Episode Details

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by RTIC, we are joined by Kathryn Miles. Kathryn is an award-winning journalist, science writer, and the author of five books, most recently "Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders", which is the focus of today's chat. We go deep on everything to do with this case, including the gruesome details of the murders, why this was not a random act of violence, why this case has yet to be solved, who Kathryn believes to be the perpetrator, and much more. A warning to listeners, this one goes into some pretty horrific details on the subjects of sexual assault and murder. If either of these subjects are especially triggering to you, we encourage you to skip ahead to the segments for this one.

We then pivot from rape and murder to the triple crown of ice cream toppings. Typical backpacker radio stuff.

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Interview with Kathryn Miles

• Kathryn Miles Website
• Kathryn's Instagram
• Buy Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders or at your local bookstore

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:23 - QOTD: How was your day today?

00:11:37 - Introducing Kathryn Miles

00:12:12 - What's your hiking background?

00:12:53 - Anything else you want to add about the hiker designations?

00:13:52 - Can you tell us about your journalism career?

00:15:23 - Did you always know 'Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders' was going to become a book?

00:17:01 - Can you give an overview of the case?

00:19:11 - What were the challenges with writing this?

00:21:36 - Do you eventually develop thicker skin towards these stories?

00:22:45 - Going into this project, were you afraid of the side effects others experienced after digging into similar stories?

00:24:08 - Did you have a background or past interest in true crime?

00:25:44 - When you're researching something like this, where do you start?

00:27:40 - How do you focus on the killer when you don't know the killer?

00:29:44 - Amateur sleuthing

00:30:32 - Do you worry about bringing a new potential killer into the story?

00:32:45 - Did you lose your love for the outdoors and hiking after writing the book?

00:35:12 - Did you end up viewing the photos?

00:36:40 - Could you share some more details around this being a premeditated murder?

00:39:58 - What will readers learn through the book that they wouldn't through the police reports?

00:42:01 - What were some of the most interesting things you found in the reports?

00:47:37 - Can you speak to the general safety of the trails?

00:50:37 - Do you think there's anything nefarious with that?

00:53:15 - Are park rangers part of a union