When Daniel “Ratatouille” Hepokoski decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, his family and friends wanted him to keep a blog about the trip.
He decided that, instead, he’d do an audioblog. He figured it would be easier. And then, he figured, if he was going to be carrying all the equipment, he might as well do a podcast.
It was certainly not easier than a blog. It was, however, the best thing about his trip.
“That experience has eclipsed the hiking,” he said. “It’s been a bigger life changing experience than hiking the trail.”
Hepokoski produces Trailside Radio, a weekly, hour-long podcast. He uses basic audio equipment and does the editing on his phone.
Hepokoski started April 21, and kind of got a slow start. He sprained his ankle early on while retreating from a Mojave green rattlesnake, which he describes as looking like the CGI-definition of an evil snake. That forced him to take some time off to recover and also to skip a few sections to make up time.
He doesn’t mind, though. Setting foot on every step of the trail wasn’t what really mattered to him.
One of his favorite interviews was with hiker Paul Hacker. Hacker talked about Greg Hummel, a PCT hiker and well-respected trail advocate.
It was an emotional interview and Hummel’s family was moved by it. Until that point, Hepokoski hasn’t realized how much he had touched other people with his podcast. The feedback he got encouraged him to keep going, even when it got hard.
“Getting stories from people and sharing them with others is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” he said.
Why Ratatouille? It’s a reference to the chef who happens to be a rat in the movie “Ratatouille.” Hepokoski picked up his name based on his unusual cooking style. He dehydrates food, separately, in advance. Then, once he’s on the trail, he mix and matches out of his many bags to get the exact meal he wants that day.
Favorite piece of gear: An orange ukulele that came from a hiker box, was passed along between hikers and eventually ended up with him. He taught himself to play on the trail.
Author’s note: I met Daniel at Dinsmores Hiker Haven in Baring. I had just finished chatting with Andrea and Jerry Dinsmore. I wandered into the bunkhouse, with the vague plan of cornering whoever was in there and asking them for an interview. With the kind of luck that I’ve started to associate with all my dealings with the PCT, Daniel was the only one in the bunkhouse. And, because he’d just spent months on the trail interviewing people, he was perfectly willing to sit down and answer my questions. Like me, he loves interviewing people. I can totally understand how his podcast has been a life-changing experience.
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