Stalked by a Mountain Lion, a 25-Foot Fall in the Sierra, and Canoeing 2,400 Miles Down the Mississippi with Matthew "Masochist" Hengst (BPR #362)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we are joined by Matthew Hengst, aka Masochist, an IT-professional-turned-full-time-adventurer who over the past eight-plus years has racked up 20,000 miles hiked, nearly 3,000 miles paddled, 2.5 million feet of elevation climbed, and somewhere north of 300 diving sessions across multiple continents.

Masochist walks us through canoeing 2,400 miles down the Mississippi, the time he fell 25 feet in a remote part of the Sierra and laid there for 15 hours waiting for a helicopter, catching COVID and norovirus back to back at 12,000 feet on the CDT, navigating stealth camping across rural America, terrifying encounters with dogs, and his favorite parts of the Eastern Continental Trail. Matthew also makes a strong case for why the Florida Trail and the Condor Trail are two of the most underrated long trails, and explains why he has no plans to stop adventuring anytime soon.

We wrap the show with the devastating news that Timberline Lodge has ended its breakfast buffet, debating whether poop pees count as full pees, a sun hoodie review on a product that's maybe not a sun hoodie, the triple crown of words for penis (with Chaunce publicly soliciting micropenis photos), and the best way to move legos across the country.

Topo Athletic: Use code "TREK15TOPO" at topoathletic.com.

Gossamer Gear: Use code "BACKPACKERRADIO" for $20 off LT5 Trekking Poles at gossamergear.com.

OnX Backcountry: Use code "TREK70" for 70% off at onxmaps.com

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Interview with Matthew "Masochist" Hengst

• Matthew's Youtube
• Matthew's Instagram
• Matthew's Website

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:45 - Reminders: Apply to vlog or blog for the Trek, subscribe to The Trek's Youtube, join us for Chaunce's live podcast sendoff, and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:11:15 - Introducing Masochist

00:13:10 - Tell us about your life prior to backpacking

00:19:00 - Tell us about your spreadsheets

00:23:14 - Did you grow up in the outdoors?

00:24:40 - Tell us about your relationship

00:30:00 - Tell us about your major injuries

00:36:32 - What's the closest you've ever been to death?

00:38:45 - How do you describe yourself?

00:40:00 - What adventure have you done that gets people the most excited?

00:42:00 - Discussion about paddling the Mississippi River

00:48:20 - What's the elevator pitch on floating the Mississippi River?

00:53:30 - How do you decide what your next trip should be?

00:55:30 - Tell us about the Theodore Solomons Trail

00:59:00 - What's the Desert Trail Border?

01:00:50 - Tell us about the Condor Trail

01:03:00 - What are your tips for stealth camping?

01:06:40 - Did Florida put a bad taste in your mouth when starting the ECT?

01:11:20 - Discussion about bad water in eastern Colorado

01:15:20 - Is there more to why you liked the Florida Trail?

01:18:55 - Tell us about the ECT after Katahdin

01:26:00 - Discussion about dog attacks while thru-hiking

01:30:30 - Why'd you hike the Lone Star Trail?

01:34:25 - Are there any underrated trails you're excited about?

01:37:30 - What are some singletrack loops in California?

01:42:20 - What's your elevator pitch on the San Diego Trans County Trail?

01:44:20 - Did the CDT feel easy?

01:48:00 - What are your go to animal encounter stories?

01:55:20 - Tell us about hiking through extreme weather

01:56:30 - How do you maintain the fun element through all of your hikes?

02:02:40 - Give us your highlights and lowlights from the American Discovery Trail

02:10:50 - Tell us about your health issues in 2025

02:15:55 - Do you ever take time off trail to recover and rest?

02:20:30 - How did you pick the Australian trails you've done this year?

02:28:00 - Have you ever considered bikepacking?

02:29:30 - Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?

Segments

Trek Propaganda: Timberline Lodge Ends Breakfast Buffet Popular With Generations of PCT Hikers by James Townsend

QOTD: Do poop pees count as full pees?

Sun Hoodie Review: Fjällräven Abisko Wool Hoodie

Triple Crown of words for penis

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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