Walking the Length of the Americas: Culture Shocks, Risk Mitigation, and Her Security Dog with Lucy Barnard (BPR #335)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we're joined by Lucy Barnard. Lucy, along with her pup Wombat, has walked from the southern tip of Argentina all the way through the Great Divide Trail in Canada, and she'll be picking up the final leg of this monster journey — through northern Canada and into Alaska — later this winter.

We get into what compelled Lucy to take on such an audacious mission, especially given that she had virtually zero long-distance hiking experience beforehand. She shares some truly wild stories from the trail, including being held at gunpoint by cartel members, what it's been like navigating this trek with a dog in tow, the extra hoops that come with that, the overwhelming kindness she's encountered from strangers along the way, and plenty more.

We wrap the show by highlighting a 140-mile in Portugal that belongs on your bucket list, how a thru-hiker staple might be giving us all mercury poisoning, movies we definitely don't recommend, the triple crown of embarrassing foods, and the lazy person's guide to making your own dehydrated meals.

Gossamer Gear: Check out the Type II collection at gossamergear.com.

Ka'Chava: Get 10% off at kachava.com/backpacker.

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Interview with Lucy Barnard

• Lucy's Instagram
• Lucy's Youtube

Time stamps & Questions

00:3:00 - Reminders: Apply to blog for The Trek, subscribe to our Youtube channel, Apply to VLOG for The Trek and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!

00:07:10 - Introducing Lucy

00:10:00 - High Low Buffalo

00:14:40 - Discussion about nutrition

00:16:34 - How do you resupply Wombat's food?

00:18:45 - How did you get Wombat?

00:23:35 - Is Wombat a good security dog?

00:41:16 - What is your concern about sharing stories about risky times?

00:47:00 - Did you consider quitting the trail after that?

00:50:20 - Discussion about culture shock and language expressions

00:53:03 - What were you doing before this hike?

01:02:00 - What was your hiking and traveling experience prior to this hike?

01:06:20 - Were you nervous when you started the trip?

01:09:05 - What created your desire to do this?

01:14:00 - Discussion about people from other countries interested in hiking in the US

01:19:07 - Discussion about deworming

01:21:30 - What is in Wombat's first aid kit?

01:23:30 - Do you have a standout animal encounter story?

01:30:20 - How much of the trip is a logistical puzzle versus physical challenge?

01:33:50 - How have you managed family and friend relationships during this hike?

01:38:20 - What is celebrity and fame like in Australia?

01:42:30 - Why do you think this journey is going slower than you expected?

01:49:15 - How do you balance accepting good advice with not getting overwhelmed?

01:52:40 - Tell us about your overall route thus far

01:56:00 - Discussion about Lucy's navigation app

01:58:15 - What due diligence do you do ahead of time to make sure you stay safe?

02:02:00 - Lucy's stories about providing trail magic

02:04:50 - Tell us more stories about being integrated with the locals

02:13:25 - Tell us about Wombat getting sick from eating crabs on the desert

02:15:08 - Tell us about the Great Divide Trail

02:20:15 - What was your hardest day on this experience?

02:26:30 - How can listeners support your journey?

02:27:20 - What is the future of the journey going to be like?

02:35:00 - Where can people go to keep up with you?

Segments

Trek Propaganda:

• Apply to be a Vlogger for The Trek
• The Fisherman's Trail: A 140-Mile Luxury Thru-Hike in Europe (Complete 2026 Guide) by Chickpea
• Could This Thru-Hiker Staple Give You Mercury Poisoning? By James Townsend
• Ultralight Quilt Comparison: Enlightened Equipment Revelation vs. Katabatic Alsek vs. UGQ Bandit by JT Simmons

QOTD: What are movies you definitely don't recommend to people?

Triple Crown of embarrassing foods

Listener Voicemail

Mail Bag

5 Star Review

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