Maddie of Beer In Beautiful Places

Maddie, whose channel @Beerinbeautifulplaces has recently blown up on both YouTube and TikTok, grew up in Louisville Kentucky as the child of two parents who shared a deep love for the outdoors.  It was while working seasonal jobs at Yellowstone National Park that they met after all.  Maddie was brought up to appreciate and enjoy the outdoors and even pursued a career in the summer camp industry after college.

When 2020 rolled around and international travel shut down, Maddie got interested in seeing how she could explore the United States at the same time that #Vanlife got really popular.

Marshal from youtube’s @MellowNomadicAdventures helped her with some of the initial buildout on her Toyota Sienna minivan, and then got additional help from her dad, brother, uncle and her dad’s friend as well.

We talked about her Journey through the lower 48 in her van and some of the unexpected states that she really enjoyed like South Carolina and Arkansas.

Next we got into Maddie’s experience as a through hiker on the Tahoe Rim trail and the Superior Hiking Trail which led her to her journey on the John Muir Trail, and how I eventually found her channel.

Maddie isn’t what you’d call a gear dork, rather, she takes a “what do I need most to complete this trail” approach, which has largely served her well on a tight budget.

We talked about her Altra boots that she wore on the JMT and why they didn’t work well for that particular adventure.  I shared that I too had failures with that shoe but that I was currently wearing the Altra Timp 4’s and really enjoyed them.

Maddie and I switched gears to talk about the equipment that worked really well for her on the trip and she focused on her cook set from GSI and her REI Flash 1 person tent.

We talked about her upcoming attempt of the Appalachian Trail and what she hopes to get out of that trail along with her long term goals for her channel.

I really enjoyed getting to know Maddie and can’t wait to have her back on when she completes the Appalachian Trail.

Go root her on and leave her a comment that I sent ya!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beer_in_beautiful_places/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beerinbeautifulplaces/?view_public_for=325721561333648

Untappd: add @beer_in_beautiful_places 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beer_in_beautiful_places?lang=en

Pinterest: https://pin.it/2RRKUxE