Thru hiker and professional guide Liz "Night Owl" Pfeifer joins Doc in the studio to talk trail and guiding. Settle in and buckle up as Night Owl discusses her 2025 AT thru hike and starting her own guiding business, Trail Dog and Company. Along the way, she shares her thoughts on her superpowers, fanny packs, the Virginia Blues, pack mentality, getting gritty, ugly crying, fancy brunch spots, hiker trash showers, the Six Pack Family, Poet and Hippy Chick, sprained ankles, norovirus, suspected creepers, and the value of new material. Epic. (This is Part II. Be sure to listen to Part I.)

Show Notes

Doc interviews Liz “Night Owl” Pfeifer about earning her trail name by visiting shelters at night, preparing from 2020 to her 2025 AT thru-hike, and managing anxiety before starting at Amicalola Falls. She discusses solo safety perceptions, delayed social media, and finishing after a July 23 ankle sprain in the Hundred Mile Wilderness (summit Aug 26). Liz shares marriage logistics, “new material,” Trail Dog & Company women-focused glam-packing trips (Hot Springs, Damascus, Yellowstone), hiking hacks, book pick “Hartwood,” volunteer causes, and a humorous “be a good girl” dog misunderstanding.


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