Why We Hike

HOLY CRAP WE ARE BACK SORT OF! Its been a tough 2 years but hopefully I can get this podcast going again! This episode is a church talk I gave a while back about spiritual insights I have gained from fire making in the wild.

Melanie Stone is an actor, film producer, rock and roll goddess and passionate nature lover. In this episode Mel talks about her recent backpacking trip to Paria Canyon in Southern Utah which at one point caused her to seriously wonder if she might actually die in that Canyon. We have an incredible conversation about the benefits of being humbled by nature and whole bunch of other stuff. I played...

Bob Donoho is an incredible human lifeform. He has had all kinds of wild experiences in the backcountry as a wilderness therapy guide for many years. He is an, in my opinion, expert woodworker and crafter of all kinds of things from nature. But beyond all those things, Bob has a golden heart and the wisdom of an ancient Greek philosopher. And he really likes bengal spice tea.  Follow Bob! @Go...

Lauren "Lala" Pedersen has the unique perspective of experiencing wilderness therapy as a struggling teen client not only once but TWICE (a combined 4 months), AND she has been a backcountry wilderness therapy guide on and off for the last 6 years with the Anasazi Foundation. This is a ultra unique perspective I had been wanting to dive into for many moons! Over the course of this interview Lauren...

Paul Bird is a fan favorite. Maybe THE fan favorite. I had Paul on the podcast earlier in 2022 right before he was about to leave on his first through hike on the Arizona Trail, an 800ish mile wilderness trail spanning from the Mexican border to Utah.  So on this episode we talk about how he survived being all alone for so long as an extremely extroverted person as well as his change of heart...

This episode is an excerpt from a live talk I recently gave at church. I talk about ways I believe I have seen God working with me and others in the wilderness. I recognize that a lot of you may have had difficult experiences with religion and I don't want this podcast to be a specifically religious or Christian podcast at all. I just want to hear about all people's meaningful experiences in the o...

Cary Judd co-produced an award winning documentary called 828 that follows Cary Judd as he attempts to ride his e-skateboard around the ring road of Iceland - 828 miles. Ultimately it’s a story about mental health and coping with grief. Like a lot of us, Cary Judd had a rough 2020. On top of the global pandemic and civil unrest, Cary dealt with the deaths of his mother, father, aunt and close frie...

Benjamin Pete Allred is a mad scientist that loves pushing himself in the outdoors. We talk about his trip to climb the tallest peak in North America -Denali Peak- , which was formerly known as Mt. Mckinley. It is only fitting he climbed a mountain with 2 names while he is a man with 2 names. It is very confusing. Benjamin Pete has climbed and hiked all over the world now while also having some wi...

Sheesh where do I start? Jessie Krebs runs an outdoor survival school specifically for women (OwlsSkills.com), was an Air Force SERE instructor for many years, is THE ONLY wilderness survival instructor on Masterclass , yes you read that right.  Take a breather because we are only getting started here...  Jessie has also been featured on many survival TV shows such as: National Geographi...

Shanae Foster is a wilderness therapy veteran, wilderness EMT, avid rock climber, ancestral living skills enthusiast, incredible sour dough bread baker, and hopeful marathon runner, ultra marathon runner and through hiker.  Shanae recently signed for her first marathon ever and we dig deep to understand why the heck she paid 100+ dollars to suffer. We also delve into a life altering conversat...

Paul Bird is a fascinating human specimen. He spent 32 months IN A ROW working rigorous wilderness therapy at the Anasazi Foundation and he is now about to start an 800 mile trek, on foot from the Mexican border to Utah, known as the Arizona Trail. Paul talks about how coming out as gay has led him to pursue other new experiences AKA adventure.  Paul was also worked with dead bodies as a mort...

Nathan Donnelly is best known for surviving 72 days in the Northern Canada wilderness on Season 6 of History Channel's Alone Show. Nathan is the only person in the history of the Alone Show to choose NOT to bring a modern fire starting device, and chose instead to rely on his expert friction fire building skills. This is what initially drew me to Nathan! Nathan is a man of great wisdom and deep ex...

Callie Russell is a long time outdoor "surTHRIVAL" practitioner and instructor as well as nomadic goat herder, and wilderness therapy backcountry guide, but is perhaps best known for her appearance on season 7 of History Channel's Alone show, where she survived and thrived for 89 days completely alone in the Arctic. In this interview Callie talks about her journey from a typical middle class angst...

Abi Ayres is a REAL LIFE Instagram influencer (@AbiAyres) and draws people in with her genuine, bright, goofy personality. She recently took it upon herself to train for and attempt to hike 24 miles from Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon in one day. Abi says this was WAAAY out of her comfort zone. Abi talks about why the heck she felt compelled to do this and what the incredibly hard trek taught her...

Growing up in foster care, Sam Smith had a confusing and challenging childhood. He explains how engaging with the wilderness has helped him overcome and heal from the past and how it continues to do so for him. He once found himself stranded in the Mountains and decided to live out there alone for 2 months. He now lives outside in a Wikiup (AKA primitive living shelter made of sticks) full-time wh...

In this episode you will join my comrades and I as we venture, for the first time, into the ominous Wind River Mountains in Wyoming. In addition, toward the end of the episode there is an interview with Alex, who we stumbled upon out there. He was severely sick with altitude sickness and couldn't stop throwing up. Fun times! Join my Patreon cult to help keep this podcast ad-free!: https://www.patr...

In this episode Elizabeth Baird demands to interview the normal podcast host, Ford Thunder Erickson. She prevails. Ford talks about his most meaningful wild places he's been, a powerful experience he had on the John Muir Trail annnnd why he hikes. What else would he talk about? Ford's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FordThunderErickson Instantgraham: @Ford_Thunder_Erickson

Elisabeth Baird is an experienced wilderness therapy guide as well as a middle school art teacher. She once did an internship combining art therapy and wilderness therapy together, which I have never heard of anyone else doing before. Elizabeth is one of the most thoughtful people on earth and every human being would benefit from hearing the insights and experiences she shares in this episode. Fol...

Good ol' Clutch Lambert was on the 2nd episode ever on this podcast but it was definitely the worst interview I have ever done....not because of him but because of my crappy interviewing skillz. In this episode Clutch and I discuss the ethics of killing animals as well as the sacredness we will exists on ancient ruins of all kinds. FOLLOW CLUTCH: Thunderstone Wilderness Ventures @Thunderstone86 @C...

In this episode, Ford takes you with him on his solo backpacking trip in the High Uintas Wilderness where he experiences the scariest night he has ever spent in the backcountry. 

Dana Anderson is a lifelong outdoor survival skill practitioner and is an especially expert flint knapper AKA arrowhead maker. Dana estimates that he has made over 50,000 arrowheads in his life and can bust out a beautifully crafted and useful arrowhead in 1 minute. Maybe a world record? Dana is one the wildest, kookiest and warmest people I have ever met. He has a DEEP knowledge and connection to...

Bartle is a ultra long distance walker/hiker/runner and has great expertise and passion for surviving and thriving off the land.  Bartle tells the story of what led her from her pre-professional life as a Ballerina in Ohio to running across the wilderness of the west wearing a buckskin skirt she made, and eating roots and rendered deer fat for nourishment along the way. She would be known as...

Good ol' Dan Rosenberg spent 21 days in the wild on the show Naked and Afraid, completed a self-directed 40 day solo 'walkabout' in the northeast Utah wilderness which included a 5 day fast from food in hopes of finding clarity and newfound purpose to his life. Dan is also a seasoned wilderness therapy backcountry guide.  Dan is a thoughtful, spiritual and jovial beast of a man. Hear his word...

Lori Guthrie is a former police officer, park ranger, Anasazi Trailwalker, and forever destroyer of all wilderness trash. She also co-teaches an outdoor survival class at Mesa Community College with her husband Greg.  Lori talks about how hiking helped her work through her divorce and gain self confidence and healing. She is still very involved at Anasazi as a "carpet walker" and serves as a...

I caught up with Arizona Trail thru-hikers Kelli Oswald and Lexy Newby for a spur of the moment interview in the parking lot of Red Robin. Kelli and Lexy had just reached the half way point in the nearly 800 mile long Arizona Trail that starts at the Mexican border and goes all the way to Utah. They share some of the highlights of their glorious but rugged journey thus far. I then attempted to con...