439 Budget cuts; Skewed statistics; City wide master plan
On this week's podcast, co-host Wild Westendorf joins Bob for a wide-ranging discussion about the proposed 2026 federal government budget and it's effect on the National Park Service. Also, they discuss the pros and cons of various types of emergency beacons for hikers, and how one segment of the industry is using a flawed and incomplete statistic regarding other devicesto promote their own. Regardless, the message is you should have something other than a cell phone to signal for help. Rounding out the show is Colorado Springs' city wide parks and cultural services master plan process that is starting up, what it means and how the public can participate. Colorado Springs PRCS Master Plan website: https://coloradosprings.gov/ParkSystemMasterPlan Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: https://www.HikingBob.com Wild Westendorf website: https://wildwestendorf.com/ Where to listen, download and subscribe to this podcast: https://pod.link/outdoorswithhikingbob
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438 Bob has an exciting announcement!
Bob does a short, unscheduled podcast to announce exciting news about the new home of his newspaper columns covering outdoor recreation! Also, May 1st marks an important anniversary in Bob's personal life. Pikes Peak Bulletin website: https://pikespeakbulletin.org/ Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: https://www.HikingBob.com Wild Westendorf website: https://wildwestendorf.com/ Where to listen, download and subscribe to this podcast: https://pod.link/outdoorswithhikingbob
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3:37
437 Retired NPS Ranger and author Laurel Boyers
On this week's podcast, Bob talks with Laurel Munson Boyers who spent 31 years as a park ranger in Yosemite National Park. She has written "Across Yosemite's Wilderness- A Trailblazing Woman's Career Protecting the Park's Backcountry" about her years patrolling and protecting the park's wilderness and backcountry. They talk about her childhood at Yosemite, then working her way up to being a wilderness ranger. Boyers compares the average backcountry hiker today and during the early years of her career and also how unusual it was for her to stay in one park for her entire career. They wrap up the conversation with a brief discussion about the current political climate in the country, including the massive budget and manpower cuts that have affected the National Park Service. The conversation is lively and informative, as is the book, which you can order here: https://tinyurl.com/mry8xuvz Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: https://www.HikingBob.com Wild Westendorf website: https://wildwestendorf.com/ Where to listen, download and subscribe to this podcast: https://pod.link/outdoorswithhikingbob
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436 Mandy Horvath from "Naked and Afraid"
On this week's episode, Bob talks with frequent guest Mandy Horvath, a bi-lateral amputee, she has conquered the Manitou Incline, Pikes Peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, all under her own power. In this episode, she tells the story of doing "No Legs, No Problem" (season 18, episode 1) of the TV show “Naked and Afraid” in which she and a male partner – both naked, and who had never met each other before - were dropped off in a remote rainforest and left to fend for themselves to get food, water and to create shelter, for 21 days. Mandy talks about the challenges they faced, the toll it took on her, and how they came to depend on each other. After, Mandy talks about what is in her future. It’s a fun, informative and inspiring episode. Mandy Horvath website: https://www.mandyhorvath.com/ "Naked and Afraid" show: https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/no-legs-no-problem Mandy Horvath previous appearances on the podcast: https://hikingbob.com/curated-podcasts Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: https://www.HikingBob.com Wild Westendorf website: https://wildwestendorf.com/ Where to listen, download and subscribe to this podcast: https://pod.link/outdoorswithhikingbob
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54:16
435 The True Story of the Stranded e-Bike rider
On this week's podcast, Kevin "Wild" Westendorf returns, and he and Bob catch up on what he's been doing since he was last on the podcast, including a brief review of his Garmin GPS watch and a comparison of it and his previous Apple watch. Then, they discuss the impacts the drastic federal budget cuts is having on our public lands, and also the collateral damage to the job market and local economies. Finally, Bob talks about a story in a local newspapers newsletter that quoted a Facebook post, which reported that an e-bike rider had to be rescued in the Texas desert after her e-bike battery went dead, and she then pushed the e-bike for twenty miles. As it turns out, other than a cyclist needing to be rescued from the Texas desert, most of the story is false. In an age where mis-information is rampant, Bob chastizes the newspaper and its newsletter for not doing basic fact-checking to ascertain the truth. Bob's recent article about federal budget cuts: https://tinyurl.com/avzx325k News release about Texas cyclist rescue: https://tinyurl.com/bpzmasnp Please consider becoming a patron of this podcast! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/hikingbob for more information Hiking Bob website: https://www.HikingBob.com Wild Westendorf website: https://wildwestendorf.com/ Where to listen, download and subscribe to this podcast: https://pod.link/outdoorswithhikingbob
Bob Falcone shares tips and news about outdoor recreation in the Pikes Peak region. Bob covers trails, clothing, equipment, volunteerism, tourism, politics, photography, destinations and preparedness.