Share Your Passions, Hold Your Breath, and Watch Them Go

Charlotte & Georgia Clews, Arizona Trail Thru-Hikers

Today I’m joined by one of the most fun and inspiring mother/daughter teams around, Charlotte and Georgia Clews.

Charlotte is a Registered Maine Guide, Wilderness First Responder, ultrarunner, twin, grad student, thru hiker, business owner, all.the.things. Oh, and the mom of two teen girls, so at least we have one thing in common…

Charlotte has done a lot of adventuring with her daughters, but raised the bar particularly high with her last thru-hike. When she and her younger daughter Georgia got bored with the isolation of quarantine, instead of just finding something new on Hulu to binge, they opted for Plan B and decided to attempt the Arizona Trail, which had never been thru hiked by someone as young as Georgia before. 

It’s not often I get FOMO from a middle-schooler, I’ve been quite happy watching that part of my life disappear in the rear view mirror, but Georgia Clews has got me wanting to vlog from the desert. Until I see my first tarantula, then who am I kidding, I’d be out.

I thought this conversation would be a great follow on from my last episode with Lindsey Lapointe of Seacoast Hikes - because we know Lindsey and her kids will be doing something like this in another decade.

So get ready for this swashbuckling tale of bravery and adventure in the high desert with Dread Pirate and her sidekick Marmot - and once you’re done listening, this is Must See TV!:

• Charlotte and Georgia’s amazing Arizona Trail recap video (Must See TV!)

• Many more adventures documented on the Clews family YouTube channel

And a small portion of the megazillion links from this convo (more down below!):

• Arizona Trail

• What is a ‘zero day’?

• What is a javelina? Ocelot?

• Wait, there is such a thing as a pack rat?

• Mt. Lemmon (AZ)

• Mica Mountain (AZ)

• Marden’s

As befits a conversation with two ultra-runners, there was lots of running talk in this episode:

• Bridge the Gap (Bucksport, ME)

• MDI Marathon (ME)

• Lemoine Half (ME)

• Millinocket Half (ME)

• Riverlands 100 (ME)

• Team in Training

And a master class in thru-hiking, compliments of Dread Pirate and Marmot!

Gear they loved on their Arizona Trail adventure:

• Garmin InReach

• Sawyer Squeeze

• Titanium long-handled spoon

• Sea to Summit Thermolite Sleeping Bag Liner

• Feathered Friends Quilt

• Enlightened Equipment Quilt

Occasional easy meal options when they couldn’t look at another bowl of rice and beans:

• Mountain House

• Good To-Go

• Heather’s Choice

• Dunkin’ Donuts Crunch Cereal

Entertainment, when poking fun at each other got old:

• The Moth Podcast

• True Grit - book

• Pets 2

And every thru hike imaginable that they’ve done or are contemplating!:

• Arizona Trail

• John Muir Trail

• Long Trail

• Appalachian Trail

• Pacific Crest Trail

• Continental Divide Trail

• Colorado Trail

• Florida Trail

• El Camino