Bruce “Buck” Nelson: The Great Outdoors | Tom Nelson Pod #330

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/ ========= Slides, summaries, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1