PODCAST · sports
Why We Hike
by Ford Erickson
Ford Erickson explores the highs, lows and most importantly, the whys of going outside. It's an outdoor themed podcast with some soul.
Episodes
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#46: WE ARE BACK! | Spiritual insights from MAKING FIRE! (Church talk)
HOLY CRAP WE ARE BACK SORT OF! Its been a tough 2 years but hopefully I can get this podcast going again! This episode is a church talk I gave a while back about spiritual insights I have gained from fire making in the wild.
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#45: MELANIE STONE! When nature humbles you
Melanie Stone is an actor, film producer, rock and roll goddess and passionate nature lover. In this episode Mel talks about her recent backpacking trip to Paria Canyon in Southern Utah which at one point caused her to seriously wonder if she might actually die in that Canyon. We have an…
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#44: BOB DONOHO! Making your life YOUR life
Bob Donoho is an incredible human lifeform. He has had all kinds of wild experiences in the backcountry as a wilderness therapy guide for many years. He is an, in my opinion, expert woodworker and crafter of all kinds of things from nature. But beyond all those things, Bob has a golden heart and...
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#43: LAUREN LALA PEDERSEN! Experiencing wilderness therapy as a teenager & feeling safe outside
Lauren "Lala" Pedersen has the unique perspective of experiencing wilderness therapy as a struggling teen client not only once but TWICE (a combined 4 months), AND she has been a backcountry wilderness therapy guide on and off for the last 6 years with the Anasazi Foundation. This is a ultra…
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#42: PAUL BIRD 2! Spirituality & The Arizona Trail
Paul Bird is a fan favorite. Maybe THE fan favorite. I had Paul on the podcast earlier in 2022 right before he was about to leave on his first through hike on the Arizona Trail, an 800ish mile wilderness trail spanning from the Mexican border to Utah. So on this episode we talk about how he...
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#41: Spiritual experiences I've had in the wilderness (Excerpt from my live church talk)
This episode is an excerpt from a live talk I recently gave at church. I talk about ways I believe I have seen God working with me and others in the wilderness. I recognize that a lot of you may have had difficult experiences with religion and I don't want this podcast to be a specifically...
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#40: CARY JUDD! E-Skateboarding 800 miles around Iceland to deal with grief & depression
Cary Judd co-produced an award winning documentary called 828 that follows Cary Judd as he attempts to ride his e-skateboard around the ring road of Iceland - 828 miles. Ultimately it’s a story about mental health and coping with grief. Like a lot of us, Cary Judd had a rough 2020. On top of the...
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#39: BEN "PETE" ALLRED! Expanding Your Comfort Zone & The Danger of Staying Home
Benjamin Pete Allred is a mad scientist that loves pushing himself in the outdoors. We talk about his trip to climb the tallest peak in North America -Denali Peak- , which was formerly known as Mt. Mckinley. It is only fitting he climbed a mountain with 2 names while he is a man with 2 names. It…
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#38: JESSIE KREBS! Bringing wilderness survival & healing to WOMEN
Sheesh where do I start? Jessie Krebs runs an outdoor survival school specifically for women (OwlsSkills.com), was an Air Force SERE instructor for many years, is THE ONLY wilderness survival instructor on Masterclass , yes you read that right. Take a breather because we are only getting started...
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#37: SHANAE FOSTER! Signing up for her 1st marathon & Lessons learned from baking bread
Shanae Foster is a wilderness therapy veteran, wilderness EMT, avid rock climber, ancestral living skills enthusiast, incredible sour dough bread baker, and hopeful marathon runner, ultra marathon runner and through hiker. Shanae recently signed for her first marathon ever and we dig deep to...
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#36: PAUL BIRD! How being gay & holding dead bodies has led to hiking the Arizona Trail
Paul Bird is a fascinating human specimen. He spent 32 months IN A ROW working rigorous wilderness therapy at the Anasazi Foundation and he is now about to start an 800 mile trek, on foot from the Mexican border to Utah, known as the Arizona Trail. Paul talks about how coming out as gay has led…
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#35: NATHAN DONNELLY! 72 Days on the Alone Show / Survival Psychology
Nathan Donnelly is best known for surviving 72 days in the Northern Canada wilderness on Season 6 of History Channel's Alone Show. Nathan is the only person in the history of the Alone Show to choose NOT to bring a modern fire starting device, and chose instead to rely on his expert friction fire...
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#34: CALLIE RUSSELL! Journey from angsty teen to nomadic goat herder
Callie Russell is a long time outdoor "surTHRIVAL" practitioner and instructor as well as nomadic goat herder, and wilderness therapy backcountry guide, but is perhaps best known for her appearance on season 7 of History Channel's Alone show, where she survived and thrived for 89 days completely...
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#33: ABI AYRES! Taking Her Power Back in the Grand Canyon
Abi Ayres is a REAL LIFE Instagram influencer (@AbiAyres) and draws people in with her genuine, bright, goofy personality. She recently took it upon herself to train for and attempt to hike 24 miles from Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon in one day. Abi says this was WAAAY out of her comfort zone.…
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#32: SAMUEL SMITH! Growing Up in Foster Care & Choosing Positivity
Growing up in foster care, Sam Smith had a confusing and challenging childhood. He explains how engaging with the wilderness has helped him overcome and heal from the past and how it continues to do so for him. He once found himself stranded in the Mountains and decided to live out there alone…
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#31: The Wind River Mountains (we had a pretty ok time there)
In this episode you will join my comrades and I as we venture, for the first time, into the ominous Wind River Mountains in Wyoming. In addition, toward the end of the episode there is an interview with Alex, who we stumbled upon out there. He was severely sick with altitude sickness and couldn't...
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#30: Why do I hike???? WHYYYYYY????
In this episode Elizabeth Baird demands to interview the normal podcast host, Ford Thunder Erickson. She prevails. Ford talks about his most meaningful wild places he's been, a powerful experience he had on the John Muir Trail annnnd why he hikes. What else would he talk about? Ford's Patreon:...
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#29: ELISABETH BAIRD! Don't Make Decisions In the Middle of a Mountain
Elisabeth Baird is an experienced wilderness therapy guide as well as a middle school art teacher. She once did an internship combining art therapy and wilderness therapy together, which I have never heard of anyone else doing before. Elizabeth is one of the most thoughtful people on earth and...
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#28: CLUTCH LAMBERT! Killing Animals & Finding Ruins
Good ol' Clutch Lambert was on the 2nd episode ever on this podcast but it was definitely the worst interview I have ever done....not because of him but because of my crappy interviewing skillz. In this episode Clutch and I discuss the ethics of killing animals as well as the sacredness we will...
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#27: The SCARIEST night of my adult life
In this episode, Ford takes you with him on his solo backpacking trip in the High Uintas Wilderness where he experiences the scariest night he has ever spent in the backcountry.
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#26: DANA ANDERSON! Dangerous Dan the Mountain Man
Dana Anderson is a lifelong outdoor survival skill practitioner and is an especially expert flint knapper AKA arrowhead maker. Dana estimates that he has made over 50,000 arrowheads in his life and can bust out a beautifully crafted and useful arrowhead in 1 minute. Maybe a world record? Dana is...
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#25: BARTLE! Adventure Running
Bartle is a ultra long distance walker/hiker/runner and has great expertise and passion for surviving and thriving off the land. Bartle tells the story of what led her from her pre-professional life as a Ballerina in Ohio to running across the wilderness of the west wearing a buckskin skirt she...
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#24: DANIEL ROSENBERG! Intentionally spending 40 days alone in the wilderness
Good ol' Dan Rosenberg spent 21 days in the wild on the show Naked and Afraid, completed a self-directed 40 day solo 'walkabout' in the northeast Utah wilderness which included a 5 day fast from food in hopes of finding clarity and newfound purpose to his life. Dan is also a seasoned wilderness...
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#23: LORI GUTHRIE! Wilderness Trash Destroyer
Lori Guthrie is a former police officer, park ranger, Anasazi Trailwalker, and forever destroyer of all wilderness trash. She also co-teaches an outdoor survival class at Mesa Community College with her husband Greg. Lori talks about how hiking helped her work through her divorce and gain self...
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#22: KELLI OSWALD & LEXY NEWBY! The Arizona Trail!
I caught up with Arizona Trail thru-hikers Kelli Oswald and Lexy Newby for a spur of the moment interview in the parking lot of Red Robin. Kelli and Lexy had just reached the half way point in the nearly 800 mile long Arizona Trail that starts at the Mexican border and goes all the way to Utah....
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#21: MICHAEL BRAMAN! Ultra Marathon Running & Farming
Michael Braman is a speedy ultramarathon runner and farms microgreens for a living. Michael didn't start running and farming until after the age of 30! He tells his story about rediscovering himself through farming and ultra running and how he overcame self doubts to create the life he wanted. He...
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#20: CINDY DAVIS! Finding her Belonging Place outside
Cindy Davis is a fascinating human specimen. She has gone from hating nature in her teen years to now spending 7 days a week in the mountains. She is a former wilderness therapy guide turned snowboard instructor and has an unmatched love for the at-risk youth she has worked with over the years in...
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#19: CAITLYN NALDER (Part TWO)! Transitioning out of a Transient Lifestyle
This is PART 2 of my interview with Caitlyn Nalder. We migrated back to her house in this part of the interview because we were getting frost bitten brains. Caitlyn Nalder is one of the most pure hearted, down to earth people I have ever known. She is one of my Anasazi trail mothers, who taught…
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#18: CAITLYN NALDER (Part One)! My Trail Step-Mom
Caitlyn Nalder is one of the most pure hearted, down to earth people I have ever known. She is one of my Anasazi trail mothers, who taught me how to be a trailwalker at Anasazi. She has been backcountry guide at the Anasazi Foundation for several years, a wilderness survival instructor for...
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#17: MEG EVANS! Discovering your true identity in the wilderness
Meg Evans or “Ol’ Meg” is a former winter olympic-hopeful figure skater turned rock climber turned experienced wilderness therapy backcountry guide turned desert dwelling, spirit following, earth loving, animal skull collecting, wilderness woman. She has gone through a massive life transformation...
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#16: NATALIE DEMARTINI! The Healing Power of HORSES!
Natalie DeMartini began working with horses at Gunstock Ranch in Hawaii, and eventually moved on to the therapeutic side of working with horses at the Arivaca Equine Therapy program for at-risk boys. Natalie has spent a lot of years in wild places on the back of a horse or on her own 2 non-horse...
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#15: LANA STRATHEARN! Having a heart at peace when going through hell
Lana Strathearn is an amazing photographer, seasoned Anasazi Trailwalker and dinosaur impersonator. In this episode, Lana shares some hilarious and moving experiences she has had working with at-risk youth in the wild. Seriously, I cracked up and “loled” 5 times while editing this episode. That…
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#14: FORD ERICKSON! My journey
Fjord talks about the strange events the guided him to an ever growing passion for the outdoors in his mid twenties. Aliens were involved. Not really. But do you believe in Aliens? I do. You can follow Ford (me) all over the internets: www.FordThunder.com/merch Instagrams: @Why_we_hike_podcast...
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#13: NIC QUILTER! How the wilderness expanded his "industrialized" view of God
Nic Quilter is a seasoned field staff in the wilderness therapy world with Wingate and Anasazi Foundation wilderness therapy programs. Nic is an articulate and deeply insightful man, and In this interview he shares how he overcame his fear of dirt, and how working in the wilderness expanded his...
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#12: LINDSI LAKE! "You grow through what you go through"
Lindsi Lake is an avid rock climber, cyclist, runner and maple flavored oatmeal eater. We had a marvelous conversation about how to navigate the sometimes toxic comparision culture in outdoor sports and Lindsi tells a miserably scary story she experienced while climbing in southern Utah, and we…
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#11: TAMRA HYDE! How minimalism changed her life
Tamra “Ramblin Tam” Hyde is one of the best communicators I know. Her ability to thoughtfully articulate her words consistently edifies my soul, and in this episode she does not disappoint. Tamra has gone through a massive conversion process to the wilderness. She has gone from being an...
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#10: MATT GRAHAM! Gaining a relationship with the land through minimizing your gear
Matt Graham is a globally recognized wilderness survival expert, best known for his TV shows Dual Survival, Dude You’re Screwed, and Bushcraft Build Off. Matt’s unique skill set that combines primitive/traditional style ultralight long distance running with his outdoor survival experience sets…
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#9: HAZEN AUDEL! Host of National Geographic TV's "Primal Survivor"
Hazen is the host of National Geographic TV's "Primal Survivor". He has been living with and learning from various tribes throughout world since he ventured out on his own to Ecuador when he was 19. His passion for wildlife and learning about plants is infectious. He makes me want to study nature...
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#8: DAN BAIRD! Teaching Wilderness Survival for a Living
Dan Baird is the creator of California Survival School, and has traveled throughout the world learning and teaching ancient survival skills. Dan is a dear friend and one of my favorite people to listen to spout off fascinating information he has learned first hand about survival skills used by…
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#7: LEXY NEWBY! Backpacking 7,000 miles and never camping beforehand.....(Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail finisher)
Lexy "Heatwave" Newby is an unsuspecting warrior of a woman. She is a finisher of the Pacific Crest, Appalachian, and Continental Divide hiking trails. Finishing all three trails is roughly 7,000+ miles and is known as the "Triple Crown" of hiking. She talks about how she never camped or knew how...
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#6: DAN SANTOVIN! Wilderness Therapy stories
Dan Santovin is a jovial, insightful, compassionate beast of a man. He has been working as a Trailwalker for the Anasazi Foundation wilderness therapy program for at-risk youth, on and off since 2011. He shares what got him into wilderness therapy, how his first week nearly killed him, and the...
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#5: VAL ERICKSON (my dad)...Why Idaho is great and trying to prove that to his children
Val Erickson is my dad. Although he says he is not a "hardcore" outdoorsman, he has a deep respect and love for nature. I believe he is the one that laid the foundation for me learning to love the outdoors later in my life. Outside of being a wise, down to earth and insightful Idaho boy, he is…
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#4: ABI SCOMA! Type 2 fun
Abi Scoma is a long time river raft guide, outdoor adventure junky, but overall a very insightful and incredible human being. She tells her story of self discovery and how the wilderness is helping her continually learn more about herself and her place in the world around her.
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#3: STEPHANIE OWEN! Natural highs and nature's abundant bathroom
My dear friend Stephanie Owen goes hiking ALL THE TIME. We have a great conversation in the middle of a Utah thunderstorm. Follow Stephanie!: https://www.bravelyoutdoors.com/stephanie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravelyoutdoors/
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#2: CLUTCH LAMBERT Primitive Skills and Cheetos.
Ford interviews Clutch Lambert while camped in the forest of northeast Washington state. They talk about primitive skills, primitive skill gatherings, finding Native American ruins, eating cheetos. Want more of Clutch? Follow him here: Instagram: Thunderstone86 YouTube: Thunderstone Wilderness...
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#1: HEIDI HYDRICK Interview on the banks of the Verde River
Heidi Hydrick is amazing. She has done a lot of stuff outside. We have an amazing conversation on the banks of the Verde River. Heidi also tells the TRUE story of what REALLY happened with her and the legend of the rattlesnake.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Ford Erickson explores the highs, lows and most importantly, the whys of going outside. It's an outdoor themed podcast with some soul.
HOSTED BY
Ford Erickson
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Why We Hike have?
Why We Hike currently has 46 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Why We Hike about?
Ford Erickson explores the highs, lows and most importantly, the whys of going outside. It's an outdoor themed podcast with some soul.
How often does Why We Hike release new episodes?
Why We Hike has 46 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Why We Hike?
You can listen to Why We Hike on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Why We Hike?
Why We Hike is created and hosted by Ford Erickson.
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