits. If you haven't seen her art, you should look it up because it's incredible. And she's always at trail days. So if you're an AT person You probably know of her but she just did a collab with Jolly Jolly gear and it's on pre order now so by the time this goes out it might be available for bye bye. But you should look up sketching summits and jolly gear because they took one of her pieces of artwork and they put it on a jolly sun hoodie and I've already pre ordered mine. It's the cutest thing.

C

Cute mailbag.

B

Can you share some tips for backpacking? As a contacts user, I hate hiking glasses and have super high prescription but I'm so worried about getting some kind of eye infection even using alcohol wipes obsessively when putting in and taking out my contacts on a backpacking trip. Would love some advice. Thank you. From Zoe Elise do you wear contacts when you backpack?

C

I haven't but I might in the future so I but I one thing that I will say and then I'm going to pass it on to you if you wear them more would be I recently at the bar gotten a conversation with someone who is a microbiologist, something along those lines that we were talking about Noro actually and how hand washing is actually what gets rid of Noro, not hand sanitizer. And so I think my takeaway from that conversation is if you can pour some water onto your hands from your water bottle and use soap. A lot of the times it's about getting the thing. The reason hand washing works is because it gets rid of the the capsules like of whatever the bacteria or whatever the thing is gets it off your hands. So if you can rinse your hands that would be a big help. I think.

B

Rachel also gave a little note here because I don't. I for me I, I don't like touching my eyes so I wear my glasses and if I'm not wearing my glasses I just guess and Zach, you have.

A

I just got. I just raw dog it.

C

Yeah.

B

So Rachel said I wear monthly contacts, meaning I take them out overnight but they aren't daily disposables. I carry travel size contact solution bottles that I can replace in town that aren't too heavy. I never wear glasses even in normal life, so contacts on trail are a given. I've never had an issue with them or any infections while backpacking and I would not describe myself as obsessive about wipes like that though I definitely should be better about hygiene and this is obviously one person's anecdotal experience. My minor tip is not hygiene related but I sleep with the contact case in my sleeping bag because putting cold contacts on your eyes in the morning is less than pleasant.

C

I never would have considered that. Yeah. And also it freezes. Then you're screwed.

B

Oh my God. Frozen eyeballs.

C

That's a good tip.

B

I can't picture. Can you picture what a cold eyeball feels like?

A

Not good.

C

Yeah. And then it looks like Katie also had linked wrote an article Glasses versus Contacts for Through Hiking by Katie Jackson on the truck and then trail Things I'm not falling for in 2026 contacts by a mechanic. Yes. So maybe more from the perspective of not wearing contacts.

A

And Katie mentions and this is kind of surprising because I feel like most people I know prefer glasses, but she says she prefers contacts. So teach their own.

C

Yeah.

B

Yeah.

A

Five Star. You guys can thank you for the email from Zoe. You can have this your email read on the podcast podcast the Trek Co or go to the contact forum at back to backpackerradio.com 5 star review this is from a historyman 1981/new opportunity. Congrats. Er, congrats are your next adventure on your next adventure. As someone who recently moved from Buffalo Go Bills to Boston, I know the ups and downs of moving. This is a great time to expand the Trex footprint by having your own podcast. Living in another area can be a way to interview a wider variety of people in person. Living closer to the AT can also be a bonus. For more content though the podcast will never be the same. I believe change is important for growth. I will always be a die hard fan. Thank you to History Man.

B

Yeah thanks History Man. That was nice.

A

You guys can have your reviews around this podcast. Just head on over to Apple Podcast and leave us any number of stars.

B

Just not 1, 2, 3 or 4.

A

Screenshot it send us an email podcasthetrack co and we will send you a Backpacker Radio sticker. Shout out to Today's title sponsors. That is elements. Go to drinklement.com trek for a free sample pack with your order. I've been housing the iced tea of late. It is awesome. It's nice as like a morning electrolyte during a workout to get 50 milligrams of caffeine, which is their first venture into caffeine. It's really good. I like it. The lemonade is still probably the one I consume the most of right now. But yeah, element is the jam. If you're sweating a lot, consider getting some element in your life.

B

I still haven't gone past pink lemonade. I I had an iced tea to try it so that I could say that it was good because I wanted to try it to say that. But I still. I haven't taken the nice things out of the box. I just put them back into the

C

box because they sent us, like, a

B

picture and some fun things with it. But I feel like we, like. I've never not liked an element flavor. I've just gone through phases of, like, really liking one, and then I switched to really liking another. And so while I'm in this phase of really liking pink lemonade, I just don't want to leave it.

A

Sure.

B

And I get that they put out iced tea and that iced tea is also really good, but they put out a really good flavor too. Close to another really good flavor. And I'm not done obsessing over pink lemonade first, so. But that's exciting for my summer because that means that I have more to look forward to. So. Yeah. And I. As someone who's not on trail as frequently as I have been in other periods of life, I like to use Element as a drink before bed on a night that I've had some alcohol. I've found that as I get older, my. Not my tolerance, but my threshold for sensitivity around alcohol is smaller. Whereas, like, I'll wake up feeling like shit a lot with a lot less cause than maybe I would have in previous years, which is fucked up. But if I. If I am cognizant about drinking some of this before bed, it really does help the hangover in that Garrett will be miserable and I won't. And, like, we're not going out and binge drinking. I. I will get these feelings from, like, having two or three beers, which sucks. But it is nice to know that if I have one of these, it does help and I can feel confident in that drink.

A

Element.com trek for a free sample pack with your order. Thank you to Element for sponsoring us, as always. And a shout out to Onyx Backcountry. Love that app. I've been using it on my day hikes and trail runs out here when my hamstring permits. Use code TREK70 for 70% off a premium.

C

70.

A

70.

B

Damn.

C

Big deal.

A

Yeah. Elise put together the most recent screen grab of our Instagram story. And yeah, just showcasing how easy it is to build a custom route.

C

So nice to be able to do custom routes to, like, know what distance you're getting yourself into through any given day. That's like, yeah, clutch me.

A

And that 3D feature is really just. It's just fun to look at. I find myself getting lost in the Sauce there. No pun intended, I guess pun intended. Super big thank you to our Bob People's award winners on Patreon, that is Alex and Misty with navigators crafting. Alex kindle, Andrew Austin McDaniel, Bill Jensen, Brad and Blair from 13 Adventures. Brent Mullins aka Kruzy, Brian Allot Babels, Carl Lobster Hood, Christopher Marshburn, Clinton Sitler, Coach from ras, Eric Casper Bry Ghost Eric Hoffman, Ethan Harwell. Done. Jillian Daniels, Greg Knight, Greg Martin Griffin Hay. Would you bring me a beer? Haley Buckingham Palace Jackson Storm Trooper Jared not from Subway. Jason Kaiser. Jason Zach is a little donkey girl. Snailer Nuke, Luke nz, Maddie in Arizona, Patrick C. And C. Randy Sutherland, Rebecca Brave, Rural Juror sawyer products. The St. Louis shaman, Timothy Han Solo and Tracy Trigger.

B

You didn't say Braveheart.

A

Okay, next time, thanks to our guy Paulie at Oldman Murph's Coffee roasters go to ommcr.com get yourself some delicious beans. You can follow us on social at Backpacker Radio and Instagram and Tik Tok and Threads. Right, Elise?

C

Yeah, threads.

A

Are we threading it up threads now? Does it auto post? Is that the deal?

C

No. I mean, no.

A

Oh, because I know there's a setting where you can like every post that you do on one platform.

C

So I put all the, all of our clips go on there for sure. So yes, but and then also we do our like question of the day and triple crowns if you like to participate in those. They go on threads as well. And so do our weekly reminders and like where to find the guests and stuff like that.

A

So you use threads. I don't know if I've ever.

C

I do, I've, I, I've actually started posting more on threads recently, which is like new for me. I, I like, I've always, I've liked to read it for a while now. I used to be a big Twitter person obviously. Then when it became X, I just stopped. But yeah, and then now threads, they've, they've got me with the, the freaking, the like excerpts that they put on Instagram and then they do make them traps for sure.

B

So I think that they're post and then I click them to like scroll the carousel and it takes me to the different app and I'm like, ah, you got me.

C

Well, now I just scroll threads too.

B

So I just can't put my thoughts into like a post of my thought. My thoughts are so cringy.

C

That's might be where the beauty lies. Yeah, it's cool because you can. There's it almost is starting to remind me of Reddit a little bit because they. There's threads you can. That if you're, like, interested in certain things, it'll pop up more.

A

And do they have, like, threaded comments where good votes are good comments get upvoted?

C

I kind of. I think the more likes a response gets, I think it shows up higher. I'm not entirely certain if that's exactly how it works, but like, you can post in a category, basically. So, like, I just posted in CPAP users. I don't know if you have to go and look.

B

Is it like sort of.

C

Yeah, yeah. I don't know if it works exactly the same way, but it's similar. It seems like I'm not an expert by any means, but you're our expert.

B

Yeah. It's more than we know.

A

Subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on YouTube.

B

Hi, Internet.

A

That's it for today's show. Thank you so much for listening and happy hiking.

B

Bye.

A

Come on, Dee. Why are you here?

B

Hear me out, you guys. This whole thing with Frank and the Uber stuff, it's got me thinking. You know, I feel like the only way to truly live life to its

C

fullest is to live it on the edge.

A

On the edge of what?

B

On the edge of life or death. So I went into the Puerto Rican part of town, started making fun of their big fat asses and asked them if they were Dominican.

A

What?

B

Why would you do that? Well, to be fair, I did start with some stuff that was slightly less offensive, but turns out they're a very lovely community, so I really had to. I had to dig deeper, really, really hit them where it hurts. Anyway, they're on their.

A

I've been out walking snow Many miles I've yet to go Never been one that's had to choose but every time

B

I do I find I lose I

A

guess I'm a loser stomping ground A welcome man for the loving crowd I

B

wish that you knew.