Day Fire Podcast

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Dawn Rae Knoth. Dawn Rae and her family have been bikepacking since their son was 4 years old. They have evolved from short trips using an Adams Trail-a-bike hooked up to road commuters, to tackling +200 mile wilderness routes, such as the Baja Divide Cape Loop This is Dawn Rae's second podcast with us. She shares advice, tips and also updates us on their families progression with bikepacking. This is not a hobby but a lifestyle and way of travel. Dawn Rae shares how bikepacking has strengthened their family and how lessons from the bike apply to life off the bike. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

A short outtake with Alice Hudson Pell, Executive Director of TennGreen Land Conservancy! We talked about the TennGreen Land Conservancy’s Hike-a-Thon 2023! It is an event unlike any other in the Southeast! This month-long, virtually-managed fundraising event supports the protection of our natural areas and encourages people of all ages and abilities to explore the outdoors through friendly competition. The Hike-a-Thon is fun, free, and easy! You’ll simply register online and then get outside in April to compete against other individuals and teams for the chance to win exciting prizes. There’s something for everyone, with competitions for hikers, paddlers, trail runners, climbers, mountain bikers, nature photographers, and more! Find out more: https://tenngreen.org/events/hike-a-thon-2023/ Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Alice Hudson Pell from TennGreen Land Conservancy. Alice is the Executive Director of TennGreen Land Conservancy. In her role, she oversees and directs the organization’s day-to-day operations and provides strategic and operational leadership to ensure TennGreen’s continued sustainability and success. Prior to her appointment as Interim Executive Director, Alice served as TennGreen’s Associate Director for nearly four years, and its Director of Development for five years before that. Alice shares with us that TennGreen was founded by Kathleen Williams in 1998, TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation) is the oldest accredited statewide land conservancy in Tennessee. Additionally, Alice shares with us TennGreen's biggest fundraising event, their Hike-A-Thon. TennGreen Land Conservancy’s Hike-a-Thon is an event unlike any other in the Southeast! This month-long, virtually-managed fundraising event supports the protection of Tenn

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Nick "Chezwick" Gagnon. Nick completed the 6800 Mile Great Western Loop in Less than 200 days becoming the fastest person to hike the enormous route. The Great Western Loop is a 6875-mile hiking route that passes through several states of the Western US and links together five established long distance hiking trails: the PCT, Pacific Northwest Trail, CDT, Grand Enchantment Trail and the Arizona Trail. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Charlie Mix. Charlie is the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Director for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He leads a GIS and cartography lab that supports campus research and serves the greater Chattanooga region supporting applied research projects centered around conservation, outdoor recreation, public health, and community prosperity. Charlie’s work has received international recognition through publications and conferences. When not lost in data, he enjoys being lost in the mountains. Charlie grew up white water kayaking, competing in professional level freestyle kayaking events and worked as a kayaking instructor, a pursuit heavily influenced his career as a conservationist and cartographer. He still enjoys kayaking and riding mountain bikes around the southeast and beyond. Charlie also serves on the board of directors for the Chattanooga chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA Chattanooga) and sits on the steering committee fo

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Erin Powell. Erin is a Spartan veteran who is preparing himself for the Winter Spartan Death Race in Feb 2023, https://peakraces.com/winter-death-race/. We want to know why someone wants to subject themselves to an event so difficult? What is the event like? What the experience does for you as a human and a competitor. Erin shares his experiences and his WHY. Erin loves to test his courage, grit and survival skills. PLUS - stay tuned to the very end - we add a little motivation to your day! Get ready to put something on your calendar to challenge those comfort zones! Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Today Clint and Dawson sit down with Jake Wheeler. Jake is the Founder of the Dayfire Company. Jake is a lifelong outdoors person who lives in Basalt, Colorado. Jake's company can be found at dayfirecompany.com. Dayfire is a Colorado brand agency specializing in creative direction, brand building, digital marketing and community engagement. We talk about Colorado life, Jake's views on business and fun-hogging in one of the best outdoor playgrounds in America. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

The ultimate storyteller and self-proclaimed music nerd - Jeff Styles joins Day Fire once again. Music and social movements have always gone hand-in-hand and in this episode Jeff walks us through some songs and performers that are active, in word and deed, in the preservation of the great outdoors and helping shape our perspective on our relationship with the world around us. Politics aside - this is some great music you may have heard of AND some you probably haven't. We had a lot of fun with Jeff Styles and we think you will enjoy it too! Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Cory Hall. We talk with Cory about his recent Kayak trip down the Grand Canyon. This trip was an unsupported, kayak only trip. We talk about the differences between an unsupported trip and a commercial trip. And what it means when you dont have the luxury of a raft to carry all your gear. Cory was first exposed to river life as a young kid when my dad took a summer job guiding rafts on the Ocoee and Chattooga Rivers for a small outfitter in our hometown called the Buckhorn Mountain Shop. His family would also take a lot of family whitewater canoeing and camping trips around North Georgia and North Carolina around that time as well. At 17 years old he started self teaching himself how to kayak and luckily met a local paddling legend Jeff West at a North Georgia restaurant job. Jeff started taking him kayaking and also helped Cory get a raft guide job the following summer at Sunburst Adventures on the Ocoee. At Sunburst Cory was living on his own for the first time an

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Elaine Adams Gossett. Elaine is the City of Chattanooga’s Therapeutic Recreation Services Manager. She was instrumental in developing Chattanooga's Therapeutic Recreation Program in 2002 with the mindset that leisure and recreation are an important part of everyone's life. Elaine holds a B.S. in Recreation Management with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation from Arizona State University. She is currently a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). Upon graduation in 2000, she returned home to Chattanooga Tn where she has worked as a recreation therapist in behavioral health with youth, Orange Grove Center, and with the City of Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Department. The Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Department’s Therapeutic Recreation Program serves over 400 individuals a month with programs in the areas of outdoor recreation, sports, social outings, arts and enrichment, and special events. These programs have been made possible by the support from num

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Savana Keeton. Savana is the Operations Coordinator for the Cumberland Trails Conference. Building the Cumberland Trail is a passion project for the dedicated staff of the CTC. The work is hard and it takes experts to build through the rock gardens and gorges of the Cumberland Mountains. The Cumberland Trail (CT) is a rugged, north/south, foot-traffic-only trail along the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau in Eastern Tennessee. Currently there is approximately 250 miles open with 50 odd miles left to complete. The trail begins at Cumberland Gap National Park on the northern border of Tennessee/Kentucky. The southern end is the “Grand Canyon” of Tennessee at Signal Mountain overlooking the Tennessee River Gorge at Chattanooga. The mission of the Cumberland Trails Conference is to provide paid and volunteer labor, equipment, supplies and vehicles to design and construct the Cumberland Trail under the auspices of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservatio

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Zach Lesch-Hule and Danial Dunn. Zach is the Vice President of Programs & Acquisitions and Danial is the Southeast Regional Manager for the Access Fund. Zach oversees the strategic direction, leadership, and management of Access Fund’s programs, including the Climbing Conservation Loan Program and land trust operations, stewardship and conservation programs, local affiliate program, risk management and landowner support, and our network of regional directors. Zach is based in Chattanooga, TN and Danial works with local climbing organizations, advocates, land managers, and community partners to protect and expand climbing opportunities across the Southeast. He leads and supports stewardship, education, policy, land acquisition, and local support programs in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. We take a look at 2022 accomplishments for the Access Fund and talk about the recent Natio

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Mark Martin. Mark was President of Marmot Mountain for 21 years. Mark is an avid fly fisherman and has an obsession with fishing for rainbow trout in Alaska. Mark grew up on the Rogue River in Oregon. He has fished his entire life. Mark says he has had a passion for fishing but pretty sure it has “morphed” into an obsession for big trout and steelhead. His first trip to Alaska was almost 20 years ago with the family. Got to experience the vast wilderness of Alaska from many points of view (kayak, boat, plane, hiking) and also got a taste of how different Alaska is for fishing. Mark returned in 2010, as part of a “buddies” trip to the Bristol Bay area for gigantic rainbow trout. These first trips were self-guided, with lots of lessons learned about how to best fish the rivers and creeks, what gear to bring for the day, where to walk and where to avoid, plus proper bear etiquette. He was able to learn enough to succeed on the early trips but also realized that a guid

This week Clint plays 20 questions with Dawson Wheeler! Just how well do we know Dawson? Would he rather face a skunk or a bear? Snow skiing alone or camping with friends? Favorite piece of gear? AND more! This was a lot of fun for us to record and we hope you enjoy it! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO OUR DAY FIRE LISTENERS, SPONSORS, AND GUESTS! Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Tara Dower. Tara shares her last 13 months which was amazing and very successful. Here is her list; attempted Benton MacKaye FKT in September of 2021. Injured myself badly. One month later I raced my first 100 miler called Uwharrie 100. Won for women. Raced my second 100 in Alabama called Blood Rock and came in 2nd overall behind Jeff Browning. Umstead 100 in April was my next 100 and placed 3rd women. Cruel Jewel was the next month in May and got 2nd woman. One month later went for the Benton MacKaye FKT again and smashed the overall record with sub 5 days. I think it was 4 days and 21 hrs and some change. Went on a little vacation to California a month later and finished backpacking the JMT. Started training for Run Rabbit and working hard to prepare for CO with different methods. The race went well and placed 2nd woman behind Annie Hughes with a huge 6 mile push at the end where I ran sub 8 minute miles and passed #2 woman. Whoa right?! also check out Tara's YouTube

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Eddie O'Dea. Eddie is the first rider to complete the Eastern Divide Trail bikepacking route. The EDT is a 6000 mile dirt centric route from Cape Spear, Newfoundland to Key West, FL. He did this as a fundraiser for Georgia Cycling Association which is a youth cycling organization that cultivates a passion for the healthy lifestyle of cycling across the state. Eddie is a co-founder of the Georgia Cycling Association and is an accomplished rider with 22 years of racing and cycling adventures under his belt. Eddie has held course records on Trans North Georgia (TNGA), Huracan 300, and Stagecoach 400 routes. In 2017, Eddie completed the Tour Divide. He is also a bike fitter and cycling coach working with clients in around the southeast. Learn more about the Georgia cycling association https://www.georgiacycling.org to support https://www.georgiacycling.org/tackling-the-trail Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCa

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Kelly Davis. Kelly is the Director of Research at the Outdoor Industry Association and the Outdoor Foundation. We talk about the state of the Outdoor market including participation, consumer trends, and economic and social forces that impact the Outdoor industry at large. Outdoor Recreation1 is a large and growing industry that accounts for 1.8% of the total U.S. GDP, produced $689B in economic output in 2020, supports 4.3M jobs, and is enjoyed by 164M Americans over the age of 6, about 54% of the total U.S. population. The Outdoor industry has always been large, but the Covid pandemic drove growth across the industry. Notably, more than 10M new participants enjoyed outdoor recreation since March 2020. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Mike Pollock. Mike just completed the Tour Divide. The Tour divide is 2,745-miles and formally referred to as the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. The route goes from north to south starting in Banff, Alberta, Canada and finishing at the US/Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. "Some riders do ride south to north. Mike's journey is very unique in the sense that he was joined for half the trip by his wife Georgia and their dog Jade. Mike , Georgia and Jade rode to Pinedale Wy where Mike was joined by a long time friend Hume Davenport. Covid finds its way to the two riders in Co and by NM Mike is alone and pushing on to the finish line. Hume had some post covid conditions that he just could not shake. It was a great pleasure to do this podcast. Mike is one of the true great men that humbly moves through life making a difference. Mike and Georgia are highly skilled outdoors people with many adventures under their belts. And Dog Jade was averaging 20 miles a day r

This week Clint and Dawson talk with Chris Ford. Chris is fresh off his successful hike of the Continental Divide Trail. This also completes the Triple Crown of hiking which includes the AT, PCT and the CD. Chris along with Nancy East have the fastest known time on the 900 Map of the Smokies. Chris has hiked all the trails in the Smokies 5 times and is about to complete his 6th map. A great guy and a hiking machine you dont want to miss this one. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Dawson and Clint wanted to share a few stories that they liked and feel you may like to - just in case you missed them! Story 1 - Pete Ripmaster Episode 169. Pete won the 2018 Iditarod Trail Invitational - which is a race where participants navigate the 1000 mile trail on foot. In his 2016 attempt; while in one of the most isolated areas and crossing a frozen lake, he broke through the ice pulling him and his sled into the frigid water! Story 2 - Same episode with Pete Ripmaster - 169! One morning Pete woke up and had some guests - wolves! Yes, wolves! Enjoy! Story 3 - On episode 165 Spencer Whittier joined us! He is a real-life mountain biking badass! However, the story he shared with us at the end of our podcast made Dawson and Clint both shake their heads! Give it a listen and you will understand why! Story 4 - From episode 143 - Lauren Templeton! Lauren comes from a very adventurous family and she shares family stories going back to her Grandmother's climbing and rafting trips. She shared with us a story