The Trail Less Traveled

Home
United States
Missoula, MT
The Trail Less Traveled

Collecting stories & sounds from around the world! Listen LIVE Sunday's @ 6pm (MST) at Trail1033.com

The Trail Less Traveled is dedicated to documenting humanity & planet earth by gathering stories & sounds from the most remote locations around the world. The goal for the show is to take you, the listener, back to mankind's earliest form of entertainment: story telling. Therefore, every week features an interview with an adventurer in their natural habitat in order to provide an audible journey p

acked with information & inspiration. Everyone has a story & different perspective, we aim to share the stories from the world’s diverse cultures & unknown lands. We give back to each culture by doing outreach with local schools while recording on location.

03/22/2026

Episode 707 premieres tonight from 6-7 MST. Join us inside Smoke Elser's barn (for the 3rd time) and enjoy his favorite stories from decades of guiding in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Arnold “Smoke” Elser is a LEGENDARY outfitter, educator, and conservationist. You may think you've already heard this interview... but trust us, you haven't heard these stories yet.

With over 8,000 nights under the stars and over 55,000 miles ridden since his first trip in 1957, Smoke has shaped how generations experience and protect the Bob. From packing mules to preserving wild lands, his life’s work is a masterclass in backcountry wisdom.

🎧 Listen to “The Trail Less Traveled” every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST

📻 Tune in locally on the Trail 103.3 FM + STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com 📡

🙌🏾 Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

💞 Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

03/21/2026

Mollie Beattie made history as the first woman to serve as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1993 to 1996. Known simply as Mollie to friends and foes alike, she was a fierce defender of the Endangered Species Act and a tireless advocate for protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Mollie championed ecosystem-based conservation and played a key role in the reintroduction of gray wolves to the American West—an effort that helped restore balance to fragile ecosystems. Her dedication was so powerful that, after her passing, even some of her Congressional critics honored her legacy by naming an eight-million-acre wilderness area in the Arctic Refuge after her.

Mollie lived by a simple truth: “What a country chooses to save is what a country chooses to say about itself.” Her words—and her work—continue to inspire conservation efforts across America.

Image courtesy of USFWS Museum and Archives.

03/15/2026

Episode 706 premieres tonight from 6-7 MST. Join us in Lusaka, Zambia, for a powerful conversation with Virginia “Ginny” Bond, a social anthropologist, educator and HIV community counselor.

Ginny has spent years working on the front lines of HIV education, helping communities confront stigma while expanding access to life saving information and care. In this episode we talk about the realities of HIV in Africa, the importance of education, and the role each of us can play in breaking cycles of discrimination and silence.

Education saves lives. Conversations change cultures. Tonight’s episode is one worth hearing.

🎧 Listen to “The Trail Less Traveled” every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST

📻 Tune in locally on the Trail 103.3 FM and STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com 📡

🙌🏾 Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

💞 Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

01/21/2026

Episode 698 is LIVE! Join us on the edge of the Selway River for an interview with Doug Proctor, co-owner of Selway River Adventures, a wilderness rafting outfitter based in Stanley, Idaho.

With his partners he operates under one of the extremely limited commercial permits on the Selway River, a nationally designated Wild and Scenic river flowing through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Trips are typically five to six days long, weaving technical whitewater with solitude and natural beauty few river runners ever get to experience.

In 1977 Proctor began his professional guiding career, leading whitewater rafting trips commercially on the New Riverand the Gauley River, two of the eastern United States’ premier whitewater destinations. Over the next 35+ years he built extensive experience as an outfitter in West Virginia, guiding trips through challenging Class III and Class IV waters and cultivating deep skills in river stewardship, guest experience, and wilderness logistics.

His love of rivers and adventure didn’t stop in Appalachia. His guiding has taken him to Grand Canyon, Alaska, Chile, Costa Rica, Idaho, and numerous rivers in both the eastern and western United States.

Tune in locally (Missoula) on the Trail 1033 FM and STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com

Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

01/18/2026

Episode 698 premieres tonight from 6-7 MST. Join us on the edge of the Selway River for an interview with Doug Proctor, co-owner of Selway River Adventures, a wilderness rafting outfitter based in Stanley, Idaho.

With his partners he operates under one of the extremely limited commercial permits on the Selway River, a nationally designated Wild and Scenic river flowing through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Trips are typically five to six days long, weaving technical whitewater with solitude and natural beauty few river runners ever get to experience.

In 1977 Proctor began his professional guiding career, leading whitewater rafting trips commercially on the New Riverand the Gauley River, two of the eastern United States’ premier whitewater destinations. Over the next 35+ years he built extensive experience as an outfitter in West Virginia, guiding trips through challenging Class III and Class IV waters and cultivating deep skills in river stewardship, guest experience, and wilderness logistics.

His love of rivers and adventure didn’t stop in Appalachia. His guiding has taken him to Grand Canyon, Alaska, Chile, Costa Rica, Idaho, and numerous rivers in both the eastern and western United States.

Listen to “The Trail Less Traveled” every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST

Tune in locally on the Trail 1033 FM and STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com
Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

01/14/2026

Episode 697 is LIVE! Join us in Missoula for an interview with Sam and Elise Risho of The Silk Road Catering & Spice. Their story is rooted in decades of family food tradition and a passion for global flavors.

Today they focus on crafting memorable menus for weddings and special events and sharing unique spice blends that reflect their commitment to exceptional hospitality and globally inspired cuisine.

Listen to "The Trail Less Traveled" every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST
Tune in locally on the Trail 1033 FM and STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

01/11/2026

Episode 697 premieres tonight from 6-7 MST. Join us in Missoula for an interview with Sam and Elise Risho of The Silk Road Catering & Spice. Their story is rooted in decades of family food tradition and a passion for global flavors.

Today they focus on crafting memorable menus for weddings and special events and sharing unique spice blends that reflect their commitment to exceptional hospitality and globally inspired cuisine.

Listen to “The Trail Less Traveled” every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST
Tune in locally on the Trail 103.3 FM and STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com
Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

12/23/2025

Episode 694 is LIVE! Join us in Missoula for an interview with three people who help define this town in very different and deeply rooted ways. Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

Aimee McQuilkin is the owner of Betty’s Divine and the Clark Fork Yacht Club, two small businesses that shape Missoula’s style, spirit, and sense of community.

Shane Clouse is a Missoula singer songwriter and the frontman of the band Stomping Ground, and he is also the owner and manager of the Pink Grizzly greenhouse and nursery, a longtime local garden center and family business.

Dave Stromeyer serves Missoula as a county commissioner and is currently working on a passenger rail project that imagines a more connected, accessible future for western Montana.

Listen to "The Trail Less Traveled" every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST
Tune in locally on the Trail 103.3 FM and STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

12/21/2025

Episode 694 premieres tonight from 6-7 MST. Join us in Missoula for an interview with three people who help define this town in very different and deeply rooted ways.

Aimee McQuilkin is the owner of Betty’s Divine and the Clark Fork Yacht Club, two small businesses that shape Missoula’s style, spirit, and sense of community.

Shane Clouse is a Missoula singer songwriter and the frontman of the band Stomping Ground, and he is also the owner and manager of the Pink Grizzly greenhouse and nursery, a longtime local garden center and family business.

Dave Stromeyer serves Missoula as a county commissioner and is currently working on a passenger rail project that imagines a more connected, accessible future for western Montana.

Each guest gets time to tell their story and share a song that matters to them.

Listen to “The Trail Less Traveled” every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST

Tune in locally on the Trail 103.3 FM and STREAMING LIVE at www.Trail1033.com

Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

Click here to listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zQfrbQRzXgdu7GfKwF42X?si=W9MHFzGkSBS76cEGov0Oxg

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trail-less-traveled/id1180249343?i=1000742122338

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

12/17/2025

Missed it on the air 🌲🎙️
Episode 693 of The Trail Less Traveled is now live.

We head into the forest outside Missoula for a thoughtful conversation with Frank Szollosi, Executive Director of the Montana Wildlife Federation, Montana’s oldest and largest wildlife conservation organization. This episode explores public lands, wildlife, and the real work of conservation in Montana, with insight from someone deeply rooted in the landscape.

Listen now at www.TrailLessTraveled.net
The podcast is available everywhere 🎧

Help keep the podcast ad free and support our educational outreach by contributing $3 dollars per month on Patreon ❤️ www.Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

12/14/2025

Episode 693 premieres tonight from 6-7 MST. Join us in the forest outside Missoula for an interview with Frank Szollosi, the Executive Director of the Montana Wildlife Federation.

The Montana Wildlife Federation is Montana's oldest and largest wildlife conservation organization focused on protecting wildlife habitat, public lands access, and science-based natural resource policy in Montana.

At MWF, Szollosi collaborates with state agencies including Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, tribal governments, landowners, businesses, and conservation partners to advance policies that sustain healthy wildlife populations and accessible wild places. He lives in Montana with his wife and four children and enjoys kayaking, downhill skiing, and backpacking.

Listen to "The Trail Less Traveled" every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST.

Tune in locally on the Trail 1033 FM and at Trail1033.com

Podcast available everywhere and at www.TrailLessTraveled.net

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

12/12/2025

Episode 690 is out in the wild 🎧🏔️🐕

We recorded this one in the Grand Canyon and then took a hard left into Alaska’s winter legend. Meet John Wood, an Alaska musher with dry humor, honest trail wisdom, and four finishes on the Iditarod trail to Nome. He even called his own results an “unparalleled record of mediocrity” and still answered “hell yes” when asked if he would do it again. That energy is the whole episode.

Listen now at www.TrailLessTraveled.net
The podcast is available everywhere you listen 🎙️

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trail-less-traveled/id1180249343?i=1000740923218

Click here to listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bdn8eFunrmgeahL4MNcQu?si=f79a9b1c3b804b12

Help keep the podcast version ad free and support our educational outreach with 3 dollars per month on Patreon ❤️ Patreon.com TrailLessTraveled

Address

P. O. Box 16381
Missoula, MT
59808

Website

http://www.traillesstraveled.net/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Trail Less Traveled posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company in Missoula?