#80 | Dr. Anne Baker on Post-Trail Depression

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, Badger is joined by Anne Baker.  In addition to being an experienced long distance backpacker and gear nerd, Anne has a PhD, is a licensed therapist, scientist, and someone who has done a good deal of research on post trail depression.  Anne breaks down precisely what is happening when someone experiences post trail depression and offers some tips for how to avoid it or at least lessen its impact. Anne also details what 2020 NOGO thru-hikers went through this year and how their grief was tied to a loss of identity.  I found the subject matter of today's show super interesting, and I think you will too. We close out the show with a triple crown of trails we have not yet hiked, highlight some standout day hikes in the Salt Lake City area, and give Martin his much deserved 15 seconds of fame. Gossamer Gear discount code: Use code: PoopStory for 15% off your entire cart at gossamergear.com.  Backcountry discount code: Use code: Backpacker15 for 15% off your first purchase at backcountry.com/backpackerradio. [divider] The Trek's Pledge to Do Better BACKPACKER RADIO MERCH Interview with Dr.Anne Baker Instagram: ennakrek Anne's articles for The Trek  QOTD: What small thing is irrationally annoying to you?  Hikerlink! Intro Song: Walking Slow by Animal Years Intro beats: Pauly Boy Shallcross Check out Trail Correspondents Check out The Attempt!  [divider] 00:04:49 - QOTD: What small thing is irrationally annoying to you?  00:06:45 - Pitch a Podcast! 00:07:00 - Intro to Anne Baker 00:07:40 - Why are you here?  00:08:15 - Can you tell us about your educational and professional background?  00:10:19 - Can you talk about the intersection of pain and emotion? 00:11:30 - Can you alter your perception of pain by changing your vocabulary around it?  00:13:52 - Advice for someone with chronic lyme disease dealing with pain?  00:16:29 - Will you walk us through the process of getting a PhD.?  00:20:10 - Will you walk us through your backpacking resume?  00:24:54 - Thoughts on section hiking?  00:29:15 - Do you struggle to make a trail family when section hiking?  00:30:49 - What is your go-to big 5 (for gear)?  00:34:24 - Anything in the gear pipeline we should be excited about? 00:36:19 - Can you tell us about Post-Trail Depression and walk us through your approach to the project you did on it?  00:38:15 - Can you talk about the identity aspect of post-trail depression? 00:39:40 - Did you ask how people felt about their lives before the trail? 00:40:00 - What kind of habits can you maintain to keep your trail self alive?  00:44:43 - Will you walk us through your coined acronym "SPACE"? 00:46:00 - How would someone experience these on trail?  01:00:08 - So a history of mental health issues didn't translate to being more likely to suffer from post-trail depression? 01:01:58 - How does a person's job play into their post-trail depression?  01:05:26 - Do you have any tips to mitigate post-trail depression?  01:08:51 - How did the pandemic influence your second article about post-trail depression (specifically how deciding whether or not to hike during the pandemic affected people)? 01:10:57 - Why don't you like labels of mental illness?  01:14:19 - What aspects of grief show up a lot for people who did not get to thru-hike? 01:14:48 - What common bargaining tactics showed up? 01:15:51 - Do you have any other major takeaways from your interviews with thru-hikers?  01:17:43 - Can you talk a little bit about what was happening on social media in regards to whether or not people should thru-hike this year?  01:20:04 - Have you noticed any difference in the hiking community now vs. when you were interviewing people in March and April?  01:22:02 - Do you have any advice for someone who is experiencing grief due to not being able to thru-hike?  01:25:16 - Do you have advice for people who are struggling specifically during COVID, when typical resources are not available to us? 01:27:20 - Do you meditate?  01:28:17 - Anything else you want to touch on? 01:29:02 - Any backpacking or outdoor adventures coming up?  01:30:08 - Where should people go to see your stuff? Anne's articles for the trek can be found here.   SEGMENTS Best Day, Weekend, and Long-Distance Hikes in Wyoming and Utah Triple Crown of Trails We Haven't Hiked Mail Bag  5 Star Reviews  [divider] Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Paul Packman Sealy, Jason Lawrence, Janelle L., Austen McDaniel, Andrew, Thomas Fullner, Christopher Marshburn, S11N, and Sawyer Products A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Emily Brown, Jeffrey Miller, Mitchell, Zoe Jenkins, dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Mark Snook, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and  Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube.