By Land Podcast
This podcast is about learning how to have better backcountry experiences and understanding why spending time outside matters in the first place.
I have conversations with people from diverse outdoor backgrounds to learn from them and hear their personal stories. I cover everything from backpacking, hiking, hunting, conservation, and outdoor skills to the broader role the outdoors can play in our health, perspective, and everyday lives.
Thanks for listening!
-Emory, By Land
By Land Podcast
#32 - Saving Our Trail Systems with Clay Jacobson
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Clay Jacobson is a thru-hiker who works with the Idaho Trails Association and helps manage the coordination of the Idaho Centennial Trail (which he hiked not too long ago). In this episode, you'll hear about Clay's personal story of how he got into long-distance backpacking and why he's now focused on saving as many miles of trail as possible. We cover the current state of trails in the US, how they're funded and maintained, and why there are sometimes thousands of miles of trails disappearing each year.
Show Notes and Links
- Who is Clay Jacobson?
- How Clay got into Thru Hiking and his background with backpacking (this is a good one)
- Training for a Thru-Hike
- How Clay’s education in literature impacted his desire to adventure
- How each trail Clay has done has prepared him for the next one
- Clay’s experience on the Idaho Centennial Trail
- The state of trails in the US: how they’re maintained, funded, and cared for.
- What happened between the time trails were established and where we are today?
- Trail organization
- How are other outdoor organizations communicating their “value” to receive funding for trail maintenance
- What it means when trails disappear; is it always a bad thing?
- National Trails Day - how to get involved in keeping trails open and clear
- How a trail crew works!
- How to reach the Idaho Trails Association or other trail organizations
- (bonus info on the Idaho Centennial Trail)
- Idaho Trails Association - http://www.idahotrailsassociation.org/
- Washington Trails Association - https://www.wta.org/
- National Trails Day - https://americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/
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