Virtual Campfire #25: Urban Thruhiking with Liz Thomas + Do Good Shit with Taylor and Thor

👑 All hail the queen, let's do good sh*t. 💩

Part of our #TakeAHikeDiabetes campaign is doing urban hikes around the US to show that you don't have to drive for hours to have an epic outdoor adventure - you can have them in your own backyard. Trails like the Chicago Outerbelt, which are accessible via public transportation, open up recreation opportunities to more folks, which improves community health.

Which leads me to our first guest, Liz Thomas.

Liz is a professional hiker, speaker, and writer who held the women’s self-supported speed record on the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail from 2011-2015. Called a "thru-hiking legend" by Outside Magazine for her innovative urban hikes, Liz has also hiked 20+ long distance trails including the Triple Crown of Hiking (AT, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) and first known traverses of the Wasatch Range and Chinook Trail.

Liz is a former outdoor staff writer for the NY Times/Wirecutter and current Editor-in-Chief for the outdoor web magazine Treeline Review. She's the author of Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike, which received the 2017 National Outdoor Book Award for Best Instructional book with judges calling it destined to become the “Bible of the Sport.”

Learn more about Liz at http://www.eathomas.com and instagram.com/lizthomashiking

Taylor Zehren and Thor Retzlaff are a pair of outdoor enthusiasts and social entrepreneurs that are on a mission to redefine waste. A journey from biological research to a Pan-American overland trip, and a Fulbright scholarship in Argentina, brought Taylor's passions for environmental advocacy and scientific communication into the nonprofit sector. Similarly, Thor transitioned from studying sociology and anthropology in Australia's bush to capturing expedition media at all ends of the Earth, blending his skillset around adventures with purpose.

In 2018, they Co-Founded Do Good Shit - a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to addressing waste management issues in outdoor recreation areas and their surrounding communities. Upcoming project sites include Mount Hood, Lake Tahoe, Chile, Nepal, Argentina, and more!

Follow along at dogoodshit.org and instagram.com/do.good.shit

BOOKS DISCUSSED:

Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike by Liz Thomas (https://www.amazon.com/Backpacker-Long-Trails-Mastering-Thru-Hike/dp/1493028723)

Hiking Waterfalls: Southern California (https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Waterfalls-Southern-California-Waterfall/dp/1493037242)

Hiking My Feelings: Stepping Into the Healing Power of Nature (https://hikingmyfeelings.org/book)