Episode Details

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio, presented by The Trek, we are joined by Ben Crawford of the Crawford Family. In 2018, Ben Crawford, along with his wife Kami, and their six kids, ages between two and sixteen years old, thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. We learn all about the unique challenges of this undertaking, including how to keep kids spirits high when hiking in snow for over a month, what their gear system looked like, and how they handled a very mixed reception from the online hiking community. This conversation also takes some wlid turns including how Ben and Kami were excommunicated from their Christian Missionary group, how he hit the jackpot as a blackjack card counter, and why he doesn't school his kids (either in the traditional sense or with homeschooling).

We wrap the show by announcing the winners of our big episode 100 giveaway, we have a triple crown of villains, and we get some horse facts, llama edition.

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Check out Hikerlink.co to connect with hiker trash past, present and future.

Interview with Ben Crawford

• Instagram
• Youtube
• 2,000 Miles Together (Book)
• Their AT documentary
• Holy Rollers: The True Story of Cound Carting Christians

00:04:41: QOTD: What is your favorite crossfit lift?

00:10:00 - Welcome Ben Crawford of the Crawford Family

00:10:14 - Give us the full breakdown of how you got started on the AT

00:12:04 - Does the government have it's own branded peanut butter?

00:14:00 - Did you have a family to look up to before starting the trail?

00:16:10 - Can you do a run through of the kids and their ages?

00:17:56 - Are you and your wife still religious?

00:18:46 - Why were you excommunicated?

00:20:15 - When you were excommunicated did you lose all of your friends? Or did you have friends outside the church?

00:21:25 - What led you to start questioning what was happening around you?

00:24:50 - When did you make the leap from realizing your kids were physically capable to deciding to hike the AT?

00:28:31 - When did you start the trail and when did you plan to finish?

00:29:20 - Can you tell us how cold it was in March when you started?

00:30:41 - What were the hikers around you saying seeing a family that big with temperatures that low?

00:32:14 - Were the kids carrying their own gear? What was your overall gear system and setup?

00:33:20 - What tent did you have for the kids?

00:37:30 - What is your strategy for keeping morale up for the whole family?

00:40:28 - What was your parenting style that created adventurous, outdoorsy kids?

00:44:20 - Is there any scienc