The Co-Founder of Lykos Designs, Trevor Marcy, and his colleague Matt discuss outdoor skills, outdoor living, and the complicated relationship humans have with their environment.

Arts

Natural Sciences

The Lykos Podcast


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


Would you make it? This is the question that haunts us when we hear about survival situations. All of our training, our experience, our will- would it be enough to make it home? We go in for a deep dive on the topic of survival, all backed by science, using Laurence Gonzalez’s excellent book on the topic as our guide. Listen through to the end to learn Gonzalez’s 12 rules for survival- a must listen for anyone interested in making it through dire situations! 




011- Deep Survival


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


By far, this interview was our favorite podcast. Sitting down with Dana Gleason was a lifetime highlight for both Matt and myself, and Dana shared some awesome stories, advice, and laughs as we discussed his 30+ years as one of the best makers in the outdoor gear industry. Some of the topics covered:-Advice for gear designers and entrepreneurs-How (and why) Dana started Mystery Ranch-Dana’s journey as a businessman and gear designerHonestly, this podcast is for anyone that has any interest in the outdoor gear community- Enjoy! 


















  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            Ruthsac vaporware. Picture Courtesy of The North Face.
          
        
      
        

010- Interview with Dana Gleason (Mystery Ranch)


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


What are the boundaries of consciousness? Where do cognition and a sense of self begin? These are some of the questions we seek to answer, and we use an unlikely vehicle- the raven. Join Matt and I as we explore the world of avian consciousness, and by doing so, maybe learn something about our own.  




009- Mind of the Raven


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            (image courtesy of wikipedia)
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  


This episode is all about bugs- we start with a classic short story on Man Vs. Nature, and then transition to a discussion about our relationship with insects, and what we can do to minimize their interference with our enjoyment of the outdoors. Also, if you've ever wondered why the indigenous people of the Amazon are so badass....you'll want to tune in.  





  
    Art of Manliness- Rites of Passage
  

008- Leiningen and the Ants


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


This episode features an interview with former Air Force Pararescueman Mike Lauria. Mike has just finished his time at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, and will be starting his residency shortly. We discuss his step by step process for promoting peak mental and technical performance while under stress, and he gives us a how-to demonstration, with lots of supporting information. If you want to know how to perform at your absolute best when it really matters, be it a survival situation, a combat zone, or an important negotiation, this is definitely the episode to tune in for.  LINKS


www.michaellauria.com https://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/pararescue www.emcrit.org https://twitter.com/resuspadawan?lang=en    BOOKS








  

    

    
      Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
      
      By Karl Marlantes
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
      
      By Dave Grossman
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      On Combat, The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace
      
      By Dave Grossman, Loren W. Christensen
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      With Winning in Mind 3rd. Ed.
      
      By Lanny Bassham
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      Performance Under Stress (Human Factors in Defence)
      
      CRC Press
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      Warrior Mindset
      
      By Dr. Michael Asken, Loren W. Christensen, Dave Grossman
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      Neurocognitive and Physiological Factors During High-Tempo Operations (Human Factors in Defence)
      
      By Rebecca Steinberg
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        

007- Surviving the Wilderness of Your Mind (Interview with Mike Lauria)


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  


In this Special Episode, Matt and I go through our kits (the various levels thereof), and their contents. If you've been wondering about how we decide what gets a place in our bags and what doesn't, this is the episode for you!








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Moleskine Cahier Journal (Set of 3), Pocket, Ruled, Black, Soft Cover (3.5 x 5.5): Set of 3 Ruled Journals
      
      By Moleskine
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Emerson Sark BT with Plain Black Blade
      
      Emerson Knives
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      LOKSAK aLOKSAK Waterproof Bags - Small Multipack (4.75" x 4", 4"x 6.5", 6.25"x 5.25",8.4"x 5.25" ,8.4"x 5.25" )
      
      ALOKSAK
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      MSR Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets
      
      Cascade Designs Inc.
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Leatherman - Skeletool CX Multitool, Stainless Steel with Nylon Sheath
      
      Leatherman
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Tenacious Tape Repair Strip CLR 3" x 20"
      
      Dreme Corp
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Seam Grip+WP Sealant & Adhesive 1oz
      
      Gear Aid
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        

006- Gear Dump (Special Episode)


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  








  

    

    
      
      
      
      
        
          
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In this podcast, we discuss the sometimes divisive figure Christopher McCandless (AKA, Alexander Supertramp).  We focus on three main questions: Who was Chris McCandless, Why did he die, and Why do we care? Some answers belong to science- and some to the individual. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL


















  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            Photo of the "Gran Desierto" where McCandless watched the moon rise on the New Year
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  


















  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            Marked Map, showing location of the "magic bus"
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  


















  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            Chris McCandless' last photo. Courtesy of the Christopher McCandless Foundation.
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  


 BOOKS








  

    

    
      Katahdin and Chesuncook (Classic Reprint)
      
      By Henry D. Thoreau
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  


 LINKS





  
    Art of Manliness- Rites of Passage
  

005- Into The Wild


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  








  

    

    
      
      
      
      
        
          
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A collection of vignettes about Craig Child's experiences with a wide ranging type and number of animals, we found many of the stories in here to echo our own thoughts and beliefs. Not the sort of book that needs to be consumed all at once, you can sit down, read a story or two, and come back to it later. And you will.  SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS


  The Bloody Sire, by Robinson Jeffers   It is not bad.  Let them play. Let the guns bark and the bombing-plane Speak his prodigious blasphemies. It is not bad, it is high time, Stark violence is still the sire of all the world’s values.   What but the wolf’s tooth whittled so fine The fleet limbs of the antelope? What but fear winged the birds, and hunger Jewelled with such eyes the great goshawk’s head? Violence has been the sire of all the world’s values.   Who would remember Helen’s face Lacking the terrible halo of spears? Who formed Christ but Herod and Caesar, The cruel and bloody victories of Caesar? Violence, the bloody sire of all the world’s values.   Never weep, let them play, Old violence is not too old to beget new values.    


















  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            Skull of a Mountain Lion. Notice the wide zygomatic arch beneath the orbits.
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  


 BOOKS








  

    

    
      On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
      
      By Dave Grossman
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      The Last American Man
      
      By Elizabeth Gilbert
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use, 2nd Edition
      
      By Reginald Laubin, Gladys Laubin
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  


 GEAR


















  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
          
          
            The Mountain Hardwear Kiva 4 Person Tent. No longer made.
          
        
      
        
      

    
  


  


HYPERLITE MOUNTAIN GEARMYSTERY RANCH 








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Jetboil Zip Cooking System (Black)
      
      Jetboil
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      MSR WindBurner Personal Stove System, 1.0-Liter, Red
      
      Cascade Designs Inc.
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      MSR PocketRocket 2 Ultralight Backpacking, Camping, and Travel Stove
      
      Cascade Designs Inc.
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      MSR WhisperLite International Stove
      
      MSR Equipment
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Starbucks VIA Instant Pike Place Roast Medium Roast Coffee (1 box of 8 packets)
      
      Starbucks Coffee
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Snugpak Jungle Blanket, Olive
      
      Sportsman Supply Inc.
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      MSR Mini Groundhog Stake Kit, 6-Pack
      
      Cascade Designs Inc.
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  


 

004- The Animal Dialogues


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  








  

    

    
      
      
      
      
        
          
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This book was a formative one for both Matt and myself. I was given a copy by a very good friend while we hunted elk together in New Mexico- Nelson gives voice to many thoughts that I myself have had. It's raw, and honest, and speaks to something deep inside.   BOOKS








  

    

    
      The End of Nature
      
      By Bill McKibben
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    

    
      Hope, Human and Wild: True Stories of Living Lightly on the Earth (The World As Home)
      
      By Bill McKibben
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  


GEAR








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Speedy Stitcher SEW110-BRK Sewing Awl Kit
      
      Dreme Corp
      

    

  


  REferences


Assefi, N. P., Sherman, K. J., Jacobsen, C., Goldberg, J., Smith, W. R., & Buchwald, D. (2005). A randomized clinical trial of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in fibromyalgia. Annals of Internal Medicine, 143(1), 10–19. Berger, L. R. (2006). Brief communication: Predatory bird damage to the Taung type-skull ofAustralopithecus africanus Dart 1925. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 131(2), 166–168. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.20415 Krzywicki, H. J., & Chinn, K. S. K. (1967). Human Body Density and Fat of an Adult Male Population as Measured by Water Displacement. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 20(4), 305–310. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/20.4.305 

003- The Island Within


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  








  

    

    
      
      
      
      
        
          
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Free HTML Version of To Build a Fire In this podcast, Matt and I go through one of London's most famous works about the elemental relationship between men, dogs, and fire. In the second half, we discuss our preferred fire starting techniques and kits, and share some anecdotes about our times in the backcountry.GEAR








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Ultimate Survival Technologies WetFire Tinder All-Weather Fire (3-Pack of 12)
      
      Ultimate Survival Technologies
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Exotac nanoSTRIKER XL Ferrocerium Fire Starter, Black
      
      Exotac
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Fallkniven A1 Fine Edge Fixed Blade Knife, Black
      
      Sportsman Supply Inc.
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Bahco 396-LAP Laplander Folding Saw, 7-1/2 -Inch Blade, 7 TPI
      
      Snap-On Industrial Brand BAHCO
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  








  

    
        
          
            
          
        
    

    
      Sven Saw SVEN01-BRK Folding 21" Blade
      
      Dreme Corp
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  


 LINKS


http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/LostFace/fire.html (1908 Version) http://london.sonoma.edu/writings/Uncollected/tobuildafire.html (1902 Version) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/arts-culture/the-juhoansi-tribe-in-action/ REFERENCES


Dana Lynn, C. (2014). Hearth and campfire influences on arterial blood pressure: Defraying the costs of the social brain through fireside relaxation. Evolutionary Psychology, 12(5), 147470491401200500. Fessler, D. M. (2006). A burning desire: steps toward an evolutionary psychology of fire learning. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 6(3), 429–451. Kox, M., van Eijk, L. T., Zwaag, J., van den Wildenberg, J., Sweep, F. C. G. J., van der Hoeven, J. G., & Pickkers, P. (2014). Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(20), 7379–7384. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1322174111 Wiessner, P. W. (2014). Embers of society: Firelight talk among the Ju/’hoansi Bushmen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(39), 14027–14035. 

002- To Build A Fire. (And How To Do It)


          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        
      

    
  


  








  

    

    
      
      
      
      
        
          
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Without doubt, one of the most important books about the relationship between humans and animals ever written. Anyone that has ever seen the subtle glint of intelligence in the eyes of a dog, that wonders if animals have social lives as we do, will find something in this book that speaks to them. As thorough of an exploration of wolves as it is of humans, this book is one of the most important that we've ever read. Wolves and wolf mythology are foundationally important to us here at Lykos- so come join the pack.BOOKS








  

    

    
      Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
      
      By Christopher R. Browning
      
        
          
            Buy on Amazon
          
        
      

    

  


 REFERENCES


Henshaw, R. E., Underwood, L. S., & Casey, T. M. (1972). Peripheral thermoregulation: foot temperature in two Arctic canines. Science (New York, N.Y.), 175(4025), 988–990.Ninomiya, H., Akiyama, E., Simazaki, K., Oguri, A., Jitsumoto, M., & Fukuyama, T. (2011). Functional anatomy of the footpad vasculature of dogs: scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts. Veterinary Dermatology, 22(6), 475–481. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3164.2011.00976.x

001- Of Wolves and Men

Welcome, everyone, to the Lykos Podcast. This is the introductory episode, so if you're new to who we are and what we're doing, start here. The Lykos Podcast is about human nature and humans in nature, and we use books and short stories to discuss these topics, and as a stepping-off point for sharing outdoor skills and lessons learned. So settle in, listen up, and join the pack. Also, This will be the place where you can access supplementary materials like links, videos, and pictures relevant to the topics we're discussing- so don't miss out check back often!


















  

    
  
    

      

      
        
          
        
        

        
          
            
          
            
              
            
          
        
          
        

        
      
        

The Lykos Podcast

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