Bruce Nelson shares his recent wilderness adventures, including a three-week solo paddling and fishing trip in Southwest Alaska where he didn't encounter anyone for 18 days, a Denali bike trip with wildlife sightings, and longer streaks of isolation like 40 days in the Brooks Range. He discusses survival strategies such as calorie-dense food planning, water treatment to avoid illnesses like Giardia, and emergency fixes like using body heat or hot water bottles for wet gear, drawing from past miserable experiences in harsh weather. Nelson recounts major expeditions like retracing the Lewis and Clark route by paddling upstream on the Missouri River, hiking the 2,200-mile Desert Trail, and the Minnesota Border Route Trail, along with entertaining smokejumper stories involving bizarre challenges and a world-record mosquito slap.
00:00 Introduction to Bruce Nelson's Adventures
00:58 Solo Wilderness Adventures
02:27 Surviving in the Wild: Food and Water Strategies
05:08 The Importance of Water Treatment
08:20 Denali Bike Trip Experience
15:43 Lewis and Clark Expedition Reenactment
24:14 Desert Trail and Other Desert Hikes
31:07 Minnesota's Border Route Trail
34:39 Smoke Jumper Stories and Traditions
39:35 Hilarious Smokejumper Challenges
43:22 The Thrill of Smokejumping
46:27 Unforgettable Smokejumper Stories
47:30 Books on Smokejumping
48:35 The Evolution of Smokejumping
57:34 The Importance of Smokejumping
59:33 Adventures in the Alaskan Wilderness
01:06:35 Comparing Great Divide and Continental Divide Trails
01:08:57 Perceived vs. Real Risks Outdoors
01:18:13 Final Thoughts on Outdoor Adventures
https://bucktrack.com/
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Slides, summaries, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries
My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1
