Barney “Scout” Mann on the Pacific Crest Trail, “Journeys North,” & the Future of Thru-Hiking

Barney “Scout” Mann has been called “the dean of America’s long-distance trails” and is one of the rare individuals to have conquered the Triple Crown of thru-hiking, successfully completing the 8,000 combined miles of the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails. Each spring for the past fifteen years he and his wife Sandy have hosted hikers starting out on the PCT (more than 7,000 to date) at their San Diego home, providing them with a final hot meal and a bit of encouragement before they begin their trek from Mexico to Canada. So, we sat down with Barney to chat about his deep connections to the PCT and the community it creates; "Journeys North," the memoir he wrote about his own 2007 thru-hike; the future of thru-hiking in America; and much more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Trail names (2:02)
• Scout 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 (12:10)
• Career as a “kind” lawyer (16:05)
• Mastering the art of storytelling (19:28)
• "Journeys North" (20:30)
• His 2007 PCT thru-hike (24:13)
• Vulnerability on the trail (32:43)
• The endurance mindset (42:02)
• The future of the PCT & being a trail advocate (47:10)

RELATED LINKS:

• Journeys North
• Barney’s website
• Blister Summit 2023
• Become a Blister Member
• BLISTER+

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