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Backpacker Radio #31: Justin “2Taps” Helmkamp on the Te Araroa and Wilderness Therapy Guiding
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, we’re joined by Justin Helmcamp, aka Two Taps, who was kind enough to extend his layover in Denver to record this show. We chat about his Flip Flop thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, his hike on New Zealand’s Te Araroa, and his work as a wilderness therapist. We do a patent pending. And we commence the #ChaunceDontChafe hashtag.
Subjects discussed in today’s show include:
- Recorded at Wayfinder in Denver
- Gossamer Gear Anniversary Video
- Use code “TREK15” at GossamerGear.com to save 15%
- Sawyer Permethrin
- Sawer Micro vs. Sawyer Squeeze
- Use code “thetrek” at us.foursigmatic.com (use that link) to save 15%
- Use Code “trek10” at Greenbelly.co to save 10% off your order.
- Chaunce is on the AT. Will still be co-host of the show, but will miss some episodes this year.
- Justin “2Taps” Helmkamp
- Te Araroa
- Oregon Desert Trail
- His Gear
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Shelter: Hyperlite Mountain Gear echo II tarp
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Quilt: EE Enigma Apex 30 Synthetic
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Footwear: Lone Peak 4, Bedrock Sandals
- HIKE for Mental Health
- The History of the Pacific Crest Trail by Kenny Howell
- Myron Avery: The Bully Who Built a Trail by Geoff Hutton.
- Patent Pending!
- Mailbag
- 5-star reviews
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A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Michael W Hinkley, S11N, Sawyer Products, and Travis Smith
A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Gregory Gardner and Peter Leven
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Comments 2
Good show, as usual.
Re critters for Chaunce to worry about. In my opinion, there are really only two: black-legged (aka deer) ticks and the norovirus.
In answer to murder vs. death by bear: As I wrote recently right here on The Trek, statistically speaking, you are about 60,000 times more likely to be murdered by a human than killed by a bear, overall.
Re chafing: Chaunce, I’ll be impressed if you *don’t* get some chafe, somewhere, sometime while on the AT. Keeping hydrated is the best preventive measure, IMO. Once you have it, here is the miracle cure I learned from Yogi (that actually works): pack a tube of Vagisil. Slather it on the affected areas. It’ll sting for about 30 seconds, but then, ahhhhhh…. it’s got an analgesic effect and, in my experience, clears up even the worst case of chafe overnight.
If you wind up having areas that chafe regularly, I found that covering the area with some Leukotape often helped. This might not work on, say, your upper thighs, but it definitely protected the small of back, for example.
Looking forward to hearing all about your hike, Chaunce.
~Pony (AT’16; CT’15; Foothills Trail’18; Alabama Pinhoti Trail’18)