Russel Hepton began hiking when he was living in London 5 years ago. His first step into the outdoors was a failed summit of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, in winter conditions. He describes standing in a white out, alone on the switchbacking trail with nothing but the soft sound of falling snow around him. He turned back, but thankfully for us all, this was to be the ignition of his new-found passion for the great outdoors.

Since then Rus has committed to building more experience in the outdoor world and has forged a YouTube Channel following his travels, from summiting a volcano at sunrise to gear lists. Rus really has covered some ground!

In this episode we dive into his story and explore how COVID19 impacted his travel plans and saw him come under frightening online abuse. Thankfully he shares how he handled the situation and bounced back with renewed energy and passion. Quite frankly, he is inspiring.

In addition to overcoming hard times, Rus engineered a strong, lightweight, environmentally responsible set of notebooks designed for use on the trail - Thrunotes. His hope is to enable his customers to record miles of memories in a more meaningful and creative way than with a phone, on a medium which will stay structurally sound on a thru-hike while having an extremely low impact on the environment. 

Tune in to the full episode to hear the full story!

Want to hit up socials? Follow Rus:

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