Day Fire Podcast

This week we spoke with Clay Watson, who was born and raised in Southeast Tennessee. Clay has been employed at Mountain View Ford Lincoln for 24 years and is currently a Partner in the Mountain View Auto Group. Also, President of Mountain View Motorsports. But our talk with Clay is about fly fishing all around the world. Clay learned how to fish from his father and Grandfather in the Lakes and streams of Tennessee. He was introduced to saltwater in the 80's when his grandfather retired to the Florida Keys. In the 90's he became a fly fishing guide in Jackson, Wyoming. Clay has been fortunate enough to fish all over the Rocky Mountain West, Louisiana, the Florida Panhandle and Keys, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Mexico, Argentina and New Zealand. His motto passed down by his grandfather is, "Work hard so you can play hard." That’s exactly what he has done. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we talked with Mike Wilkinson. Mike Wilkinson is a filmmaker and photographer in Lexington, Kentucky, the main person behind the curtain at Wilkinson Visual. For more than 15 years, Mike has been producing and directing video production projects. His passion is creating documentary-style films related to outdoor adventure, travel, and conservation. Mike produced a film about Ice Climbing in Kentucky which is fabulous and a must watch. This adventure documentary takes the audience for a bourbon-fueled ride deep into the bushy hollers of Appalachia with a crew of harmless misfits as they race to search out and climb new ice routes before they're gone, with a few surprises along the way. https://www.wilkinsonvisual.com/kentucky-ice-climbing-film Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we talked with Jeff Woody. On August 25, 2020, he completed all of the trails in the GSMNP (aka Great Smoky Mountains 900 Miler Club) in the Fastest Known Time of 33 days and 9 hours…beating the previous record of 43 days set by Benny Braden in 2017. Jeff is a Life-long backpacker and hiker with some mountaineering experience that includes summits of Mt. Rainier, several 14’rs in Colorado, and Illiniza Sur (Ecuador- 17,218 feet). He discovered a passion for long distance trail running around the age of 40 years old and have since completed over 70 ultra marathon races, including an ultra in every state…19 of the races at distances of 100 miles or greater. Numerous adventures in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: -Completed all of the trails on the official park map 9 times (aka Great Smoky Mountains 900 Miler Club x 9) -Completed single day treks of the 72-mile section of the AT in the Smokies (aka SCAR) three times. -Completed an informal challenge (sometimes referred to as “Tour of Mt. LeC

This week we spoke with Liz Anjos, aka “Mercury,” who just finished and set the new women's South to North supported record on the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine. 51 days, 16 hours, and 30 minutes. Liz’s record attempt was supported by Warren Doyle, who was also in the studio with us and is a hiker, educator, and expert on the Appalachian Trail; who set an endurance record on the trail in 1973, completing it in 66 days. He currently holds the informal record for hiking the entire trail the most times (18!). Liz was also supported by family in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and friends throughout the long distance hiking and trail running communities in the Eastern US. The women’s overall record stands at 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes, set by Jennifer Pharr Davis in 2011 hiking North to South. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we speak with Auden Schendler, Vice President of Sustainability who is with Aspen Skiing Company. Auden focuses on big scale solutions to climate change, primarily clean energy and activism. He worked previously in corporate sustainability at Rocky Mountain Institute. Auden has been a trailer insulator, burger flipper, ambulance medic, Outward Bound instructor, high school math and English teacher, and Forest Service goose-nest island builder. He has lectured at Harvard, Yale, Google and Starbucks, and to second graders and Chilean kayakers. His writing has been published in Harvard Business Review, the L.A. Times, Scientific American, Climatic Change, Atlantic.com, Huffington Post, The Denver Post, and other media, and his work has been covered in Outside, Fast Company, Travel + Leisure and Businessweek. In 2006, Auden was named a global warming innovator by Time Magazine and in 2007 he testified to Congress on the impacts of climate change on public lands. His book Getting Green Done: Hard Truth

This week, Kristi Parsons is back talking about her beloved Smoky Mountains and some of the challenges that Covid-19 has on the National Park. We talk trails and how we can all get involved in supporting The Smoky Mountains National Park. We also get a quick history lesson. We love talking with Kristi, she is a rock star! Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week our guest is - (insert dramatic pause) Dawson Wheeler! What advice would the current Dawson give the younger Dawson? What adjustments has he made in order to stay active as he has gotten older? Tis the season to plan your winter ski trips - so we talk about that. Plus - some gear info, what adventures has he been on recently and where is he headed next? We pulled this audio from a Facebook LIVE video Clint and Dawson did - enjoy!! ALSO - follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dayfirepodcast Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we talked with Stan Prichard. After finishing High School it was off to Durango and Fort Lewis College where he quickly quit the cross-country team for adventures, climbing and skiing around Colorado and Utah. All of his time during college that wasn’t spent on schoolwork was spent developing his skills, gaining his medical and technical certifications and trying to work in the outdoor industry in guiding and retail. At the end of college, he borrowed $5,000 against his truck and got his first credit card and bought a 10 acre mining claim outside of Silverton, CO and started Treasure Mountain Hut and Guide Service. For the next ten years, his time was spent guiding, running his business and blowing it all off to travel and adventure. In 2013, he sold the business and reinvested his money in real estate and has spent the last 7 years working in Action sports for Red Bull, ESPN, TGR, Scott, Cliff Bar, and Mountain dew building courses, managing operations and logistics, and working with film

This week we spoke with Hollee Brock. Hollee says, "I tend to problem solve like an inventor, ponder life like a philosopher, and express it like a poet. I have been the COO of Brock Inc, a living and loving enterprise where we help things grow, for almost 30 years. I am proficient in ways that might be less visible in the typical metrics of achievements but are strong in the big picture of life. I am walking into a new season of life so I decided to kick it off by walking a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. I have followed that 'boots on the ground' experience with the pilgrimage of writing about it." Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we talk with up and coming Ultra runner Noah Cochran who was born in 1999. Noah was a high school cross country runner who earned an athletic scholarship at Bryan College. But after one season he transferred schools to pursue Ultra running. He has run a 14:47 100 miler; whoa!!. In 2019 he won, the Chattanooga Mountain stage race, the Georgia Jewel 100 miler and set a course record and in 2020 he has early season wins at Rock/Creek rabid Raccoon 25k, Fort Yargo Ultra 50k, Mass Extinction Elimination Endurance Challenge and Second in Merrill's Mile 24 Hour race. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Karah Nazor is a biologist, science teacher, aquarist (she raises 3 species of jellyfish in her lab), She loves to swim in oceans, lakes and rivers, Karah is also the Race Director of Swim the Suck, and she loves insanely spicy food and IPAs. Karah teaches scientific research, molecular biology, environmental science, general biology, and marine biology at The McCallie. In her lab, her team of research students embarks on a range of projects from the effects of ocean acidification on jellyfish, to spawning ctenophores for growing primary cell cultures in vitro, to optimizing hatching and methods for rearing freshwater fairy shrimp. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from James Madison University in 1999. She swam sprint freestyle and backstroke events for the JMU Dukes. She earned a Ph.D. in Gerontology from the University of Kentucky in 2005, followed by a postdoctoral research at the University of California San Francisco for 4 years where she studied prion disease. Karah is from Chattanooga

This week we are talking with Dr. John Anderson. John works as an emergency medicine doc primarily at a trauma center and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. In the winter, John also works in a ski clinic in the Lake Tahoe region during the winter fixing primarily orthopedic injuries. Also John, helped start and teach for our company, Tahoe Wilderness Medicine where they do wilderness medical education courses paired with some adventures like backcountry skiing in Norway and Antarctica, trail running in Chamonix, climbing in Spain, etc. Here's a link for that https://tahoewildernessmedicine.com/ On the side John is the medical director for the Broken Arrow Skyrace Series and has provided care for various ultrarunning races from local trail races to multi-day stage races in the Gobi desert. 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 cer

This week we talk with Nick Rader and Chris Loizeaux, Founders of Trekka Designs. It all started when they – Nick & Chris – met while on a week-long fly fishing and motorcycle adventure/photoshoot for RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel Magazine. What was suppose to be a week of riding motorcycles and fly fishing small mountain streams turned into a week of torrential rain. It turns out, that was the best possible outcome. 5 guys tried to pass the time in a cabin by playing guitar, drinking beer, tying flies & talking, but after a few days, the conversation turned to gear and its shortcomings. They ended up sketching a pair of pants with all the features they thought would be perfect for adventure and traveling. When they got back from the trip, they hit the ground running – and Trekka was born. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we talked with Tish Gailmard, Director of Wildlife Conservation, Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center, Chattanooga, TN. Tish has a 20 year tenure with Reflection Riding and is a Tennessee Wildlife Federation 2016 Conservation Educator of the Year. She is also a Federal Red Wolf Species Survival Plan Management Team member, Red Wolf Task Force Member, Red Wolf Blood Champion. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we talk with Ryan Meulemans who has been exploring the outdoors since an early age. Growing up camping and fishing led to a job as a fly fishing guide and owner of his own fly fishing travel business. In his late 20’s he discovered trail running which has been a consuming passion since. As with everything, he is all in and taking everything to the absolute extreme, 50k races quickly moved on to 50mi and 100+ mile races. His latest adventure was setting an FKT for a double S.C.A.R on the AT in the Smoky Mountain National Park at 53 hrs 45 min for the 144 mile route. When not in the woods his other major passion is wine and traveling to wine regions around the world. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we are talking with Dave Baker, a native and resident of the Sonoran Desert, living in Tucson, Arizona. He has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the outdoors; at various times taking pleasure in hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, mountaineering, ski touring and outdoor photography. He most often adventures in the magnificent American West, having a special fondness for wild places on the Colorado Plateau including Grand Canyon, Escalante, Canyonlands, Bears Ears, and more. In 1967, with a childhood friend, Dave launched one of the early outdoor equipment outfitters in the United States, the Summit Hut, which has served Tucson ever since supplying equipment and clothing for outdoor adventurers. Some 10 years ago, Dave passed the business on to new owners and he now enjoys time spent with family, grandchildren, and continuing outdoor adventures. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Andy Anderson started running and climbing in Chattanooga, Tennessee at age 13. In high school he started working at Rock Creek Outfitters. He ran competitively through college and annoyed his coaches and professors by climbing and skiing way too much. Andy worked as a climbing ranger in National Park Service for 15 summers. Since leaving the Park Service, Andy spends his summers being a dad, programming computers, guiding, running and climbing as much as he can, and keeping up with his wife (a biathete, runner, climber, skier, and climate scientist) and 10 year old son who says his favorite things are running, skiing, and biking. In the winters Andy is an avalanche forecaster for the Sierra Avalanche Center where he spend his days going up and down mountains on skis and digging holes in the snow. Andy currently hold the fastest known times on Longs Peak and the Grand Teton and the second fastest time on Mt. Whitney. He regularly places in the top five of most of the trail races he enters. Andy is also an ath

Sunny Montgomery lives in Ocoee, Tennessee, in a 600-square-foot cabin she built with her boyfriend. Since November, they've been living off-the-grid, gardening, chicken-keeping and boiling water to take baths. Sunny is a writer and editor with Get Out Chattanooga and Chatter magazine. On summer weekends, she and her boyfriend run a taco truck on the Ocoee River (though this season's opening has been delayed due to coronavirus.) Her passion is whitewater canoeing. Discovering new creeks and rock smears make her happiest, but the Ocoee River, where she learned to paddle and where you'll find her any summer weekend (before opening the taco truck, of course) is among her most favorite places on Earth. Notable past paddling trips include Gates of Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument, Costa Rica and the Grand Canyon. This October – pandemic willing – she has plans to launch for her second Canyon trip. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

If your stuck in the house, or out on the trail alone.. Here are some stories to enjoy from Day Fire Podcast. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This week we talk with Jason Finnell, who was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jason is the mountain bike program director for the Schejola Foundation, and helps open mountain bike programs (with start up grants through the foundation of up to $25,000) for Boys & Girls Clubs across the Southeast. Jason’s hobbies include mountain biking, snowboarding, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu He has competed in numerous adventure races with his team Adventure Capitalists/BDAR with a division win at the ATOMIC 30 hour. Jason is a BJJ black belt, and is the owner of Veritas Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Dalton, Georgia. Thanks for listening! Find all our episodes at dayfirepodcast.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm