ABOUT MONARCH: Monarch Podcast is a 13-episode supernatural narrative podcast set in the world of long-distance backpacking. SYNOPSIS: When Hallie Halprin - trail name Monarch - sets off to hike the Continental Divide Trail, she’s doggedly determined to go alone. While the people who know her best express concern, Monarch is unfazed. She has a plan to interview people for an audio project about supernatural encounters, a catalogue of campfire stories (no reason! she’s just interested!). The perils Monarch encounters on her five-month journey, real and imagined, mirror her complicated, optimistic, and doomed attempt to use adventure as a way to be reborn. ABOUT THE CREATOR: Laura Munsil (trail name Phantom) dreamt up Monarch while hiking 6,000 mostly solo backcountry miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Arizona Trail. This podcast is an excision of many of those memories. Happy trails.