Backpacker Radio's latest episode spotlights Austen McDaniel, a Triple Crowner and full-time tennis instructor who hikes under the name P.I. — and who has become an unlikely evangelist for Arkansas as a long-distance hiking destination.
McDaniel's recent resume reads like a winter survival guide. He knocked out the Ouachita Trail in just ten days while still recovering from COVID, pushed through the Ozark Highlands Trail in freezing January conditions, and dealt with a record-breaking 18-degree freeze on the Florida Trail — including, memorably, spending Christmas night in an outhouse. On the Appalachian Trail, where he carries an impressively lean 5.5-pound baseweight, his luxury items have included a plastic toy golf set and a toilet plunger. His biggest gear hack: wearing a heavy fleece sleeping bag liner as a mid-layer, doubling as insulation and a hiking dress.
The centrepiece of the conversation is his pitch for an "Arkansas Triple Crown" — a three-trail challenge combining the Eagle Rock Loop, the Buffalo River Trail, and the Sylamore Trail. For hikers who find the idea of a full national-scale Triple Crown intimidating, this is a bite-sized alternative in one state, and McDaniel addresses the obvious follow-up on the show: whether newcomers should attempt all three or pick off Arkansas's longer routes one at a time.
He also offers quick field notes on the Ouachita Trail — scenery, wildlife, and the trail association that maintains it — and weighs the Ozark Highlands Trail against it for first-timers, plus a verdict on whether the swampy, occasionally freezing Florida Trail belongs on an average thru-hiker's list.
The episode rounds out with a nice bit of trail news: 91-year-old Dale "Grey Beard" Sanders has reclaimed his record as the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
Why should a traveller care? Because Arkansas is quietly one of the best value hiking destinations in the US. The Ozark and Ouachita mountains deliver river valleys, hardwood forest and hot springs without national-park crowds or permits, and a three-trail "crown" you could realistically stitch together in a couple of weeks is a rare thing. Cold-weather gear lessons from someone who hikes through January freezes are a bonus for anyone planning shoulder-season trips.
