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Each week during the 2022 regular season, we’re going to through the Eagles’ media guide to find an interesting nugget.

The Eagles’ PR interns do a great job filling out these little oddities in the media guid and they serve as a good way to meet the player behind the helmet.

This week, we chatted with cornerback Zach McPhearson. His hobby is listed as: “Backpacking (has done this in places such as Hawaii and Texas and would like to go to Arizona next)”

Me: Obviously, not going to get the chance to do that (backpack in Arizona) this week. But what were those experiences like?

McPhearson: Well, I like those experiences. They were fun, just going out there, me and my friends. You’re really just out there, nature all around. I’m a big outdoors guy. I like being outside, looking at God’s creation. That gives me peace in the mind. I only could really do those types of experiences in the offseason, obviously, but definitely next time I go down … probably need to update that too.

McPhearson: Probably need to add fishing. I got into deep sea fishing. My buddy is a captain down in Marco Island. And we go like 80 miles, 90 miles out. All-day trips. I got into that too. Backpacking and deep sea fishing.

Me: So you like a lot of outdoor stuff?

McPhearon: I love outdoor stuff.

Me: I’m with you. I like nature and doing some hikes and stuff. But tell me about Hawaii and Texas. Where have you been?

McPhearson: In Hawaii, it was down Waikiki, or the North Shore. We were out there for about 16 hours, there’s this bridge out there. You can’t really go on it. But we went up it. They call it Devil’s Passing or something like that. It’s like a bridge, I ain’t go on it because I don’t play with heights. But getting up there was amazing. Being on the highest point on the island and seeing all this nature around you. They even got wild boar out there. You gotta be careful. One of them almost came … I didn’t know they had the (tusks). I thought those were in the movies. My buddy, he was armed but we just let him go about his day. But they’re pretty dangerous from what I’m told. We did that, a little bit of surfing.

Me: Did you camp out there?

McPhearson: Yeah, camped the last night there. That was leading into the draft year. That was a good experience. I made a lot of friends, a lot of natives out there. We were out there for the Hula Bowl.

Me: Oh, I remember talking to Rex (Ryan) about that.

NOTE: Rex Ryan coached McPhearson's team in the Hula Bowl that year.

McPhearson: Oh yeah, Rex was out there. And then Baldy (Brian Baldinger). He was surfing with us. We made a lot of friends out there. I need to go out there and visit them. There were some good people.

Me: And then Texas, where were you?

McPhearson: Texas, where was it? … It was closer to White Sands. I don’t even know. My buddy has a ranch out there. But it was closer to White Sands.

Me: Like in New Mexico?

McPhearson: We crossed over into New Mexico. But I couldn’t really tell you. It was fun. I had a good time out there.

Me: They have a national park out there that’s not Big Bend. Guadalupe Mountains.

McPhearson: Is that West Texas?

Me: Yeah, that’s West Texas, it’s kind of near White Sands and that whole area. Does it kind of relax you?

McPhearson: Yeah, it relaxes me. When we were out in Texas, we would just get in the car and drive and see what’s out there. I just like being outside. I don’t know why. It kind of grew on me the past two or three years.

Me: So it wasn’t something you did as a kid?

McPhearson: Not to that extent. Because my mom is pretty protective over me and didn’t really want us around dangerous stuff, quote, unquote. Now that I got older, I love it a lot.

Me: Thanks a lot, man. I appreciate it.

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