Outdoors with Hiking Bob

In the 450th episode of his podcast, Bob goes off his usual topic matter and speaks about threats to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and why it's important for everyone to speak out to protect the right to free speech and a free press. Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: https://www. Hikin...

On the week's podcast, Wild Westendorf returns and talks about his recent hikes in Wyoming's Snowy mountains and the far northern reaches of Colorado. Bob and Kevin talk about cuts that are affecting Colorado Springs Parks and how El Paso County's budget is looking for 2026. Also, an update from the recent Pikes Peak podcast that answers the question about whether the Pikes Peak Summit House is th...

On this week's podcast, Bob talks with Skyler Rorabaugh, the manager of Pikes Peak - America's Mountain. While the mountain is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, the Pikes Peak Highway and amenities from the bottom to the 14,115' summit are operated by the City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department as an enterprise, the only one of its kind in the world. They discus...

In a first time event, we replay podcast episode #48 from June, 2017, in which local adventurer Jerry Rhodes tells his story of being on Mt Everest during the Nepal earthquake of 2015. This replay coincides with the new Netflix documentary "Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake" which also tells the story of the same event through the eyes of people on Mt. Everest and in Kathmandu In the in...

On this week's podcast, Wild Westendorf returns and joins Bob for a varied and lively conversation. They discuss a case out of Wyoming regarding publicly owned land intermingled with private land in a checkerboard layout, and how the private landowner, who has lost previous court decisions, is now asking the US Supreme Court to forbid the public from hopping over his land to access the public land...

On this Bonus Episode for July, Bob talks with Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department Director Britt Haley about the 2025 department-wide Master Plan process. It's been almost 12 years since the last department-wide master plan, and Haley talks about what has been accomplished since the last master plan, how the city has grown in the intervening years and how that affe...

On episode 444 of the podcast, Bob chats with National Geographic photographer Jonathan Kingston. They discuss Kingston's journey from Virginia to the western U.S. and from being a world class rock climber to a world class photographer. Kingston tells of how luck, being in the right place at the right time, and of course, having the required talent, landed him with a prestigous publication. Also,...

On this week's podcast, Bob goes on a short hike with Chris Gonazales, the Executive Director of the Teller Trail Team in Teller County, Colorado. They talk about the origin of the organization, it's mission and goals, and projects it's working on, including the new Avenger Open Space in Woodland Park. They wrap up with a discussion of upcoming events and how people can lend their support. Teller...

On this week's episode Bob is joined by co-host Kevin "Wild" Westendorf. Bob answers listeners - and Kevin's - questions about his recent trip to Iceland. Questions about food, culture, hiking and more are answered. Also, the discuss the Colorado Springs Parks system master plan process, now underway. Kevin tells about his recent encounter with a rattlesnake in a Colorado Springs park, which leads...

On this week's podcast, Bob talks about his recent trip to Iceland with National Geographic Expeditions, and his day-by-day experiences there. He also invites listeners to send him questions they might have about the trip and he'll address them in a follow-up podcast. Note: The podcast was recorded in three sessions, with two of them on a ship ( of which one was during a storm) so while we tried t...

In this week's podcast, Bob talks with Martin Palmaz about the sport of paragliding. They discuss the difference between paragliding, parasailing, hang gliding, and ultralight flying. Palmaz, who is an experienced paraglider, talks about what it's like to paraglide, what kind of training it takes before one can paraglide, including how much it costs to learn and then equip yourself for the sport H...

On this week's podcast, co-host Wild Westendorf joins Bob for a wide-ranging discussion about the proposed 2026 federal government budget and it's effect on the National Park Service. Also, they discuss the pros and cons of various types of emergency beacons for hikers, and how one segment of the industry is using a flawed and incomplete statistic regarding other devicesto promote their own. Regar...

Bob does a short, unscheduled podcast to announce exciting news about the new home of his newspaper columns covering outdoor recreation! Also, May 1st marks an important anniversary in Bob's personal life. Pikes Peak Bulletin website: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/ Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: h...

On this week's podcast, Bob talks with Laurel Munson Boyers who spent 31 years as a park ranger in Yosemite National Park. She has written "Across Yosemite's Wilderness- A Trailblazing Woman's Career Protecting the Park's Backcountry" about her years patrolling and protecting the park's wilderness and backcountry. They talk about her childhood at Yosemite, then working her way up to being a wilder...

On this week's episode, Bob talks with frequent guest Mandy Horvath, a bi-lateral amputee, she has conquered the Manitou Incline, Pikes Peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, all under her own power. In this episode, she tells the story of doing "No Legs, No Problem" (season 18, episode 1) of the TV show "Naked and Afraid" in which she and a male partner – both naked, and who had never met each other before - w...

On this week's podcast, Kevin "Wild" Westendorf returns, and he and Bob catch up on what he's been doing since he was last on the podcast, including a brief review of his Garmin GPS watch and a comparison of it and his previous Apple watch. Then, they discuss the impacts the drastic federal budget cuts is having on our public lands, and also the collateral damage to the job market and local econom...

On this week's episode, Bob talks with popular author and survival expert Creek Stewart about his latest book "Disaster Survival 101 - The Essential Guide to Preparing and Surviving any Emergency Scenario". Stewart has appeared on a multitude of news programs, TED talks and more. They discuss how inadequately prepared most households are for any type of emergency that might last more than 3 days....

On this week's podcast, the topic is Artificial Intelligence generated photography, and images that are produced that are falsely labelled as being of specific places, such as the Garden of the Gods or other scenic attractions. In the first part of the podcast, Bob chats with Colorado Springs-based photographers Jason Fazio, Daniel Forster and Jae Jarratt. They discuss what "AI photography" is, if...

On episode 432 of the podcast, Bob chats with Todd Marts, Director of the El Paso County Parks and Community Services Department. They discuss what the department did in 2024, and plans for 2025. Topics include newly completed and updated master plans for Paint Mines Interpretive Park and Jones Park, a new trail in Pineries Open Space, continuted work towards building a nature center in Fox Run Re...

Bob talks with Alicia Filley, a/k/a "The Healthy Hiker" about hiking and building and maintaining balance and why it's important for hiker fitness. They discuss the proper use of hiking poles for balance, how to evaluate your balance, and what kinds of exercises help increase balance. The Healthy Hiker website: https://www.thehealthyhiker.com/ Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Vis...

On episode 430 of the podcast, Bob chats with Britt Haley, Director of the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. They discuss some of the accomplishments of department in 2024, and plans for 2025. Topics include Blodgett and Fishers Canyon Open Spaces, e-bikes, a comprehensive managment plan for Pikes Peak and the Ring the Peak Trail, the 2025 budget, and more. Pleas...

It's the first ever New Years Day podcast (it just worked out that way) for Bob and Kevin! They discuss how 2024 went for them and reveal if Bob reached his yearly goal of 800 hiking miles, and also review Bob's recent newspaper column on outdoor recreation New Year's resolution. Along with other topics, Kevin also discusses what drove him to switch to a new GPS smartwatch and he compares his new...

Bob's co-host Kevin "Wild" Westendorf returns. After catching up on recent adventures, they discuss last minute holiday buying, setting resolutions, Bob's progress on getting to his yearly goal of 800 miles, donating during the Give campaign and much more. Give Pikes Peak website: https://campaign.givepikespeak.org/ Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/...

On this week's episode, Bob talks with Susan Davies, the Executive Director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC), on her upcoming retirement. They talk about her fifteen-year tenure at the helm of the organization, including the biggest accomplishments - and disappointments - of TOSC during that time. They also discuss how the political climate regarding outdoor recreation has changed in...

2024 Give Pikes Peak campaign participant Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI) is the guest. Hear about what they do and why you should donate to them during the 2024 campaign. RMFI website: https://www.rmfi.org/ Give Pikes Peak website: https://campaign.givepikespeak.org/ Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob w...