Rocky Mountain Channel Podcast

Since 1998, Scott Rashid has spent countless hours researching andrehabilitating birds of prey. He has worked with a variety of bird speciesfrom hummingbirds, sparrows, and finches to eagles, hawks, andespecially owls. He specializes in an area in the north side of RockyMountain National Park.If you’ve ever seen any videos of him rescuing and working with owls andother birds, I’m sure you will agree he leads a fascinating life.He is the Director of (CARRI) the Colorado Avian Research andRehab...

Brett Wilson has a fascinating conversation with nature photographer and author, Erik Stensland, about his journey from Europe's Balkan Peninsula to the beauty and solitude of Rocky Mountain National Park. His books and stunning mountain and desert images are breath-taking,reaching deep into the heart and parallel the human soul, tying Nature inwith our own humanity. They have won several national awards, includingBest Travel Book of the Year, Best Nature and Environment Book of theYear,...

We have a very special guest with us today who is definitely no strangerto Estes Park. In fact, perhaps for many folks who visit, he is Estes Park!Raised right here in Estes, this singer, songwriter and guitarist has beenplaying professionally since he was 15 years old. He specializes inoriginal folk and western music.In 2001, he performed for the president of the United States during hisvisit to Colorado.In 2008 he performed for the Democratic National Convention inDenver. A year later he re...

Brett talks with Linda Ballou, author of the novel EMBRACE OF THE WILD which was inspired by Equestrian Explorer Isabella Bird.Our guest today has been Blessed with a double dose of genetic wanderlust, and loves to explore. At thirteen her pioneering parents took her to Alaska where she became firmly grounded in nature.Linda’s articles have appeared in American Fitness, Northwest Travel Magazine, and Morning Calm the inflight magazine for Korean Air. She is a regular contributor to Travel Wor...

Rocky Mountain National Park Public Affairs Officer, Kyle Patterson, talks with Brett about this year's timed entry system and how it can mitigate impact on the environment.

Mikaela Fundaun, Curator of Interpretation at the Estes Park Museum, shares stories about some of the remarkable women in Estes Park's history. Three of the women featured in this episode include Eleanor Hondius and the story of her role in the founding of the Estes Park Women's Club, Joephine Hupp who owned and managed four of Estes Park's downtown hotels as well as a popular cafe, and finally pioneering entrepreneur Anna Wolfrom who homesteaded land near Lily Lake that she used to con...

Estes Park local, world-class climber, and climate advocate, Tommy Caldwell, is interviewed.He’s a professional rock climber who made the first ascents of some of the hardest sports routes in the country, including Kryptonite with a grade of 5.14c/d and the world's first 9a+/b route, Flex Luthor, at the Fortress of Solitude, Colorado in 2003. In January 2015, Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson completed the first free climb of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan. At the time, their 19-day ascent was c...

How do you manage a wildfire that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before? In 2020 when the two largest wildfires in Colorado history surrounded the town of Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park’s Fire Management Officer, Mike Lewelling, relied on twenty years of planning and fire treatments in Rocky along with a dream team of multiple fire agencies and our very own Alpine Hotshots crew to help save the town from burning. However, those two things alone wouldn’t have saved Estes...

There are over 360 miles of hiking trails in RMNP, not to mention many more in the surrounding areas of Estes Park and the Roosevelt and Arapaho National forests. That’s more than one mile for every day of the year. Whether you’re an avid hiker or a family with young children and elders to consider, Rocky has something for you.So what kind of hiking adventure do you want to choose? You may not have thought of it before, but when preparing for a high altitude trail adventure ...

In this episode, Brett Wilson sits down with Emmy nominated filmmaker, Nick Molle, to talk about his new PBS documentary, "Nature of the Beasts"!"A Walk in the Park with Nick Mollé: Nature of the Beasts" is a soul searching dive into the effects of climate and crowding in the pristine wilderness of a national park. Starring among others, the lovable Pika, Beasts examines environmental changes in quality and the experience with a concept that may surprise some viewers. As with his previous wor...