Catch Me Outside

Bonus: More lightning talk and an announcement

Last week, you heard Crystal Gravelle tell her story of surviving a lightning strike in Killarney Provincial Park in 2005. While episode 19 only included the story itself, Crystal and I actually spoke about her experience for a little while afterward.
Today, we're releasing the rest of that conversation. If you haven’t heard Crystal’s lightning survival story, you should go listen to episode 19 first. 
This bonus mini episode also features a special Catch Me Outside announcement! 
📍Killarney Provincial Park borders the lands of Point Grondine, Wikwemikong, Whitefish River and Whitefish Lake First Nations.
It is because of the Indigenous Odawa, Ojibway and Potowatomi peoples and their relationship with the land that backpackers like me are able to experience it in such a beautiful, intimate way today.
 
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Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E19: In a flash

Crystal Gravelle was on the second last day of her first backpacking trip in August 2005 when three storms converged over Ontario’s Killarney Provincial Park, peppering the park with lightning.
She and a friend were part-way down an especially technical descent near the end of La Cloche Silhouette Trail in the pouring rain, trying to get to lower ground, when she felt what she thought was her foot exploding. She’d been struck by lightning. She survived, but it wasn’t until the next day she learned someone else struck by lighting in the park that day hadn’t. 
On today’s episode of Catch Me Outside, Crystal will tell her survival story. Then, Steve Jones, an instructor with iRescue training who teaches courses in emergency wilderness survival and first aid. Steve has taught countless backcountry explorers how to mitigate risks in the wilderness, and today, he’ll share some lightning safety tips anyone who spends time in the backcountry should hear. 
📍Killarney Provincial Park borders the lands of Point Grondine, Wikwemikong, Whitefish River and Whitefish Lake First Nations.
It is because of the Indigenous Odawa, Ojibway and Potowatomi peoples and their relationship with the land that backpackers like me are able to experience it in such a beautiful, intimate way today.
 
Episode shoutout
iRescue Training - https://irescuetraining.com
 
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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
 
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E18: Canice Leung returns from the PCT

Friend of the pod and episode 2 guest Canice Leung is back from her long-ass section hike (LASH) on the Pacific Crest Trail. 
Canice covered the first 1,090 miles of the PCT this spring and summer, hiking from the southern terminus in Campo to Lake Tahoe. She saw gopher snakes, rattlers and fruit platters arranged to look like Donald and Melania Trump riding dolphins. She filtered water from questionable sources. She caught the last season of Scout and Frodo’s hiker hosting. She toughed out the desert and walked through the Sierra.
For this episode, she shares the long and gory run down, offers some thoughts on the culture of thru-hiking and gives advice to Canadians hoping to hike the trail. 
📍The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the traditional territories of dozens of Indigenous Peoples, including the Western Shoshone, the Kumeyaay, the Serrano, Washoe and others. To study an interactive map of the territories along the PCT, visit native-land.ca.
 
Episode shoutouts
Montezuma Valley Market
Instagram: @montezumamarket
Facebook: facebook.com/montezumavalleymarket
Indigenous Women Hike
Instagram: @indigenouswomenhike
Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Centre
Facebook: facebook.com/Owens-Valley-Paiute-Shoshone-Cultural-Center-448489985316272/
Website: bishoppaiutetribe.com/owens-valley-paiute-shoshone-cultural-center/
 
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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
 
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E17: The 330-km rollercoaster that is the East Coast Trail

The East Coast Trail is a 332 km end-to-end trail located on the east coast of *Newfoundland. It’s made up of a chain of shorter trails, and can be section or thru-hiked. 
Despite not passing over any mountains, the trail has a total elevation gain of almost 15,000 metres, owing in part to the fact that it passes through many towns, and many of those towns are at sea level. It’s like a seaside rollercoaster. I’ll be honest. This trail wasn’t on my radar until a few listeners reached out to mention it, and the more I learn about it, the closer it moves to the top of my bucket list.
Camping along the trail is free, and hikers do not need to buy any permits. Because it passes near many towns and villages, there are ample opportunities to resupply, take a rest day or bail, if things get too rough. Hikers are treated to dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean, the rocky Newfoundland Coast, sea arches and sea stacks and picturesque villages. 
Ana McBride hiked the full trail this summer with her dog Winnie and a friend. On today’s episode of Catch Me Outside, she shares the highs and lows of her hike (spoiler alert, there weren’t many lows). She also shares some valuable information for anyone planning to check out the east coast trail. 
*The East Coast Trail is situated on the traditional lands of the Algonquian speaking Beothuk peoples. 
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Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E16: Outdoor gear on a budget

Outdoor adventure gear can be prohibitively expensive if you don’t have access to a resource like a gear lending library. 
But with some luck, patience and advice from other outdoor enthusiasts, it’s possible to find the gear you need affordably, and make it last a long time. 
Dionne, Lauren and Caroline from our last episode about the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library put their combined experience together for this episode on buying and borrowing outdoor gear on a budget.
They’re three outdoor enthusiasts who probably have experience in about a dozen outdoor adventure sports between them, including hiking, camping, paddling, skiing and cycling. Together, they run the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library in *Guelph, Ontario.
In this episode, they offer advice on how to affordably and sustainably stock your gear closet, how to get the most out of your gear and extend its longevity, and tips and tricks for maintaining and repairing gear on the go. 
Note: This is the second half of the interview our last episode was based on. If you want to learn more about Dionne, Lauren, Caroline and the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library, listen to E15: Anatomy of an Outdoor Gear Library.
If you want to help support the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library, check out their website bipocoutdoorgearlibrary.com to make a donation or learn about volunteer opportunities.*So-called Guelph, which was given its current name by white colonizers, is situated on the occupied territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabek Peoples.
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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E15: Anatomy of an outdoor gear library

** HEADS UP: The podcast audio for this episode has been reuploaded to correctly refer to Dee, Caroline and Lauren as racialized women, since not everyone identifies as Black. The error in the show notes has also been corrected. Catch Me Outside Podcast (a.k.a. Megan) apologizes for the mistake. This is why it's important not to make assumptions! **Gear libraries have been popping up in communities across North America for a few years now, creating opportunities for people to get outside and go on potentially life-changing adventures.
At the same time, a growing number of organizations is working to make the outdoor community safer, more welcoming and more representative of Black, Indigenous, POC, queer, disabled and otherwise underrepresented folks. 
In Guelph,* Ontario, the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library is doing both, by making gear available for free to people who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Colour. 
For this episode, I’m joined by Dionne “Dee” Daley, Lauren Burrows and Caroline Rodgers, the three avid outdoor adventurers who launched the gear library.
They share their perspectives as racialized women in a white, male dominated industry. They talk about what inspires them, what it takes to get a gear library off the ground, how the library works, who can use it and what they hope the library will achieve. 
If you want to help support the BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library, check out their website bipocoutdoorgearlibrary.com to make a donation or learn about volunteer opportunities.
*So-called Guelph, which was given its current name by white colonizers, is situated on the occupied territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabek Peoples.
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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E14: Dispatches from the Saguenay Fjord Trail

I decided to do something different for this week’s episode profiling the 41-km Saguenay Fjord Trail and Jacques-Cartier National Park, which are both in Quebec. 
Earlier this month, I took a field recorder with me on a 2,200-km road trip to the fjord and back and recorded some dispatches from the trail as I hiked it. I even managed to interview some fellow hikers one rainy evening as we huddled together in a three-walled shelter.
I’ll start this episode with some background about the parks and the trip, and then roll the dispatches. If you listen to this episode and have any feedback, I’d love to hear it. If people like this format, I can already think of some long trails I’d like to cover the same way in the not to distant future. Next time, I'll put a foam windscreen on my field recorder....
As promised, here are the recipes I mentioned in the episode:
Meg’s vegetarian trail burrito:
Ingredients: 
Whole wheat tortillas
Textured vegetable protein
Taco seasoning packet (To taste. You can always add more if you decide there’s not enough)
Dehydrated tomato, red pepper, black beans, salsa, cilantro and green onion (the last two you can find at most bulk food stores) and/or whatever other veggies you want
Cheddar cheese (I use individual single serving packets but choose your own adventure)
BONUS: If you can get your hands on some crunchy fried onion salad toppers like the ones French’s makes, it’s a real clutch move to sprinkle those on top at the end)
Method:
I just combine everything but the tortillas, cheese and fried onions in my pot or freezer bag and add boiling water to it. Usually just enough water to cover all the ingredients. Let it sit for a few minutes to rehydrate, cheese up into little pieces and throw that in. Stir, scoop out onto tortillas, sprinkle friend onions on top and wrap that baby up.
Trail tuna salad wraps:
Ingredients: 
Tuna packet or can
2 mayo and 1-2 mustard packets (fast food restaurant-style)
Cheese
Flower tortilla
Method: 
Mix everything together and slap it onto tortilla
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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E13: The magnificent Sunshine Coast Trail

Ahh, the Sunshine Coast Trail. At 180 kilometres, and with at least 14 huts, it’s Canada’s longest hut-to-hut hiking trail.
The trail stretches along the coast of British Columbia, from Desolation Sound to Saltery Bay, through a region separated from the rest of B.C. by several fjords, and only accessible by boat or plane. It traverses a wide range of landscapes, passing along coastal shorelines, creeks and lakes, through old growth forests and logging clear cuts and up over mountains. Its total elevation gain is 6,000 metres, which is more than the height of Mount Kilimanjaro. 
It’s situated on the traditional territory of Tla’amin Nation, which is also the namesake of some of its features, like the anglicized Sliammon Lakes. 
This episode’s guest is Greg Zolob, who hiked the full trail last summer just before I hiked it. Greg offered a lot of very helpful advice as I was planning my hike, so it seemed fitting for us to sit down, share stories from our hikes and profile the trail for other prospective hikers. 
Today’s episode covers:
Megan and Greg's 2021 hikes
What to expect on the trail
Resources for planning a hike
How to get to Powell River and to the trailhead
Megan and Greg’s favourite huts
Water availability
Resupply strategies
A rousing game of "Would you rather...?"
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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E12: Captain Kyla’s never-ending adventure

If someone invited you to leave everything behind and go on the adventure of a lifetime — one that might never end — would you accept the invitation?
During a vacation in Panama in 2013 that was supposed to last a few weeks, Kyla Fuller met someone who was preparing to sail across the Pacific Ocean to Australia and needed a crew member. He invited her to join.
Without ever returning to her apartment in Ottawa and carrying little more than her passport, wallet and two weeks worth of possessions, she accepted.
Kyla had no sailing experience then and had never even considered that life on the sea could be an option for her. Since then, the ocean has become the foundation for her life and career. She’s worked on boats in Japan and Australia, circumnavigated the planet in a sailboat, almost died several times and discovered the things that are most important to her. 
On this episode of Catch Me Outside, Kyla and I talk about how she got here, the sacrifices she’s made to live this life, and why it’s all worthwhile. 
Other highlights of this extra long, special episode include: 
Encounters with pirates 
Accidentally being towed by a shark 
Almost being crushed by her own mast 
Being stranded at the Panama Canal during the early days of the pandemic
Falling in love
Managing Crohn’s disease on the ocean
How to afford living on a boat
How living in a boat can teach a person how much they really need
Kyla’s tips for preserving fruits, veggies, eggs and cheese 
Just a note: We recorded this interview in two sessions over different days, so don’t be confused if references to recording dates or locations are a little off. 
Contest
Congratulations to Colton J., who won last episode's contest and will soon be the proud new owner of a CuloClean portable bidet! 
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If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs 

E11: Pits and bits

On today’s episode of Catch Me Outside, another winner for crassness and potty humour, I sit down with my backpacking friends Nicole Dubeta - who has thru-hiked the PCT and the GDT — and Erica Stern, who practically lives in the Ontario backcountry. 
Together, we get to the bottom of bodily functions in the backcountry. 
Specifically, we cover:
What goes in a hygiene kit 
Poop and pee best practices, especially for those of us with internal plumbing 
Our favourite tricks for a comfortable backcountry toilet experience
Managing periods, period cramps and hormones on trail
Keeping your bits clean
Bras, underwear and chafing 
And we finish strong with a passionate Lincoln-Douglas-style debate about backcountry bidets: keep em or flush em?
Contest
Throughout this episode, you’ll hear at least 10 different poop puns. The first person to list five of them for me will receive a free (brand new, never opened) CuloClean Portable Bidet.
Just list them in a direct message to the Catch Me Outside Podcast Instagram account or email catchmeoutsidepod@gmail.com.
Like, rate, review and follow
If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review and follow @catchmeoutsidepodcast on Instagram and TikTok and like the Catch Me Outside Podcast Facebook page.
Music
Yaki Tori and Mango by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/-yaki-tori
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/oZ0U4Q5epUs