Hiker Trash Radio - "I Can't Believe I Actually Made It Out Alive" - Dr. Caroline "Earthcake" Himbert (Part II)

In Part 2, Dr. Caroline "Earthcake" Himbert explains how a baby thru-hiker who had never set up her tent became an ultrarunner and the woman who broke the unsupported women's John Muir Trail FKT, a record that had stood for nearly a decade. She covers her first days on the PCT in 2016, when her hiking partner got heat stroke on day one and she carried his pack too, how she went from cold-soaking thru-hiker to a top-ten, sub-30-hour finish at the Wasatch 100, and what it is like to be coached by Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy, who she watched set records when she was a baby thru-hiker.

If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there — it dropped 10 minutes ago.

Show Notes

About the Guest

Dr. Caroline Himbert, trail name Earthcake, is a German expat and cancer researcher on the faculty at the University of Utah's cancer center in Salt Lake City, following a postdoc at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research focuses on cancer survivorship, mainly colorectal and prostate cancer, and how exercise can improve survival and quality of life. She moved to the United States in October 2015 and thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016, followed by the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. She then moved into ultrarunning, finishing her first 100-miler, the Wasatch 100, in 29 hours and 45 minutes for a top-ten finish and a sub-30 buckle. On the John Muir Trail, she set the unsupported women's FKT in August 2025 in 4 days, 4 hours, and 58 minutes, edging a record that had stood since 2016 by eight minutes. In July 2026 she came back and lowered it to 3 days, 16 hours, and 36 minutes, running northbound from Whitney Portal to Yosemite Valley. She is coached by Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy, and she got her trail name from mispronouncing "earthquake" on the PCT. She is on Instagram at @im_earthcake.

What's Covered in Part 2

The First Days on the PCT

How a Hiker Became a Runner

The Wasatch 100

Coach Stringbean

Why Solo FKTs Bring the Joy Back

The Science Brain on the Trail

Breaking the 10-Year Record

The Eight Minutes — and the Yosemite Crowds

Managing Sleep Deprivation in 2026

Hiking Hacks — Hike Your Own Hike

Off the Beaten Path — Andrew Bentz and The Third Man Factor