Outdoors with Hiking Bob

Bob and Kevin "Wild" Westendorf discuss the wildfires burning around Colorado and the dangers of a the driest winter in Colorado history. Will the coming weeks bring us rain to get us out of the drought? Kevin talks about his experiences hiking in a Colorado Springs city park that was heavily damaged by a storm weeks ago that resulted in it being closed to vehicle traffic, and remains closed as re...

Bob sits down with Mary-Jo Lewis and Kylee Taylor from El Paso County (CO ) Parks Departments Bear Creek Nature Center to talk about the nature center's 50th anniversary. Bear Creek Nature Center was the first nature center in Colorado, and originated as a simple pavillion where the current building now stands. They discuss how the current building literally rose from the ashes, the history of the...

Bob chats with Stephanie Pearson, the author of National Geographic's "100 Hikes of a Lifetime - U.S.A. The Country's Ultimate Scenic Trails". The book, which features trails in every state and many U.S. territories is intended not as much as a detailed guidebook, but as Pearson explains, to be more "aspirational". It features details about each hike, including length, difficulty, etc, along with...

On this week's podcast, Bob sits down with expert meteorologists Matt Meister and Merry Matthews from Peaks2Plains Weather to discuss the upcoming El Nino and how it will affect Colorado, the Pikes Peak Region and outdoor recreation for this summer through winter. They talk about what an El Nino is, whether the hype about it being a "super" (and now some outlets are saying "mega") El Nino is warra...

Bob talks with author Randi Minetor about her latest book "The Bear at the Bird Feeder". A previous guest on the podcast, her current book is about the rising number of human-wildlife encounters in or near peoples homes, and more importantly, how to prevent them. The book covers not only bears, but many other animals, including raccoons, coyotes and even alligators to name a few. The book - and co...

On this week's episode, Bob and Kevin express their appreciation of the volunteers who work in parks and on trails. They also discuss a local TV meteorologist who left their job and where they went, and finally, they discuss the profound effect this winters drought is having on the Colorado environment. Class 6 felony to cause a wildland fire during a formal burn ban is Colorado Revised Statute 18...

On this week's podcast, Bob and Kevin discuss Bob's recent trip to Monument Valley Tribal Park, news that Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be taking a bigger part in search and rescue some operations in Colorado, but not, as many believe, taking over SAR operations that are the responsibility of county sheriff's. Also, higher fees for daily passes to Colorado State Parks for cars with out-of-state...

On this week's podcast, Bob welcomes back frequent guest Alicia Filley, a/k/a The Healthy Hiker. A professional physical therapist and avid hiker, she talks about four common myths about training for hiking and offers suggestions for proper ways to train. The Healthy Hiker website: https://www.thehealthyhiker.com/ Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hi...

On this week's podcast, co-host Kevin "Wild" Westendorf talks about his recent experiences hiking in the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona and Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks. He and Bob talk about the difficulties of the hikes, Kevins encounters with other hikers and his overall experiences on this trip. It's a great travelogue and must-listen for anyone considering vi...

**Apologies for the echo at the beginning of the recording** On this week's podcast, Bob and Kevin discuss the recent announcement from Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department (PRCS) regarding cuts being made to city parks amenities, services and maintenance due to a lack of funding. They lament how elected officials, and not the PRCS staff, are to blame for the cuts an...

On this week's podcast, Bob talks with Marisa Michael, a registered dietitian, about her recently released book "Nutrition for Outdoor Recreation". Michael, who has a long list of qualifications including being a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics and holding a diploma in sports nutrition from the International Olympic Committee, talks with Bob about how outdoor recreationists can prop...

On this week's podcast, Bob talks with Todd Marts, the director of the El Paso County (CO) Parks Department. They discuss the significant accomplishments of the department in 2025 and what's ahead for 2026, including how El Paso County avoided a budget shortfall similar to what affected other governments in the area. They also discuss Marts' upcoming retirement, after 31 years with the parks depar...

On this week's podcast, Bob and co-host Kevin discuss a Colorado Parks and Wildlife report on a recent fatal mountain lion attack in northern Colorado. Mountain lion attacks are exceedingly rare, and fatal attacks even more rare, which brings into question how concerned should the average hiker be and what precautions should they take? Also the latest step in the Colorado Springs Parks system-wide...

In this week's podcast, Bob talks with Colorado Springs TV weather icon Matt Meister about his new endeavor, Peaks2Plains Weather. Meister talks about what set him on a path to leave the local TV media business and set out on his own and how he hopes it keeps him involved in the community. Bob and Matt also talk about the changing face of local news media, including print and TV and how that could...

It's a "Happy Holidays" edition of the podcast, but of course it's more than just that. Bob and Kevin talk about their plans for the holidays and in 2026 and Bob talks about a great customer service experience he had recently, and Kevin talks about a neat new service that can help visualize your hikes. Mentoned in this episode: Cinematic flyovers: https://mapdirector.com/ Mountainsmith: https://mo...

In this week's podcast, Bob chats with Colorado Springs Park, Recreation and Cultural Service Director Britt Haley. Haley discusses the accomplishments and challenges of the department in 2025 and a look forward for the department in 2026. They also discuss Haley's upcoming retirement, including her journey from the city attorney's office to the parks department and what she plans to do in her ret...

On this week's podcast, Bob and co-host Kevin discuss their recent hikes to Picketwire Canyon and Red Canyon Park, both places new to them. They also discuss where they plan to go for adventure in 2026 and encourage listeners to donate during the on-going 2025 Pikes Peak Give Campaign. Give Pikes Peak Campaign: https://campaign.givepikespeak.org/ Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast!...

This week's podcast is a short Thanksgiving message from Hiking Bob and Wild Westendorf. They'll be back next week with one of their regular episodes. In the meantime, thanks for listening and have a Happy Thanksgiving! Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: https://www. HikingBob.com Wild Westendorf webs...

In one of four podcasts with participatiing non-profits in the "Great Outdoors" category of the 2025 Give Pikes Peak campaign, Bob chats with Teri Peisner of the Friends of Monument Valley Park (FMVP). They discuss the history of Monument Valley Park, which runs along Monument Creek on the west side of downtown Colorado Springs, and the organizations work to raise funds to restore much of its old...

In one of four podcasts with participatiing non-profits in the "Great Outdoors" category of the 2025 Give Pikes Peak campaign, Bob chats with Sam Hinkel of the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI). They discuss the groups work as a boots on the ground organization that does trail construction and trail maintainence in the Pikes Peak Region. They talk about their work in the Garden of the Gods Par...

In one of four podcasts with participatiing non-profits in the "Great Outdoors" category of the 2025 Give Pikes Peak campaign, Bob chats with Kristen Cannon of the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA). They discuss the groups work in bringing together land managers from all levels of government, non-profits, and businesses to help guide recreational land use policy in Pikes Peak Region,...

In one of four podcasts with participatiing non-profits in the "Great Outdoors" category of the 2025 Give Pikes Peak campaign, Bob chats with Niki Amidei of the Women's Mountain Biking Association of Colorado Springs (WMBACOS). They discuss the groups mission of "Empowering Women Through Group Mountain Bike Rides", by organizing weekly group bike rides, training and other events, and how your dona...

On this week's podcast, Bob talks with Dr. Rob Scanlon, the author of "Surviving the Trail- Five Essential Skills to Prepare Every Hiker for Adventure's Most Common Perils" from Falcon Guides. They discuss the common things people do, or don't do, or don't know how to do that gets hikers in trouble, and how to have a trouble free hike. It's a fun and lively conversation about how to have a non-new...

On this episode, Bob hits the trail with Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates (MWTA) Executive Director Cory Sutela along side a MWTA team as they construct a new trail. Sutela discusses the history and mission of MWTA and also their advocacy work for not just the cycling community, but also hikers, equestrians and motorized trail users. He talks about how they became involved in building the trail feat...

On this week's episode Wild Westendorf talks about his hike to the very remote Wheeler Geologic area. He and Bob then discuss the pros and cons of various types of emergency signalling devices, and then wrap up with an early overview of what some local parks departments budgets will look like in 2026. Bob's 1st amendment podcast: https://tinyurl.com/2haeknrh Bob's current article in the Pikes Peak...