Day Fire Podcast

This week Clint and I spoke with Brad Cobb and Sergeant Clay Tolson. Today's podcast is our most meaningful podcast to-date. Brad and Clay and 5 other men share their story of traveling to the Ukraine.They headed to Romania on March 30th for four days and then to Moldova for seven days with five first responders from the Chattanooga area (Sergeant Clay Tolson, Officer Juan Cuba, Sergeant Jeremiah Cook, Investigator Hunter Morgan, Lieutenant Danny Jones, and Harris Looney). All these men paid their own way and took their limited vacation time to respond to a desperate situation. The team was in contact with other groups and individuals in and around Ukraine who have communicated specific needs and requests for supplies. They distributed emergency medical supplies, assisting Romanian and Moldovian pastors and other volunteers caring for Ukrainian refugees, loading/off-loading supplies, making runs to the border and well into Ukraine, shuttling refugees from border to temporary housing, serving food, distributin

This week Dawson and Clint, along with special guest host - Marc Hunt, sit down with whitewater kayaker, filmmaker, and musician - Rush Sturges! Rush grew up in California around the whitewater community and it was there he developed a love and passion for the sport and the adventure. He has traveled the world and competed at the highest level - from freestyle to racing. Rush is also a well known and respected filmmaker! You can find one of his documentaries currently on Netflix – ‘The River Runner’! It is a must watch! His ability to capture the rawness and unforgiving nature of the rivers and the emotions and stories of those who seek adventure on them, is uncanny. His love for the sport and film has taken him to some of the most remote and dangerous rivers on the globe. PLUS – Rush is an accomplished musician. We end our show with the title song from his last album "A Life Worth Living' and you can check out the link to the full album below. This is one of those conversations where the list of accomplishm

Marc Hunt is back on the podcast! Marc was the co-founder of Sunburst Adventures - the first outfitter to operate on the Ocoee River in Tennessee and we first talked to Marc in Episode #138 (give it a listen). Today Marc sits down with Dawson and Clint to talk about his experiences, adventures, and passion for the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. We talk about the differences between commercial and privately guided tours, being prepared, the permitting process, animals, expectations, and yes - lot's of stories! Marc has been down the Colorado - 9 times! Whether it was kayaking, rafting and even motorized, each trip brings with it lessons and stories he shares with us and with others. Marc has also collected a number of amazing photographs and created an Award-Winning instructional video on navigating the Colorado River (links below). Check out our Facebook page for more pictures or visit these links: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marc_hunt/albums/72157711976912252 https://www.flickr.com/photos/marc_hunt

This week Clint and Dawson Talk with Kris Wheeler. Kris is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and commercial content creator. The professional journey of this North Georgia native is rooted in a foundation of journalism and storytelling. In recent years, Wheeler’s film work has garnered coverage in national publications and media outlets, including: Billboard Magazine, USA Today, Garden & Gun Magazine, Paste Magazine and NPR World Cafe. In November 2018, his film, Revival: The Sam Bush Story, became a hit with Amazon viewers, quickly climbing into the “Top 10 Best Sellers” list for documentaries following its commercial release. Revival earned four “Best” film awards on the indie film festival circuit, including “Best Music Documentary” in its World Premiere at the Nashville Film Festival. Wheeler’s storytelling skills were developed early in his career, in route to becoming an award-winning newspaper journalist and feature writer. After covering the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, he moved

In this short 1-minute and 18-second outtake with Justin Shipp we asked and answered one of the most important questions when it comes to camping - breakfast or dinner? Lines were crossed - opinions given - things were said! Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Some of our most popular episodes are when we talk the van life! - This week Dawson and Clint welcome back Justin Shipp, owner of Site Seven Custom Vans. They talk about innovations in van builds and new gadgets! They explore some of the basics, things to consider, and things to avoid when designing your van. Dawson shares some things he might do differently in his next build with Site Seven and we see if Justin can close the deal during the podcast (we have faith in you Justin)! They talk about food - games - BB guns - and how a van is simply another reason to get up and get outside! PLUS - they ask and answer the most important question - is breakfast or dinner the best meal when camping? Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint puts Dawson on the hotseat! 10 questions in 30-minutes! Covering business - adventure - animals - bucket lists - conservation - and more! This one moves pretty fast, is full of stories, some laughs, information, and hopefully entertainment! Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint and Dawson talk with Alex Kutches. Alex serves as President for Mystery Ranch packs based out of Bozeman, MT. Prior to this post he served as VP Sales & Marketing for Mystery Ranch for 7.5 years. He has also worked with Outdoor Research out of Seattle as President and VP Sales & Marketing as well as with Marmot as Director of Sales for the US. Alex, simply stated, is "a wonderful, humble person". We talk about the history of Mystery Ranch, pack designs, carrying loads and some adventure stories. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Clint and Dawson talk with David Kramer. After working at a specialty outdoor shop in Atlanta for 10 years, High Country Outfitters, David started his career as a manufacturers rep. He and his partners built a sales agency, called the Uber Group. The agency represented Arc'teryx, Salomon, Petzl, Mountain Khakis, Suunto, and Jet Boil, in the Southeast. Arc'teryx, Salomon, and Suunto were being used by the Military and that became a significant part of Uber Group's business for 10+ years. That engagement with the Military is ultimately how David got involved with The Special Operations Care Fund. David states, We created SOC-F in 2013 for one purpose: to make a positive and meaningful difference in the lives of SOF families who have given so much for our country and our freedom. We do this by raising money for one incredibly worthwhile purpose: to provide medical, financial, and other support to SOF members and their families in ways that are often not met through other sources–what we call the “gaps.

This week Clint and Dawson talk with Skyler Baker. Skyler was born and raised on Signal Mountain Tennessee and since he was a child he was immersed in the outdoor community and music scene of the Chattanooga area. Every spring and fall his family camped in a pop up trailer in the surrounding state parks. As a teenager that developed into hiking with friends and doing short overnight trips around Walden’s Ridge. His senior project included work with the Cumberland Trail Conference before setting off for the college of engineering at UT Knoxville. In his second year at UT he went on a whim of a day hike in the Smokies which sparked a love. In my third year he was invited to spend spring break backpacking on Cumberland Island, his first multiple night trip. While working a summer internship in Chattanooga he began to trail run every day after work. Once he graduated that became his hobby and it further developed in the Smokies. His approach to travel also changed as he took trips to South Africa, the Alps, Cana

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Christine Reed. Christine is a long-distance backpacker and author of the memoir, Alone in Wonderland. She shares her personal journey from sedentary office worker to rugged outdoorswoman in hopes of inspiring others to see something bigger for themselves-- whatever that may be. But also to remind us that a good story is about sharing something of ourselves and connecting with others. She's found in the outdoor community the first place that ever felt like home. 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 Bill Johnston. Bill is the co-founder and president of Recover Brands, a North Carolina based sustainable apparel company. Recover Brands is a mission driven company that aims to create the best, most environmentally friendly and socially responsible products possible, and to educate and inspire those around us to live and work for a sustainable tomorrow. Recover Brands specializes in manufacturing and marketing apparel and accessories out of 100% recycled materials. Through its co-brand program, Recover offers custom designs and prints on it's products for businesses, organization, events and more. Prior to founding Recover in 2010, Bill worked in the outdoor industry guiding backpacking and mountaineering trips. Bill is a native of Statesville, NC and an alum of North Carolina State University. Outside of the office Bill likes to spend as much time outside as possible. He is an avid mountain biker and enjoys skiing, backpacking, fly fishing, running, golf, sur

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Scotty Smith. Scotty is a horticulturist with a passion for all things plants and nature. We wanted to talk about Spring flowers, blooming bushes, plant identification apps, hiking, bugs and this big ol world. Scotty is a committed life-long learner and has been studying plants and ecology for more than 10 years. He first began his career as a park ranger working on biological studies, maintaining trails, and practicing land conservation at Shiloh National Military Park. He then set his sights west, where he worked at Colorado State University managing the research arboretum as well as a horticulturist at a landscaping nursery and tree farm. After taking time off to hike the Appalachian Trail with his dog Bailey, Scotty began his career at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center in 2018 as a Horticulture Assistant. Due to his strong background in plants and his knack for growing them, he became Nursery Manager, and then took on his current role as Director of La

Day Fire Podcast has been around for years and from time-to-time we like to visit our archives and re-release some great conversations that some of our loyal listeners may have missed! This is a Clint Powell pick: Episode # 35 from November of 2019 with Rickey Gates and Fred Doss - 'Running Coast to Coast'! This week, we spoke with Rickey Gates via phone who is a Salomon Athlete. Rickey shares his story about running from coast to coast. Rickey writes; "From March 1st to August 1st, 2017, I traversed the width of America - from South Carolina to San Francisco. My 3,700-mile-long route took me on trail, road, river and snow. I ran through plains, desert, mountain ranges and cities. Snow, rain, wind, heat, sun and darkness. Mostly, I ran alone, but occasionally some friends would join me. I am currently processing this trip - in words, photos and how I anticipate it to affect me in the future. For much of the past fifteen years I have been traveling to every corner of the globe. I sort through photos and find m

Day Fire Podcast has been around for years and from time-to-time we like to visit our archives and re-release some great conversations that some of our loyal listeners may have missed! This is a Dawson Wheeler pick: Episode #64 from July of 2020 with Dr. John Anderson! From a running perspective he has been running around in the woods for most of his life, from cross country in school to trails and ultra, and had a decent bit of success and certainly a ton of fun in ultrarunning over the last 16 years. In terms of race results, most recently John finished 7th overall at the 2019 Tor des Glaciers in the Italian Alps. This is a unique event, an unmarked 450km (~300miles) route done in a single push with over 105,000 of climbing that has interesting and variable terrain from steep mountain trails to 4th and 5th class scrambles. Here's a link to a race report John wrote for Ultrarunning Magazine for it https://ultrarunning.com/.../the-inaugural-tor-des-glaciers/ Dr. John Anderson also has a great family w

This week Clint catches up with a very special guest (insert dramatic pause) - Dawson Wheeler! That's right, this week Dawson takes a break from the slopes and calls into the Day Fire studio. They talked about snow, fire, and conservation - the Olympics - being competitive with your friends on the slopes - gear - vistas - and more! This was a really fun conversation! Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week Cint and Dawson sat down with Lauren Templeton. Lauren is the founder and president of Templeton and Phillips Capital Management, LLC. Lauren is the Independent Director for Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, Fairfax India Holdings Corporation, and Canadian Solar, Inc. Lauren is the great niece of Sir John M. Templeton and is a current member of the John M. Templeton Foundation, the Templeton World Charities Foundation and a Trustee of Templeton Religion Trust. Professionally speaking, Lauren began her career working with managed portfolios and investments in 1998. In 2001, Lauren founded Templeton & Phillips Capital Management. Lauren is the Co-author of Investing the Templeton Way: The Market Beating Strategies of Value Investing’s Legendary Bargain Hunter (2008, McGraw Hill) She is a frequent speaker and financial commentator. Lauren comes from a very adventurous family and she shares family stories going back to her Grandmother's climbing and rafting trips, to a cross country trip in a hea

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Arno Ilgner. Arno distinguished himself as a pioneering rock climber in the 1970s and 80s. In 1995, after searching the literature and practice of mental training, Ilgner formalized his methods, created The Warrior’s Way, and began teaching full time. Ilgner has taught clinics across the U.S.A. and abroad. He holds a BA in Geology, operated a geological consulting firm, acted as CFO for a company, and attended the Army Ranger School. He lives and climbs in Tennessee. 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 Nancy East who recently wrote; Chasing the Smokies Moon. Nancy East is an avid hiker and backpacker. After a 23 year career as a small animal veterinarian, she retired to pursue her passion as a writer, hiking guide and speaker. She is a member of the Haywood County's Search and Rescue Team, a founding board member of the WNC Wilderness Safety Fund, a Gossamer Gear Ambassador, and a Southern Appalachian Naturalist. Nothing brings her more joy professionally than educating her fellow hikers about how to stay "safe and found". In 2019, she and her good friend, Chris Ford, set the fastest known time (FKT) for a mixed-gender team on the Tour de LeConte Challenge. In 2020, they set the overall FKT for the Smokies 900 Challenge. Nancy has hiked all the trails in the Smoky Mountains National Park four times, and she continues to go back for more. When she's not on the trail, Nancy is a mother to three children and a wife to her high school sweetheart. Thanks for listening!

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Laura Marsh. Laura is a field ornithologist and conservation biologist. She is the founder of Nova Conservation, an organization dedicated to connecting adventurers to conservation biology by providing unique, research-focused, ethical ecotours. She has worked as a biologist at various institutions, including the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Laura also volunteers at Chattanooga Audubon Society and other conservation societies when she's not chasing birds in the field or her two young boys around the house. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm