Fancy Feast 2.0: Drinking "Pig Water", Hiking Through Poodle-Dog Bush, and Trail Work with the PNTA (BPR #342)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by LMNT, we are joined yet again by our pal and Hall of Fame trail name holder Marla Davidson, better known as "Fancy Feast". Fancy Feast is a wealth of knowledge and unfortunate and embarrassing stories. She shares a nasty medical mishap involving poodle dog bush on the PCT, we look back at her time with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, where she and other "malnourished minors" subsisted on moldy bread and Sriracha, which was presented as a vegetable. Fancy Feast gives us an overview of her 2024 calendar hikes of the PCT and CDT, her experience navigating the Hayduke Trail with Horsepower (former guest) after he convinced her with a PowerPoint presentation, and the hilarious mismatch in hiking styles from this somewhat random pairing. She details what it's like being a PNTA crew lead, and the challenges associated in light of funding cuts and crews being reduced to a skeleton staff. Feast also shares standout stories from her international travels, including a "pig water" disaster in the Andes, her time at the Green Mountain Club with a persistent bear that turned her food box into a rolling pinata, and her hot takes on thru-hiker "main character energy" and entitlement. We wrap the show with whether we'd rather have three butt cheeks or just one, the triple crown of mild yet particular icks or phobias, and the news of how one Hayduke hiker got caught in quicksand. Yes, really. LMNT: Get a free sample pack with any order at drinklmnt.com/trek . [divider] Interview with Marla Davidson aka Fancy Feast Fancy Feast's Instagram Backpacker Radio 122 | Hot Ones & Fancy Feast Time stamps & Questions 00:05:05 - Reminders : Apply to vlog or blog for the Trek , apply to be a Trail Correspondent , listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon , and

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Fancy Feast 2.0: Drinking "Pig Water", Hiking Through Poodle-Dog Bush, and Trail Work with the PNTA (BPR #342) is an episode from Backpacker Radio by Zach Davis.

This episode is 03:28:03 long.

This episode was published on Jan 26, 2026.

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