Working Art into a Thru-Hike: Inside the ATC and CDTC Artist Residencies with Mallory Weston & Leslie Boyd (BPR #350)

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, Chaunce and Elise are joined by Mallory Weston and Leslie Boyd. Mallory and Leslie are best friends, thru-hikers, hiking partners, artists, metalsmiths, teachers, and most recently, two inaugural artists-in-residence for the CDTC and ATC. The conversation goes into all things art, including how to best pursue your artistic passions on trail, what exactly an artist-in-residence does, their creative processes, and much more. We wrap the show with how to thru-hike the CDT for less than $5,000, info on the upcoming Denver-area Hiker Meetup, our favorite personal art projects, the triple crown of stimulants, and the best mail bag of all time. Topo Athletic: Use code "TREKWINTER15" at topoathletic.com . Mountainsmith: Use code "TAKEAHIKE" for 20% off at mountainsmith.com . [divider] Interview with Mallory Weston and Leslie Boyd Mallory's Website Mallory's Instagram Leslie's Website Leslie's Instagram Time stamps & Questions 00:05:55 - Reminders : Sign up for the Trek's newsletter , join us for a hiker meetup in Golden , apply to vlog or blog for the Trek , and listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon ! 00:11:56 - Introduction of guests Mallory Weston and Leslie Boyd 00:12:47 - How did Mallory and Leslie meet and become best friends? 00:14:58 - How did you get into metalsmithing and jewelry as an art form? 00:21:07 - What is it like to become a professor, and the pros and cons of academia? 00:30:45 - How did you both get into backpacking? 00:55:27 - Mallory, tell us about your PCT southern border lash 01:00:00 - The Tahoe to Yosemite Trail / Tahoe Rim Trail lollipop hike and karaoke on the PCT 01:08:24 - Tell us about the Grafton Loop Trail in Maine 01:17:22 - Tell us about the Alta Via 1 in Italy and hiking with your husband 01:23:56 - How did you start the artist residency programs with the ATC and CDTC? 01:30:00 - What is an artist residency, and what do the trail organizations get out of it? 01:41:30 - What do the residency workshops entail? 01:48:01 - Leslie's cyanotype art practice on the CDT and the creative process on trail 01:53:36 - Leslie's fundraising cyanotype project tied to border issues and No Más Muertes 02:03:10 - Discussion about National Defense Areas at trail southern termini and how Leslie finished the CDT 02:05:58 - What did you create on trail during your residency, Mallory? 02:12:38 - Advice for artists who want to integrate their creative practice with backpacking 02:23:12 - Leslie's Tyvek ground sheet art project using security envelope patterns 02:30:12 - Peak Performance question: What is your top backpacking hack? Segments Trek Propaganda: How I Thru-Hiked the CDT for Under $5,000 by Katie Jackson QOTD: What's your favorite art project you've ever done? Triple Crown of stimulants Mail Bag 5 Star Review [divider] Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly/ and his coffee . Sign up for the Trek's newsletter Leave us a voicemail!

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Working Art into a Thru-Hike: Inside the ATC and CDTC Artist Residencies with Mallory Weston & Leslie Boyd (BPR #350) is an episode from Backpacker Radio by Zach Davis.

This episode is 03:21:27 long.

This episode was published on Mar 30, 2026.

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