S14 - Episode #01 - Tami and Elise
Tami, @tamionthetrail and Elise, @hike_explore_recharge
Season 14 is HERE — and we're kicking things off with a reunion three years in the making.
Welcome back to Hikes & Mics! I'm taking you somewhere a little different for our Season 14 premiere — we recorded this one in person, on the banks of the Salt River in Arizona, with two of the most beloved returning guests in podcast history: Elise and Tami
You first met them back in Season 2, and a LOT has happened since then. This episode is all about catching up — on the trails, the milestones, the unexpected moments, and the beautiful friendship that our podcast helped spark.
In this episode, we cover:
🥾 Elise's life on two coasts — from waterfalls in Pennsylvania to the Sonoran Desert, how she built her women's guiding business HER (Hike, Explore, Recharge), her REI gear testing experience, volunteering with the Fountain Hills Sonoran Conservancy, and what her signature tagline "Stay Curious" really means to her as an outdoor educator and guide.
🧊 Tami's wild three years — from a knee replacement that redirected her entire athletic identity, to completing the John Muir Trail, Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon, the Enchantments, Tour du Mont Blanc, and her bucket-list finisher: the Haute Route from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. Oh, and somewhere in between all of that, she took up ice climbing — and summited The Fang in Vail, Colorado on her birthday.
🎉 The story that started it all — how Elise listened to Tami's Hikes & Mics episode, reached out on Instagram, and their friendship grew to the point where Tami came out to Arizona and surprised Elise on the trail during the final miles of the AZ Bootleg 100 challenge. Tissues may be required.
🏔️ Enchantments permit tips, the mindset shift from summit-chasing to savoring the process, wilderness first responder training, giving back to the trail community, and a spirited round of This or That with the best backdrop we've ever recorded against — Four Peaks standing tall behind us.
🎥 This is also an official VIDEO episode of Hikes & Mics, now available on our YouTube channel — watch the full conversation as it happened on the Salt River. And fair warning: stick around for the very beginning of the video for a special (and very relatable) blooper — Elise swallowed a fly on camera, and it's exactly as good as it sounds.
Whether you've followed Elise and Tami since Season 2 or you're meeting them for the first time, this episode is a reminder of why we do this — the trails, the people, and the connections that outlast any single adventure.
Episode Links:
Tami on Instagram
Tami on Facebook
Elise on Instagram
Hike, Explore, Recharge Website
Elise's Linktree
This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys
Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics
This episode's music was created by Ketsa, follow him on Instagram @Ketsamusic
Episode Sponsor(s):
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