Boasting some of the biggest vertical relief in North America and some of the best skiing anywhere in the world, California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada hits its zenith in spring with warm weather for camping at the foot of massive snow-covered peaks. For the last 25 years, Nate Greenberg has been documenting all the best lines to ski, and his book, Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra (along with co-author Dan Mingori), is the “bible” of the region. In addition to co-authoring the book, Nate was also a GIS expert in his former life working for Mono for two decades, now the Chief Administrative Officer for Inyo County. He’s also the co-founder of the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center. We chat with Nate about a variety of topics related to the Eastern Sierra and what makes it so special, as well as the controversial launch of the OnX Backcountry app featuring ski lines from the book, which some fear will blow up all the secret spots. Nate also opens up about a harrowing avalanche incident in the Bardini Chutes that nearly took his life. Purchase the book at your local outdoor retailer or online at Wolverinepublishing.com and donate to ESAC at esavalanche.org.

1:00 – Pow Bot and Trail Whisperer recording from the Toyota Sunrader on the shores of Convict Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada after skiing Mount Morrison.

7:00 – Nate Greenberg – CIO for Inyo County, 20 year employee of Mono County, GIS expert,  Co-Author of Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra.

11:00 – Talking about avalanches, the OnX Backcountry app and the concept of gatekeeping

18:40 – The story behind the convicts who Convict Lake was named after.

21:00 – The unique gift of skiing the Eastern Sierra Nevada.  

22:25 – Nate grew up in Orange, California and skied and climbed in Mammoth as a kid.

27:00 – Nate’s background in GIS, and built Mono County’s GIS infrastructure.

30:30 – All about Backcountry Skiing California’s Eastern Sierra by Nate Greenberg and Dan Mingori

40:00 – Has Nate’s perspective on skiing big lines changed in recent years with having a family and a real job?

43:00 – The challenges of finding a good skiing partner.

46:20 – Founding the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (ESAC) with Walter Rosenthal, who passed in the fumarole accident at Mammoth Mountain in 2006.

57:00 – Nate’s story about getting caught in an avalanche in Bardini Chute and being seriously injured.

1:13:15 – Going from the book to an app on your phone – the launching of a partnership with OnX Backcountry featuring skiable lines in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, and the controversy of gatekeeping.

1:26:30 – How do you protect “secret spots” from the masses with an app like OnX, and how does it compare to the impacts of social media accounts and influencers?

1:39:00 – Incorporating an ethos of how to appropriately experience the outdoors, the importance of mentorship and education and having respect for the rules of backcountry skiing.

1:47:00 – Nate’s Mentors: Don Sharaf, Ian McCammon, Christian Pondella.

1:50:00 – What is it that Nate loves the most about skiing the Eastern Sierra Nevada?

1:54:14 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:56:45 – Support the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center, make a donation.

“Snow is blissful, it’s pure, it’s white, it’s serene, it’s a siren call. But it’s also very dark, it’s death. The darkest white is the perfect analogy for an avalanche,” said New York Times bestselling author Eric Blehm on Episode 35 about his latest book, The Darkest White, chronicling the life and untimely passing of legendary snowboarder Craig Kelly. Widely regarded as the Michael Jordan of snowboarding, Kelly was a pioneer in this uniquely American sport, and in his book, Blehm dives deep in to Kelly’s life and his pivotal role in the history of snowboarding and splitboarding. Blehm also goes into remarkable detail about the 2003 La Traviata avalanche in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, where Kelly and six other skiers lost their lives, including Truckee local Kathy Kessler. Our chat with Blehm covers a bit of the history here in Lake Tahoe, a bit about Kelly and an insightful discussion around the human factors involved in the tragic avalanche. Learn more about Blehm and purchase his award-winning non-fiction books at ericblehm.com.

2:30 – Recording from Jim and Bonnie Zellers garage in Tahoe Donner.

3:50 – Introducing Eric Blehm, author of Fearless, The Only Thing Worth Dying For, The Last Season and his new book, The Darkest White, about the history of snowboarding, Craig Kelly and the La Traviata avalanche.

7:20 – Kathy Kessler – a core lord in Truckee who lost her life in the La Traviata avalanche with Craig Kelly.

9:10 – The roots of snowboarding were on Donner Summit – Donner Ski Ranch, Soda Springs and Boreal.

10:10 – Mind the Track Superfan #1 – Scott Kessler. Thanks for the shout out buddy!

13:15 – Eric was a snowboard magazine editor at TransWorld when he met Jim and Bonnie Zellers, the original backcountry snowboarders for The North Face.

15:30 – Transitioning from being a short-form magazine editor to a long-form book author and investigative journalist.

22:06 – Learning about the formation of the Mount Baker Hard Core, the lawsuit between Burton and Sims over Craig Kelly.

23:00 – Tom Sims claimed to have invented the snowboard before Sherman Poppen, but it was never confirmed.

25:00 – Mount Baker, Donner Ski Ranch, Boreal and Soda Springs were one of the first places to allow snowboards on chairlifts.

30:00 – Parts of Craig’s story that were cut from the book – Greg Stump’s film Siberia with Kelly and Scott Schmidt.

34:30 -Craig Kelly’s unique riding style, his fall line style influenced a generation of riders and convinced Trail Whisperer that he should have been a snowboarder.

45:00 – Craig as a pioneer in being one of the first snowboard guides in Canada, pursuing the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides certification.

48:00 – Early splitboarding, Eric got a splitboard and infiltrated ski resorts that didn’t allow snowboarding, riding the lift in split, then assembling it and snowboarding down as ‘The Chameleon”.

1:01:10 – The Durrand Glacier avalanche on La Traviata, the human factor and group dynamics.

1:10:30 – Ruedi Beglinger as a lead guide at Selkirk Mountain Experience, a strong character and the changes in the guiding industry and backcountry culture after the avalanche.

1:16:30 – Hubris and its role in the avalanche incident.

1:23:00 – Craig Kelly wanted to educate the younger generation on snow safety and the dangers of the backcountry.

1:28:30 – If Eric could ask Craig one question, what would it be?

1:35:15 – The Darkest White – where did the name come from?

1:39:30 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:40:30 – Go to ericblehm.com or @ericblehmofficial on Instagram

“Everybody in Tahoe is the kid who doesn’t want to come in from recess”, said PowBot in Episode 34 with our guest Kacy Roeder. The concept of play is not just for kids, playing is an essential part of being an adult. Nobody knows this better than Kacy, a licensed landscape architect who designs playgrounds and sends it on her mountain bike and her splitboard. We learn about Kacy’s unique career, growing up on the East Coast and finding her way to Lake Tahoe, her love of being outside adventuring and why she built her world around playing as much as possible. Kacy also talks about her involvement with the Rocker Memorial Skate Park and the Rally for Rocker fundraiser on April 27, and how splitboarding has rekindled her love of snowboarding.

1:45 – POWBOT is back! Rest and a knee brace are helping.

3:20 – Introducing Kacy Roeder and her hens – farm life

7:20 – You Are What You Eat Documentary – industrial food complex and diet

9:00 – Trail Whisperer scored pow in the Toiyabe Range of Nevada. Tonopah Low and the Inside Slider storm.

10:45 – Kacy scored pow on Mount Rose after hitting Frog Lake Huts and West Shore

14:00 – Listener shout outs – Sebastian Johnson - Diamond Peak closes uphill ski access due to people breaking rules and coming within striking distance of a loaded winch cable.

19:20 – Ski Magazine announces ski injuries due to GoPros and weed gummies. But what about alcohol consumption while skiing?

21:00 – PowBot shouts out all listeners who helped him with his knee issues.

23:00 – April Fools posts, Zak Mills – snowboarding downhill with ski poles in hand.

25:49 – Brian Sullivan – funny video about podcasters.

28:20 – All about Kacy Roeder – Landscape Architect – Designing Playgrounds

34:00 – Growing up on the East Coast and the path to finding “play” as a profession.

36:00 – Moving to Lake Tahoe after graduating from University of Vermont.

39:30 – Trail Whisperer’s first encounter with Kacy – Riding MTB in Reno.

43:30 – The concept of men teaching women to mountain bike.

50:20 – Parallels between work and play. Play as an essential element of being an adult.

55:00 – Building playgrounds for kids and adults alike.

57:00 – Adventure Journal – Steve Casimiro – observing animals playing. The importance of humans playing.

1:02:00 – Rally for Rocker – Saturday April 27. Donner Ski Ranch on Donner Summit. Fundraiser for Rocker Memorial Skate Park in Truckee.

1:14:30 – Kacy’s youth and growing up as an active outdoor family, going to school in Vermont, snowboarding at her home mountains, Okemo Mountain, Stowe and Jay Peak.

1:17:00 – Spending time in Florida, New York accents, the competitiveness of the East Coast

1:27:30 – Learning to balance play and education in college.

1:30:30 – Kacy’s transition from snowboarding to splitboarding and backcountry skiing, and the concept of “Nature Bathing”.

1:39:40 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:44:30 – Snoop Pow Dogg Snowsizzle My Dizzle Corn Dog and Powderrific Snow Report

In the wake of The Crippler – one of the biggest snowstorms to hit Tahoe in the last 5 years – the boys sit down with Reno-native core lord @aurelbaker, a Pediatric ER nurse who crushes it skiing as an ambassador athlete for @atomicski @rab.equipment and @lebent_ . Always the adventurer, Aurel covers a variety of topics including her “puke and rally” sailboat to ski adventure in British Columbia, her path to becoming a nurse, enduring as a nurse through the pandemic, her five different knee and ankle surgeries over the years and the psychological struggles associated with being an injured athlete. We recap the 10 feet of snow that shut down Lake Tahoe for three days, talk about skiing pow in Reno, Snoop gives the Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report and shout outs to listeners.

1:30 – Introducing Aurel Baker – Pediatric ER Nurse, Skier, Mountain Biker, Fly Fishing, Climber.

6:30 – All about fly fishing.

10:00 – The challenges of surfing.

12:15 – Shout Outs – Michael George – Lebron James and JJ Reddick starting a new podcast called Mind the Game. Jed Ritchey – Washington Post story about record ocean temps and Hunga Tonga.

17:00 – Jonathan Irwin – wondering how to gain real backcountry experience not living full time in the mountains.

23:00 – Sendy Send of the Week - Zak Mills and Nick Russel ski Banner and Ritter Mountain in the same day.

24:10 – THE CRIPPLER – The aftermath of the March 1 snowstorm. Interstate 80 closed for three days. Hundreds of cars stranded on Donner Summit. A three day blizzard warning. Palisades Tahoe closed for three days.

31:30 – Backyard pow slashing in the wake of the storm. Skiing pow in Reno and Virginia City on Mount Davidson.

34:00 – Winter of 23-24 in a word: awkward. Seeming like a light winter, yet we are almost at season average for snowpack. Months of dangerous snowpack.

39:00 – Skiing Peavine Mountain in Reno.

40:25 – The Snoop Pow Dogg Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderrrific Snow Report

43:00 – Spring Equinox – Mind the Track has made it a full four seasons!

47:00 – Aurel traveling to Sitka, Alaska for a sail to ski trip. Looking back on last year’s sail to ski trip in British Columbia. Learning the concept of Puke and Rally.

55:00 – Aurel has had five orthopedic surgeries on her knees and ankles over the years. Struggling with injury and recovery. The bicycle is the best tool for physical therapy.

1:02:00 – Dealing with loss of identity when the thing you love most you can’t do because of being injured.

1:05:00 – PowBot is dealing with early osteoarthritis in his knee.

1:10:30 – Delux Landscape in Lake Tahoe – PowBot’s new job as a project manager.

1:15:10 – Aurel grew up in Reno, and learned to ski and snowboard at Mount Rose. Going to University of Nevada, Reno and becoming a nurse.

1:19:10 – Enduring through the COVID pandemic as a nurse in a hospital.

1:27:30 – Leaving Reno, but coming back to Reno because of how good the access is to so much adventure.

1:32:00 – What was the closest call Aurel has ever had with avalanches?

1:37:00 – PowBot almost drowns in a creek crossing on the Sierra Buttes.

1:38:45 – Random historical tidbit: Sierra City compared to Downieville.

1:40:45 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

Recorded just as the biggest snowstorm of the winter wallops Lake Tahoe with up to 10 feet of snow, the boys chat with Nick Bliss of Bliss Wilderness and avalanche forecaster at the Bridgeport Avalanche Center. At just under 2 hours, this is the longest Mind the Track episode to date, but the discussion covers a lot of topics from snow safety, snowpack and avalanches to the dangers of following social media to find big ski lines, the responsibility professional winter sports athletes have when posting their adventures, apps like OnX Backcountry and Cody Townsend’s The Fifty episode about Split Couloir.  The boys discuss the recent inbounds avalanche on KT-22 at Palisades Tahoe, the dangerous early season snowpack and what this big incoming storm will do to that snowpack. We also dive into Nick’s escape from living in Lake Tahoe, moving down near Sonora Junction and the challenges of off-grid living. Whether you swallow this episode whole or listen to it in a few different sittings, Nick shares a lot of knowledge about snow science and being smart about traveling safely in the backcountry.  Consider donating at bridgeportavalanchecenter.org and follow BAC’s forecasts at @bridgeportavalanchecenter.

2:00 – Miracle March comes in like a lion. 10 feet of snow in 72 hours!

8:30 – Swan John and Trail Whisperer road trip to Idaho to ski Grand Targhee and Sun Valley.

12:15 – PowBot returns to Frog Lake Huts and rode with Jason Smith of Blackbird Guides.

17:00 – SnoopPowDogg Snow Sizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report

21:00 – Introducing Nick Bliss of Bliss Wilderness

23:00 – Nick’s work as avalanche forecaster for the Bridgeport Avalanche Center, teaching the Marine Corps Mountain Training Warfare Center in Pickel Meadows near Sonora Pass.

24:50 – Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area – 7,000 acres of snowmobile motorized access.

26:30 – Being more mindful of each other at trailheads, better snow etiquette.

28:00 – The concept of ethos, gatekeeping, maintaining the culture of a sport and putting in the time to be more experienced.

32:00 – Nick’s dog Owen and skiing in the backcountry with a dog.

34:30 – The problem of putting ski lines on social media with no context for danger.

36:00 – OnX Backcountry putting dangerous ski lines in the Eastern Sierra on their app.

38:00 – The difference between a guide book and an app on a phone.

40:45 – Cody Townsend, The Fifty project and the Split Couloir episode.

53:45 – Transitioning from living in Lake Tahoe to moving south to Sonora Junction and living off-grid.

1:05:30 – Hantavirus and the brain-eating amoeba in hot springs – dangers of frontier life.

1:10:45 – The Bridgeport Avalanche Center (bridgeportavalanchecenter.org) – one of the four avalanche centers in California.

1:18:00 – The process of writing an avalanche forecast.

1:23:45 – January 2024 – the persistent weak layer and dangerous snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.

1:25:30 – The importance of snow water equivalent (SWE) in the snowpack and lack of snow load.

1:27:40 – The Palisades Tahoe avalanche on KT-22, the details around it and riding inbounds with your shovel, probe and beacon.

1:37:50 – The unionization of Palisades Tahoe Ski Patrol, and the life of a ski patroller.

1:41:00 – The incoming storm and the dangers of 10 feet of new snow in 72 hours, cornice failure danger and PowBot’s story of falling off a cornice.

1:48:30 – The concept of storms coming in right side up versus upside down, atmospheric rivers and the pineapple express.

1:54:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:56:45 - @bridgeportavalanchecenter @blisswilderness and blisswilderness.com – donate at bridgeportavalanchecenter.org

After a three week adventure overseas, JaPowBot makes his return from Japan just as winter turns back on in Lake Tahoe. The boys discuss Tom’s trip as well as a potpourri of shenanigans that happened in Tahoe while he was gone, including shootings at Palisades Tahoe and Homewood, grant theft and assault at Boreal and a woman getting stranded overnight in the Heavenly gondola. Trail Whisperer rants about UnofficialNetworks and their false AI generated news headlines, PowBot calls out Palisades Tahoe for complaining about work on their blog, presidential candidates make campaign promises for the votes of Tahoe core lords, Snoop Pow Dogg gives his Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report and Arapahoe Basin loses its identity and goes corporate after being bought out by Alterra/IKON Pass.  

1:45 – POWBOT Returns from Japan with the Hakuba Hack.

4:30 – Winter finally shows up in Tahoe.

6:45 – Riding Sonora Pass and Leavitt Lake in the Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area with Nick Bliss. @bridgeportavalanchecenter

9:20 – Backcountry skiing in Japan – filling out forms to get permits for the Japanese Alps.

11:45 – Shout Outs to listeners, Incline Spirits and Cigars, Bestfit Boots and Start Haus Truckee, Josh at Boot Solutions in Hakuba.

25:45 – Eating weird Asian foods.

29:00 – While Tom was gone….presidential campaigning in Reno/Tahoe region. Thanks Chad Peters - @takeoffyourpnts on Insta.

32:30 – Woman gets stranded overnight on Heavenly gondola, shooting at Squaw Village, shooting near Homewood at a restaurant, grand theft and assault at Boreal.

35:30 – Kurt’s ASS Rant for the Week – UnofficialNetworks using AI to write news headlines.

38:45 – Palisades Tahoe Blog and the complaining they love to do about their jobs.

40:20 – The Headwall chairlift debacle – Scott Gaffney writes an Ode to Headwall poem.

44:30 – Arapahoe Basin in Colorado gets purchased by Alterra/Ikon Pass.

51:30 – Snoop Pow Dogg’s Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderiific Snow Report

54:00 – We are definitely in an El Nino winter – no snow in the Pacific NW and Montana

56:00 – Gettin’ older and feelin’ older. Coping with injury and getting older. Do more cross training. Throttle back. Stretch more.

1:02:15 – Recap of PowBot’s trip to Hakuba, Japan. Happo-One.

1:14:00 – Trail Whisperer and Swan John’s upcoming road trip to Idaho and Wyoming.

1:20:30 – Sharing information about avalanches and Avalanche Canada’s new avalanche reporting system built by the government for the public to use and share.

Fresh off a return from a two-night ski adventure at the Frog Lake Huts, right before PowBot’s departure for Japan, the boys do a catch up, recapping the of the most dangerous periods of avalanche conditions ever in the Sierra Nevada. The boys discuss the unfortunate inbounds fatality on KT-22 opening day at Palisades Tahoe and PowBot recounts the only time he’s ever been fully buried in an avalanche – inbounds at Sugar Bowl – and a second recovery he was involved in immediately after being unburied by a partner. The boys also chat about the inherent dangers of skiing inbounds on a storm day, terrain management, proper recovery gear, the dangers of group think and the expert halo, the risks of traveling in the backcountry and methods employed to stay safe even on considerable and high avalanche danger days, and why PowBot thinks avalanche education and safety is better in Canada and Europe than the U.S. The last third of the show recaps the boys’ trip to the Frog Lake Huts (where Mind the Track was born a year ago) and successfully negotiating avalanche terrain in dangerous conditions en route. They also discuss why there are so many no-shows at Frog Lake despite sold-out reservation status.

2:00 – PowBot and Trail Whisperer fresh off a hut trip to Frog Lake. Lots going on with the snowpack in Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada.

5:15 – Trail Whisperer featured on PBS Reno Wild Nevada show, an episode about the Toiyabe Crest Trail project. For interested volunteers, reach out to us with a DM or message.

9:00 – Unstable snowpack and a dangerous avalanche cycle in the Sierra Nevada including a fatality inbounds at Palisades Tahoe on KT-22.

11:45 – What are snow facets and why do they make for dangerous avalanche conditions?

15:30 – PowBot’s full burial inbounds avalanche story from Sugar Bowl

26:00 – The safety culture of ski resorts with open boundaries featuring sidecountry and backcountry access.

28:00 – The difference between RECCO and an avalanche beacon.

31:00 – Being aware and cautious when skiing inbounds on a storm day and ski with a partner.

35:00 – Terrain management is the number one consideration when skiing in the backcountry.

38:00 – Where are things at currently with the snowpack? Has it stabilized?

39:45 – The Snoop Pow Dogg Snow Sizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report

41:15 – PowBot going to Hakuba, Japan to slash Japow for the first time ever.

42:20 – Conjecture around the inbounds fatality at Palisades Tahoe.

46:45 – The Loveland Pass avalanche and the topic of people not reporting avalanches.

48:45 – Information sharing system in Canada regarding snowpack and avalanche activity.

49:50 – New York Times feature by John Branch – “Snow Fail – The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”

50:30 – Jeremy Jones video about an avalanche burial on the north face of Castle Peak.

51:30 – It’s really hard to die in the backcountry mountain biking. It’s really easy to die in the backcountry skiing.

55:00 – Recap on the Frog Lake Huts trip and traveling in considerable avalanche conditions.

1:11:00 – The difference between riding a singletrack and a cutting in a skintrack.

1:14:00 – The high no-show rate at the Frog Lake Huts and PowBot’s rant about guides booking out the huts in advance, and Truckee Donner Land Trust opening reservations to more than two nights.

1:25:00 – Where do you carry your avalanche beacon, probe and shovel?

1:32:00 – The dangers of group think and the expert halo.

1:34:00 – PowBot getting fired up for his trip to Japan.

Welcoming in 2024 with a bang, as soon as the New Year hit, winter finally arrived in Lake Tahoe with multiple cold storms dropping a couple feet of blower pow. PowBot and Trail Whisperer go into Season 2 of Mind the Track talking on a variety of topics including riding the South Yuba River Trail, the history of Malakoff Diggins and what tree blazes are, skiing pow on Mount Shasta for New Years, attempting to Nordic ski at Mount Rose on Christmas, the importance of keeping all your printed maps, CDs and DVDs in an increasingly unstable digital world, the sketchy state of the snowpack in North America and Snoop Pow Dogg’s Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report. Trail Whisperer goes off on two ASS (Angry Singlespeeder) rants about ebike haters and the looming chaos that Artificial Intelligence will bring to our lives, and he also shares an embarrassing and hilarious story of the time he pooped his pants while skiing at Heavenly. A question for listeners: what’s your preferred episode length – An hour or less or 90 minutes plus? Let us know!

3:00 – PowBot goes to Shasta for a mission. Trail Whisperer and Swan John go Nordic skiing on Old Mount Rose Highway.

6:00 – Super busy winter holiday in Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Gong show at Sugar Bowl and Palisades Tahoe.

11:15 – Riding the South Yuba River Trail, Missouri Bar and Malakoff Diggins.

13:30 – The history of Malakoff Diggins hydraulic mining and the Sawyer act, the first environmental legislation ever passed in America in 1884.

19:00 – Angry Singlespeeder Rant #1 – Snide remarks about ebikes on the South Yuba River Trail.

25:00 – Tree blazes and the history of trail blazing and trail markings.

28:00 – John and Jim Morrison’s slide show presentation at Alpenglow Winter Series.

31:30 – Snoop Pow Dogg Mind Z Track Snowsizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report

33:30 – The difficulty in forecasting the weather during an El Nino season and massive coastal surf in California.

39:00 – Old James Niehues ski resort maps and the importance of a physical product, not a digital product. Keeping your CDs, DVDs and hand drawn maps when technology melts down.

44:00 – Angry Singlespeeder Rant #2 – Technology has dominated and taken over our lives and the scary proliferation of AI and ChatGPT.

57:00 – PowBot’s Mount Shasta backcountry skiing mission recap.

1:05:00 – Does PowBot wear a butt pad at the ski resort?

1:07:00 – Have you ever peed or crapped your pants while skiing?

1:16:30 – The sketchy state of the snowpack in North America in early 2024.

1:21:00 – Brett “Kowboy” Kobernick – giving his opinion of how dangerous the snowpack is.

1:25:00 – Let us know how long of an episode you like. 60 minutes or less or 1.5 hours?

1:26:00 – Listener shout outs - Katie Pesce.

We first interviewed @notjakemann in Episode 11 right before he embarked on a two-month bikepacking journey from Truckee to Bellingham, Washington. In Episode 28, the boys catch up with Jake and hear all the good times, scary times, wet times and confusing times he had, including harrowing encounters with skunks and toothless rednecks, abundant cats, and friendly folks happy to accommodate a stinky mountain biker who raised nearly $8,000 for World Bicycle Relief, funding nearly 50 bikes for people in third world countries. The boys also give some listener shout outs, reflect on the first season of Mind the Track, chat about more bear encounters in Sierra County, Reno’s shrinking homeless population, Truckee’s increasing cost of living woes, more Hunga Tonga theories and Snoop Dogg’s Snow Sizzle My Dizzle Powderrific Snow Report.

3:00 – Introducing the return of Jake Mann after his summer-long bike adventure.

6:30 – Listener shout outs.

11:00 – News – Bear attacks man in Calpine, California and bears at Heavenly.

13:00 – Snoop Dog Snow Sizzle My Dizzle Powderrific Snow Report.

16:55 – Thousands of dead fish off the shore of Japan – Hunga Tonga?

20:30 – Reno, Nevada has among the lowest homeless rate in America.

23:20 – Avant Werks, Audi repair in Truckee shut down because they can’t find employees.

26:00 – Winter Solstice – Vivaldi Winter Movement – Looking back on 2023

29:45 – The bicycle adventures of Jake Mann riding from Truckee to Port Townsend, WA, he raised almost $8,000 for nearly 50 bikes for people in third world countries.

33:00 – Riding the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest and the Cascades National Forest.

38:00 – Riding through tons of snow in Lassen National Park.

41:00 – Riding the Bizz Johnson trail in Susanville, CA.

43:20 – Riding through Klamath Falls, Oregon. Allegedly really good mountain biking.

45:30 – Jake Mann gets attacked by skunks.

47:45 – Jake’s favorite food for a long bike ride – cheese.

51:00 – Jake Mann considered moving to Bellingham, but ended up staying in Truckee because of a promotion at his employer, New Moon Natural Foods.

58:15 – Warm Showers – a host program for bike touring. 1:00:30 – Pro Tip: Wearing a head net to keep the face flies at bay.

1:03:00 – Jake Mann is handed a joint in Randle, Washington after riding Dark Meadow Trail.

1:07:30 – Rode into Leavenworth, Washington, stayed in Wenatchee.

1:10:00 – Riding the Olympic Peninsula.

1:14:00 – Jake Mann almost freezes to death in a rain snow storm near Bend on the Oregon Timber Trail.

1:18:30 – The Whispering Pines story.

1:24:00 – Olympic Peninsula – Jake’s favorite place on the trip.

1:25:00 – What’s next for Jake Mann? Great Britain Divide and the Trans Am Tour.

1:28:00 – Wrapping up 2023 and taking Mind the Track into 2024 with thoughts of POW.

After a radical Thanksgiving on two wheels, the boys escape to Downieville to sample some late fall hero dirt on the ebikes and catch up on a variety of topics including the struggles of trying to survive in rural California amidst draconian laws and policies designed for big cities, the outlawing of gas-powered everything in California and the problems with electric battery powered replacements, living with constant power outages, the unregulated bear population that’s been wreaking havoc in peoples’ homes and in their cars, abandoned vehicles deep in the forest, the meaning of “Make Downieville Gold Again” and the much anticipated reopening of The Lure Resort, now known as The Yubaverse. Snoop Dogg weighs in with his Snow Sizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report, shout outs to listeners and a PowBot photo makes Jerry of the Day. Also, go see PowBot present about Canadian Hut Life at Donner Creek Brewing in Truckee on Wednesday December 6.

2:00 – Riding ebikes aka the Rumspringa in Downieville.

4:00 – Make Downieville Gold Again – the meaning behind the hat.

7:00 – Recorded on site at The Yubaverse, formerly the The Lure Resort where Kurt used to part own and work at.

13:00 – Shout outs – Adam Mahomed, Forest, Todd Birtch and Andreas. Thanks for listening!

16:30 – Snoop Dogg’s Snow Sizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report

19:30 – We might not be getting snow, but it’s the best Fall ever for mountain biking.

20:30 – PowBot presents at Donner Creek Brewing – Canadian Hut Life Photo Essay

22:00 – Fall mountain biking in Downieville on Second Divide, Third Divide, Halls Ranch, Fiddle Creek and Brown Bear Mine trail.

24:01 – PowBot rides Annadel Park with Duncan Meyers and Scot Nicol after going surfing with Storm Glover.

28:30 – Undersea water temperatures are super warm. Hunga Tonga

29:30 – California banning the sale of all gas powered lawn and garden equipment, and no more two stroke dirt bikes.

32:00 – Trying to survive living in rural California with draconian restrictions and laws.

39:00 – Woman died in her house in Downieville, and a bear smelled the body and ate her.

40:00 – All about bears breaking into cars and houses and their overpopulation in Lake Tahoe area and Sierra County.

50:00 – A Ford F250 gets stuck in the bottom of Rattlesnake Canyon above Downieville and bears eat the interior out of the truck.

53:30 – PowBot’s photo of a tipped over 4runner at Mount Rose makes Jerry of the Day.

59:30 – Thanksgiving talk