Meet the Winner of the 2022 Backpacker Radio Sponsorship!

Earlier this winter, The Trek’s flagship podcast, Backpacker Radio, announced its first Sponsorship program. As part of this, the podcast would hook up one very lucky 2022 thru-hiker with two-on-one guidance, a massive gear package from Gossamer Gear, Enlightened Equipment, Minus33, and Altra, a feature on the Backpacker Radio podcast, AND $1,000 to help supplement the cost of the trek.

We received 64 very heart-felt applications, making it incredibly difficult to pick just one winner.  But alas, we had to choose just one winner.

Introducing Backpacker Radio’s 2022 Backpacker Radio Sponsorship Winner!

Getting to know MG Hibionada

The Trek: Current favorite TV show?

MG: I just finished watching the latest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm — Larry David is a genius.

TT: Favorite Backpacker Radio Episode?

MG: #71 Sarah Jones Decker and #104 Ben Crawford and fam

TT: What got you interested in hiking?

MG: My family and I would do tons of outdoor activities growing up. Hiking stuck with me and I continued it with friends in my adulthood. I quickly fell in love with nature, the welcoming community, and the simplicity.

TT: What trail are you hiking in 2022?

MG: Appalachian Trail, Southbound (SOBO)

TT: Why are you hiking the AT?

MG: I’m hiking to do something fun for myself and to temporarily escape the confines of a rigid and structured life.

TT: What thru-hiking topic are you most excited to learn more about?

MG: I’m interested in learning about how, after hitting a mental wall, people bring themselves back to finish the trail. Also, being a solo female, I’m interested in knowing safety precautions, hygiene maintenance, and pink-blazing.

TT: What do you do for work? 

MG: I work for a mental health agency, focusing on supporting individuals who face homelessness, mental health conditions, and substance use on the south and west sides of Chicago. I support by helping them achieve their goals and regain their lives.

TT: Best book you’ve read in the last year?

MG: Grad school textbooks have consumed the last two years, but the best recent book I’ve read is Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

TT: The snack you will be consuming most often on your hike?

MG: Snickers — chocolate is my ultimate weakness.

TT: If your friends were to give you a trail name today, what would it be and why?

MG: Space. My dad gave me this nickname when I was a kid because my mind would wander to 10 different places at a time and I think my friends would agree that not much has changed.

TT: The part of the thru-hike that you’re most excited about?

MG: Reaching the point where I feel comfortable on trail and building a tramily.

TT: The part of the thru-hike that you’re most nervous about?

MG: Bears and black flies.