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Graduating Army Ranger School and Thru-Hiking After 30+ Years in the Military with Jay “Meat Grinder” France (BPR #303)
In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Atheltic, we are joined by Jay “Meat Grinder” France. Meat Grinder is a thru-hiker, author, and 31-year veteran of the Air Force, having completed 10 deployments and graduated from Army Ranger School in the process. Jay details his military background, including some key similarities and differences relative to thru-hiking, how he used vlogging as a way to stay in touch with his sons on trail, and the hilarious blood nipple origin story of his trail name. Meat Grinder also recently served as a volunteer advocate for Hike The Hill, an annual event where trail advocates meet with U.S. Congress to promote policies and funding that support trails, public lands, and outdoor recreation. Jay offers some important advice for those who want to advocate for public lands, especially relevant in today’s climate.
We wrap the show with the top AT hostels, our triple crown of airplane snacks, and two completely unnecessary improvements to the Appalachian Trail.
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Interview with Jay “Meat Grinder” France
Time stamps & Questions
00:05:42 – Reminders: Take our survey! Say hi to us at Trail Days, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon, and apply to blog for the Trek!
00:09:33 – Introducing Jay
00:10:14 – When did you almost ambush AT hikers?
00:15:25 – Tell us about Army Ranger School
00:20:07 – Did you see alligators in Florida?
00:22:13 – How did you decide to join the military?
00:24:07 – Fuck Marry Kill: Jay’s US assignment locations
00:25:50 – Tell us about being a canine officer
00:29:44 – Tell us about your deployments after 911
00:32:25 – When did you have kids amidst your deployments?
00:33:10 – What were some of the terrifying experiences?
00:35:50 – What do they teach you in Army Ranger School?
00:41:20 – Do you think you could have passed early on in your military years?
00:45:25 – Tell us about hiking the Wonderland Trail in 2003
00:48:25 – Do you have tips for people from the military getting started hiking?
00:49:40 – How did you decide to go on that hike?
00:51:10 – Did you still enjoy the hike?
00:52:30 – What led to your retirement from the military?
00:55:25 – How did you get your trail name?
01:03:00 – How did your family react to your decision to hike the PCT?
01:06:15 – How were the snow and fires on the PCT?
01:15:30 – How did you handle skipping miles due to the fires?
01:20:18 – What was your social environment like on the trail?
01:24:27 – Do you think unplugging was good for you?
01:26:55 – Did you know right away you’d do another thru-hike?
01:29:15 – Did the ranger school prepare you for the CT?
01:34:25 – Are your sons interested in hiking with you?
01:37:25 – Tell us about the Tahoe Rim Trail in 2023
01:40:12 – Tell us about your book
01:43:40 – What aspect of the book have you gotten the most positive feedback on?
01:47:00 – What were some of the mental health challenges you dealt with?
01:54:27 – Tell us about being a Hike the Hill advocate for the PCTA
01:59:38 – Do you have advice for people who want to get involved?
02:05:52 – Where can people go to keep up with you?
02:06:50 – Peak Performance Question: What is your top performance-enhancing or backpacking hack?
Segments
Trek Propaganda: The Best Hostels to Visit on the Appalachian Trail in 2025 by Katie Jackson
QOTD: If you could make one completely unnecessary improvement to the Appalachian Trail, what would it be?
Triple Crown of airplane snacks
Mail Bag
5 Star Review
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Comments 2
Look into taurine, a safe and cheap amino acid supplement.
Wide range of benefits for trekker/long-distance hikers:
1. Improves endurance.
2. Lessens impact of particulate matter through antioxidant mechanism in the lungs ( think wildfires, air pollution, etc )
3. Improves agility, reaction times, coordination ( when combined with coffee/caffeine ).
4. Improves muscle strength.
5. Counteracts negative effects of uv radiation on the eyes ( think high altitude sun exposure).
6. Improves mitochondrial function ( think energy metabolism etc ).
7. Helps with electrolyte and fluid balance through various mechanisms.
8. Helps the body deal with hot environments.
9. Helps the body deal with negative effects of high altitude preventing/minimizing altitude sickness. Helps the body/mitochindria deal with hypoxic ( low oxygen stress etc ).
Nice scientifically studied systemic benefits: cardiovascular, nervous, muscular, organs (kidneys, liver, brain, eyes, etc ).
Cheap, safe, and highly referenced in the scientific/medical literature.
Have a good season.
Neal
Quick addition to the above.
10. Helps minimize skin damage from sun radiation through antioxidant mechanism and increasing skin moisture content.
11. Helps increase/speed up skin and general wound healing though increasing collagen production.