
What Happens When the Record Slips Away, with Liz Derstine
From Free Outside by Jeff Garmire
March 29, 2026 · 1h 9m
About this episode
Liz Derstine discusses her Pacific Crest Trail effort, the challenges of pursuing a record, and the intersection of hiking and music.
Liz Derstine is back on the podcast to talk about her self supported Pacific Crest Trail effort, the highs and lows of going after a huge goal, and the film that came out of it, Ridgeline. We get into brutal desert heat, night hiking, trying to balance daily trail updates with an FKT effort, and what it feels like when a record starts slipping away but you keep pushing anyway. We also talk about the music side of Liz’s life, how she helped shape the soundtrack of the film, what it is like to write for an orchestra, and why hiking and creating art might not be as different as they seem. This one is about follow through, vulnerability, and going for something big even when there is no guarantee it works out. Watch Ridgeline on the Mountain Hardwear YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSWTddKCbf4 Follow Liz online: https://www.instagram.com/pinkfeathers/ Support our Sponsors: Sawyer: https://sawyerdirect.net/ Janji (code: Freeoutside): https://snp.link/a0bfb726 CS Coffee: CSinstant.coffee Garage Grown Gear: https://snp.link/db1ba8ab Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside Buy my book…
People in this episode
Host: Jeff Garmire
Guest: Liz Derstine
Topics covered
- Pacific Crest Trail
- self-supported hiking
- record attempts
- art and hiking
- vulnerability
- music composition
Keywords
- Pacific Crest Trail
- Liz Derstine
- Ridgeline
- FKT
- hiking
- music
- art
- vulnerability
- desert heat
Sponsors
Sawyer, Janji, CS Coffee, Garage Grown Gear
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mountain Hardwear
Books & works: Ridgeline, Free Outside, movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail
More episodes of Free Outside
- An Unsolved Outdoor Mystery · June 12, 2026 · 1h 1m
- From Barkley Crew to Professional Trail Runner: Jade Belzberg · June 8, 2026 · 1h 5m
- The FKT That Took Bob Stewart 3 Tries to Finish · June 5, 2026 · 1h 7m
- Rory Linkletter on the Olympics, Social Media, and the Future of Running · June 1, 2026 · 1h 27m
- Sage Canaday on Competition, Content, and the Future of Running · May 29, 2026 · 1h 9m
- The Mental Side of Ultrarunning | Lauren Jones on Failure, Hallucinations, and Hard Things · May 25, 2026 · 52 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Free Outside podcast page.