Day Fire Podcast

This week Clint and Dawson talk with Chig Martin. Chig lives in Port Angeles, Wa. by way of Rossville Ga/Chattanooga Tn. Chig is a former triathlete turned gravel cyclist. He is part of Team Hyland BWR. Chig let life get in the way of his personal life and became unhealthy to the point where he was hospitalized and weighed 325 pounds and had serious health issues. But Chig said enough and now for 1367 days in a row he has ridden his bike since 9-1-2018. He has lost 147 pounds and at one point had a 52 inch waist and now has a 35 inch waist. Chig is a funny man who enjoys life and is an inspiration.

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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, distributing Ukrainian Bibles, evacuating refugees, and any other need presented to them. They are a team of selfless men called by God to serve. Their adventure is inspiring and life changing.

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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 accomplishments and adventures is way more than what we can include in this write-up, you need to listen and come along for the ride!

Rush Sturges' Spotify Album

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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:

To watch his instructional video - visit YouTube and search Marc Hunt - "Tips for Rowing the Big Rapids in the Grand Canyon (Colorado River Whitewater Rafting)

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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 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 quickly through the publishing ranks, and was named the following year as Managing Editor at Rural Press USA, the world’s largest publisher of agricultural magazines.

At age 32, Wheeler kicked off his journey as an entrepreneur, publishing a series of magazines over the ensuing years, including Atlanta House & Home and Coastal Homes & Lifestyles.

In 2008, he walked away from the publishing world to pursue a life-long dream of filmmaking. Since then, he has gone on to write, direct and produce three feature-length documentary films, two on-demand series. Wheeler’s commercial work focuses on creating story-driven content for a diverse range of clients, including ad agencies, global corporations and national healthcare brands.

Other projects currently streaming — available on Amazon — include the on-demand series, “Ride To Extraordinary,” and “Undiscovered.”

Wheeler is currently in production on a feature-length documentary about the life of Grace Ragland.

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!

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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?

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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!

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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.

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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.”

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