EPISODE · Jun 27, 2026 · 25 MIN
Trail Stories - The Circle on the Map with Kevin "The Animal" Koski
from Hiker Trash Radio · host Bleav + Doc
About the Guest Kevin Koski, trail name The Animal, is a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy, a CDT (2004) and PCT (2014) veteran, and the creator of the Four Corners Loop: a self-designed, approximately 2,400-mile circular route connecting public lands across New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. He has logged over 11,000 miles of trail in Washington State and volunteers with Olympic Mountain Rescue. He retires from the Navy next February at 51. Episode Highlights The Circle on the Map 14.5 Liters Strange Addictions Wolves, Bears, and a 30-Foot Cliff A Pause for His Mother Trail Wisdom Links & Resources Four Corners Loop Trail Association: https://www.fclta.org Connect with Hiker Trash Radio Email: mailto:[email protected] Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio. The full interview with Kevin drops Wednesday in two parts. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What this episode covers
Kevin Koski was sitting at his desk one day, looked at a topographical map of the United States pinned to his cubicle wall, noticed an 800-mile-diameter circle nobody had ever officially hiked, and thought: somebody should walk that. The somebody was him. This episode covers three years spent building the Four Corners Loop on a mapping website during lunch breaks, a 47-mile dry stretch that required 14.5 liters of water and a stroke of luck involving two owl researchers at one in the morning, and a piece of hardware-store ice maker tubing that Kevin will defend to his grave as superior gear design. There is also a smoked trout, a 30-foot sandstone cliff he probably shouldn't have climbed, and, in the middle of all the engineering jokes, a quieter chapter about his mother that the episode doesn't rush past.
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Trail Stories - The Circle on the Map with Kevin "The Animal" Koski
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