Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) Colin & Justin hit on a few of the more interesting and notable stories to come out of the outdoor community over the past week.
The show kicks off by delving into a discussion about the complexities of brand loyalty in outdoor gear, based on the news that Rocky Mounts has been acquired by Clarus. The guys contemplate when brand identity truly matters versus when functionality takes precedence.
Then they touch on the impact outdoor media can have when it comes to changing who lives or visits unknown mountain towns based on a recent article on Outside Online and the social media comments that article inspired.
The episode then takes a trip to HOUSMAN'S HOUSE to get a deeper look at Justin's recent article on National Parks Traveler about the controversial topic of hunting grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, highlighting the ongoing debates around wildlife management and conservation efforts.
And because every rock fight ends with a parting shot, Colin & Justin wrap up the show with... The Parting Shot! Justin has some words for a recent medical experience while Colin thinks anyone who only does one outdoor activity should examine their priorities.
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Check out our other podcast on the Rock Fight Podcast Network: Gear & Beer! It's a relationship and advice show for those obsessed with the outdoorsy lifestyle.
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Episode Transcript
Colin True
00:00:00.360 - 00:00:42.115
Western North Carolina businesses, they need your financial support now more than ever.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene this month, Darby Communications, based in Asheville, North Carolina, is donating its ad space here on the Rock Fight to help other outdoor businesses in western North Carolina get back on their feet.
The outdoor industry is a major contributor to Western North Carolina's economy, and Darby Communications is asking people to donate to the Outdoor Business Alliance Hurricane Helene Relief Fund, which supports outdoor industry businesses in their recovery and supports their staff as they rebuild in the wake of the storm's devastation. Now is the time to help the outdoor community, help build back what we lost in western North Carolina.
Head to outdoorbusinessalliance.org and click donate Today to get started.
Chris DeMakes
00:00:42.695 - 00:00:50.435
Rock Fight. Rock Flight. Rock Flight. Rock Fight. Rock Flight. Rock Flight.
Colin True
00:00:51.375 - 00:01:10.907
Welcome to the Rock Fight, where we speak our truth, slay sacred cows, and sometimes agree to disagree. This is an outdoor podcast that aims for the head. I'm Colin True, and joining me today, he roots for the Dodgers.
I'm wearing a Fenway park hat, but today we're united because Juan Soto fucked over the Yankees. It's Justin Houseman. I'm so happy about that.
Justin Housman
00:01:10.971 - 00:01:25.747
I, I don't know, I, I, I don't know why I care, but, like, God, it seems, it seems like this contract might be the one that sets me over the edge in terms of, like, what are we doing here with money and sports.
Colin True
00:01:25.851 - 00:01:27.403
You have the other guy.
Justin Housman
00:01:27.579 - 00:01:31.939
Yeah, but he's worth it in ways that, like, Juan Soto never will be.
Colin True
00:01:31.987 - 00:01:36.043
Oh, that's true. This guy, he's gonna be, like, 41, making $50 million a year or something stupid.
Justin Housman
00:01:36.099 - 00:01:49.267
Like, he's gonna be DH in, like, two years maybe. He's already a shitty fielder. And it's like, it doesn't make any sense. And he's not, like, market. He's not like, a huge marketing figure.
Like, like, Dodgers have probably already made a billion dollars just from Shohei's, like, marketing.
Colin True
00:01:49.331 - 00:01:49.691
That's true.
Justin Housman
00:01:49.723 - 00:01:51.851
No one's buying anything because of Juan Soto.
Colin True
00:01:51.963 - 00:01:52.483
I'm happy.
Justin Housman
00:01:52.539 - 00:01:53.363
15 years.
Colin True
00:01:53.459 - 00:02:08.167
It is long and stupid. And you're right. It's like, that's a good point. There's upside. There are other upsides that Ohtani had that.
But I love that the beleaguered, you know, Mets fans get something to hold over to the Yankees fans and the fact that he was on the Yankees and he's like, nah.
Justin Housman
00:02:08.231 - 00:02:10.167
Oh, that's it. I wonder how often that happens.
Colin True
00:02:10.271 - 00:02:10.671
Not bad.
Justin Housman
00:02:10.703 - 00:02:12.279
Like, when free agent moves from one to the other.
Colin True
00:02:12.327 - 00:02:12.991
Not very.
Justin Housman
00:02:13.063 - 00:02:15.367
It does, but. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Colin True
00:02:15.471 - 00:02:46.975
But anyway, good job, Juan Soto. Way to fuck over the Yankees. We're a fan of you today. So today we're going to talk about some outdoor headlines come out over the last week.
But before we get to that, we want you listening to the show right now. Who, if you haven't already and why haven't you already follow the show. You gotta rate the show.
You open up your phone, you're listening to a song, you got your little podcast app there. You click follow and then hit five stars. That's all you gotta do. We make the show for free. It really helps us out. So.
And also you should subscribe to our newsletter. It went out today. Went out right, like hours before we're recording this.
Justin Housman
00:02:47.015 - 00:02:48.839
Yes. I didn't have time to finish it.
Colin True
00:02:48.967 - 00:03:06.725
Look at that. So you know we have top notch content that you get here on our podcast.
You can also find that stuff in our newsletter with content in there you can't find anywhere else. So head to Rockfight Co and click join the mailing list.
And now I think Justin's going to tell you how to reach out to the show and tell you about our other show. And I mean, what are you going to talk about, Justin?
Justin Housman
00:03:06.765 - 00:03:16.917
Yeah, I could do that. Yeah. So yeah, we, you may, you may be listening to it, but we're recording another show called Gear and Beer where we.
Guess what, what we do on that show.
Colin True
00:03:17.101 - 00:03:17.989
What do we do in that show?
Justin Housman
00:03:18.037 - 00:03:19.629
Drink. We drink beer. We talk about gear.
Colin True
00:03:19.677 - 00:03:20.865
We don't drink the gear.
Justin Housman
00:03:21.165 - 00:03:25.037
No. Well, unless is beer. Could beer ever be considered gear? Sure.
Colin True
00:03:25.061 - 00:03:27.477
There's a lot of water in there, right? It's important. It's like nutrition.
Justin Housman
00:03:27.541 - 00:03:30.213
Considered Gear. Well, nutrition, I guess you could consider it like a hydration.
Colin True
00:03:30.309 - 00:03:31.029
It's an essential.
Justin Housman
00:03:31.117 - 00:03:40.379
Like that. Yeah. Like a bottle of beer is like a hydration bottle.
I suppose there's probably, you know, minerals in there that you might, that might help on a, on a vigorous.
Colin True
00:03:40.427 - 00:03:42.795
You can clean out wounds because there's alcohol in it.
Justin Housman
00:03:42.955 - 00:04:05.011
I guess you. I would. We can't legally say that on the show, but you know, if somebody wants to try it, you can let us, you could let us know.
And we like to answer your questions about gear on that show.
So you can email us any gear questions, any beer questions or just general feedback@myrockfightmail.com and we will do our darndest to answer those questions. When I say we, I mean Colin.
Colin True
00:04:05.123 - 00:04:19.283
All right, well, let's get into some stuff today. Today we're going to start with A little gear chat. All right.
Because per SGB Media, Claris, the parent company of brands like Black diamond and Rhino Rack, has acquired, quote, certain assets of Rocky Mounts, a Colorado base.
Justin Housman
00:04:19.299 - 00:04:20.067
Certain assets.
Colin True
00:04:20.211 - 00:04:22.579
Certain assets. They don't want all the assets.
Justin Housman
00:04:22.667 - 00:04:25.019
3 foot 3, 3 photos that they can use.
Colin True
00:04:25.067 - 00:05:01.143
It's like we looked at everything you got. We'll take those two right there.
So Rocky Mounts, it's a Colorado based brand that focuses on bicycle, bicycle transport products, basically bike racks. This announcement made me think when brands matter and when they don't matter when it comes to outdoor stuff.
Because for the most part, I really have zero preference for a category like bike racks. I basically am looking for function.
Like, you know, there might be a brand that I kind of like, but I'm not going to say I'm a Thule guy or I'm a Yakima guy or whatever. It is totally right. It's just like, no, that if either one has what I want, then that's great.
I will say though, when I lived in Colorado for a year, rocky mounts were everywhere. And I definitely got one because at the time.
Justin Housman
00:05:01.319 - 00:05:02.287
Are they based in Colorado?
Colin True
00:05:02.311 - 00:05:02.975
Yeah, they're in Colorado.
Justin Housman
00:05:03.015 - 00:05:04.529
You already said that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Colin True
00:05:04.647 - 00:05:30.991
And like, they.
And this was 2007, so I don't know what the state of it is right now in Colorado, but like, at the time they were, they had cool colors for your roof rack for your bike, and it was very cool to have a Rocky Mounts rack. So I don't know though, maybe think about, like, I want to ask, you know, a certified gear guy, like, when does brand actually matter?
Because there are definitely times when I am like, I am like, that's my brand. I like that stuff.
But, you know, this is a, this is a situation where like, yeah, rocky mounts are cool, but if I got another brand, I probably wouldn't care.
Justin Housman
00:05:31.173 - 00:05:44.227
I mean, I've had three. I've had Kuat, Thule and Yakima bike racks. Yeah, I thought it was kind of cool when I had the Kuat because everybody else has like Thule and Yakima.
So, you know, I don't know.
Colin True
00:05:44.291 - 00:05:46.259
Yeah, the contrarian thing plays in here, right?
Justin Housman
00:05:46.347 - 00:06:07.449
For sure. You'll see Rocky mounts around here in Northern California too, but not, not that often.
I never really thought about them as like a, a brand that people would get like, fired up about, but it makes total sense in Colorado. I mean, I'm assuming it's the case in San Diego and probably everywhere else.
I mean, to me, the only bike brand I'm Like, I, I would think that really the only Bike Rack brand that people get fired up about is One Up. Right? Like, that's.
Colin True
00:06:07.497 - 00:06:11.445
That's right. Which I don't even know that much about. Like, they're relatively recent, aren't they?
Justin Housman
00:06:12.305 - 00:06:36.447
No. Yeah, well, yeah. Yeah, I think so. I mean, and the founder. The founder sold it and went off and he's making.
I forget what his new one is called, but it's like a very similar design but a little different. It has a different name. But, I mean, like every Tesla around here, if it's a Tesla and has a bike rack, it has a One Up.
If it's a, you know, if it's a. If it's a nice luxury SUV and has a bike rack, it has a One Up. It's like it's a status symbol around here, I think.
Colin True
00:06:36.551 - 00:06:41.527
Is that the aesthetic, though? Because, like, isn't there sort of like a bit of a utilitarian kind of look to the One Up Rack?
Justin Housman
00:06:41.631 - 00:07:28.431
Yeah, and they're like, they're like super burly and like, you know, I don't know, they're really easy to use and, you know, I don't know. They don't like the Yakima. I've had my Yakima and my Thule are. They were fine. The Yakima was fine.
The one I have now is a Thule and it works fine, but there's a lot of plastic parts on it and it's, you know, it doesn't feel like it's gonna be around forever. Forever. You know, and it's the same. It's still like $900. I forget what, the helium or something. It's really lightweight, really easy to use.
Looks fine. I can pull it off and on. Weighs virtually nothing, which is all that's great. But like, some. At some point the plastic is going to fail.
Like, the OneUp is like all metal, you know, like, it makes a lot of sense. But I, But I, I feel like One Up. One up is definitely like a status brand, it seems like.
I mean, people that don't really, you know, they just, they buy one because everybody else has one. That's what looks cool. And that's. It's like a serious mountain bike.
Colin True
00:07:28.563 - 00:07:32.559
But if everything, like, all things be equal and like, you get stuff because you do gear reviews.
Justin Housman
00:07:32.647 - 00:07:32.959
Yeah.
Colin True
00:07:33.007 - 00:07:41.959
If you could just say, no, price isn't an object here. You get it for free, whatever. Which one do you choose? Is there a brand that you care about more than another? No.
Justin Housman
00:07:42.047 - 00:07:42.391
No.
Colin True
00:07:42.463 - 00:07:46.995
What categories do you care? Like What's. What's a gear category? You're like, no, I do care about the brand.
Justin Housman
00:07:48.055 - 00:08:42.467
That's a really good question. I mean, it depends on what you're. What you're. How you're, like, what you're evaluating for. If it's, like, performance, that's one thing. If it's.
If it's. You know that, like, the style is going to work for you. That's. That's one thing I would say, like, for back, like, backpacks, Osprey.
Like, I know going in that, like, I won't have to question anything about an Osprey pack. I mean, lots of. Lots of backpack makers make great packs.
But, like, for, like, Osprey, it's as if they were, like, making packs for tall, like, slender dudes, because it just fits me really well. I've always loved the way they're engineered. Yeah. I just, like, I'll always have an Osprey pack. So, like, to me, like, they're, like, a leader there.
Same thing with, like, Patagonia waiters. Like, I just know I love them. I know they're going to work great. Like, that's.
It's utilitarian, though, in the same way that, like, I don't care about a bike rack. It's. It's still. It's also. It's in the same way, like, I don't want to care because I want to have to think about it.
It's kind of like that with brands that you do like, right? It's like, I don't want to have to think about this. I know that these work. So it really just depends.
Colin True
00:08:42.531 - 00:09:13.103
Gear makes a bit of a difference, though, right? Because we talked about it with, like, the Mie conversation. We had that and kind of like the apparel side of it. Like, that's kind of.
You almost can swap so many things in there on a gear for, like, Osprey. Well, you might love it, but maybe it fits me a little weird compared to another. Totally another brand. Right. So that's different. Like, it even.
But it is funny how these things get in your head. Like, we did the episode of Gear and Beer recently about the coast, you know, headlamp that you can speak to. And actually, I got it right here.
That's, like, the one thing now, like, I will absolutely seek out coast now when it comes to lighting, because I like this product so much.
Justin Housman
00:09:13.159 - 00:09:27.499
It's thought, it's thoughtful and it's cool. Yeah, no, for sure. So I don't know. Maybe it's not even like, that's Interesting. It is interesting. Like, at what point does brand turn your head?
I mean, it really. You'd think it would for me, but the. But it really doesn't because I don't care.
Colin True
00:09:27.547 - 00:09:27.891
Yeah.
Justin Housman
00:09:27.963 - 00:10:48.253
You know, like, like, if does it look good, cool. I don't care who makes it, does it work, cool. But like, you know, tents, you know, I'm a. I'm a Nemo guy.
I just know that I love Nemo tents or Sea to summit. I like them both. But like, you know, I just appreciate the way that they go about making their stuff. You know, they always like the.
I guess if the brand has a point of view, you know what I mean? Like, like Nemo stuff, it's hard to describe, but like, Nemo stuff is always really well engineered. It's really well thought out. It's.
It's never the lightest thing in the game. It's never the burliest thing in the game. But like, they've got their, like, little avenue and it's really well done. So they nail it.
And see, the Summit is very similar in that regard. I mean, and you know, you can tell they're making things for a certain kind of outdoor person.
And like, I, you know, so if it, like, if you know, someone who wants nice stuff, who isn't climbing Everest, who isn't trying to like, set it fkt on the PCT and needs like whisper light products, who just want something good that looks modern and well made, boom. Like, that's. That's me. And so that's like, I know Nemo does that. I know C to Summit does that.
Other brands do it too, but I know that they do it really well. Boom. And they've. And they've like, I'm loyal to them because I like their stuff. So like, that's kind of how that's when brand matters to me.
Like, if they've had. If they've expressed a point of view in the stuff that they make and it. And it resonates with me. That's all. That's it. That's really all it takes.
But like, for some reason, that doesn't really happen with bike racks because they just hold a bike.
Colin True
00:10:48.349 - 00:10:59.925
I guess the probably the quintessential conversation is vehicles, right? You know, car brands, stuff like that. Like, why? Because you have, you definitely.
We've had conversations around vehicle brands and you're like, I fucking hate that brand. You know?
Justin Housman
00:11:00.005 - 00:11:32.241
Yeah. I'm more likely to dislike a brand than I am to like a brand, like, than I am.
Like, it's easier to be like, I just don't like those brands than it is to be. Like, I love this one, if that makes sense. Especially in cars. Because it just feels like.
It feels to me like every single car maker is dropping the ball, like, at least in terms of what I want from a car. And so, like, I'm not. I'm not brand loyal at all. I mean, I've had a million Toyotas.
Yeah, they're great, but like, I don't care about, like, the new Toyotas. Like, I love my Nissan Frontier, but I'm not like a Nissan guy, you know, I loved my Subaru.
I mean, if Subaru is probably my favorite car brand, I guess.
Colin True
00:11:32.273 - 00:11:43.559
Well, okay, let's say your Frontier, like, just died today. Like, what would you go. What would you go get? What was. What's the first stop to like? You would go looking for a replacement truck?
Would it just be going right back to Nissan?
Justin Housman
00:11:43.607 - 00:11:49.239
Honestly, probably another Frontier, just because they're way less expensive than Tacomas and I like mine better than the Tacoma. So, yeah, probably something like that.
Colin True
00:11:49.287 - 00:11:58.975
And it's not like I'm not like trying to connect dots here just for the sake of a podcast conversation, right? Like, because it's kind of a similar thing to the outdoors vehicles now. They all work, they're all reliable for the most part.
Justin Housman
00:11:59.055 - 00:11:59.599
For the most part.
Colin True
00:11:59.647 - 00:12:07.631
Right. It's kind of like outdoor gear. It's like, it's all the same. It's like. So it really comes down to like, which one do you like?
I mean, I chose the Maverick because, like, that's just kind of the truck that I would buy.
Justin Housman
00:12:07.663 - 00:12:19.695
But that's also a pretty unusual one. There's not really another. There's nothing else quite like it. So, you know, that's a good point. I'm just not a.
I'm just not a brand loyal person, generally speaking. I mean, I'm not like food, beer, anything like that. Like, not really.
Colin True
00:12:20.035 - 00:12:47.989
I just think. I think these conversations are missing with the brands themselves.
I don't think a lot of times there's a lot of self reflection on why people like their brand.
And people just kind of assume like, oh, we're this brand, we know we do it the best, and everyone wears our stuff from head to toe, blah, blah, blah. And it's like, but why? I mean, the reason why rocky mounts was cool is because that was the front, Ray. That was the Colorado rack.
You know, when I got. When I moved back to New England from Colorado, I thought it was really cool that I had A Rocky Mountains rock on there.
Because no one in Boston had a Rocky Mountains rack, you know, like, that was cool.
Justin Housman
00:12:48.037 - 00:13:04.125
Yeah. But I mean, it's like, that's just a. That's a bumper sticker. You know what I mean? Like, you could. Like, that's like the.
Like, it's not that you're just like, hey, I used to. You know, this.
I guess maybe the contrarian thing because you have something different or the fact that you, like, people might ask you, oh, are you from Colorado? Like, whatever.
Colin True
00:13:04.205 - 00:13:04.887
Yeah.
Justin Housman
00:13:05.061 - 00:13:46.105
Like, you have. You have. That's kind of what it's doing there. But I don't know. I mean, it's. It's hard, too, as a gear, as it. Like when.
When I get so much, you know, of this stuff to test or whatever. It's like, I don't really have a. I guess it'd be different if I was buying all these things.
Like, brand loyalty would be probably different because it's like, I only have so much money to spend. Sure. I'm probably more likely to. To return to the same brand. Although, I don't know. People. It's like, returns are so easy. Like, it doesn't.
You can still, like. I don't know. I just. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe even the concept of brand loyalty is the problem. I mean, why does anybody care?
Well, the brand doesn't ultimately care about you. Like, they just want you to buy their stuff. It's not like, you know what I mean? It's just like, why am I loyal to any brand? Like, you shouldn't be.
Colin True
00:13:46.445 - 00:13:48.261
Why should I wear your logo on my chest?
Justin Housman
00:13:48.413 - 00:13:50.293
But, yeah, I guess the last thing.
Colin True
00:13:50.309 - 00:14:01.493
Is it pertains to Rocky Mountains because it's like they're acquired by Clarice, who already owns Rhino Rack. And they might own another one, too. But what's the difference between what Rhino Rack has and what Rocky Mountain?
Justin Housman
00:14:01.629 - 00:14:13.733
Maybe it's a regional thing, right? Like, people, like, people buy. Like, maybe nobody buys Rhino racks in. In Colorado, and so they're like. Or something.
Or if they're only acquiring certain assets, maybe it's like a technology that they can't replicate without patent or something. I don't know.
Colin True
00:14:13.789 - 00:14:20.293
Maybe it's just the name brand and they're gonna put the name on Rhino Rack stuff. It's probably the trademark is what they acquired. I bet you that's all they acquired.
Justin Housman
00:14:20.429 - 00:15:09.383
I mean. Yeah, it's. It's. It's just. To me, it's like, the more I dig into any. Any industry news, you know, obviously, Outdoor specific.
Cause that's what we talk about here. But it just seems like owning and running, like, an actual business is. I realize that's what we're doing here, but where you're selling something.
Yeah, like a product just seems like an absolute goddamn nightmare. It's like you either you're, like, constantly having to, like, you can't relax. Like, the foot has to be on the gas.
Especially if it's something that's not like, Yeti. Yeti would be still making a ton of money if they still just made three coolers and didn't do any marketing.
Like, they'd be fine, but they wanted to be, like, this giant thing, Right. So they have to make a million products.
But, like, unless you're making something that speaks for itself and you don't really have to, like, worry about it. Like, I just can't. Like, the.
Just constant having to, like, search for, like, new, like, avenues because, like, your stuff's drying up and people are losing interest. Just. Oh, my God.
Colin True
00:15:09.519 - 00:16:00.247
That's a really good point. I mean, that some of the.
In some of the conversations after we talked about the whole Yeti Mystery Ranch thing, you know, a lot of people who are, like, lamenting like, oh, no, we're losing Mystery Ranch. But it's also like, hey, think of the guy that's brand's been around since the early 2000s. I think how stoked you are if you built that up.
Someone came along, paid you out for it, and it's like, yeah, it's your baby. But it's also. At some point, do you want to just be sitting on with the same anxieties that you just described of, like, running a brand?
At some point it's like, hey, good for them. Like, if Yeti. And now Yeti owns it. If they want to, like, get rid of the trademark and just make Yeti packs, well, they can do that. It's a bummer.
I'm not saying it's not a bummer. It's a cool brand. You don't want to see go away. But it's also like, that's kind of how this goes in business. Right?
So at some point, if you're in that ownership position, because you're right, it is all the stress, it does fall all to you to make all of those decisions. So it's nice to see some people get rewarded for that at some point, too.
Justin Housman
00:16:00.351 - 00:16:08.911
Yeah, that's true. I've never faulted people for selling. I don't think maybe a little bit.
Usually it's probably just envy when that Happens anyway, It's like, God damn it.
Colin True
00:16:08.943 - 00:17:34.904
I should have started a PAC brand and sold it to Yeti 25 years from now. How did I do that? All right, so next thing was another thing that caught my eye this week. I saw it on Instagram.
So Outside Online ran an article about Davis, West Virginia, which is a mountain town that you probably haven't heard of. And that's how they described it in their article. This is the mountain town you haven't heard of. And isn't it great?
And there's one traffic light and there's like, you know, like, barely any places to eat, but, boys, they have great access to trails. And now there are two kinds of articles that is a staple of outdoor media that probably has been like this for decades.
You know, the one is the this is the big mountain town that's dying, and you gotta pray for the locals in the face of the rich people moving here story. And then there's the you've never heard of this mountain town story. So this one's the latter.
But it was in the comments on the Instagram post that was supporting the story for Outside that wanted me to bring this up today because the overwhelming majority of them had, like, one thing in common. So hold on, I got the thread right here. This is what people were saying. You have.
You guys really find some peace in quiet towns and think, wait, not on my watch. No one knows about this place. So let's make sure and tell everyone. Yeah, yeah, let's make it unaffordable. And there goes the neighborhood.
Outside magazine ruining every good small town one by one. Stop the madness. Articles like this are ruining the thousands of small, cool towns with an overage of tourists.
I'm like, okay, but is that really happening here?
Justin Housman
00:17:36.924 - 00:18:12.401
I wonder. I mean, Patty had a great. A great parting shot.
Patty O'Connell, when he was on the show a few months back, where he was getting mad at people that, like, in ski towns for, you know, for, like, trying to, like, close the door behind them. I have them. So many. Like, first of all, like, the point, like, I don't know what the point. What is the point of a story like that?
I mean, it's kind of like a trap, like a travel story, right? But that's only interesting if it's like, I went to this place and here's what I did, and blah, blah. This is not that.
It's just kind of talking about what it looks like and what you can do and why it's cool. I don't really know what the Point.
Colin True
00:18:12.433 - 00:18:17.737
Is, I mean, I guess if you go visit Davis, West Virginia, then maybe.
Justin Housman
00:18:17.801 - 00:18:18.805
That was the point.
Colin True
00:18:19.105 - 00:18:37.363
That's kind of why I pointed out, like, there are two ways they go about this. It's the, like, you know, here's Park City, and like, oh, no, the locals are getting squeezed out or whatever, you know, Aspen put in your town.
Or the. Let's highlight the small town. And by the way, I think the reaction from a lot of people are basically the same. No matter what it is.
They're mad that you're talking about their town.
Justin Housman
00:18:37.529 - 00:19:01.023
We all feel like, I think that we all people who live I've. Other than San Francisco, I've lived. I imagine we're gonna live in Marin county for like the rest of our life. And that's not like a.
It's not like it's a hidden place. But my small town in Marin county is not like, particularly like. It's not like one of the notable towns. Right.
It's not the ones that, like, people have heard of.
Colin True
00:19:01.079 - 00:19:01.675
Right.
Justin Housman
00:19:02.255 - 00:19:38.511
And I have seen a lot of changes in the five years that I've lived here.
And so not a lot, which I don't like, you know, and like, the people that, like, came before me, the people who lived here for decades, are really up in arms about how different the town is. Right. Like, this used to be a paradise, like, of like 70s freewheeling 60s and 70s freewheeling. Anything goes that's dead everywhere.
Yeah, good point. So, yeah, I guess that's true. So, I don't know. I guess I'm of two minds about that kind of thing because it's like, I do find it interesting.
Like, I clicked on that and read it. I'm like, oh, yeah, I've been to West Virginia. I wonder if I've ever went there.
And I kind of imagine how cool it would be to be in a little town like that. And I. I absolutely love telling people how cool my town is.
Colin True
00:19:38.583 - 00:19:38.887
Right?
Justin Housman
00:19:38.951 - 00:19:53.759
I mean, you know. You know that it's like, it's the coolest town in the world. I'm super proud of it. But, like, if.
If I was worried about getting priced out, I probably wouldn't be super excited about articles like this. I mean, that has to be hap. That has to be happening.
Colin True
00:19:53.847 - 00:19:54.343
I don't know.
Justin Housman
00:19:54.399 - 00:19:54.879
Has to be.
Colin True
00:19:54.927 - 00:20:09.995
So the thing you're describing is like, you know, it's not a secret. We've talked about the show, that I've lived in a lot of places, and I feel like everywhere I've gone, I've Heard the same thing.
Park City was the same thing. Like, oh, man, that, that plaza wasn't there. Was so much better wet. Everything has always had so much better.
When even since we've lived here in San Diego is like, oh, you should have been here at this other time.
Justin Housman
00:20:10.035 - 00:20:12.655
When it was better. San Diego is way cooler than it used to be. Far.
Colin True
00:20:13.835 - 00:20:29.987
But the point is, like, I think that is just. That's people getting old thing more than it is like an actual thing. Yes, things change, but things are going to change.
And by the way, when you were younger and it was different then, the old timers before you were telling you about, like, well, that was just a field for a thousand years before we built the thing there. Right?
Justin Housman
00:20:30.091 - 00:20:30.635
For sure.
Colin True
00:20:30.715 - 00:20:36.141
That's the way it is. That's progress. Take it up with the world and the country. If you have a real issue with it, I just can't.
Justin Housman
00:20:36.173 - 00:20:43.653
But there is some difference in that. It wasn't back even 20 years ago. You couldn't be like, oh, Davis, West Virginia, that's cool, I'll move there and buy a house.
Colin True
00:20:43.709 - 00:20:46.765
Well, that's true. Nobody was saying that. You're right about that.
Justin Housman
00:20:46.885 - 00:22:10.807
That is different now. That really is different. I mean, when I went down to my home zone, Central coast a month or so ago, we stopped at this little place.
I had actually never been there before. I'd driven past it a zillion times out on a country road.
It used to be kind of just a steak diner kind of a thing, but it's been bought by somebody else. It's been revamped. Now it's very modern. And we pull up and there's Teslas and people in nice sweaters and Warby Parker glasses.
I don't know where these people live. Where did you come from? This did not exist in this town 20 years ago. And it's like, okay, on the one hand, cool.
They have more money and there's more people from outside the area and they're supporting places like this, that's great.
But on the other hand, if you grew up in that zone and there was a particular flavor and like style of life and like pace of life and affordability, that's gone. Because people that can work remotely can reach it now. I mean, that, that, that's detrimental. I mean, I don't think anybody would disagree with that.
I mean, the reason that people, like talk shit about Truckee is because of all the people that can afford to live there who are rich from the Bay Area money, right? And they change the nature of the town. So I get it. I do get that. And I also feel like. But I don't know what the.
I guess I understand the frustration, you know, but I also. But I also agree with you that that's also just the nature of life. Right. Like.
Colin True
00:22:10.871 - 00:22:11.215
Right.
Justin Housman
00:22:11.295 - 00:22:17.783
It feels to us like things are changing and things are. You know, we're losing grip on something. But it's always felt like that to everybody, you know, like, we're no different.
Colin True
00:22:17.839 - 00:22:31.009
So I guess I'm not saying it can't happen or doesn't happen. And I think, like, I'm not sure, like, what exactly you're talking about or the example you gave, but, like, truck is a good example, probably. Right.
But it's like, this is. You know, but it's. It's a mountain town near ski resorts, like, all of these kind of desirable things around it. I kind of think, like, with.
Justin Housman
00:22:31.057 - 00:22:32.689
Yeah, you're not going to keep people out of there forever.
Colin True
00:22:32.777 - 00:22:53.497
Right. And I look at something like a Davis, West Virginia, where they're saying that basically it might. There's one or none.
You know, traffic lights, like that. It's a very small community with probably very little reason why you would move there for a job or anything I got.
I would actually think that probably the biggest outcomes of this is that maybe some people do go there to go mountain biking or enjoy trails and they.
Justin Housman
00:22:53.521 - 00:22:55.289
Buy some sandwiches at the local deli. Right.
Colin True
00:22:55.337 - 00:23:19.365
And, like, to Patty's point, like, enjoy that. Like, that's good. That's good for your economy.
And if the occasional person does come in from out of town and, like, buy a house, like, that's probably not a terrible thing, too. No, it just feels like this is not the Secret Service spot or the secret camping spot. Like, this is the.
Like, the small town in West Virginia, and everyone's freaking out that we're, like, saying, hey, you might want to go visit this place. Like, I know defending outside here, but it's a little like, everybody settle down on this one.
Justin Housman
00:23:19.485 - 00:23:36.761
No, I mean, I agree. I think there's a reflex of kind of like, oh, here's the thing. I can kick because people like it when this gets kicked.
You know, like, it's fun to sort of join into the fray, I guess. And, yeah, I. I don't necessarily think of towns the way I do surf spots, but not entirely. I mean, I don't know.
Colin True
00:23:36.833 - 00:23:38.833
There's a gray area. I'm not saying there's not.
Justin Housman
00:23:39.009 - 00:23:41.965
Yeah. Yeah. I can't. That's true. I mean, like, things can.
Colin True
00:23:42.305 - 00:23:47.713
I guess I Think there probably needs to be more than just, like, somebody writing about it, right? Because it's. You think, like, Bentonville is a good example. Like, who knew about.
Justin Housman
00:23:47.809 - 00:23:52.785
Everybody loves what's been happened. What's happened to Bentonville, right? But, like, maybe Bentonville sucked before. Probably did.
Colin True
00:23:52.825 - 00:23:59.529
It was probably like, oh, that's where Walmart is, and that was it. But then Walmart's like, let's dump a bunch of money into this and make it a cool place. And now it's a cool place and everybody wants to go there.
Justin Housman
00:23:59.577 - 00:24:34.039
That's the conversation I always have with people, is like, where's the. Like, where are people stoked about now that we don't know about? Like, where is the. I guess, Davis, West Virginia one of them?
But, like, where are the places that, like, 30 years ago had, like, cool cafes and bike shops and stuff? But, like, you didn't know what it was, right? Like, it was cheap to live there. And, like, is that still a thing? I don't know.
And so, like, I think a lot of people lament the lack. The loss of that. And so when we see things like this, we feel like it's just contributing to, like, further losses of things like that.
I mean, no one's building more houses and there's more people than there used to be. So, like, that's going to be an issue anywhere, you know?
Colin True
00:24:34.087 - 00:24:34.359
Totally.
Justin Housman
00:24:34.407 - 00:24:50.047
So, you know, it just. It just so happens that, like, we also tend to think of, you know, I don't think people realize it.
Like, it's only been, like, well, since the 50s, really.
So we're getting, you know, 70, 80 years, but, like, where you could, like, move around and go to wherever you want because of things that you like to do. Like, it's.
Colin True
00:24:50.071 - 00:24:50.255
Right.
Justin Housman
00:24:50.295 - 00:25:14.403
We're still kind of learning how all this works, right? Because, like, Post World War II, everything changed, you know, and it's like, okay, now we have.
Obviously, like, people aren't tethered to certain cities anymore, so we're going to see what it looks like when people spread out. Like, that's just. That's just going to happen, folks. You know, this article is not going to really probably. This isn't.
This is just a tiny little piece of it. It's a super interesting conversation, though. Like, I do love the idea of covering, like, mountain towns that we like. Right? Because it's fun to.
It's fun to. It's fun to share them.
Colin True
00:25:14.459 - 00:25:14.915
Yeah, exactly.
Justin Housman
00:25:14.955 - 00:25:19.403
At the same time, other people need to see. I'm sure we'd get shit for that I'm sure we would.
Colin True
00:25:19.579 - 00:25:29.983
I also just realized I'm kind of picking a fight with the Internet, with Mike, with bringing this up, because it's like, this is total Internet behavior. Like, fuck. You don't talk about this town. Do you know where it's. And I have no idea where it is, but you shouldn't be talking about it.
Justin Housman
00:25:30.039 - 00:25:34.031
Totally. Yeah. I mean, I look at the pictures. Doesn't look that. Doesn't look that cool. It was fine.
Colin True
00:25:34.183 - 00:25:42.599
Well, that's back to your. Your original point is, like, why are you highlighting this place? No offense, Davis. If anybody's from there is listening.
But it's like, I wouldn't worry. You know, you're probably okay. You know, I mean.
Justin Housman
00:25:42.647 - 00:25:52.055
I mean, like, so. So you're. As a town with, like, really not much. It's got 4,000 foot peaks around it and, like, a bunch of mountain bike trails.
That's basically everything from here to fucking Alaska. So.
Colin True
00:25:52.135 - 00:25:52.663
Right.
Justin Housman
00:25:52.799 - 00:25:54.955
Going north for me, but cool. You know.
Colin True
00:25:57.365 - 00:26:17.173
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Because no one knows more about how you should fuel for your adventures or how to get that fuel into your hands than they do.
Justin Housman
00:26:17.309 - 00:26:20.261
Let me ask you. Let me ask you a question. How do they know what I like, though, Colin?
Colin True
00:26:20.373 - 00:26:21.141
Well, when you.
Justin Housman
00:26:21.253 - 00:26:27.403
What if they try to fuel me with a bunch of, like, raisins, which I don't hate, but I don't love. You know, like, I don't want a box of raisins.
Colin True
00:26:27.499 - 00:26:36.395
This isn't like a Minority Report situation where they have somebody like, you know, they read your thoughts. What were the weird things in a minority point? They were predicting the future. Sorry, maybe that's the wrong. Wrong pop culture. Right.
Justin Housman
00:26:36.435 - 00:26:38.563
They were reading your thoughts and predicting the future. Yeah.
Colin True
00:26:38.579 - 00:26:50.147
That's not like one of those. You do get to choose. And then they have, like, little things you can match up.
You can do, like a custom box where, like, you tell them what your activities are and what your. What your goals are, and then they'll, like, recommend things for you to have. So it's not like, so do they have it.
Justin Housman
00:26:50.171 - 00:27:00.569
So do they have a precog option, though, where someone can just imagine what I might want to eat at various points in the future and then send that to me? Only if you go Before I even realized it.
Colin True
00:27:00.617 - 00:27:06.945
Only if you go through the eye replacement surgery that you have to. You have to do the whole minority report experience for this to work for you.
Justin Housman
00:27:07.105 - 00:27:07.697
Okay.
Colin True
00:27:07.801 - 00:27:22.301
All right, so right now is prime time for fueling, guys. Over the next month, we've had. We've had turkey trots.
Now we're gonna have Santa runs and frosty 5Ks, along with the temptation to refuel using all the desserts and holiday staples that will no doubt be in your home for the remainder of the year.
Justin Housman
00:27:22.473 - 00:27:24.453
We're working through some of those right now.
Colin True
00:27:24.509 - 00:27:26.005
What do you got? What do you got going on?
Justin Housman
00:27:26.085 - 00:27:31.309
Some stale Christmas cookies that we made last weekend. Excellent. Really? That's it?
Colin True
00:27:31.357 - 00:27:34.021
My wife came home with one of those tins of, like, the Dutch butter cookies.
Justin Housman
00:27:34.173 - 00:27:34.653
Oh, those are.
Colin True
00:27:34.669 - 00:27:40.997
Those are so good. I'm like, that's one of the classics. Like, why don't I have these all year? Because they're delicious. I don't know why we only get them in December.
Justin Housman
00:27:41.141 - 00:27:45.341
Yeah, that's true. You get sick of the same way with the Christmas tree. You know, it looks nice in your house all year long.
Colin True
00:27:45.413 - 00:28:10.921
So Feel Goods has done the hard work of assembling a delicious and effective assortment of products that can help you fuel your next event and adventure. And if you're overwhelmed, you can order up. This is for you, Justin.
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And then when you're done shopping for yourself, hey, order a Feelgoods monthly subscription as the perfect holiday gift for that calorie deprived adventurer in your life. Justin, I'm hungry. Are you hungry?
Justin Housman
00:28:11.073 - 00:28:11.913
Yeah, actually I am.
Colin True
00:28:11.969 - 00:28:15.713
Yeah, I'm kind of hungry, too. Head to feelgoods.com. start shopping today.
Justin Housman
00:28:15.849 - 00:28:18.505
You know, that would be really good. That actually would be a nice holiday gift.
Colin True
00:28:18.545 - 00:28:19.685
The Precog box.
Justin Housman
00:28:19.995 - 00:28:22.387
Yeah, well, especially that. God, that'd be amazing.
Colin True
00:28:22.571 - 00:28:40.295
All right, let's head into the house of Housman where we take a deeper dive into the work of our favorite outdoor journalists and Rock Fight co host Justin Houseman.
So this week, Justin, on nationalparkstraveler.org, you wrote about an important ruling that is coming up regarding the status of grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. What's happening in Yellowstone?
Justin Housman
00:28:41.515 - 00:29:00.563
So for years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years.
Now, like Wyoming and Montana and I guess part of Idaho, like the states that are wrapped up in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem have been trying to get the national. Well, the feds basically to delist grizzly bears from the endangered species list, which.
Colin True
00:29:00.699 - 00:29:02.819
Just because they want to hunt them or. Like, why?
Justin Housman
00:29:02.947 - 00:31:23.357
Yes, honestly? Yes. I mean, I think part of it. Part of it might be just like a.
Like a state's rights, like, sort of, you know, like, reflexive, kind of like kicking the balls to the Department of Interior, which manages the grizzly bears as an endangered species or as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. And so, I mean, I think part of it just. They want state control, but. But, I mean, Wyoming.
Wyoming has already made it clear that, like, the sec, basically, the second that they're delisted, they're going to allow hunting like they almost did a couple years ago, and, like, a judge had to step in to, like, block it. So. But yeah, I mean, this thing has just been. This has been a football. All right. It's just been a, like, back and forth and back and forth thing.
So they were basically. They. The. I think it was Wyoming, like, successfully sued to, like, force the Department of Interior to make a final decision about or whoever.
Or whoever runs the nature species. I guess US Fish and Wildlife Service must be whichever governing body does I basically, like, force them in the next 90 days to.
Are you delisting this shit or not? And they've been a really good success story. They've come back. There's a thousand bears in that area. There was 100 before.
I read through these big reports about how all the categories that they needed to hit before it was considered a successful reintroduction program. Everything's been fine. Like, they're. They're doing great. I mean, bears are not.
Bears are not under any kind of threat, it seems like, at all in the greater yellow ecosystem. So, like, it makes sense that they would be, you know, delisted.
But the second that the government says maybe we'll delist it, you get like, a million lawsuits from environmental organizations and like. Like, wildlife animal groups are like, no, fuck that, you know, and so. But it was like. So that's what's going on.
January, I think it's January 20th is when they have to make the ruling. And so if. If they.
Basically, if the National Park Service decides to delist them right away, they'll be hunting, like, tags probably issued in Wyoming, I would guess, right away. Now, I just cannot fucking fathom why you want to hunt a grizzly bear. Is my thing. I mean, I Like, I. I guess I. I guess I kind.
I mean, I Get it in the sense of people are attracted to like, game that's dangerous and big and powerful and scary and wow. No one's been able to hunt grizzly bears in a long time. And I got the first, I mean, I, I, I do understand that aspect of it, but like, I mean, fuck.
It just seems like these things are amazing. Like, why would you want to just.
Colin True
00:31:23.381 - 00:31:24.309
Go like shoot one?
Justin Housman
00:31:24.397 - 00:31:43.629
I don't, I don't get it. I mean, if they were like, if their population was out of control and we needed to cull them for various reasons, sure.
But it's not, that's not going to be the case. It's just now there's enough to support a little bit of hunting and it's not going to be a ton. And like the money goes back into like conservation.
I'm not anti hunting. It's just like certain animals, like, why, like, I'm not a huge fan of hunting top of the food chain things. It just seems really strange to, to me.
Colin True
00:31:43.677 - 00:32:05.949
Right, well, to your point, we are talking to Rochelle Schrute, who's a journalist for Gear Junkie and she primarily covers hunting. Right. It's kind of her, her thing. And she's also a rock climber and things like that.
We should make sure we bring this up with her because like, that is a, because she had written a thing recently about, you know, hunting mountain lions and I kind of, I had a similar reaction. Although then I have to admit there was a photo of like some like little fillets mountain that would look.
Justin Housman
00:32:05.997 - 00:32:08.045
I heard it's real. I've actually heard mountain lions delivered.
Colin True
00:32:08.085 - 00:32:19.253
It looked delightful. That I'm like, like, well, maybe. But you're right. There is a weird thing of that kind of.
Why are you going after that one versus like, oh, yeah, hunt the, the deer. That makes sense, you know? Yeah.
Justin Housman
00:32:19.309 - 00:32:48.655
And again, that's like, it doesn't even make, it doesn't even actually, it doesn't make like I hunt all the deer you want. I don't care. But for some reason I bristle it like bears. And honestly, it's probably like an anthropomorphic thing.
They seem, they seem closer to me than a deer does. So like, it makes me a little, like, it makes me a little uncomfortable.
I mean, like, I don't know, you watch bears long enough, they just look like fat people. You know, like a deer. You never look at a deer and go, this Chad reminds me of my uncle, you know, like ever.
But like, every bear, if you watch it long enough will remind you of somebody that, you know, so it just seems. It just seems strange to me.
Colin True
00:32:48.815 - 00:32:55.315
You know, there must be poaching going on. Right. There must be a handful that get poached every year, I would imagine.
Justin Housman
00:32:55.655 - 00:33:01.079
Well, I don't know about grizzlies. You don't hear about that very often. Occasionally, but not often. Like mountain lions, for sure.
Colin True
00:33:01.167 - 00:33:01.431
Hunter.
Justin Housman
00:33:01.463 - 00:33:19.367
Where they're not supposed to be wolves is kind of a thing that's actually happening as well in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem right now where there's wolves, that it's difficult where. This is the other thing that. And I touched on this in the article.
So the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem is like, obviously, like Yellowstone national park is a heart of it and extends. It's a big, broad range.
Colin True
00:33:19.431 - 00:33:20.075
Okay.
Justin Housman
00:33:21.415 - 00:34:03.803
And, you know, I forget how much bigger it is in the park itself, but it's just like the park is in the center and there's like this big, rough, oval, ish shape around it of all. Like, it's not all untouched wilderness, but generally speaking, it's the ecosystem of which it's a unique ish ecosystem. So.
But the bears move in and out of the park.
And so the issues that you'll have sometimes is like, people will shoot an animal outside the national park and it will, like, run into the national park and it's like, what do you do? Like, this is. And like, Rochelle, be able to talk about that a lot. Like, that's a, that's. That can be a really big issue. Yeah.
Where people will hunt, like on the periphery of preserves or parks or like, you know, there'll be issues.
Now I guarantee that if this goes through, there'll be issues where people will, you know, someone will be accused of, like, chasing a bear out of the park to shoot it. It, you know, when it's outside, all that kind of stuff. Because you won't be able to hunt. You can't hunt in national parks anyway.
Colin True
00:34:03.859 - 00:34:04.147
Right.
Justin Housman
00:34:04.211 - 00:34:18.307
So, like, that kind of thing comes up. So there's a lot of weirdness there. But. Yeah, so the bears, like, move in and out of the park. So it's like they're.
They don't, you know, I don't know. It's it's just strange. Like, they're protected in the park, but they're not protected 50ft that way. It's just a strange.
Colin True
00:34:18.371 - 00:34:18.891
Yeah, right.
Justin Housman
00:34:18.923 - 00:34:23.819
It's a strange thing. And like these gray area and like, bears seem like sentient animals. It's just.
Colin True
00:34:23.867 - 00:34:27.743
I. I just sounds like a you thing. You're, like, hanging out talking to bears.
Justin Housman
00:34:27.939 - 00:34:34.575
I do There's a bear. My. Yeah, there's. There's. Yeah. I've. I've. I'm. I'm. I'm becoming. What, Jeff Treadwell? Is that his name? The Grizzly Man?
Colin True
00:34:34.655 - 00:34:38.991
It just what only works after you've had these weird mushrooms that you find in your backyard. Then all of a sudden, it's all the bears are talking.
Justin Housman
00:34:39.023 - 00:34:41.795
All the prednisone. It's all the prednisone. I'm on hallucinating.
Colin True
00:34:42.175 - 00:36:31.155
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Justin Housman
00:36:31.235 - 00:37:04.715
All right, I'll go first.
So there's no real reason to make a big announcement about this, but I'm going to be writing about this in the newsletter coming up for my first crack. For my first crack at the newsletter. But I have a. My parting shot is with. I'm. I want to be. I want to go easy here because I understand. I can't.
Doc, being a doctor has got to be very hard. I get it. I totally understand. Human bodies are strange. They're all different, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
But I'm currently dealing with a, I would say, horrific level issue on my leg right now.
Colin True
00:37:04.795 - 00:37:06.195
From a body horror point of view.
Justin Housman
00:37:06.235 - 00:38:23.865
Not like a healthy body horror. Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm totally fine.
But if you just saw my leg and you thought it was part of the last of us, some sort of hideous fungal zombie creature, you would think that was like. Those special effects are great. Reason I bring this up is because I thought it was an infected cut and went to two different doctors, urgent care.
And then when their treatment didn't get better, er, both of which diagnosed it as cellulitis, like a skin infection. And then finally when it grew to the size of a small football, I went to the ER again. I was like, what the fuck?
And like, this doctor was like, oh, yeah, that's obviously poison oak. Like, just really, really bad poison oak. So I just like, can. Can. Like, there's no recourse for us when, like, doctors get it wrong. Right?
Like, I can't. Like, I still have to pay the bills from the two that got it wrong.
So, like, I don't know if my parting shot is like, we should be able to get our money back, like, if you get it wrong or like, just. Just. I mean, it's Marin County. You should know poison oak wounds around here. Like, there's poison oak everywhere. Just do better. Sorry, doctors.
I mean, I'm sure you do wonderful things. Thank you so much. To the doctor that figured it out and it's got me on the path, but. Yeah, but it's just like, holy crap. I mean, it's 2024.
I live in, like, a very wealthy place, and, like, we're still bumbling around. Like, it looks like.
Colin True
00:38:24.325 - 00:38:25.797
Yeah, this isn't like a. Like, they ran.
Justin Housman
00:38:25.821 - 00:38:27.965
I was on IV antibiotics for nothing.
Colin True
00:38:28.085 - 00:38:31.005
Yeah, that's a good point. You got IV put in for no good reason.
Justin Housman
00:38:31.085 - 00:38:39.225
Yeah, I might be like, I Might be growing all kinds of, like, antibiotic resistant bacteria in me right now from, like, the cocktail of antibiotics I'm on for no. For fucking no reason.
Colin True
00:38:40.135 - 00:38:52.615
It is a really good point of like, this isn't like, has this odd growth, and we've done all these tests and biopsies, and we can't determine what it is. You know, it's like that kind of thing. This is like, the fourth guy looked at him like, oh, yeah, I know what that is.
Justin Housman
00:38:52.775 - 00:39:04.863
Yeah, Like, I'm wondering. The first thing I thought of when I left the hospital again was like, does the first doctor get like a ping?
Like, hey, by the way, you got that completely wrong. Like, does he even know? And what's his reaction?
Colin True
00:39:04.919 - 00:39:08.703
Oh, well, his performance review. Like, oh, here are the cases you got right? Here's what you got wrong.
Justin Housman
00:39:08.799 - 00:39:16.651
I have no. Like, I can't. What am I gonna do? Go there and be like, hey, and you were totally wrong. And, like, I'd like to have all the money back.
I'm gonna have to pay for this stuff that you suggested that I do. Like.
Colin True
00:39:16.843 - 00:39:33.267
All right, well, today my parting shot is for those who are defined by one outdoor activity. Because going into temporary retirement, I've discovered kind of rules.
Just before recording this, I got back from a bike ride, and I really haven't been on a bike in months. So I'm kind of busting to use a George Costanzaism.
Justin Housman
00:39:33.371 - 00:39:37.163
You don't mean now you've been on your turn? You mean a real bike?
Colin True
00:39:37.179 - 00:40:55.219
Yeah, no, I've been riding. That's a good point. I have been kind of tooling around on the turn, but just sort of like, locally on, not really go on real bike rides.
And so I busted out my gravel bike today, and it just kind of had that like, oh, my God, I forgot how much fun it is to ride my bike. And then. But, you know, can you look at what have I been doing since I stopped riding bikes? Well, I was mostly hiking, and that was.
I started doing that after a layoff. And when I started hiking, I'm like, oh, my God, I forgot how much I like hiking. This is so cool.
And so to be so enamored with, like, a singular activity, I think it's just leaving so much on the table. Like, getting outside in different ways is just awesome. But when you do one thing for a while, I find it gets stale.
So to leave that there behind in pursuit of something else is like, kind of like reconnecting with an old friend, you know, the thing about today was, like, My legs weren't used to the motion, my ass wasn't used to the saddle. But just to kind of go ripping around on a bike again, it just felt like, you know, some of my best memories on, on a bike.
So if you rely solely on the one thing too, like if you're just like I'm a runner or I am this, I do this thing, I think you're kind of setting yourself up for disappointment because event inevitably you're going to get hurt and you can't do that thing. Maybe it's temporary, maybe that's not temporary. So I think it's important to diversify your activities occasionally.
Put one of them on the shelf, try something new, rediscover a thing you used to love. Being outside just generally rules and it's, you know, to only do it one way. It's kind of lame. So that's my parting shot.
Justin Housman
00:40:55.387 - 00:41:05.867
Hear, hear.
I mean I, I don't know if you put it on the, if we've ever included it on the website, but I have an article called Master of Some where I talk about how did we put that on the website?
Colin True
00:41:05.931 - 00:41:06.331
I don't know.
Justin Housman
00:41:06.363 - 00:41:12.379
We should, I mean if you know about it then you probably, probably did. But where I talk about how surfing was at for me for so long and it's just like we did put.
Colin True
00:41:12.387 - 00:41:13.055
It on the website.
Justin Housman
00:41:13.695 - 00:41:57.683
In retrospect it seems insane that it was like that was the only thing I really did right. And like I remember getting in arguments with people when I was like really fired up on surfing. It's all, I just ate, slept and breathed surfing.
That's all I did. You know, probably like maybe I was like 20 years old and my friends would be like, hey, you want to go the mountains for three days?
I'm like, what if I miss a swell? Are you insane? And like I'd be really high and mighty about it. Like yeah. Oh no, no. Like it does.
Nothing you could do up there would be any as much fun as I, as I have. Just like so ridiculous and like, God, I could have had like a 20 year head start on so many of the things I love doing now. But, and absolutely.
And like now when I surf it's a completely different experience. Like it's, it's, it's fresh, it's new. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
If you're gripping too tight is like the easiest way to lose like the things that you love the most in the, in, you know, in your hobbies. For sure.
Colin True
00:41:57.779 - 00:42:06.779
I agree. And like I said, like after I had my second knee surgery, I'm like, I don't think I'm gonna run much anymore.
And I think about people who that might have been absolutely devastating for because, like, they're so defined by that activity.
Justin Housman
00:42:06.947 - 00:42:07.251
Yeah.
Colin True
00:42:07.283 - 00:42:08.963
It's like, do some different stuff, you know?
Justin Housman
00:42:09.019 - 00:42:11.811
Yeah. I don't. I don't know what my next door neighbor would do if he couldn't run. Like, it would.
Colin True
00:42:11.963 - 00:42:14.255
Well, it's only gonna get harder as you get older.
Justin Housman
00:42:14.835 - 00:42:18.067
You might get poison oak or infection in your leg that keeps you from.
Colin True
00:42:18.091 - 00:42:21.175
Being able to run and several doctor's trips to figure it out.
Justin Housman
00:42:23.595 - 00:42:23.923
All right.
Colin True
00:42:23.939 - 00:42:40.973
The Rock Fights. A production of Rock Flight llc. For our guy, Justin Houseman. I'm Colin True. Thanks for listening. And he doesn't have poison oak.
At least I don't think he does. Christa makes. I'm pretty sure he's poison oak free. If not, he definitely shouldn't see the doctors at Justin Saw.
But he's here to sing the Rock Fight Fight song. And we'll see you next time. Rock fighters.
Chris DeMakes
00:42:41.029 - 00:43:15.037
Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight.
Welcome to the rock fight where we speak our truth Slay sacred cows and sometimes agree to disagree we talk about human powered outdoor activities and pig bites about topics that we find interesting like pop culture, music the latest movie reviews Ideas that aim for the head this is where we speak our truth this.
Colin True
00:43:15.061 - 00:43:16.717
Is where we speak our truth.
Chris DeMakes
00:43:16.781 - 00:43:27.965
Rock flight, Rock flight, Rock fight welcome to the Rock flight Rock fight Rock fight Welcome to the Rock flight Rock flight, Rock fight.