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Ep 57: Gregory Crouch and the Bonanza King

The Nik Hawks Show

Release Date: 07/24/2018

Episode 77: Dave Schipper, Outdoor Gear & Clothing Designer show art Episode 77: Dave Schipper, Outdoor Gear & Clothing Designer

The Nik Hawks Show

"For as long as I can remember, I've made things."  Dave Schipper joins us to re-start the pod after I've taken a 5 year hiatus.  Dave is a generally rad dude hailing from Moab, Utah, and if you've ever done anything even half-way hardcore in the great outdoors it's reasonably likely you've used a piece of gear he designed. We talk about the paraglider bag we worked on together as well as his experience as a designer & developer to bring the avalung-in-a-backpack into being as well as super lightweight backpacks for adventure racing. Dave can be found using his full (with the...

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Ep 76: Dr. Anne Andrews & Brain Chemistry show art Ep 76: Dr. Anne Andrews & Brain Chemistry

The Nik Hawks Show

Principle Investigator at the Anne Andrews Research Group at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

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Ep 75: Shannon Jay, Abalone Diver & Cat Rescuer show art Ep 75: Shannon Jay, Abalone Diver & Cat Rescuer

The Nik Hawks Show

From abalone hunter to national park service law enforcement to viral video cat rescuing star, Shannon Jay is the kind of guy you just love to sit down and listen to. A fantastic story teller, he is one of my favorite people to catch up with.

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Ep 74: Stanford Graham, A Fast Runner show art Ep 74: Stanford Graham, A Fast Runner

The Nik Hawks Show

Stan Graham sticks out in any crowd.  At 6'5" with a shock of white hair, he's a physical presence. He can also move that mass pretty quickly.  In October of 2019 he's aiming for a world record for the 50 and over crowd. We talked about running a bit in the show, but went more deeply into his beliefs, how he got into running, and why he started Elements meals. A rad human with a story worth sharing.  Enjoy!

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Ep 73: Scott Mann, Green Beret & Storyteller show art Ep 73: Scott Mann, Green Beret & Storyteller

The Nik Hawks Show

Scott Mann shares his journey from revenge-driven Green Beret "putting scalps on the barn" in Afghanistan to creative storyteller helping guide other veterans through the process of transitioning from the military to civilian life. Scott takes us through his career including why he turned down a military command opportunity 3 times:  "I joined to be a Green Beret, not a Colonel". He tells us about his journey out of the military, how despite all his planning and outside stability he still started to flame out.   Scott walks us through how Bo Eason, a former NFL player turned...

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Ep 72: Currents of the Earth, 1st draft show art Ep 72: Currents of the Earth, 1st draft

The Nik Hawks Show

Been working on this piece of writing for a while, thought I'd share one of the first drafts with you.  As you'll hear, this comes from my experiences riding earth energy, would love to get your feedback on it.  Rock on! For more info go to nikhawks.com -NFH

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Ep 71: Eric Bostrom, Motorcycles & Health show art Ep 71: Eric Bostrom, Motorcycles & Health

The Nik Hawks Show

After a chance meeting while coaching young athletes I stayed in touch with Eric Bostrom for two reasons. First, he had a clean energy. I know that sounds pretty damn woo-woo, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve just learned to trust my gut more when it comes to meeting people.   Eric was soft spoken but from the moment I met him there was an obvious intensity to him. That leads to the second reason: He was a champion motorcycle racer. You don't get to be a champion by being unfocused, and God knows I love the folks who can dial in focus to the white hot intensity of a thousand burning...

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Ep 70: Brian Enos, Master of Awareness show art Ep 70: Brian Enos, Master of Awareness

The Nik Hawks Show

What does it take to shoot a pistol faster than pretty much anyone else in the world? Mastery over awareness and attention. Whether you're a pistol wizard or a paraglider pilot, this show goes deep into how to improve at anything you do.

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Ep 69: Lessons From A Failed Business show art Ep 69: Lessons From A Failed Business

The Nik Hawks Show

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Ep 68: Jeff Shapiro & Falconry show art Ep 68: Jeff Shapiro & Falconry

The Nik Hawks Show

This is classic podcast material: A dive into a fascinating topic that you wouldn't normally hear about.  is a well known climber, base jumper, wingsuit pilot, hang glider, and paraglider but for this show we focused on his passion for falconry. Jeff is a Master falconer and has been working with raptors since becoming an Apprentice 2000. We talk about how you get birds, how to train them, and about some of the peak experiences he's had hunting with falcons and one that he still hopes to have. Enjoy the show!

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“If you insulted Mackay you could expect to get in a fistfight.” 

My good friend and author Greg Crouch comes back on the Paleo Treats podcast to discuss the story of John Mackay, one of the four Bonanza Kings who ran the massive profitable Con. Virginia mine on the Comstock Lode.

Greg talks about how the digital age has transformed writing about historical events, about how writing a book actually happens, and how he developed his writing style.

“I signed the contract for the book in summer of 2014, and it was published in 2018.  With 3 months to go on the contract due date and after 3 years of work, I was thinking, I don’t know if I can do this!”

Greg is a West Point grad, was a Ranger during the invasion of Panama, a climber putting up first ascents in Patagonia, and an incredibly well read and thoughtful human.  He’s one of my go to sources when I want to understand the world because he has an uncanny memory that is the result of years and years of reading and the big W word:  Work.

Within the first page of reading The Bonanza King you’ll see just how much of that work Greg puts in a book.  The facts, the background, the perspective, and the connections across a wide swath of that history show the depth and breadth of sheer study he puts in to writing a book.

From Mark Twain’s connection to John Mackay all the way to how the Civil War was affected by gold mining in Nevada, and from the development of San Francisco to the laying down of our modern lines of communications, Greg paints an incredible picture of an absolutely remarkable story.

Whether you like rags to riches, stories of hard work, engineering ingenuity, or just reading about a rippingly interesting slice of history, The Bonanza King is as good as you’ll get, and with the background of this podcast, that much more enjoyable.

Sit back and dig in to the show!

Cheers,
Nik @ PT