Lauren Roerick "Longway" – Thru-Hiking the World: PCT, HexaTrek & Te Araroa

Lauren Roerick, known on trail as Longway, is a long-distance backpacker, filmmaker, and outdoor educator who has hiked across North America, Europe, and Oceania. From the Pacific Crest Trail to New Zealand's Te Araroa, and becoming the first North American woman to thru-hike France's 3,034 km HexaTrek, Lauren shares her adventures and the lessons they've taught her. In this episode, she talks about stepping into the world of long-distance hiking in her 30s, navigating challenges on remote trails, making decisions in the moment, and learning to trust herself. Through her storytelling and filmmaking, Lauren inspires women to build confidence, resilience, and a deeper connection with the outdoors—proving that it's never too late to take that first step. ***  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.  Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.  Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x *** Show notes Who is Lauren Long distance backpacker and film maker Currently in California, but normally based out of Vancouver, Canada Her early year growing up in a small city in Southern Alberta called Lethbridge Not getting into backpacking until her 30s Playing a lot of sports, being a gymnasts, playing rugby and doing jujitsu  What changed in her 30s A walk in the books by Bill Bryson - the classic thru-hiker read  Having the courage to take the step to make her dreams come true Why the first step is the hardest  You get one life…. Being willing to sacrifice the other things  What's really important to you Support from family  March 2020 and being on the trail when the pandemic started  Moving in with her mum in Southern California for 4 months  Making the decision to leave the trail  Why it wasn't an easy decision to make  Heading back the following year (2021) and not knowing if she would get the chance to hike again Being made redundant after 6 months  Finding a southbound permit for the PCT at the end of June  Being drawn to hike on long trails  Making life long friendships and building community while hiking  Starting to document her hikes as soon as she started Vlogging for THE TREK Being a documenter - but not having experience in vlogging  Her biggest challenge while being on the PCT  The fires, the weather and needing to adapt to the trail Making the decision to fly to Colorado to hike the Colorado Trail  Doing back to back hiking since 2023 Wanting to make a career out of this  Needing to go all in  Deciding that it was ok to be tired Her love for the trails Taking things a little slower when you need to  Finding a balance that works for her Deciding to hike the HexaTrek  Choosing a trail off the beaten track  Not speaking French  HexaTrek is a 3034 km hiking trail, connecting 14 of the most beautiful nationals parks and crossing France from the Vosges to the Pyrenees. The people on the trail  Wanting to make more solo decisions and buil