438 Bob has an exciting announcement!

On this Bonus Episode for July, Bob talks with Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department Director Britt Haley about the 2025 department-wide Master Plan process.  It's been almost 12 years since the last department-wide master plan, and Haley talks about what has been accomplished since the last master plan, how the city has grown in the intervening years and how that affects the need for a new plan, what the department expects to learn from the master plan, how this master plan process is different than the last, and most importantly, the need for public involvment in the process. They also discuss the recent Trust for Public Land report on the economic benefits of parks in Colorado Springs, and how the information in that report pertains to the current master plan process. Colorado Springs PRCS Master Plan website: https://coloradosprings.gov/ParkSystemMasterPlan Trust for Public Land report: https://tinyurl.com/39y83yer 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

On episode 444 of the podcast, Bob chats with National Geographic photographer Jonathan Kingston. They discuss Kingston's journey from Virginia to the western U.S. and from being a world class rock climber to a world class photographer. Kingston tells of how luck, being in the right place at the right time, and of course, having the required talent, landed him with a prestigous publication.  Also, the evolution of camera technology from film to digital to mirrorless, what kind of editing Nat Geo allows and much more, in this entertaining conversation. Kingston's website: https://jonathankingston.com/   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

On this week's podcast, Bob goes on a short hike with Chris Gonazales, the Executive Director of the Teller Trail Team in Teller County, Colorado.   They talk about the origin of the organization, it's mission and goals, and projects it's working on, including the new Avenger Open Space in Woodland Park. They wrap up with a discussion of upcoming events and how people can lend their support. Teller Trail Team website:  https://tellertrailteam.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

On this week's episode Bob is joined by co-host Kevin "Wild" Westendorf.  Bob answers listeners - and Kevin's - questions about his recent trip to Iceland. Questions about food, culture, hiking and more are answered. Also, the discuss the Colorado Springs Parks system master plan process, now underway. Kevin tells about his recent encounter with a rattlesnake in a Colorado Springs park, which leads to a discussion about what to do if you encounter a rattler and they also debunk some common myths about the snake. Park system 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

On this week's podcast, Bob talks about his recent trip to Iceland with National Geographic Expeditions, and his day-by-day experiences there.  He also invites listeners to send him questions they might have about the trip and he'll address them in a follow-up podcast. Note: The podcast was recorded in three sessions, with two of them on a ship ( of which one was during a storm) so while we tried to equalize the varying audio quality, you will notice some changes. We tried our best, so please bear with us. Photographer Jonathan Kingston:  https://jonathankingston.com/ National Geographic Expeditions: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/ 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

In this week's podcast, Bob talks with Martin Palmaz about the sport of paragliding. They discuss the difference between paragliding, parasailing, hang gliding, and ultralight flying. Palmaz, who is an experienced paraglider, talks about what it's like to paraglide, what kind of training it takes before one can paraglide, including how much it costs to learn and then equip yourself for the sport  He also talks about where in the Pikes Peak region paragliding takes place, and the inclusion, but not yet implementation of, paragliding in the Blodgett Open Space Master Plan in Colorado Springs. Bob tells of his experiences seeing paragliders at two local open spaces.  U.S. Hanggliding and Paragliding Association website: https://www.ushpa.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

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

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

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

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