Day Fire Podcast

This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Shannon Burke. Shannon founded Velo View Bike Tours in 2012 and originally offered tours all over the country before moving from Austin to Chattanooga in 2016 and narrowing his focus to the world-class cycling available in the Chattanooga tri-state region. In addition to providing custom tours in the region, Shannon produces the Cycle Sequatchie Century & 3 MtnChallenge bike ride in Dunlap, TN, (annually the first Saturday in October), and also runs Tennessee Gravel, which helps cyclists explore the gravel roads of the Cherokee National Forest through downloadable routes, bikepacking info, the Three Rivers Individual Time Trial Series, and the upcoming RELIANCE gravel grinder the last weekend in April 2024. If you are within driving distance to Chattanooga Tennessee you should come cycle this event. https://www.cyclesequatchie.com and check out this gravel two day race in 2024 in the Cherokee National Forest https://www.tennesseegravel.com/reliance

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This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Justin Shipp Founder and owner of Site Seven Custom Van Conversions. We talked about building a custom van for you. Considerations when designing the perfect build. How much space, showers, AC units, seating and where do all the toys go? We are also talking about things no one tells you about living out of a van. Trash, water, human waste O My, haha it's just part of it. Living or vacationing in a van this is a fun podcast. Site Seven is a custom van builder based in Chattanooga Tennessee. For more information go to https://www.sitesevencampers.com

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This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Coree Woltering who is a Rock/Creek Outfitters staff and Northface runner. Coree, who’s known by some as one of the #cornfieldcowboys, was born and raised in Ottawa, Illinois. He began his running career in the 400m and 800m distances and had his sights on becoming a professional triathlete, qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships twice. But before long, he discovered ultrarunning and became mesmerized by the idea of running 100 miles in the mountains.

Coree took his frontier to the next level in 2015, where he won every trail 50k he signed up for that year. In 2016, he averaged a 6:36 per mile to win the Tunnel Hill 50. At 30 years old, he set the fastest known time (FKT) in 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. And then followed that up with that Pinhoti Trail FKT in 2021. He ended up loving the trail so much that he moved to the south! Most recently, Coree finished Western States 100.

When Coree is not running, he is probably sitting on his balcony drinking a cup of coffee, or selling shoes at Rock Creek! Stop by Rock/Creek Outfitters on Manufactures Rd in Chattanooga Tn and get advice from Coree.

Accomplishments:

Ice Age Trail FKT (~1,200 miles), Pinhoti Trail FKT 349 miles, 2019 World’s Toughest Race Eco-Challenge Fiji, 2x 70.3 World Championship Finisher, 7x 100 mile finisher, 2:26 Chicago Marathon 2016, 5:30 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile 2016, 25 + Ultramarathon podium finishes.

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This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Matt Schweiker. Matt joined us on episode 203 sharing his bike packing race adventure from the Silk Road. This week Matt is back from the Tour Divide bike race. Matt had an amazing performance and recorded a 18 day finish/result. "The Tour Divide is an annual mountain biking ride traversing the length of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Mexican border. Following the 2,745-mile (4,418 km) Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, it is an ultra-distance cycling ride that is an extreme test of endurance, self-reliance and mental toughness. The ride format is strictly self-supported, and it is not a stage race - the clock runs continuously from the start until riders cross the finish line."

Matt is an experienced ultra athlete and Litespeed Ambassador with many adventures successfully accomplished; such as touring trips in Western China, New Zealand, Africa and South America. Matt moved to Chattanooga in 2019 and began bikepack racing. Completed TNGA in 2020, Colorado Trail in 2021, Silk Road Mountain Race in 2022 to mention just a few races and events.

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This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Rachel Durchslag. What motivates a person to leave the comforts of home and travel alone to hike the mountains of foreign lands? Find out as author Rachel Durchslag walks some of the most beautiful hikes in the world in search of adventure, meaning, and an expanded version of herself. We had a great time discussing her poignant, honest, and funny memoir-meets-travel guide, Rachel invites you to set foot with her on trails spanning the globe from Chile and Nepal to Jordan, Spain, and beyond. Join us and listen to Rachel share how she discovers solo travel in the great outdoors has the power to take you to your limit, test your resilience, and ultimately show you the person you’re capable of being.

While I Walk includes comprehensive travel tips for each hike, as well as delicious recipes from the far-flung places Rachel has explored. This book is an invitation to any curious traveler to grab a pair of hiking boots, board a plane, and see what is waiting at the intersection of adventure and wonder.

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This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Jason Vance. Jason has been riding bicycles for 40 years. He began racing in the late 90’s while at Oregon, focusing on track cycling. After moving to Nevada to pursue graduate studies, He was introduced to MTB’ing by a colleague and would eventually abandon all skinny-tired aspirations. An academic position would bring him to Charleston SC; after navigating the hurdles of tenure (and addressing his neglected health), He fell in love with the rugged trails in Pisgah Forest. Through chance encounters, he stumbled upon the southeast ultra-endurance community in 2018, via Eric Wever’s Pisgah 36, Kim Jordan Murrell’s Dirty 130, and Karlos Rodriguez Bernart’s Cross Florida ITT. He soon found himself craving long miles across the beautiful forest roads and trails of western NC, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia -and any chance he is forced to take a 30 minute nap in the dirt. Currently, he is first to ride all of the ITT's in the Cherokee forest in 3 days. First to do all three on an single speed. First to do the Mountain 430 in the opposite direction. And the first to do the Dirty 130 in the opposite direction.

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This week Dawson and Clint dig through the 2023 episodes and pull out a handful of their favorite stories to reshare with you! Enjoy!

Story 1 - Episode 198 Ghost Fireflies with Catey McClary from the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont! This was so cool and we should all plan on going to see it if possible!

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This Week Clint and Dawson sit down with Camila Simon. Camilla is the Executive Director for HECHO. She is passionate about elevating Latino voices in local, state and national conservation efforts, especially when it comes to accessing public lands.

Since she joined HECHO in November 2014, she has worked to broaden the definition of a conservationist, and elevate the importance of Hispanic/Latino generational ties to the land and what that knowledge can add to public policy debates around access to the outdoors and conservation of land, water, and air for future generations. To support this, she has led many advocacy efforts that brought Hispanic/Latino perspectives to the forefront of national conservation campaigns. Camilla also has cultivated a prolific guest blog series featuring Hispanic/Latino stories of connection to the outdoors, stewardship of natural resources for future generations, and conservation leadership.

Prior to joining HECHO, Camilla managed the distribution of over $20 million annually in conservation funds at a major foundation, aimed at increasing the capacity of local, regional, and national nonprofits. She also started the foundation’s first composting program to dramatically reduce landfill waste. She has also worked on a number of programs to connect children with nature.

Camilla graduated from Pacific University in Oregon with a degree in creative writing and literature; and then summa cum laude in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School. From 2014-2021, she served as Treasurer of the board of the nonprofit Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, which provides trail maintenance jobs, teaches traditional tool skills to new generations of stewards, and assists the recreating public. In 2020, she was appointed to the Virginia Board of Conservation and Recreation. Camilla lives in Virginia with her husband and two daughters, and is enjoying getting to know the outdoors on the East Coast after living most of her life in the west.

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This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Cassandra Riddle. Cassandra's list of accomplishments, talants, and hobbies is impressive. Yet she also has suffered from Cystic Fibrosis all her life but wasn't diagnosed until last year. Cassandra was an international opera singer and performed all over the world. She was based out of NYC in the 90's and early 2000's, and in 1997 won an Emmy award. At the height of her career, she retired for new challenges and began to run marathons, triathlons and became a talented rock climber. She has climbed both here in the United States as well as internationally. In fact, she just returned from a climbing trip in Greece. She also owned a business that focused on private sport-specific training. She has been a music director for a private school and even taught motorcycle safety. Recently she received a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and now works as a Mental Health Counselor at UTC. How does anyone do so many amazing things, much less do all this with Cystic Fibrosis? Listen to this episode and you will realize that Cassandra is no ordinary person!

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