009 - The Only Option is Forward - Ryan Hosegood

Ryan Hosegood had never spent a night on a trail when he decided to thru-hike seven continents. In June 2022, on the summit of Mount Whitney, he met a stranger with a strange name who was 780 miles into the Pacific Crest Trail. Forty-eight hours of research later, Ryan had made up his mind. A month after that, he had a plan. Ryan grew up in Winnipeg in a family where sports were close to a religion. His grandfather won four Grey Cups with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. His mother won national basketball titles as a player and as a coach. Ryan played university football until concussions ended his career after his third year. Office life never replaced what competition had given him, so he went looking for something harder. Since then he has walked the PCT from Mexico to Canada in 143 days, crossed New Zealand on the 3,050 km Te Araroa, and helped scout and reshape Europe’s new Wolf Trail with Jack Wolfskin. Next up are the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal and a 1,100 km solo, unsupported ski from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. If he makes it, he will be only the third Canadian to complete that route. In this episode Nathan and Matt start where Ryan’s drive started: his family’s athletic history, 6 a.m. team lifts, and the day he fell asleep mid-set on the bench press. Ryan explains why he chose a team workout he hated over a solo one at a better hour. They follow him from Southern California’s COVID-era day hikes to the Whitney summit that changed his direction, and to the Trans-Catalina Trail shakedown, Lord of the Rings costume included. On the PCT, Ryan explains how a 62-year-old Austin hiker named Nightbird gave him the trail name Bubbles. He tells stories about trail magic, a night spent sheltering in a campground washroom, and a “bear” that turned out to be the reflector on a sleeping hiker’s tent. He also describes the only night he thought about quitting: day one, in a heat wave, out of water and two miles off course. In New Zealand, a handstand attempt cost him two and a half weeks of recovery. That forced him to hike the South Island mostly alone to make a non-refundable flight. In Europe, slower and more experienced hikers taught him something he admits he has not fully learned yet: how to stop and enjoy where you are. The conversation closes with what comes next. Ryan plans a 420 km February crossing of a frozen Lake Winnipeg as a test run for Antarctica. He is also working to raise the $100,000 it costs just to fly there and back. About Ryan Hosegood Ryan Hosegood is a Canadian long-distance hiker from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and a former university football player. He is working on Seven on Seven, an attempt to complete a major thru-hike on every continent. He has finished the Pacific Crest Trail, Te Araroa, and Europe’s Wolf Trail. Follow Ryan: Instagram @ryanhosegood