Bailey "Snake" Christopher walked 10,000 miles on nine trails in two years, and it started with a snake on his foot that he couldn't move away from. In this Trail Stories episode, the Australian former mining engineer tells the story of what he learned about fear: from trench foot in New Zealand, to a lightning storm in Chile, to a stray dog named Shadow and the shepherd dogs of the Caucasus. By the end, the guy who froze is the one who moves the rattlesnakes for everyone else, and he has one piece of advice. He wears sandals. You might want to watch your feet too.

Show Notes

About the Guest


Bailey "Snake" Christopher is an Australian environmental engineer, a former iron-mine hydrogeologist from Western Australia's Pilbara, who took a sabbatical to hike Te Araroa and the Pacific Crest Trail and never went back. In the two years that followed, he hiked about 10,000 miles on nine long trails: the Pyrenees High Route (HRP), the South Island of Te Araroa, the PCT, the Great Divide Trail, the Greater Patagonia Trail, the Arizona Trail, the Hayduke Trail, the Via Alpina, and the Transcaucasian Trail. He got his trail name from moving rattlesnakes off the PCT for hikers who were afraid to pass them. He is six foot four, and he took up hiking at the end of 2020.


What Happens in This Episode


The Frozen Man


A Mine, a Savings Account, and a Sabbatical


Trench Foot


Snake, and the Pace That Costs


Lightning, Shadow, and the Hell Hounds


Attitude, and the Snake



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