HikeStrong Podcast

In this episode, Michele shares how one miserable backpacking experience in Yosemite — a trip that began with a rolled ankle and a 5,000-foot descent — nearly pushed her away from backpacking altogether. But instead of giving up, she decided to try again. With structured training and a clearer understanding of how to prepare for a heavy pack, she returned to the trail for a four-day trek in Death Valley and had a completely different experience. Michele talks about rebuilding confidence in mi...

When Hilary and her daughter Alexis signed up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, they each trained on their own schedule but stayed connected through shared goals, encouragement, and a deep commitment to see the journey through together. In this first half of their story, Hilary shares how her customized training plan—and especially the lunge progression—transformed the knee she’d struggled with since ACL surgery, leaving it stronger and more stable than it had felt in years. Alexis talks about some...

I had a pretty ambitious goal going into this conversation with my client, Lisa. The idea was to cover all 20 weeks of her Tour du Mont Blanc training plan, and my hope was that each week you’d learn something you could apply to your training — or at least walk away with a little inspiration. And the good news is — it turned out great. I’d never done this format before, and it ended up becoming a two-part series. Part 1 focuses on Lisa’s base training phase — the foundation that built her str...

Most travelers walk away from a guided trip thinking, “That was amazing”—but they have no idea what it actually took to make it feel that way. In Part 2 of my conversation with former REI Guide of the Year Chris Anderson, we go behind the curtain to uncover what guides really do: How REI tried to flip the script and treat guiding as a real career—and why that model didn’t surviveThe long hours, behind-the-scenes prep, and emotional labor that guests never seeThe broken tipping culture—and why...

In this exhilarating episode, I talk with Alex Harz, creator and star of the captivating documentary "The Quest Everest." Alex shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories of his meticulous year-long training regimen, intense mental preparation, and unforgettable experiences climbing from Lukla to the summit of Mount Everest. Listen in as Alex reveals: The surprising challenges he faced, including unexpected toe injuries and the infamous "Khumbu cough."The reality of the Everest climb—navigati...

I’ll never forget the email that landed in my inbox last November. “Failure isn’t an option,” Trudy wrote. “How do I get in tip-top shape for a 30-day Upper Dolpo trek?” Fast-forward five months: Trudy—67 years young and 88 pounds lighter—had logged almost 275 miles and 94,000 feet of elevation gain training, half of it on real stairs and mountain trails, the rest on treadmills between deadlifts and trap-bar sessions. She showed up in Nepal ready for twelve high passes (six over 16,500 ft, to...

On today’s episode of the Hike Strong Podcast, I'm talking with Matthew, who shares his inspiring journey from feeling unhealthy and unmotivated to successfully completing a Kilimanjaro summit—his very first multi-day trek. Matthew used my FREE 12-Week Hiking Training Plans from FitForTrips.com to get fit, lose weight, and build the essential leg strength needed for steep descents, rocky terrain, and intense stair sessions. You'll hear firsthand how structured, realistic training helped Matt...

I sat down once again with Will Burkhart, founder of Badass Adventures, to dive into a new topic: non-technical high-altitude mountaineering. Will was my very first guest on this podcast, and his episode on Rim to Rim hiking is a must-listen for anyone tackling the Grand Canyon in a single day. But today, we’re going even higher! We define non-technical high-altitude mountaineering as climbing between 14,000 and 19,400 feet without the use of ropes or belaying. Will has created a tiered appro...