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🏔️ Exploring Banff, Kananaskis & the Canadian Rockies with Angela & Russ 🐻🥾

In this episode of Hikes & Mics, we’re joined by Angela and Russ—an Alberta-based outdoor couple who live just outside the Canadian Rockies and spend all four seasons immersed in Banff, Kananaskis, Canmore, and beyond. After first connecting on the trail in Banff, this conversation dives deep into what it truly means to live, hike, and adventure in one of the most iconic mountain regions in the world.

Angela, born and raised in Calgary with the Rockies always on the horizon, shares how early family trips—and formative time spent hiking in the Alps—shaped her lifelong connection to the outdoors. Russ reflects on how moving to Calgary transformed hiking from a casual pastime into a way of life, expanding into wildlife awareness and year-round mountain pursuits like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, winter hiking, and mountain biking. Together, they explain how the outdoors became more than recreation—it became home.

We talk candidly about Banff’s popularity boom, how they balance iconic locations like Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Larch Valley with quieter, lesser-known routes, and why Kananaskis Country may be one of the most underrated hiking destinations in Alberta. Angela and Russ also share insider tips on timing larch season, navigating shuttle systems, and avoiding crowds without missing the magic.

Wildlife encounters take center stage—from grizzly bears near the Banff sign to bobcats and lynx wandering through their neighborhood—sparking real-world conversations about bear spray, distance, preparedness, and staying calm in bear country. We also explore uniquely Canadian adventures like bike rafting, where mountain biking meets packable rafts, and winter hikes to the Ink Pots, where geothermal pools steam against snowy backdrops.

The conversation stretches beyond Canada to Iceland, upcoming plans for the Tour du Mont Blanc, and a highly anticipated Mount Robson & Berg Lake backpacking trip—highlighting how global travel deepens appreciation for the landscapes at home.

🎧 Whether you’re planning a trip to Banff, curious about hiking in bear country, or looking to explore beyond the “Top 10” trails, this episode is packed with grounded wisdom, humor, and four-season inspiration.

Episode Links:
Angela on Instagram

This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

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🌋 Geysers, Wolves & the Stories Beneath Our Boots with Micah 🐺🏔️

In this episode of Hikes & Mics, we’re joined by Micah — geologist, educator, and Museum Manager for the City of Farmington, New Mexico — for a powerful, story-rich conversation about geology, wildlife, public lands, and what it truly means to understand the landscapes we hike through.

Micah shares how his love of the outdoors began in Washington State, bivy camping on summits in the Olympics and Cascades with his father, planting the seeds for a lifelong passion that eventually carried him to Yellowstone National Park. Over eight summers and two winters, Micah immersed himself in one of the most geologically dynamic places on Earth, becoming part of the legendary world of geyser gazing — and eventually serving as President of the Geyser Observation and Study Association (GOSA), helping preserve over a century of geothermal data.

We dive into unforgettable Yellowstone moments, including chasing the rare, explosive Fan & Mortar geyser system at sunset with his tight-knit crew, the “Sput Brigade,” and guiding a young girl to her first real-life wolves, when the Wapiti Lake Pack erupted into a valley-wide howl that brought everyone to tears. From there, Micah reflects on his time at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and how learning to tell stories — not just share facts — led him to his current role blending science, conservation, and community through museum and park education in New Mexico.

We also talk about Micah’s viral wolf-pack Instagram reel, the magic of shared discovery through a spotting scope, and why geology, wildlife, and public-lands education are deeply intertwined.

🎧 This episode is a reminder that hiking isn’t just about reaching a destination — it’s about understanding the world beneath our boots, the life around us, and the stories written into every landscape.

Episode Links:
Micah on Instagram
The Geyser Observation and Study Association
Fan and Mortar Geysers 8/12/2014 Eruption

This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

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🎬 Season 13 Premiere — Tina Grimm: From Outlast to Thru-Hiking, Healing & Rediscovering Strength in the Mountains 🏔️✨

For the Season 13 premiere of Hikes & Mics, we’re joined by Tina Grimm — model, artist, thru-hiker, and contestant on Season 2 of Netflix’s survival series Outlast — for a deeply moving conversation about identity, resilience, and the transformative power of wilderness.

Tina shares how growing up with a survival-minded father sparked her lifelong love of the outdoors, and why the trail allows her to show up as her truest, most grounded self beyond cameras, modeling, and expectation. She opens up about overcoming childhood hip dysplasia, how that experience shaped her grit on long miles and demanding terrain, and how time in the mountains became a sanctuary for healing after trauma.

We also explore the emotional and psychological realities of competing on Outlast in the Alaskan wilderness — from team dynamics and inner battles to the unseen moments that never make it to screen — and how that experience changed the way she approaches challenge and trust. Tina reflects on thru-hiking the John Muir Trail with her husband, the lessons from her first solo backpacking trip, and the beautiful intersection of creativity and adventure in her upcoming debut novel, Meet Me in the Mountains — a love-and-nature story rooted in vulnerability, real trail experiences, and personal rediscovery.

🎧 Whether you’re a hiker, storyteller, survivor, or dreamer, this episode is a powerful tribute to courage, community, and the way the outdoors helps us rewrite what we believe is possible.

Episode Links:
Tina on Instagram
Tina on Facebook
Tina on YouTube
GrimmCreationsArt on Instagram
GrimmCreationsArt on Etsy

This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Send us a text

🏔️ Season 13 Bonus Episode — Stephen’s Road to Denali: Blue-Collar Mountaineering, West Coast Peaks & The Power of the Journey ❄️🥾

In this special Season 13 bonus episode, returning guest Stephen takes us inside his relentless, months-long push to prepare for Denali — the highest peak in North America — by launching a full-scale mountaineering campaign across the U.S. West Coast. From expedition-style living on Mount Shasta, steep technical routes on Mount Hood, and a humbling, windswept retreat on Mount Whitney, to a confidence-building summit of Mount Rainier and a powerful solo push on Mount Adams, Stephen shares how each mountain became a training ground for systems, pacing, cold-weather efficiency, and mental resilience.

He reflects on the harsh realities of what climbers call “blue-collar mountaineering” on Denali — heavy sled pulls, back-to-back cache carries, fixed-line ascents, brutal weather windows, and the quiet psychological battles that unfold high on the mountain. Through it all, Stephen opens up about how the experience reshaped his understanding of grit, humility, success, and why the journey often matters more than the summit itself.

We also dive into his training philosophy, non-negotiable gear planning, and the discipline of the 1,000-feet-per-hour rule, along with the lessons he continues to carry from iconic climbs like Rainier, Hood, Adams, Shasta, Whitney, and Kilimanjaro as he moves forward on his pursuit of the Seven Summits.

🎧 Whether you’re a day hiker, backpacker, or aspiring mountaineer, this episode is a powerful look at endurance, vulnerability, and what it truly takes to chase big mountains.

Episode Links:
Stephen on Instagram
Stephen on Facebook

This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Send us a text

Winter trails, fresh stories, and a brand-new season of Hikes & Mics. We’re kicking things off with a special bonus conversation — a returning mountaineer whose journey from the Pacific Northwest to the summit of North America’s tallest peak reminds us what resilience really looks like.

Then we launch into Season 13 with guests who push the edges of adventure and creativity — from a survivalist whose time in the wilderness tested grit and teamwork, and who now brings that same creative spirit into her life off-trail… to an outdoor educator whose path has carried him from the volcanic spine of the Northwest to the desert canyons of the Southwest.

We’ll travel north to the snow-capped landscapes of the Canadian Rockies… hear powerful stories of community and belonging from a group opening the outdoors to BIPOC families… and step into the world of long-distance love stories built mile-by-mile on some of the world’s great trails.

This season also brings reflections from authors, physicians, musicians, founders, and thru-hikers — voices who remind us that the trail is more than a place… it’s a teacher.

Season 13 runs through the winter hiking season — and it all begins December 29th. Lace up… and let’s hit the trail together.

This Season was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Send us a text

🌿 Season 12 Finale: One Year Later with Chickpea — Movement, Mindfulness & Coming Home 🥾✨

For the Season 12 finale of Hikes & Mics, we welcome back Chickpea for a powerful, full-circle conversation—one year after her first appearance on the podcast. In that time, Chickpea has taken bold leaps off trail and in life, becoming a full-time traveler, backpacking and mindset mentor, yoga instructor for hikers, and writer, helping others take their first brave steps into the outdoors.

We dive into a year shaped by long trails and inner work, from Scotland’s West Highland Way to Portugal’s stunning Rota Vicentina Fisherman’s Trail, and her return to the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington—including a deeply meaningful honeymoon hike through the Cascades and Olympic Coast. Chickpea opens up about redefining the idea of home, navigating the tension between constant movement and stillness, and how mindfulness on trail has become the foundation of both her personal life and coaching work.

Along the way, we talk trail curiosities and joys—vino verde and gooseneck barnacles, honesty boxes, birdwatching discoveries, elopement magic, and why Oregon might be one of the PCT’s most underrated sections. The conversation closes with heartfelt encouragement for anyone sitting at a desk dreaming of adventure but doubting themselves—and a reminder that you don’t need to have everything figured out to begin.

🎧 An inspiring send-off to Season 12, this episode is a love letter to curiosity, courage, and coming home to yourself—one step at a time.

Episode Links:
Chickpea on Instagram
Chickpea’s Website

This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Send us a text

🎙️ The Trail Angel With a 7-Course Welcome

This week we sit down with Ben — better known on trail as Paladin — whose story threads together the Appalachian Trail, the PCT, Trans-Catalina sunrises, and a whole lot of good humanity along the way.

From childhood summers tracking animals on his grandfather’s farm to section-hiking the Smokies in college, his path into long-distance hiking runs deep. The AT became home. The PCT became a dream. And somewhere between snowfields and desert rain, a trail name was born from a Western theme song and a code of honor he still stands by.

We talk about postholing misery, trail-family dynamics, the power of kindness from strangers, and how he now pays it forward with legendary Trail Magic — full resupplies, campfires, and multi-course meals for weary hikers.

At the heart of it — legacy, connection, and the belief that moments shared outside can change us forever. 🌄

Episode Links:
Ben on Instagram
THRU-r on Instagram
Hartford County Woodshop

This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

Send us a text

🎙️ The Artist Who Climbs Into Her Own Paintings 🏔️

This week we sit down with Erin — Central Washington hiker, contemporary landscape artist, and the creative force behind Nuwave Gallery — whose journey blends trail time, faith, and art in a way that feels both grounded and expansive.

She shares how hiking pulled her away from the computer and into a decade-long art career, how plein-air painting taught her to embrace imperfection, and how moving from Seattle to Ellensburg opened up a softer, quieter kind of beauty in the hills around Manastash Ridge. 🎨🏔️

We dive into her evolving style (including her signature “breaking the borders” technique), painting snowboards back to life, teaching watercolor + alcohol ink classes, and her upcoming 2026 group trip through Yosemite, Big Sur, and Three Rivers.

At the heart of it all — a deep love for nature, creative flow, and the belief that the outdoors has something to teach us every time we show up. ✨

Episode Links:
📸 Erin on Instagram
🌐 Erin’s Website
🖼 Nuwave Galley Website
✈️ Explore with Erin
📖 Mountain Proverbs: Art & Wisdom for the Adventurer’s Soul

This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys

Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics

AllTrails+
I'm excited to share that I’m now a Trailheads Ambassador for AllTrails+! If you love exploring the outdoors, AllTrails+ is your ultimate adventure companion. Get offline maps, real-time wrong-turn alerts, and trail previews to help you hike smarter and safer. Plus, with 3D maps and deeper trail insights, planning your next trek has never been easier.

Try AllTrails+ free for 7 days, and when you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get 30% off your AllTrails+ membership!

Sign up here: AllTrails+ (promo is only redeemable via web and not the app)

Ursa Minor Outfitters - Inspired by the outdoors, Created by local artists

Go check them at www.ursaminoroutfitters.com and don’t forget to enter the promo code HikesMics10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order.