
Dark Miles - The Permanent Tramily with Ben "Paladin" Cox
From Hiker Trash Radio by Doc, Bleav
May 25, 2026 · 16 min · Season 11
About this episode
Ben Cox shares his lifelong journey of hiking and the concept of carrying a permanent tramily with him through his experiences of loss and adventure.
Ben Cox has been hiking his whole life. Long distance. Alone. He will tell you he hiked for the adventure. He will also tell you that he never really hiked alone — that he carries a permanent tramily with him everywhere he goes. His grandfather, who died when Ben was 15 and left him a saddle, a skinning knife, and a specific rifle because Ben was his cowboy grandchild. The girl in West Texas who passed that same summer. The others who came after. The Permanent Tramily is the story of a man who accumulated loss across his whole life — at 15, in the years after, and in a relationship that ended just before he bought a plane ticket to San Diego and hiked 2,650 miles north. It’s also the story of what he found on the other side. Dark Miles is a narrative documentary series from Hiker Trash Radio.
People in this episode
Hosts: Doc, Bleav
Guest: Ben Cox
Topics covered
- long distance hiking
- personal loss
- tramily
- adventure
- narrative documentary
Keywords
- hiking
- tramily
- loss
- adventure
- documentary
- Ben Cox
- West Texas
- San Diego
Mentioned in this episode
Places: West Texas, San Diego
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