#8 - Backpacking Best Practices

Chi-Wei Chang, an ecotherapy instructor, discusses the science of how nature immersion supports mental health, emphasizing that spending time in nature isn’t just relaxing—it’s a vital practice for mental and emotional well-being. She also explains how modern indoor lifestyles, manmade noise, and screen exposure overstimulate our nervous systems, while connecting with nature—through breathing, sensory awareness, and mindful time outdoors—helps restore balance, reduce stress, and boost creativity.

How do extreme weather events form—and how can you recognize when one is becoming dangerous? In this episode, veteran meteorologist Troy Kimmel explains how to interpret large-scale weather patterns and spot the warning signs that often appear before disasters like the 2025 Texas floods. He breaks down the climatic factors that cause flash floods, prolonged heat waves, and major winter storms, and shares practical ways individuals and communities can react to developing conditions and prepare before the worst hits.

Leïla Six is a singer-songwriter on a mission to remind us all that we are nature. She writes about the ecological challenges we are facing, the circle of life and the beauty of seasons, and how she uses music to situate the human experience within its broader natural context.

Wildlife sculptor and author George Bumann shares insights from his new book Eavesdropping on Animals and explores how learning to interpret the language of animals can transform the way you experience nature—not just in remote settings, but outside your own doorstep.

Educator Kyra Stephenson, 'The Nature Lady', discusses the transformative effects nature based-education has on children's attitudes, behavior, and desire to learn along with tips for implementing in any school setting.

Minister and author Peter Haas discusses how nature was integrated in the spiritual and religious traditions of early man and how it is still relevant to modern society.

Experienced long distance hiker, backpacker, and all-around tough guy Jack Crowley discusses what he has learned through the years scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro, Himalayan high passes, and the rugged peaks of the California Sierras and Rocky Mountains.

Avian expert Mikael Behrens discusses how birding expanded his view of the outside world and helped facilitate his own nature connection journey.

Senior tracker and instructor Preston Taylor discusses his experiences of trailing animals, the scientific value and personal enjoyment gleaned from it, and how to learn this ancient skill that humans relied upon for thousands of years.

Senior tracker and instructor Matt Nelson discusses what encompasses wildlife tracking, why it's valuable to science, what it can teach you about animal behavior, and how it can add to your enjoyment and understanding of the outdoors.