Carolyn Highland is a writer, outdoor educator, and endurance athlete whose new essay collection, The Full Range, is out this October from Rocky Mountain Books — and whose Hiking Poll score of 68 is one of the highest in recent memory, a result she achieved despite having run a 175-mile trail solo, done a 40-mile backcountry loop alone at various points 20 miles from civilization, and submitted a comparable adventure as a risk management scenario to middle schoolers who unanimously agreed it sounded like a bad idea. In Part 1, she and Doc cover the summer she ran the Tahoe Rim Trail in eight solo segments during COVID, the NOLS instructor who changed how she thinks about leadership by admitting in real time that she didn't know the answer, and what happens when you hand seventh graders the full reins on a five-day backcountry trip and just watch. Also: the Katadyn BeFree filtered soft flask, the trail name Carl, candy salad, and what you get when you give salmon a 25-fish personal limit plus 10 per household member.

Part 2 drops in 10 minutes.

Show Notes

About the Guest


Carolyn Highland is a writer, outdoor educator, and endurance athlete based in Anchorage, Alaska. Her second essay collection, The Full Range: Essays from a Life Outside, is published by Rocky Mountain Books. Her first collection, Out Here, was published during COVID. She writes primarily about skiing and the outdoors for magazines including Backcountry Magazine, and has been keeping a journal since age seven. She taught fourth and seventh grade at an outdoor school in Truckee, California before moving to Anchorage, where she and her husband recently honeymooned by fastpacking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites.

What's Covered in Part 1


Trail Name — Carl

Trailblazer's Toolkit — Katadyn BeFree Filtered Soft Flask


The Hiking Poll — Score: 68


The TRT Solo — Summer 2020


The NOLS Lesson — You Don't Always Have the Answer


The Seventh-Grade Student-Led Trip


The Move to Alaska


Links & Resources



  • Carolyn Highland — Website: https://www.carolynhighland.com

  • Instagram: Verify handle before publishing (transcript shows C_Hyland — confirm correct spelling)

  • Substack: Verify handle before publishing (transcript shows Carolyn Hyland — confirm correct spelling)

  • The Full Range — Rocky Mountain Books: https://www.rmbooks.com

  • Fierce Country — Heather Hansman: https://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com

  • Jeff Pelletier — Ultra-runner and fastpacker with a YouTube channel featuring trail running and fastpacking content. Inspired Carolyn and her husband's Dolomites honeymoon run.

  • Protect Our Winters: https://www.protectourwinters.org


Connect with Hiker Trash Radio



  • Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com

  • Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio.


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