In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by Rolf Gunnar Asphaug.  Rolf's adventuring career started in 1987 when he quit his cushy job as a lawyer, and set off to backpack from Tuscon, Arizona to Portland, Oregon on a route he devised using a Rand McNally road atlas.  We of course go deep into this epic journey- we also learn all about the Colorado Mountain Club, for which Rolf used to serve as the organization's president, his time volunteering for Jefferson Country Open Space and a number of Colorado state parks, and we touch on Rolf's Colorado Trail thru-hike last year at the age of 62.   

We wrap the show with a triple crown of pizza toppings, and we introduce a pair of new segments- what's in a trail name, and listener voicemails!

But first. 

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Interview with Rolf 

Time stamps & Questions

00:04:06 - QOTD: What’s the most uncommon/odd meal you’ve had on trail? 

00:07:24 - Reminders: BPR Sponsorship & Internship Opportunity 

00:10:58 - Welcome Rolf! 

00:11:29 - What was your career prior to getting into backpacking? 

00:15:40 - The start of Rolf’s cross country adventure 

00:16:11 - Did you save up for this trip?

00:19:40 - Did you avoid the interstates? 

00:20:15 - What was hitchhiking like in 1987? 

00:22:10 - Was Zion covered in the Atlas? 

00:23:33 - Raisins 

00:24:10 - How did you navigate through Zion National Park?

00:24:45 - Post-Zion Events 

00:26:22 - Did you ever stay in hotels/motels? 

00:27:25 - How did people react when you told them what you were doing? 

00:28:09 - Passing through Yosemite 

00:29:44: - How do you coordinate meeting up with people on this trip? Pay phones?

00:30:40 - Did you have a specific time frame?

00:31:17 - Did you have awareness of the PCT at that time? 

00:32:00 - Which way did you go up Mt. Whitney?

00:32:26 - Did you have the entire route written up? 

00:33:11 - Were permits needed yet? 

00:33:43 - Did Half Dome have cables then? 

00:36:24 - Do you remember your route through San Francisco? 

00:38:22 - Did you hike in boots? 

00:38:54 - Long Peak Trail Runners

00:40:06 - Was this life changing for you? 

00:40:36 - Did you think you were going back to being a lawyer after this?

00:42:18 - Journaling a thru-hike 

00:43:17 - How did you path shift after this hike? 

00:46:55 - Colorado Outward Bound 

00:53:03 - Rolf’s Trophies 

00:53:45 - Rolf getting creative in court 

00:57:34 - How do you think Denver is doing with mass transit? 

01:00:35 - Rolf’s volunteering experience 

01:01:48 - How did you meet your wife? 

01:06:04 - Tell us about the Colorado Mountain Club 

01:08:11 - What did you do as President? 

01:10:12 - What other classes does the CMC offer? 

01:11:45 - What does the membership go for? 

01:12:56 - How long were you President for CMC? 

01:15:26 - Volunteering for Jefferson County, CO 

01:18:15 - What is bark patrol? 

01:21:54 - How much trash do you pick up on average? 

01:22:31 - Cleanliness of CO parks 

01:25:34 - How many people are employees vs. volunteers? 

01:27:05 - Do you know what parks have foxtails? 

01:28:02 - In which park are you most likely to see mountain lions? 

01:32:00 - Tell us about your Colorado Trail experience 

01:38:18 - Durston Gear 

01:40:22 - Chaunce hiking with Harper

01:42:24 - Leo Fact from Zach

01:43:24 - What was your sobering experience at Cascade Creek?

01:49:20 - Thank you, Rolf!

01:50:58 - Find Rolf on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube

SEGMENTS

Trek Propaganda 

• 8 Things I’m Excited to Do to Attempt a More Sustainable Thru-hike by Rachel Shoemaker

Triple Crown of Pizza Toppings 

What's in a Trail Name?

BPR Voicemails 

• URL: sayhi.chat/bpr

5 Star Review

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