The Thru-Hike of Misery

from Out There · host Willow Belden

When Paul Barach embarked on his first thru-hike, he was expecting a life-changing experience. The Shikoku Pilgrimage, which traverses Japan's most rural island and takes visitors past 88 Buddhist temples, promised to be a spiritual and meditative journey, as well as an epic adventure. But the reality wasn't so nice. On this episode, Paul tells the story of what happens when the adventure of a lifetime doesn't turn out the way you'd hoped. How do you make peace with the worst parts of hiking, when those parts never end?

NOW PLAYING

0:00 30:06

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

EP 355 - BEING AN ART MODEL with Shadia Elise

Apr 20, 2026 ·57m

EP 354 - ANIMAL WHISPERING with NiloO Khodadadeh

Apr 13, 2026 ·59m

EP 353 - BEING A WORKING MOM with Ramona Shelburne

Apr 6, 2026 ·67m

PREVIEW: Shut Up Sasha & Joe Ep. 36 - "You're In My Seat"

Apr 3, 2026 ·3m

EP 352 - LONG-DISTANCE RUNNING with Jared Culp

Apr 1, 2026 ·62m

PREVIEW: Shut Up Sasha & Joe Ep. 35 - "AI don't like that"

Mar 26, 2026 ·4m

Similar Podcasts

Tales Of A Superstar DJ The Insomniac Spun seemingly out of nowhere from her complacent life in the corporate world, turned seemingly overnight from 16-Hour shift work and into the life of a literally starving artist and working musician, The Protagonist navigates her supposed rise to fame and superstardom on a journey through spiritual awakening, coming-of-age, and intimate self-realization--guided by an omnipresent force and equipped with the power of love, magic, and music. {Enter The Multiverse.} [The Festival Project] The Festival Project, Inc.™ is a multidimensional multimedia platform which encompasses exploratory and artistic social personifications and expressions on cosmic theory, spirituality, growth, health & wellness, philosophy and theoretic dynamics in entertainment such as music, design, film, television, radio, dance and festival culture, art, fashion, literature, and science. The Festival Project™ and its subsidiary Non-Profit, The Collective Complex © aims to challenge modern artistic and philosop Explicit Undeniable w/ Braxton Curtis Braxton Curtis The official Podcast of Braxton Curtis.A Father, Husband, and Business Owner just trying to figure it all out. Explicit Creativity Threads Life w/ Mr Benja Mr Benja Welcome creatives! These are discussions, thoughts, case studies, interviews, and lessons about how our creativity relates to life. The host, Mr Benja, is a former video game programmer / designer for Rockstar Games, Sony Santa Monica, The 3DO Company, and others, as well as a fine artist. -- Be sure to check out the website for more. Explicit Anti-Aging Hacks Faraz Khan Welcome to Anti-Aging Hacks podcast, where you take control and improve your body and mind so you look and feel young, have high energy and focus, and have the tools to live a long and healthy life. Anti-Aging Hacks was born out of a quest to slow down Faraz Khan's parents aging so he could spend more quality time with them. It then evolved to learning about tactics he could apply to slow down his own aging and live a long healthy life.Faraz Khan interviews the top health, anti-aging, longevity, and biohacking experts in the world to bring you the tips and tricks you need to easily look and feel your best, upgrade your energy and focus, boost your confidence, and live a long and healthy life.Faraz tries all these techniques on himself so he can tell you stories of personal experiences that can help you make your own decisions regarding your health and longevity. Just 10 years ago, it was impossible to slow down aging. Now it's not only possible for cheap, but we are close to revers Explicit

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Out There?

This episode is 30 minutes long.

When was this Out There episode published?

This episode was published on June 3, 2021.

What is this episode about?

Can I download this Out There episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.

URL copied to clipboard!