Overlanding The Poles, New Rules On Everest & The Plans For Our Public Lands
- colin7931
- May 7
- 45 min read
Today Colin and outdoor journalist and author Shawnté Salabert run through the following recent stories that have come out of the outdoor adventure community:
Aspiring Mt. Everest climbers will now have to climb another 7,000m peak in Nepal before attempting the world's highest mountain. Progress? (05:20)
A team has successfully completed an expedition to drive to both the North and South Pole. The only question that no one can answer is, "why?" (07:30)
Researchers at Ohio State University have created solar powered insoles that can help protect your health. Colin & Shawnté are dubious. (11:47)
Yosemite has finally launched their 2025 reservation system. Book at your own peril. (17:35)
Last Friday the Trump administration released their budget guidelines for 2026 which include some major upheavals for our National Park Service. Get ready to protest everyone. (26:13)
For The Parting Shot Colin finally reviews the Lem Switchback. (39:29)
Check out hundreds of wildly cool products by visiting and shopping at Garage Grown Gear!
Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.
Please follow and subscribe to The Rock Fight and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.
Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your feedback, questions, and comments to myrockfight@gmail.com.
Click Here To Listen On Your Favorite Podcast App
Or Just Click The Player Below!
Episode Transcript:
Colin True
00:00:00.240 - 00:00:13.340
Hey everyone, let's dial things back. It's time for a new segment we're calling Catalog Lullaby and today we're featuring catalog copy for the Arn Packs Mountain Magic 50 Pro Backpack.
Catalog Lullabye
00:00:14.480 - 00:00:56.890
The Arn Mountain Magic 50 Pro. It is no surprise that this pack is a thru hiker favorite. It weighs just around 1 kg. It weighs just around 1 kg and. Has a free flowing harness system and. Comfy dual adjustment hip belt. This is your Catalog Lullaby.
Colin True
00:00:57.630 - 00:02:04.028
Sweet dreams. Plan to visit ARN at Switchback or Geoa Connect this June.
If you can't make it there and you're not too sleepy, head to arnpacks.com and hey sweet dreams everyone. 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 today Shantae Salibar and I will be talking about a whole bunch bunch of outdoor adventure topics.
But before we get to that, if you missed Monday's episode of the Rock Fight, go back to hear Owen Comerford and I lay out what's really at stake for outdoor brands in our current trade war.
And then be sure to come back to the Rock Fight this Friday for my conversation about public lands during Trump 2.0 with the CEO of the outdoor Alliance, Adam Kramer. And lastly, this is the time we say to you, you gotta follow the show.
You gotta click the follow button on whatever podcast app you're listening to us on and then go over to our other podcast, Open Container, hosted by Doug Schnitzman. Follow that show and rate us all five stars and then you're done. All your homework's done. You can just get back to listening to the show.
It'd be great. And stick around. We'll be right back.
Chris DeMakes
00:02:04.084 - 00:02:08.120
Welcome to the Rock Fight. Rock Fight. Rock Fight.
Colin True
00:02:11.700 - 00:03:22.088
All right folks, time to set the record straight. A few weeks back, listeners heard me rant on about a new sandal from Lem's Shoes.
That sandal, the new Switchback sandal, was a classic single strap, single post style that I, without much knowledge, accused of being just like someone else. What I wasn't informed on was Lem's unique take on making footwear. And let's just say a few rocks were thrown back at me.
And rightly so, because Lem's has really elevated the design of minimalist natural movement footwear, anatomically correct zero drop comfort and lightweight outdoor performance.
And the Switchback, it's crafted from a single piece of material and features a unique Single strap design with one buckle for super ease of use, added comfort, and getting it on outside. You can go get yourself a pair right now@lemshoes.com, where you'll also find that Lem's is running a 20% off sale from now until May 11th.
Oh, and hey, retailers, did you know that Lem's is looking for wholesale partners? Hit them up@supportemshoes.com to add a little flavor to your shoe wall.
And be sure to stop by and say hi to the Lemz team at their booth at Switchback in Nashville this June. Check out the new Switchback sandal and all of Lem's shoes by heading over to lemshoes.com all right, Shante Salibert. She's here.
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:22.284 - 00:03:24.460
Here I am. Physically, at least.
Colin True
00:03:24.840 - 00:03:26.464
Well, not really. We're not in the same location.
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:26.512 - 00:03:30.380
Oh, that's true. It is all very metaphysical. It's very ethereal. It is.
Colin True
00:03:31.240 - 00:03:41.936
Did you happen to hear Monday's episode of the Rock Fight where Owen Cumberford was quite disappointed that we left him off of our outdoor, our Rock Fight adventure racing team roster.
Shawnté Salabert
00:03:42.048 - 00:04:13.806
I feel like I should hand write him a conciliatory note. Just, I'm sorry. Just maybe write it 100 times on a blackboard just for my penance. I, I, Owen, again, it was not intentional.
I, in my heart thought you were better than all of this. Like, why would I, why would Owen want to do this with us? He is so far above this.
So really, that was my, my psychological, my little, like, subconscious was just trying to protect you. Oh, and, like, I think you're better than adventure racing with us.
Colin True
00:04:13.958 - 00:04:16.126
So you're saying you intentionally left him off?
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:16.198 - 00:04:21.438
No, actually, not at all. It's just. You know what? I think it was late in the day and it was really.
Colin True
00:04:21.494 - 00:04:23.586
We had already recorded a whole other pod.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:23.758 - 00:04:26.090
We were like seven podcasts in.
Colin True
00:04:26.210 - 00:04:26.842
That's right.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:26.946 - 00:04:32.554
I was drunk on podcast at that point. No, Owen, I owe you.
Colin True
00:04:32.722 - 00:04:42.986
And somebody did comment on my LinkedIn page when we put that episode up that, you know, us, me forgetting Owen is the Solomon of our adventure racing team or something.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:43.058 - 00:04:45.210
You're never, ever, ever going to live that down.
Colin True
00:04:45.330 - 00:04:50.122
I said, I said we're gonna make Owen join the team, but he can only wear speed crosses. That's how we're gonna make this happen.
Shawnté Salabert
00:04:50.226 - 00:04:50.838
Burn.
Colin True
00:04:50.954 - 00:05:00.062
But it didn't make me think what would be the roles of our Rock Fight adventure racing team. Like, what would your, what's your specialty? If you were going to be an Adventurer on the adventure racing team. Like, what would you like?
Ah, this is where I excel.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:00.206 - 00:05:04.254
Well, all right. I think I'm a good team leader and I'm a good motivator.
Colin True
00:05:04.382 - 00:05:04.862
Okay.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:04.926 - 00:05:08.490
And when morale gets low, I think I can lift us up.
Colin True
00:05:08.790 - 00:05:11.374
You've got just a barrel of poop jokes ready to roll.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:11.422 - 00:05:16.046
Yeah. If anyone wants to fart, talk about farting, receive a fart, I'm here for it.
Colin True
00:05:16.198 - 00:05:17.090
Okay.
Shawnté Salabert
00:05:17.990 - 00:05:20.126
And if they don't, I'm still here for it.
Colin True
00:05:20.198 - 00:06:07.196
All right, let's get into our stories. Today, our top stories are presented by your hub for ultralight gear, Garage Grown gear. Head to garagegrowngear.com and check them out.
And we're going to just do a quick rundown of some stories that came out over the past week before we got to get into the meat of the episode.
First one up is less than a week after I broke my own rule about talking about Mount Everest news here on the podcast, we actually have some news worth reporting.
Per cnn, Nepal is implementing a new rule that mandates that those aspiring to climb Mount Everest will need to have climbed at least one other 7,000 meter mountain in Nepal. Yeah, in Nepal. Not just like the Himalaya. In Nepal. In the Himalaya before attempting the world's highest peak. Obviously, this only applies to Nepal.
This isn't, you know, like, blanket statement for everybody, but considering that most of the, you know, big expeditions start on that side of things.
Shawnté Salabert
00:06:07.348 - 00:06:13.420
Yeah, I mean, listen, I love that the Nepalese government is listening to the pod. Thanks, guys.
Colin True
00:06:13.500 - 00:06:13.996
I know.
Shawnté Salabert
00:06:14.068 - 00:06:14.652
We appreciate it.
Colin True
00:06:14.676 - 00:06:15.532
We got an insider.
Shawnté Salabert
00:06:15.676 - 00:07:00.150
Yeah. No, I mean, honestly, I'm not mad at it. It is an interest requirement. I do think it's going to push more people.
Well, there's, you know, push more people over to the Tibet side, but, you know, I don't think this is a bad thing to aim for, especially when there's bigger questions of is this mountain just being abused at this point? And, you know, I mean, the people of Nepal, people of Tibet look at it as a sacred place. And, you know, yeah, it's become a moneymaker.
Of course, it's part of the industry there now. But, you know, maybe the bigger question here is should maybe the mountain get a break? People talk about this all the time.
Why don't we take a season off? Why don't we take a couple of years off, let the mountain sort of recover and, you know, I guess there's just too much money to be made.
Colin True
00:07:00.450 - 00:07:22.982
Yeah. Yeah. And I guess that's obviously what they're trying to do too is like, how do we lessen some of the impact while also keeping that money in Nepal?
So it's like, hey, you got to climb another mountain in Nepal. A lot of the guides were kind of commenting like, hey, just open it up to make it, you know, a big mountain anywhere.
Kind of like, you know, to check that box before somebody comes and attempts Everest. You probably have the same impact, but you know, baby steps. We'll see how we end up. Thought this, this was a interesting little development, though.
Shawnté Salabert
00:07:23.086 - 00:07:26.262
It is. I'm glad I gave you a reason to talk about Everest once again.
Colin True
00:07:26.366 - 00:08:07.690
I know. Here we are breaking my rule second week in a row. We'll see if we can go for three next week. Rebel Next story.
This was one that I could think I could hear you being violently ill all the way up in LA when I sent this to you. Gear Junkie ran a story last week about the just completed 16 month long transglobal car expedition.
So last spring, a crew of custom built vehicles departed New York City and headed north, eventually crossing the North Pole.
And then they turned south and started heading down through Europe and Western Africa, all the way down to Antarctica and crossed the South Pole and then turned north again and drove through South America and all the way back to New York City. And I guess the point was to circumnavigate the globe in a car.
Shawnté Salabert
00:08:08.070 - 00:08:39.484
We. That's about as much enthusiasm as I can muster. I'm a big fan of human powered adventure.
I mean, I like cars to me are the least interesting part of any adventure, any travel, anything in particular.
But I, you know, all right, I can, I can make, I can carve out an exception for motorcycles only because as a lifelong Ewan McGregor fan, I loved when he and Charlie Borman did their long way down, long way around. I thought that that was kind of interesting, but at least a new one.
Colin True
00:08:39.492 - 00:08:40.140
Of those, didn't they?
Shawnté Salabert
00:08:40.180 - 00:08:42.200
Oh yeah. Yes, they did.
Colin True
00:08:43.259 - 00:08:43.923
I know.
Shawnté Salabert
00:08:44.011 - 00:08:58.291
But you know, that at least like I, what I loved about that was that they were out there. You, you, your body is in the elements. Like you are part of the wind and the dirt and everything.
And, and the car just feels a little sanitized to me. I don't know. It also just feels.
Colin True
00:08:58.355 - 00:09:00.883
You're not an overlander. You're not a fan of the overlanding community.
Shawnté Salabert
00:09:00.971 - 00:09:01.891
I'm not, I've gotten.
Colin True
00:09:01.955 - 00:09:04.035
You're anti overlanding is what I'm hearing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:09:04.067 - 00:09:33.200
I'm anti. It's just not for me. I mean it's not Something like.
I remember being pitched quite often when I was writing when I was on staff at Adventure Journal and people be like, oh, you want to write about this? And I know case mirrors into that stuff. I'm not.
I just, to me it's kind of, it just feels a little too human versus land and humans being like, look at us, we can run rampant all over you. Especially the overlanding that's sort of off road and you're kind of just smushing plants.
Colin True
00:09:34.420 - 00:09:36.332
I think this is like a little.
Shawnté Salabert
00:09:36.436 - 00:09:39.036
Little hippie nerd in me that just doesn't love that side.
Colin True
00:09:39.108 - 00:09:58.244
No, I hear you. I think there's a nuance.
I get the sort of the overlanding where if it's like mobile car camping, you want to call it, and you kind of have a setup and you kind of like in a spot where, hey, it's going to enable you to get to see really interesting things. And when you're there, maybe you don't do some of the more hardcore things that a human powered kind of athlete would want to do.
I, I get all of that.
Shawnté Salabert
00:09:58.332 - 00:09:58.628
Sure.
Colin True
00:09:58.684 - 00:10:14.422
This to me, it's like, what? Why? I mean, who cares? To the North Pole. Like, I mean, and when you see the vehicles they had to create Right.
In order for it to cross to the North Pole, which isn't land, they're floating sheets of ice.
Shawnté Salabert
00:10:14.486 - 00:10:14.710
Right.
Colin True
00:10:14.750 - 00:10:30.450
And they have these like million dollar vehicles with these massive inflatable tires and it's like, who cares? Like what? Like. Okay. Yes, to your point. This is a much you. I think you said it last week of the.
This is the, you know, man versus nature, you know, need to conquer world.
Shawnté Salabert
00:10:31.870 - 00:10:32.854
Very caveman.
Colin True
00:10:32.982 - 00:10:33.286
Yeah.
Shawnté Salabert
00:10:33.318 - 00:10:34.838
Modern caveman behavior.
Colin True
00:10:35.014 - 00:10:41.780
The one thing at the end of the article, which I was kind of. When there was, I guess some level of like scientific research being done.
Shawnté Salabert
00:10:42.640 - 00:11:17.908
Yeah. And that you have to. I think because otherwise people would just totally rip into you.
At this point, if you're doing an expedition like this, I think you kind of have to sort of wedge that stuff in there. Even even think about the Blue Origin, you know, sending Katy Perry into space.
You know, ostensibly they're like, well, but there was a scientist on board and I do, I have a friend who's actually a materials engineer at Blue Origin. And you know, for all of the misgivings about working there, he's still.
Stok joked that they do get to do experiments in space and they send things up into space and see how they react. And you know, so there is an element of that in the billionaires Playground.
Colin True
00:11:18.004 - 00:11:51.890
Yeah, I don't know, I just like, I just don't get this one. I. It's. It.
I don't need to have a polluting vehicle going to the North Pole or the South Pole and like, you know, like the South Pole, you know, like again, everything that's down there is just research based anyway, like.
And so, yeah, if that was an important thing to do, I figure somebody who was like stationed in the south, someone's already would have driven down there. You know, I don't need my custom Ford Expedition that you made for $150,000 or whatever zipping around the south and North Poles. So I'm good on that.
Moving on, moving on. Last quick story before we get to the meteor stuff. Not meteor.
Shawnté Salabert
00:11:52.470 - 00:11:57.690
This isn't a space podcast. Even though we just talked about space. It could be, I don't know. We'll think about it.
Colin True
00:11:57.990 - 00:12:24.798
But Canadian, Canadian Running, the publication Canadian Running published a story about newly developed insoles that can detect injuries and illnesses.
A new smart insole developed by scientists at Ohio State University, powered by solar cells, which I find to be funny considering it's something that goes inside your shoe and including special sensors that can, quote, pick up early signs of everything from orthopedic injuries and dementia. Thoughts?
Shawnté Salabert
00:12:24.974 - 00:12:47.362
My thoughts are that a.
I need to actually get back to my podiatrist who's been bugging me because I asked for an appointment and I have just been ignoring all of their, their phone calls. I got corns for. I got a corn for the first time, Colin. I feel like I've just gone from being a normal, you know, middle aged woman to being 95.
I, I have. I had a corn and I didn't know what to do and it.
Colin True
00:12:47.386 - 00:12:54.578
So is that why you're distressing in like a moo moo and like you have like a hair net on. You're just sort of like, you know, drinking beer. Graduated right to old age.
Shawnté Salabert
00:12:54.634 - 00:13:30.014
Yep. Yeah, I decided to slide right in. It seems easier. Yeah, I honestly, I'm kind of into this idea. I mean, I also have arthritis in my feet.
I've been a little hard on my fe, you know, through hiking, climbing, all sorts of things.
So sure, if you tell me that I could put this thing in my shoe and that A, it wouldn't aggravate my existing arthritis, but B, it could give me more information about what's wrong with me that maybe I could then fix. I'm kind of down with it. I mean, I think it's. I'm fascinated by the whole solar powered thing.
Do I have to stick my feet up to the sky every once in a while? Like how does to learn how to.
Colin True
00:13:30.022 - 00:13:32.558
Do a handstand to whatever these do work?
Shawnté Salabert
00:13:32.614 - 00:13:34.490
No, I'm going to just stay old. That's better.
Colin True
00:13:35.410 - 00:14:09.022
I, I'm down with the idea of this. I think it's interesting. I mean it says it could detect, you know, early onset Parkinson's or something like that. Right. Is what the article says.
I'm just dubious, serious.
Like I think this just becomes a thing that then somebody gets and is just trusting the data implicitly and there's really not probably a lot to back it up. I mean these are pretty wild claims of like hey, you know, like you might have a knee injury because you went on this hike today.
Like maybe, or maybe you're just sore. I mean it just seems like, I don't know, people I think will lean into this a little more than they should.
Shawnté Salabert
00:14:09.126 - 00:14:23.278
Well, it is the age of RFK being in charge of our medical sciences. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to take every single medical claim in the next four years with a whole heaping, you know, mine of salt.
Colin True
00:14:23.454 - 00:14:30.862
Yeah, that's probably a smart idea when we're, when we like hey, you know how we cured that disease? Now we're just going to like research vitamins because that makes sense.
Shawnté Salabert
00:14:30.926 - 00:14:35.954
Yeah, yeah. I think if you just lick the side of an apple three times under the full moon, you'll be fine.
Colin True
00:14:36.142 - 00:15:28.332
Fine. Totally fine. Well, I mean I guess we are talking about a kind of gear with these insoles even if they're solar powered.
But let's talk about another purveyor of gear garage grow gear. Small and independent gear makers, they need your support now more than ever.
Unlike big corporations, small brands don't always have the resources to quickly shift manufacturing, absorb surprise costs or have cash to pay wild tariffs on their materials. Garage growing gear is a place where you can find innovative ultralight backpacking gear from 200 plus small and ultralight brands all in one place.
If you need gear this season considering consider supporting small brands first before going to the big guys for what you need. You'll supporting those who need it more and you'll get some pretty cool gear while you're at it.
Check out GGG or triple G as Shantae called it via the link in the show notes. Or just head to garagegrowngear.com GGG is.
Shawnté Salabert
00:15:28.356 - 00:15:40.640
Just awkward to say. I mean I, I much like, much like I call Ross Ross dress for less I cannot just call it Ross. I have to call it garage grown gear. Just.
I mean, three GS in a row is a little hard on the mouth.
Colin True
00:15:41.140 - 00:15:43.180
Ross. Dress for Less. You got to say the whole thing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:15:43.220 - 00:15:50.860
I have to. I can't just say Ross. Ross. That's the man. That's the guy from Friends. Ross. Dress for Less, however, is a place to get deals.
Colin True
00:15:51.020 - 00:15:53.080
Is it as mopey as the guy from Friends?
Shawnté Salabert
00:15:53.790 - 00:15:59.570
It depends on the day you go in. Sometimes like 7pm on a Tuesday night. Yes, it is.
Colin True
00:16:00.030 - 00:16:01.510
It's just like this is sad.
Shawnté Salabert
00:16:01.590 - 00:16:03.574
Maybe it's sad Moby for being.
Colin True
00:16:03.662 - 00:16:05.798
That's what you just call it. Ross. Because it's.
Shawnté Salabert
00:16:05.974 - 00:16:10.370
Yeah. Then it's just Ross. Then it's just R D, F L.
Colin True
00:16:12.990 - 00:16:15.014
You're listening to Rock Fight Radio.
Rock Fight Radio!
00:16:15.062 - 00:17:12.422
A ball sock for all times. It's no ordinary sock. It does what it says it does fit. Are socks marine?
Oh, but they don't fall down. This sock fits better than your sock. A funky shaped sock that's an elegant solution to bunching in the toes.
Heel slippage and falling down at the ankle. A sock with padded tip knit structures that achieve whole foot comfort that you can really feel like. Whoa.
A sock that acts like a base layer. A sock that's all about the base layer. A thermo regulating moisture wicking body forming base layer fits as a sock that fits better than your sock.
Maybe even the best sock ever. It really could be fits a bull sock for old times. It's no ordinary sock. It does what it says it does. Fit, Fit, fit, fit, fit, fit.
It really could be Fitz layer.
Colin True
00:17:12.486 - 00:18:30.094
Well, you got DJCT right here with you. And that was bold sock. The first big hit we ever had from Fitz.
Fitz has been knitting the hits since 2014 with their patented whole foot comfort approach to making fine gauge merino performance socks. They make some of the best basics in the biz. Retailers make sure to stop by and say hi at Goa Connect this June.
It will be sure to put a smile on your toes. And now back to the show.
Our main stories today are presented by Oboz, who loves hiking and as the cupid of the outdoors wants to help you explore your love of hiking as well. According to gearjunkie.com, big, big week here in the rock fight for gear junkie Yosemite has announced their reservation system for 20.
That site went live on May 6, which was yesterday based on when this podcast will be released. Hopefully the world's still around two days from now. Apparently the system will be less Restrictive than in the years past.
There's concern that traffic will likely overwhelm the park.
And when you combine that with the fact that the park is facing staffing shortages based on the recent cuts at the federal level, maybe it's a good year to go somewhere else, because on top of that, you have Yosemite visitation, which just continues to climb year over year, as it has for the past 20. So, Shantae, you sent the story over to. For our docket today, and your comment was, guess we're doing this again this summer.
So what has your experience been using the Yosemite reservation system?
Shawnté Salabert
00:18:30.262 - 00:18:59.408
My experience has been the very few times I've tried to get a reservation, I couldn't. But honestly, it doesn't matter much to me because I generally am backpacking in the park.
So when you have a backpacking reservation, you can show them the reservation.
You won't have the permit until you actually go to the ranger station and get it, but you can show them the reservation, pay your entrance fee, flash your pass, whatever, and you can still get in. So either that or I take the yards bus in a lot. It's the Yosemite area regional transportation system.
Colin True
00:18:59.544 - 00:19:01.744
I think we need to workshop that name a little bit.
Shawnté Salabert
00:19:01.832 - 00:19:40.172
Yards. No, it's great. I love it. Their logo is like half dome. It's actually very good, Colin. And it's an amazing. It is an amazing transportation. So if you.
If you're going to Yosemite this summer and you don't have a reservation, honestly consider taking the arts bus in. It is a great. Just. Just know the schedules. Buy your tickets in adv. Um, I've used it, you know, for backpacking trips last few summers.
But, you know, overall, I'm not mad at the policy.
I think that it was a smart choice of them to start thinking about, well, how do we sort of mitigate the incredible numbers of people who want to come through into this park? And when you think about the fact, you know, you've been to Yosemite, right, Colin?
Colin True
00:19:40.236 - 00:19:41.372
I actually have never have.
Shawnté Salabert
00:19:41.476 - 00:19:42.028
What?
Colin True
00:19:42.164 - 00:19:47.468
Yeah, it's like every. Every time we're going to, then I just kind of get scared off by the fact that everybody goes to Yosemite. Yeah.
Shawnté Salabert
00:19:47.484 - 00:19:51.164
Oh, Colin, that breaks my heart. It's an amazing place. It's absolutely.
Colin True
00:19:51.212 - 00:19:53.900
We all have our blind spots. Okay. It's one of mine.
Shawnté Salabert
00:19:54.480 - 00:19:59.112
Wow. All right, listeners, don't be calling, especially if you live in California.
Colin True
00:19:59.256 - 00:20:00.840
That's good advice in general.
Shawnté Salabert
00:20:00.960 - 00:20:02.136
Just don't be calling. Yeah.
Colin True
00:20:02.168 - 00:20:03.384
Just don't make T shirts.
Shawnté Salabert
00:20:03.432 - 00:20:48.820
Don't be calling all moussed up in the 90s trying to see how static electricity works. No, it's. Yosemite is an incredible place. And here's the thing. Most people who are visiting are going to go just like any national park.
They're going to go to the places that are car accessible and that are designed to handle large tourist traffic.
So you're going to go to Yosemite Valley and then you'll get people driving along tioga Road, Highway 120, and that kind of curls up through the park, out through Tuolumne Meadows area.
And so if you ever enter the park in the summer or, you know, late spring, early fall, the entrance lines, the lines to get into the park, cars are just, it's abysmal. It is absolutely awful. You could be sitting there for an hour plus waiting to get in.
I've seen this at Arches, I've seen this at some of the other national parks. There are a lot of people.
Colin True
00:20:48.860 - 00:20:49.956
Rainier, same thing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:20:50.028 - 00:22:28.690
Yeah, there are a lot of people who want to go to these places is rightfully so. So, yeah, we've got to figure out ways to sort of mitigate that impact.
I think that when we talk about access to public lands, people get very bristly about it because you want, you know, hey, these are, I'm paying for this. This is my tax money. I should have access. And yes, we all want to have access to these places. We just can't all go at the same time. Right.
I also think there's an element here for people to understand that with rights come responsibility.
I think it's a hard concept for Americans as a still working through it, as we can see now, but I think that that's something to remember is that these places aren't designed to even, even these places that are paved over and have buildings and pizza places and beer decks and everything, they can only support so much, you know, humanity at one, one time. So I think the, the system is great. And this year, yeah, it is a little less restrictive.
If you look most of the days where the reservations are required, which is already up on the Yosemite website, 6am to 2pm that is not a terrible time frame. So either go early, aim to see sunrise in the park.
I highly recommend that especially in the summer when it can get into the triple digits in the valley. Get, get your butt up, stay in El Portal or one of the neighboring towns, camp if you can get a camping spot.
You probably can't at this point of the year, but you know, and get up early, see sunrise or go after 2pm it's really not a big ask, especially if you're staying in the park. Just go a little later in the day and it's. Then you don't have to worry about it.
So it's actually easier this summer for people to go in without a reservation as long as they go outside of those hours.
Colin True
00:22:29.550 - 00:22:48.862
But don't you think like just with everything going on and our next story is going to be about like the public lands like fiasco that's currently going to be unfolding in the next few months. It's just like. And then you kind of combine that with these sort. Yeah. With the sort of. It's already a thing. There may not be staffing.
It just sort of feels like all these things are stacked against having a pleasant national parks experience in the summer of 2025.
Shawnté Salabert
00:22:49.006 - 00:24:07.946
Well, it's because we think of national parks as being the big marquee park.
So, yeah, it may not be the best summer like you can think about in the past where we've had the budget stalemates with the federal government and the parks have just like Joshua Tree, we had graffiti on rocks and people mowing down Joshua trees and things like that. Yeah. In that regard, it does make me a little nervous. What are the big busy front country areas going to be like in these parks?
Especially since the secretary of the interior demanded that they stay open regardless of staffing.
So you've got in Yosemite, it's been widely reported, you've got people who normally do science for the park now cleaning bathrooms one day a week because they've got to, they want to stay on payroll and they've. Somebody's got to clean the bathrooms. You have the backpackers campground in the valley.
So the one, there's several backpackers campgrounds in the park. People can go there if they have a permit. They can stay the night before or the night after they finish their trip.
And the one in the valley is hugely important for people on the John Muir Trail. New Mopo, it's a staging ground. If you're starting going southbound in the valley and it can hold a lot of people.
And they announced, you know, last month they were like, oh, temporarily quotes. We're moving it to Camp 4 and it's just going to be a couple sites which wouldn't hold nearly.
I think it could hold 30 some people, not the, you know, 100, 120, whatever it normally holds.
Colin True
00:24:08.058 - 00:24:08.490
Yeah.
Shawnté Salabert
00:24:08.570 - 00:24:31.874
There was a huge uproar and then suddenly that language was removed. From the website and, oh, surprise, the campground's open.
You know, I think that going back to this whole idea of, is this a bad summer to be in the parks? No, because the national parks aren't just Yosemite. They're not just Yellowstone. It's not just these big marquee ones.
This is a good summer, however, to go to some of the smaller parts.
Colin True
00:24:31.922 - 00:24:46.898
That's what I was gonna say. I mean, everything's just kind of stacked against Yosemite. Like I said, the visitation rate, just understandably.
Why, like, the way people want to see Yosemite. And I'll admit that has sort of played into my. Even since we lived here. Like, when do I want to go?
It's like, well, I kind of want to be really picky about when I get to go there.
Shawnté Salabert
00:24:46.954 - 00:24:49.390
Go in the late fall, it's gorgeous, then quiet.
Colin True
00:24:49.470 - 00:24:57.438
And so. But.
But to your point, there are, I mean, at least dozens, if not more national parks that people don't even probably know exist because they could, like, list.
Shawnté Salabert
00:24:57.494 - 00:25:49.176
Like, yeah, national monuments, national grasslands. Did you know there were grasslands, State parks. There's so many public lands out there. And I think this kind of.
We're going to talk about this in a second. But, yeah, if I.
If I didn't have to be in these national parks this summer for a project I'm working on, I would be visiting some of our national monuments that are. Are going to be threatened and have been threatened and are going to be threatened again.
Visit your national forests that are going to be threatened for logging because there's a mandate now to, you know, log X amount of our public lands. I would really dig into what's around me, what's close to home, especially as prices are going to start rising this summer.
You've talked a lot about tariffs on the podcast, people. You know, I've seen people comment like, oh, I'm not seeing prices at the grocery store go up yet.
I'm like, that's because we're still dealing with the supplies that we already had in the country.
Colin True
00:25:49.248 - 00:25:57.054
We have people, and you're 90% of over the counter, like, pain medications like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, whatever. You know where that comes from? China.
Shawnté Salabert
00:25:57.142 - 00:25:57.822
Yep.
Colin True
00:25:57.966 - 00:25:58.862
90%.
Shawnté Salabert
00:25:58.966 - 00:26:08.494
Yep. Yeah. I think people are going to be in for a rude surprise, like, sooner rather than later.
And I think this is going to end up being a really weird summer leading into an even weirder fall.
Colin True
00:26:08.582 - 00:26:09.854
It's not weird enough.
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:10.022 - 00:26:13.182
As if it wasn't already strange, like, oh, my God.
Colin True
00:26:13.326 - 00:26:50.838
Yeah, well, that leads into our second kind of main story today. So the public lands remain under attack, like you said, from our current presidential administration.
We reported a couple weeks ago about a leaked document that we here at the Rock Fight had received that detailed the Department of the Interior's plans for public lands. And this Friday, the Trump administration released their budget guidelines for 2026, which included included upheavals for the Park Service.
According to an article by Fred Dreier over on Outside Online, the guidelines included transferring national park sites over to state control, as well as a number of cuts, including the NPS Historic Preservation Fund. I mean, it's just a shit ton of stuff in there. But what were your thoughts when you saw this?
Shawnté Salabert
00:26:50.974 - 00:28:36.650
Well, first, I wasn't surprised. I mean, this has been telegraphed. We knew it was coming.
We saw it during the first administration when we had the fights over reduction of monuments and things like that. Then this is all an effort to privatize and monetize.
I mean, you've got these weird conversations happening about, well, if we open up our forest to development, we can build more housing. And the asterisk there is who is the housing for and what kind of housing is. It's not going to be affordable apartments.
It's going to be, you know, nice houses, you know, and it's about extraction. And you can have a debate about, well, don't we need to start producing more here in the country?
Why are we relying so heavily on other countries for our resources?
Which comes down to also a larger discussion about how we consume in the United States, which I think we're going to be taking a really sharp look at again as Americans over these next few months and years. But I think the thing is, and I don't know, and I don't know how this administration doesn't see this yet.
This is one of the very few issues, public lands and access to the outdoors, that is largely bipartisan.
You know, I did a piece some years ago for Land and people back in 2020 about when the Land and Water Conservation Fund gained permanent authorization and full funding.
And as I was reporting that piece, I'm talking to people in different areas of the country, and I'm talking to people on both sides of the aisle who were for it and who pushed for that legislation. The thing is, you're not just, you know, taking away access to public lands or reducing them or starting logging in forests, things like this.
They're not just affecting the hikers and the bird watchers. You're pissing off hunters and ATV enthusiasts and People who fish in far beyond that.
Like, getting outside is a very American thing in a lot of ways.
Colin True
00:28:36.730 - 00:28:38.346
And so the most American thing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:28:38.418 - 00:29:09.370
Yeah, come on. I mean, you saw already the senators from. The Republican senators from Montana. So the.
That's Steve Daines, who's long been a champion of public lands, and Ryan Zinke the Terrible, in my opinion, former Secretary of the Interior, both came out swinging and said, you are not gonna privatize our public lands. You're not gonna monetize them like that. So I don't know, Colin, we're in for a fight.
And we're gonna need people to start to start to dig in more and be more active, participates in their democracy as it's crumbling.
Colin True
00:29:09.530 - 00:29:38.758
I mean, this is. And this. The frustrating thing about this, I mean, beyond everything on the surface that is incredibly frustrating is like. But it. But also sort of.
It takes away even the idea of this because there's a pragmatic and interesting conversation to be had of like, well, listen, if there's housing issues, like, maybe there are chunks of land that it's kind of a shitty batch of land that nobody's going to use for recreation or whatever that could be developed for something, but under way, a thoughtful way to approach it or whatever, it's. You have to consider the source and all this and what they're doing. And the tariffs are the same thing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:29:38.814 - 00:29:40.390
Tariffs are the same exact thing.
Colin True
00:29:40.510 - 00:29:52.402
Well, listen, if we really want to build more manufacturing in the US what does that look like? And what is the timeline for that and how do we invest in that?
I mean, we've talked a lot about that with Owen, but it's just to say, ah, we're going to fix it in 90 days. Like, no, you're not. Right.
Shawnté Salabert
00:29:52.426 - 00:30:22.204
Just like RFK is going to solve autism. And over the summer, that's his summer plans. I'm going to go to summer camp. He's going to solve autism.
Like, it's just the whole thing is so bizarre and it's shortsighted. And I think it's intentionally designed to confuse people because nobody in the government is this dumb. Like, they can't possibly think that.
I know if we kneecap our entire outdoor industry, if we kneecap all of our public lands, that people are going to be like, cool. Look at America. America thriving. Like, there's more nefarious things at hand here.
Colin True
00:30:22.372 - 00:31:08.510
Yeah, there's. If there's an attack on anything, generally speaking, it seems to be on, like, smart people.
And, you know, in science in general, it's like, let's get all these smart people out of here so we can put our, you know, our bad policies in place so then people can't question it as much.
So yeah, the we also were going to have, like I mentioned before, Adam Kramer on the show later this week and was talking to some sources over at the Outdoor alliance and they were saying, just asking for kind of a general update of what they're working on. First thing they sent over was land sell offs remain on the table.
Both the Forest Service and the BLM have been directed to come up with parcels ready for, quote, disposal that are near big population centers. This is a big deal and not great.
Republicans in Congress have the goal to have their reconciliation bill which could contain the sell off stuff ready by Memorial Day. So this is all, that's a couple weeks away.
Shawnté Salabert
00:31:08.890 - 00:32:02.214
We're coming up a couple weeks. That's not enough time a to have thought, thought this through from all angles.
And just like the tariffs, it's not enough time to actually think through. Well, how could we center more if we're looking to sort of increase our timber supply here at home? That is a very real thing to think about.
There are a lot of people who live in this country and again, we demand a lot of resources. I personally think, personally I think this should be a call to all of us to reduce our consumption of things in general.
We are a very thing oriented society. Like I, I worked with the Swedish guy.
He turned to me one day and this is a guy who would only get his hair cut in New York because that was the only place he trusted the hairstylists. But whatever, he was a little pompous. But he turned to me one day and he said, oh Shantae, you Americans, you are always consuming.
And I was like, oh, he's not wrong.
Colin True
00:32:02.342 - 00:32:04.774
Not wrong, not wrong.
Shawnté Salabert
00:32:04.902 - 00:33:05.360
Yeah, in that regard I think it's a great opportunity. But you can't just, you know, shove this stuff through without thinking through it. Like, what does this mean?
Parcels ready for disposal near big, big population centers. As someone who lives in la, I'm looking at the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
I'm looking at these federal lands that are kind of, that have been fought for for years and years and years by multiple stakeholders and thinking like, all right, what do they think they're going to do? We already don't have enough funding on these lands to properly maintain trails and, and bathrooms and staff them.
Like at one point the Angeles National Forest had like one functional range which is not enough for a forest of its size. We should be putting more funding into these places, not reducing them and taking the funding away.
It's all really short sighted and it feels very devious. It feels like I just can't imagine what they think they're going to do that's going to make our lives better here.
Colin True
00:33:05.660 - 00:33:10.452
Well, they're going to drill for oil and minerals so we can drive our.
Shawnté Salabert
00:33:10.476 - 00:33:11.780
Cars around the world even.
Colin True
00:33:11.820 - 00:33:16.224
Isn't there an oil surplus in the world? Is that the price of oil plummeting because we have so much?
Shawnté Salabert
00:33:16.312 - 00:33:18.048
We have so much of it. Yeah, yeah.
Colin True
00:33:18.064 - 00:33:40.032
Another thing from the Outdoor alliance.
Agencies are currently sorting out their RIFs, which means reduction in force, where they are losing about 30% of their staff, especially folks who have been at the agencies a long time. There is still a lack of clarity on how many people will be lost.
But this is likely, back to our earlier conversation, to have big implications for summer recreation. You know, again, Yosemite being a great example here.
Shawnté Salabert
00:33:40.136 - 00:34:20.584
I think part of this, like, as I'm thinking through this, it's something that's occurred to me before. But think about this reduction in force, reduction in funding. All of these things are designed, it's like mismanagement by design.
So you're going to have a great case for selling off these public lands if they're being trashed, if people are not respecting the land, if, if there's things like, let's say fires that are being started, you know, illegal campfires, things like that. I think it's what this is all designed to do is to make these places less attractive as recreation places.
Show that they're being quote, mismanaged, managed and oh, I guess we should turn them over to privatization so we can make money on them.
Colin True
00:34:20.752 - 00:34:21.460
Right?
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:21.760 - 00:34:24.456
That's, to me that's got to be the end goal here is.
Colin True
00:34:24.528 - 00:34:25.576
It sounds accurate.
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:25.688 - 00:34:26.712
I don't know.
Colin True
00:34:26.896 - 00:34:37.384
The last thing they mentioned was, I think you referenced it earlier. Monument reductions are currently a rumor, but very plausible that it will happen at some point.
And we know that they've been, this has been, you know, everyone knows this has been coming as well.
Shawnté Salabert
00:34:37.472 - 00:35:41.550
Yeah, no surprise there.
I mean, I think our monuments are some of our monuments and honestly the forests are some of our most underground, like underappreciated, I think by the average person because we just see like the sexy national parks. Again, I'm gonna say to people these are very real risks.
We are at much more risk during this administration than we were during his previous administration. And if you care about fishing, if you care about cycling, if you care about hiking Any of the things you like to do outside.
If you have a business that is centered on the outdoors, you better get your butt in action and start writing to your people in Congress. Start looking at local organization organizations that are supporting these places.
Go join, you know, donate to land conservancies, trail crews, things like that. All of these people are going to need help, especially as funding is being pulled from anyone who, who utters the word climate change.
You know, things like that. We're going to need to kind of go all in on this and we're gonna have to do it together. There's no other way around this.
This is a, this is going to be a huge issue and it's going to hit us quicker than we think.
Colin True
00:35:42.420 - 00:35:45.564
I was about to ask what should we do? But you already, you just answered me.
Shawnté Salabert
00:35:45.652 - 00:36:45.040
We should not. You know, it's. Oh, it feels a little doom and gloomy.
But I do believe in the power of collective action and I really do believe that that silver lining and all of this can be shining a light on all of the groups that are already out there doing things. I mean, listen, if you're a cyclist, there are cycling groups that are out there maintaining trails already.
There are, you know, if you love through hiking there, you know, the, there's the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, there's the, you know, PCT association, things like that. They're already out there trying to work on behalf of these places and these lands and, and these experiences that you like to have.
So start to plug in a little bit more. Maybe calling your senator is not a thing you feel comfortable with yet. Okay, I encourage you to get more comfortable with that.
But at the very least, figure out who is already doing something and plug in. I, trust me, you're going to feel a lot less despair if you feel like you have some little action you can take to stand up for these places.
Colin True
00:36:46.100 - 00:36:55.240
Well, today's main stories in the Rock Fight were presented by Oboz. And they want to share their love of hiking and we want to help them by uncovering all the different reasons we love to take the long walk.
Shawnté Salabert
00:36:56.180 - 00:36:57.916
I love a long walk. I can't wait.
Colin True
00:36:57.948 - 00:37:03.436
Especially Chante Salibar and her arthritic feet. Her arthritic corn ridden feet.
Shawnté Salabert
00:37:03.548 - 00:37:07.592
Oh, my God, please never say that. Corn ridden. Wow.
Colin True
00:37:07.736 - 00:37:10.824
Although just hearing the veritable garden down there.
Shawnté Salabert
00:37:10.992 - 00:37:14.940
That's not how corn grows. Oh.
Colin True
00:37:15.280 - 00:37:21.720
Number one on today's list. Starry night skies until you hear the rustling. And remember, you're not at a planetarium.
Shawnté Salabert
00:37:21.800 - 00:37:22.104
Wow.
Colin True
00:37:22.152 - 00:37:23.688
Are these the same ones we did last week.
Shawnté Salabert
00:37:23.824 - 00:37:31.696
No, these aren't. Because now that you say, you say planetarium and I don't know, do you remember the year the Mayan calendar calendar predicted?
Colin True
00:37:31.728 - 00:37:32.976
Was it 2012?
Shawnté Salabert
00:37:33.048 - 00:38:03.228
Was it 2012? And there was that whole prediction like this is the end of the Earth, blah, blah, blah, the apocalypse is coming.
And I remember they were doing a presentation at the LA Planetary the Planetarium at Griffith park at the observatory.
And I, I was at a friend's house and she had offered me an edible and it turned out that it was a very, very strong edible and I was just plastered to the seat for this entire terrifying planetarium presentation on the end of the world. I do not recommend going to the planetarium while being super stoned.
Colin True
00:38:03.404 - 00:38:12.156
So the second week in a row we've had a high on weed while out doing something. Last week was Blue Man Group. This week goes at the planetarium. What will she say next week?
Shawnté Salabert
00:38:12.228 - 00:38:19.564
Boys and girls generally listen, people, I am generally stone cold sober like 99% of the time. I just want everybody to know this. I'm old.
Colin True
00:38:19.652 - 00:38:41.622
You're going to have to start making things up every week to have another story. Let me tell you where I was stoned this week. Number two on the list.
You know, you meet interesting people on trails or people who just really want to talk about their gear setup or their weed. Number three, birdsong over honking horns. Also known as nature's Spotify.
Shawnté Salabert
00:38:41.766 - 00:38:42.966
Oh, I like that.
Colin True
00:38:43.118 - 00:39:29.480
Yeah. Number four, you sleep better after a hike, mainly because you're too sore to move. Truth, right?
And number five, hike hiking means the Bridger boot collection. The Bridger Ridge is here to help to help you smooth out the rough trails in front of you with enhanced stability and protection.
The Bridger Ridge is OBO's first boot with Gore Tex. So bring on the smiles and the miles in the Bridger Ridge.
And if you find yourself in the Tucson, Arizona area, be sure to head into the legendary Summit Hut and check out their full offering of Oboz boots and shoes. This hiking appreciation moment was brought to you by Oboz of Bozeman, Montana.
Certified 6 million tree planter and inhabitant of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Oboz is the maker of premium quality footwear for the trail and the cupid. To the outdoor world, Oboz love hiking.
Chris DeMakes
00:39:30.620 - 00:39:33.080
It's time for a parting shot.
Colin True
00:39:34.860 - 00:39:39.012
All right, Time for the parting shot. This is a very special parting shot.
Shawnté Salabert
00:39:39.156 - 00:39:39.940
Oh, really?
Colin True
00:39:40.060 - 00:40:32.496
It's the Lem's versus Bedrock showdown that the audience, I don't know if they've Been demanding it, but I promised that I need to do it. I need to do it.
Well, I'm worried people aren't going to believe me because I got my Lem's switchback sandals, which I called out on the show when I first saw them because I was mad because I love my Bedrocks. And I saw them and I'm like, get off of Bedrock's quarter Lems. And then I got to talk to the folks at Lems and they were great.
And now they sponsor the show. So everyone's like, you're going to say nice things about them because they sponsor the show, and that's not true. True.
I'm giving an honest assessment of the switchback sandal. These are truly my thoughts on that. Before I get into the LEM shoe, specifically, over on Gear and Beer, Justin and I did an episode about Bedrock.
And, well, we had some listening responses that they want Justin to bring back gear and beer, so fingers crossed, they should.
Shawnté Salabert
00:40:32.568 - 00:40:33.600
I love gear and beer.
Colin True
00:40:33.680 - 00:40:57.550
Yeah. Yeah. So we looked at a couple of models by Bedrock when we did that. Episode one was the Karen 3D Pro, and then also the Karen Evo.
See, Bedrock has terrible naming conventions, but that's the only thing bad I can really say about that brand. But so the 3D Pro is my all time favorite shoe. Like, in general, I love the bedrock 3D pros.
Like, if you give me one shoe, like, to rule them all, it's that one I love. I just. Well, you know.
Shawnté Salabert
00:40:58.170 - 00:41:01.778
Okay, we'll get there. All right. I'm jumping ahead. I'm too excited.
Colin True
00:41:01.954 - 00:41:31.800
So the Evo C was their new sandal that was kind of. We kind of looked at it as, like, made for the masses because a little softer had, like, of a cushier feel to you put it on, you're like, ooh, it's.
It's like spongy and cushy underfoot. And the 3D pros and a lot of the other Bedrocks, a little more kind of just utilitarian, sort of like kind of tougher.
And it's like, it's a little almost off putting when you first put them on, but when you wear them around, they're like, oh, this is great. Actually, they feel really good under your feet when you wear them all the time. I don't know if you have horns, if they'll feel good.
But the, like, Crocs. How dare you.
Shawnté Salabert
00:41:32.260 - 00:41:36.476
They are off putting when you look at them. And then you put them on your feet and you're like, well, hello. Hello, sailors.
Colin True
00:41:36.508 - 00:41:38.572
Crocs I'm sure. Yeah. It's like walking on pillows. Pillows.
Shawnté Salabert
00:41:38.636 - 00:41:39.068
That's great.
Colin True
00:41:39.124 - 00:41:48.700
So I didn't like the Evo C, though. That was my thing. I did not like that. That sandal. I was like, ah.
I could see this as being the shoe for the masses because it'll be more comfortable, but it wasn't for me.
Shawnté Salabert
00:41:48.820 - 00:41:55.440
You're not the masses. You're too cool for that. You know how you roll elite.
Colin True
00:41:57.060 - 00:43:04.778
So, okay, that brings me to the Lem switchback. And I actually. So the short of it is, I really like the shoe. They fit great. Like, they fit really well.
I was really impressed with how well they fit my foot.
And if there's a be made to the bedrock, I'd say it's kind of a more successful version of the Evo C, because when you put it on, there is an absolute for as minimal as it is. And they kind of make very minimal shoes. Lem's does. There's a real cush to it, but it also kind of cradles your foot in a really, really nice way.
It's incredibly well made. They have these little touches they made with the webbing and the buckles and the materials. Top notch worth the $120 price tag.
But it was that midsole that I felt like that really nailed it and reminded me of the Evos. See, I haven't had much time to do more than like, kind of take the dog for a short hike. But they, again, they look great. They fit perfectly.
They have this thing called the grommet, which kind of leads to their one strap design. So it adjusts really easily, which a lot of times, one strap, like chacos and whatnot. One strap designs are.
Something's really hard to sort of adjust. But I will say like the Evo C, which this is a better shoe than Evo C. They don't come close to my 3D pros. That's still number one.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:04.834 - 00:43:06.250
Oh, why?
Colin True
00:43:06.370 - 00:43:16.266
It's the perfect balance of minimal, but yet I truly feel like I can just do anything in them. Like, I will hike on in them comfortably like I would in a pair of boots.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:16.378 - 00:43:18.378
Okay. All right. Yeah, I believe.
Colin True
00:43:18.434 - 00:43:23.802
And also, I want to wear them on a river trip, and I put them on. I just want to go do adventure stuff. I guess that's fine.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:23.866 - 00:43:25.066
It changes your whole mindset.
Colin True
00:43:25.098 - 00:43:26.522
It does. It's like it's.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:26.666 - 00:43:28.778
You are the person advertising is meant.
Colin True
00:43:28.794 - 00:43:44.440
For, but the, you know, so the evocs didn't like those at all. I actually got rid of Those. When I. When I was done testing them, I gave them away.
I am going to keep my switchbacks, and that is not because, unlike Bedrock, Lemz does sponsor the podcast. So we love you for that, Lemz, no matter what.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:44.480 - 00:43:45.080
Thank you.
Colin True
00:43:45.200 - 00:43:54.936
But I really did enjoy wearing them, and they will be kind of more functional, maybe everyday summer sandal that I'll wear around, without a doubt. So, yeah, good job, Lemz. The switchback's good sandal.
Shawnté Salabert
00:43:55.128 - 00:44:05.700
I'm looking at them. Okay. I'm looking at the website right now. I'm looking at them. I'm seeing them with my eyeballs. They do look.
There's something about the insole that makes it look smushy, and I kind of want to put it on my foot.
Colin True
00:44:05.820 - 00:44:08.516
Well, I know some people over there. Maybe we can. Maybe we can hook you up.
Shawnté Salabert
00:44:08.588 - 00:44:12.932
Yeah. How do they work for corn? Like, these would be great for corns, actually, because the corn I got.
Colin True
00:44:13.036 - 00:44:13.908
Where are the corn?
Shawnté Salabert
00:44:14.004 - 00:44:27.444
First of all, can I specify that I had one corn? Okay. It was a singular corn. And I thought. I thought I just had a hot spot. It started last summer where I was on the trail and I wear my nginji socks.
Colin True
00:44:27.572 - 00:44:29.646
Look at you. You. Look at you. Getting it right.
Shawnté Salabert
00:44:29.718 - 00:44:39.246
Listen, old dog, new tricks. I was wearing my delightful in gingi socks, and I thought at some point. So I have. I don't know if you.
Colin True
00:44:39.318 - 00:44:39.790
We're getting.
Shawnté Salabert
00:44:39.830 - 00:44:47.854
We're getting deep into my foot anatomy here. I. But the two middle toes have, like, just a gentle webbiness to them. Like, they don't. They don't go all the way down.
Colin True
00:44:47.942 - 00:44:49.310
You're a good swimmer. Got it.
Shawnté Salabert
00:44:49.350 - 00:45:20.072
Thank you. I'm basically a platypus. I. I thought maybe. All right, maybe the little web.
I've been wearing injinjis for years eons, so it was surprising to me that I had an issue last summer where I just felt, like, searing pain between two of my toes, and I had a red spot there. I didn't know what the hell was going on. Anyway, I'm on the trail. I'm not gonna sit and, you know, whatever. I just ignored the pain and marched on.
But it came back after I did some backpacking earlier this year, and I was like, what the hell is going on? And then it got worse, and I look and I'm like, wait a minute. What is that?
Colin True
00:45:20.176 - 00:45:20.856
There's a thing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:45:20.928 - 00:45:26.930
There's a little thing. Two toes. So I got on telehealth with my. My insurance. I got.
Colin True
00:45:26.970 - 00:45:30.066
I was, like, jamming your foot in Front of your laptop camera?
Shawnté Salabert
00:45:30.178 - 00:46:13.850
Yes. I was like, can I please do an e visit? And this poor doctor. It was the one. Normally it's just a, you know, just a generalist that's on there.
This was an emergency room guy. And he's like, I. I don't know what I'm looking at. And I'm trying to hold my foot up. I put my computer on the ground.
At one point, I had my computer on the ground. I was like, hang on, sir. And I'm just holding my. My foot in front of as close as I could get to the lens. And I'm trying to.
I'm like, it's in here, do. And he's like, I think maybe. Maybe you should just ask your regular doctor to go for a podiatry appointment. I was like, can you.
Okay, can you just give me the referral? He's like, I guess I could do that. I really tried to show him. Anyway, I ended up just using some over the counter stuff and it sloughed right off.
And now it feels normal, but they're still.
Colin True
00:46:14.390 - 00:46:16.574
So is it like a wart? Like, why? What's the difference?
Shawnté Salabert
00:46:16.622 - 00:46:21.806
It's not a wart. The difference is a wart involves virus. It's a virus that's in there.
Colin True
00:46:21.878 - 00:46:22.718
So what's a corn?
Shawnté Salabert
00:46:22.814 - 00:46:53.756
A corn is a callus that starts growing in inward. So a corn, what happens? So now you can see corn is not that gross. It just. It's a callus from a part.
And so in your toes, sometimes the little bones will rub together. And then the corn, the callus, starts to grow inward.
And what's happening is it's pressure on your bone, and then that really hurts, as you can imagine. Anyway, you just put some salicylic acid on there and file it away. Anyway, it. I got rid of it, like a week and a half. I was like, what the hell?
I've been. This thing's been bothering me months. Is it bad? What?
Colin True
00:46:53.828 - 00:46:58.220
Yeah. Well, because you're talking about hell. Did you just do this recently?
Shawnté Salabert
00:46:58.340 - 00:46:59.900
Yeah. Oh.
Colin True
00:46:59.980 - 00:47:01.276
Oh. So this was a recent removal?
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:01.308 - 00:47:02.620
This is recent. No.
Colin True
00:47:02.740 - 00:47:03.164
Okay.
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:03.212 - 00:47:11.068
Last summer it went away on its own, and then it came back. Came back with a vengeance. Yeah, it was absolutely horrifying.
Colin True
00:47:11.244 - 00:47:12.332
Well, maybe. Yeah.
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:12.396 - 00:47:12.780
Yeah.
Colin True
00:47:12.860 - 00:47:19.260
Well, we'll get. We'll see. Get Lem's and send you some switchbacks. And maybe we'll get Fitz to send you some socks, because, you know, they sponsor the podcast too.
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:19.300 - 00:47:24.040
You know what? I have some fit socks and I love them. They're my favorite running Socks. Artists Fit Socks.
Colin True
00:47:24.120 - 00:47:25.352
We are paying Shante to say this.
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:25.376 - 00:47:37.032
Is a paid ad spot for fit. I would do so much better if it was a paid ad spot. Listen, get. Just let me at it. Unleash me on the pad at the paid ad spots. I. I'm ready to shine.
I'm ready for my moment in the sun.
Colin True
00:47:37.216 - 00:47:38.616
All right, we can make that happen.
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:38.768 - 00:47:41.544
We can make it happen. Corns. Can I just put a plugin.
Colin True
00:47:41.592 - 00:47:43.016
You want to do a spot for corns?
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:43.128 - 00:47:49.268
No, I don't want to put a plug in for corns. I did eat an entire bag of frozen corn the other day, though, for lunch, so.
Colin True
00:47:49.344 - 00:47:50.412
Um, interesting.
Shawnté Salabert
00:47:50.476 - 00:48:44.714
Maybe I need a grocery sponsor. Um, I, I. So I love a minimalist sandal. I know you didn't ask me. I'm not giving a parting shot, but if I was do it.
Yeah, I, I would just mention another. I think Lem's. Lem's is made in Boulder. Another US brand, I think I. I think I mentioned them once on the podcast is Shama sandals.
And I used to have a pair of Bedrocks. They were the original, like, O. O.G. o.G. Oh, my gosh. The Wisconsin company out. Oh, gee. Sandals. Wow. Just.
We talked about cheese, and it's like it turns on a switch. It's like your switchbacks for your feet. I. Now we're going. Now we're getting into the glorious chaos part of this. But no, I.
I switched over and discovered Shama sandals, and I got their speedgoats, and I used them on the trail last summer, and they stay on my feet better than those. Original, but interesting. And I love interesting.
Colin True
00:48:44.842 - 00:48:51.094
And it's same kind of similar design as that to them in the lem. That kind of like the. It's a flip flop with a strap around the heel kind of.
Shawnté Salabert
00:48:51.182 - 00:48:59.286
Yeah, kind of. I mean, they're a little. Not as built up as these. I'm looking at the lens right now. They're not as fully featured.
They're very minimalist, and they don't have as much cushion.
Colin True
00:48:59.318 - 00:49:00.566
The ones I more like a Luna.
Shawnté Salabert
00:49:00.598 - 00:49:17.346
Maybe More like a Luna in that family. Yeah, because they're definitely not a Bedrock cairn. They make some like that.
But this is a more minimal one because I take it backpacking as my river crossing shoe slash camp shoe slash townshoe slash disgusting showers. I don't want to get warts shoe.
Colin True
00:49:17.538 - 00:49:18.866
Or corns or corn.
Shawnté Salabert
00:49:18.898 - 00:49:23.910
Well, that's not how you get corns. You get corns from Pressure College. Didn't you learn anything from today's episode?
Colin True
00:49:24.410 - 00:49:33.410
Is that the title. Learn all about corns here on the rock fight and public lands and public lands here on the rock. Rolls off the tongue.
Shawnté Salabert
00:49:33.490 - 00:49:35.830
Rolls off the tongue more than ggg.
Colin True
00:49:37.370 - 00:49:38.786
Love a callback.
Shawnté Salabert
00:49:38.978 - 00:49:40.350
That's what I'm here for.
Colin True
00:49:41.370 - 00:49:44.516
I think that's just show. That was a. That was quite the show.
Shawnté Salabert
00:49:44.588 - 00:49:47.796
Thank you. I think the people want that to be the show. Please go home now.
Colin True
00:49:47.868 - 00:50:12.434
I think. Well they. That's what they're going to get. So they're not much of a choice. Let us know. Is that the show you wanted?
Send your email Send your emails to myrockbitemail.com the Rock Fight's a production of Rock Fight LLC for Shantae Salibair and Colin True. That's me. Thanks for listening. And here to take us out, Chris Demaikz.
He's just back from the punk rock museum where he was doing doing tours this past weekend. I wanted to go. We didn't make it to Vegas but that would have been fun.
Shawnté Salabert
00:50:12.522 - 00:50:15.490
Do they still do punk rock bowling? Is it during punk rock bowling time?
Colin True
00:50:15.530 - 00:50:18.306
I don't know. They do that at the punk rock museum.
Shawnté Salabert
00:50:18.498 - 00:50:20.226
No, they do it at bowling alley.
Colin True
00:50:20.338 - 00:50:22.434
Oh no. This is the punk rock museum in Las Vegas.
Shawnté Salabert
00:50:22.482 - 00:50:23.670
It's an actual museum.
Colin True
00:50:24.090 - 00:50:24.818
Yeah, it's a thing.
Shawnté Salabert
00:50:24.874 - 00:50:25.522
I didn't know. I didn't know.
Colin True
00:50:25.546 - 00:50:33.474
And they have like Fat Mike from you know, FX will be like doing you know like tours and stuff like that. It's cool. We should go do it. Team building. We'll do an adventure race at.
Shawnté Salabert
00:50:33.562 - 00:50:35.488
We have so much team building to do. We got it.
Colin True
00:50:35.544 - 00:50:38.780
So much to do. You know who should you beat me to it.
Shawnté Salabert
00:50:39.480 - 00:50:41.300
Welcome to the punk rock museum.
Colin True
00:50:42.280 - 00:50:46.176
Chris is going to sing the Rock Fight fight song. We'll see you next time. Rock fighters.
Chris DeMakes
00:50:46.288 - 00:51:45.300
Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight.
Welcome to the rock fight where we speak our truth Slay sacred cat and sometimes agree to disagree.
We talk about human powered outdoor activities and pick 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 is where we speak our truth. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Welcome to the Rock flight.
Rock flight, Rock flight. Welcome to the Rock flight. Rock flight. Rock fight. Rock flight. Rock flight, Rock fight. Welcome to the Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight. Rock fight.
