Day Fire Podcast

This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Jen Loofbourrow. Jen is the Founder and owner of Alpine Fit.

In her early twenties she fell in love with expeditions kayaking the outer islands of Alaska's southeast coastline. Inevitably, she and her friends experienced variable conditions, sun to rain, and everything from freezing water temps to natural hot springs.

With no access to laundry for weeks at a time, and limited space, she could take only essential basics, and each piece of gear had to perform. She refined and honed her packing list and found substitute products for what she really wanted, which all too often weren't available.

Since then, she has embarked on many extended traveling and backpacking trips, in addition to the activities she likes to do regularly in her normal life.

Her journey in apparel began as a materials developer at lululemon in Vancouver, then lingerie and swimwear retail store owner in Ireland, and later, a wholesale and operations manager at Swedish women's brand Skhoop in Anchorage, Alaska. These jobs formed building blocks for what she would realize is her passion: making outdoor gear basics for a multitude of adventures and activities, with fabrics she believes in, while being an excellent employer for her dedicated and creative team.

More than that, she knows that every person has unique body characteristics, and that the standard fit offered by most brands does not work for all. At Alpine Fit, they work tirelessly to design and refine products that are offered in twice the fit options, and therefore twice the number of size combinations for more people to be able to find their perfect fit with their clothes. https://alpinefit.com

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This week Clint and Dawson sat down with Bill Emberson from Chattanooga Tennessee. By day, Bill is President of, Americas, Propex Furnishing Solutions, Inc. But give Bill 5 minutes of free time and he has a fly rod in his hand. Bill is a lifelong fisherman who loves to share his passion with everyone who wants to have a fishing experience. Bill has fished all over the US and currently guides on the Soque River. Bill shares tips and tricks and of course we talk fishing stories. I have been fortunate to spend many days on the water with Bill and many nights around a campfire swapping stories about fishing and outdoor adventures. A great outdoor instructor and friend and it was a pleasure to have him in the studio.

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In June of 2018 Grace Ragland set off on the Grand Depart to mountain bike the Tour Divide from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, which is 2725 miles. Part of Grace's trip was to bring awareness to her life long battle with MS. The training and preparation was over and now it was time to go, but something was a little off. From day one this elite highly experienced mountain biker was experiencing a sudden cold and fatigue and had to pull up and rest a few days. Now alone with the race out in front of her, Grace's race begins and nothing is going to stand in her way! Grace's successful journey on the Great Divide is a story in itself, but she was unaware of the cancer in her body. Like all things with Grace, cancer was no match. So her battle began and after all the chemo and months in and out of the hospital she has been set free to once again roam, and roaming is what she is going to do! We love you Grace, you light up our world!

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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!

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Dawson Wheeler is out west on his annual skication! Clint slowed him down long enough to catch up on the snow - share some stories - give some advice - living on sandwiches - pillow fights - and much more!

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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.

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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/

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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 Tennessee's natural areas and encourages people of all ages and abilities to explore the outdoors through friendly competition. Registration open on March 1, 2023. Register here.

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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.

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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 for the Thrive Regional Partnership Natural Treasures Alliance, a partnership of numerous NGOs and agencies working together to promote conservation and outdoor recreation in the region. He has combined a passion for the outdoors and the science of geography into a fulfilling career.

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