June 2, 2025 • 40 mins
From concrete jungle to wilderness champion, Joe Robinet's story captivates with its raw honesty and powerful transformation. Our guest shares how a childhood fascination with nature shows like "Grizzly Adams" planted seeds that would eventually grow into a fulfilling career as a bushcraft expert and content creator.
Joe's path wasn't straightforward – learning bushcraft skills in a small patch of land between two factories in Windsor before eventually finding his way to northern wilderness. His YouTube journey began organically, uploading videos to prove his skills to an online forum community, never imagining it would become his livelihood. With refreshing candor, Joe dispels the myth that his appearance on History Channel's "Alone" launched his career – in fact, it temporarily derailed it when viewers reacted negatively to him losing his fire.
The conversation takes a profound turn as Joe recounts his life-altering dirt bike accident that resulted in a three-week coma and devastating nerve damage to his hand. Doctors prepared his family for the worst, yet Joe defied expectations in his recovery. The emotional weight of this experience permeates his reflections on mortality, family responsibility, and small joys like regaining the ability to peel a banana. "I never thought about how awesome it is that you can use your hands," he shares. "This is what separates us from the animals."
Now embracing life's second chance, Joe discusses his passion for canoe tripping, camping with his wilderness-loving dog, and his mission to teach his daughters self-reliance through annual wilderness trips. Looking ahead, he's planning ambitious adventures including a documentary about his comeback journey and potentially a 50-day solo canoe expedition. Through triumph and trauma, Joe's story reminds us that passion, perseverance, and perspective can transform even the darkest moments into opportunities for growth.
Want to experience the wilderness through Joe's eyes? Follow his adventures on YouTube and Instagram for authentic outdoor content that inspires connection with nature and appreciation for life's precious gifts.
https://www.youtube.com/@josephallen19
https://www.instagram.com/joerobinetbushcraft/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and good day.
Welcome to the Super GoodCamping podcast.
My name is Pamela.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Tim.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
And we are from supergoodcampingcom.
We're here because we have amission to inspire other people
to get outside and enjoy campingadventures such as we have as a
family.
Today's guest is big intobushcraft, backcountry, canoeing
, hiking and camping, and healso loves being a dad and a
husband.
He creates fantastic, realisticcontent on YouTube and
Instagram.
He's been a contestant on theHistory Channel's TV show Alone.
(00:32):
He has recently recovered froman absolutely horrific accident.
Please welcome, youtuber.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Joe Robinette.
Hey welcome, hey folks how areyou Great?
Speaker 1 (00:36):
thanks for coming out .
Speaker 2 (00:38):
For those at home.
We're recording this on EasterSunday so hopefully, if you hear
background noise, it's justJoe's kids running around jacked
up on chocolate.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah, he told us beforehand that they're full of
chocolate already.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yep, you know what.
Let's do this chronologically.
How did you become abushcrafter?
How did you get into doing this?
I know that's not a shortanswer.
It couldn't be, for whereyou're at now compared to you
know, did you?
Have you been?
Were you an outdoor kid?
Were you?
You know, 12 years old and andhiking into the backwoods on
(01:12):
your own sort of deal?
How did that play out?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Man, the far, the farthest thing from that right.
I was a city boy down inWindsor, raised, born and bred
and zero connection with theoutdoors, outdoors.
I shouldn't say that my mom didtake me car camping a few times
.
Uh, it was just me and my momgrowing up for a long, big part
of it and she did and and tookme car camping.
I remember really loving it.
(01:35):
I have pictures of that.
It brings back memories.
But I also I really rememberwatching like little house on
the prairie and grizzly adamsand what have you and I'm a firm
believer that, like you know, Imean you always want what you
don't have.
So it's like in Windsor we hadfactories, we had cement and we
didn't have nature, and I sawthat on those TV shows and my
(01:59):
mom bringing me camping a littlebit and here and there and it
was something that resonatedwith me like crazy, camping a
little bit and here and there,and it was something that
resonated with me like crazy anduh, I remember survivor man
coming out less stroud and thatwas a really, really, really big
stepping stone for me, a bigblock, and I, uh, I just I just
fell in love with it.
I bought his movie, snowshoes insolitude, the vhs of it, which
(02:20):
is like super old, and and Ijoined a forum online, a
Bushcraft USA, and it was.
It was just a bunch of dudes,women too, everybody loving the
outdoors and being part of it,and that was really the first
that was early on in theinternet and that was the first
like experience I had withlike-minded people, the first
experience I had with a forum,and I fell in love and I became
(02:42):
like one of the one of of theone of the big contributors to
that forum and so, yeah, I justtook off from there.
I taught myself how to do thebow drill from Morris Kahansi's
book bushcraft book and likethat was before.
You could go on online and see4,500 people doing the bow drill
.
Yeah, and it was.
It was just a, it was a.
It was a long time in themaking and and I didn't really
(03:03):
have any passions my whole lifeuntil this that's awesome, and I
think that following yourpassions are what makes people
happy definitely, yeah, I, I'mpicturing, I, I do my.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
My picture of windsor is, you know, car, plants and
and, like you said, concrete andstuff, and it would, it would
be, must've been, must've beentough to to find that nature.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, we had a spot me and my friend had a spot that
was about the size of afootball field big, and that was
on Walker road, a very busyroad, in between Glidden paints
and ground effects car factory.
Okay, literally it's sandwichedin between the two transports
buzz a while.
We built a log cabin in thatthing, like we didn't know what
(03:49):
we were doing.
This is where I cut my teeth.
I learned how to use an axe inthere, did a bunch of stuff.
My old dog scout my first dogscout used to come there all the
time with me and, uh, to behonest with you, our log cabin
got took over by a homelessperson and it was a war war for
a little while as well the joysof Windsor.
But that's where I cut my teethand that's where home was, and
(04:10):
I learned a lot of stuff thereand knew that I needed to get
out of there in order to reallytest myself and really
experience wilderness.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
So from Windsor, where was your next?
You moved just straight northfrom there.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah.
So my wife and I in 2007, wewere just dating and we moved up
to Sault Ste Marie and we livedthere in the city proper and
went to college, and then weended up moving back down to
Huntsville, back down to Windsor, for a while and then when
YouTube took off for me and Iwas starting to actually make
money and we were looking for aplace, this was right before
(04:45):
COVID hit I was living.
I owned the house that mygrandmother bought brand new in
the 40s.
It had been passed down.
I bought it off my uncle and wewere raising a family there and
we started looking andsomeplace up here where we live
now, we have this is crazy theneighbors that we had in Sault
(05:06):
Ste Marie in a hotel or, sorry,sorry in an apartment.
In 2007 we stayed friends withthose people and we moved here
2019 ish, and so from 2007 to2019, we kind of kept a little
bit of communication with themand where we are now, their
(05:26):
neighbors which is this houseexactly were American and they
were selling this house.
They were only in here this isthe cottage home and they were.
They were selling it and we gotword from there, from them.
So we came up and visited our,our old neighbors in that house
next door.
We visited this house and allkind of fell into play.
It seemed like it was supposedto happen and thank God we did
(05:46):
this before COVID, because theprice that it was it was half
the price, you know what I mean.
And uh, we lucked out and welove it here and uh, it's a way
better place to raise thechildren.
I could walk out my door and gocamping.
It's a.
It's a different.
It took a lot of getting usedto when we could walk to three
different corner stores in amatter of five minutes, and now
(06:07):
it's a good, good drive.
You know what I mean, and butit's worth it.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Yeah, it's great for the kids too.
They can, they can be freerange kids.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Yes, free range kids is right, exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Good term.
Yeah, I like that you mentioned.
You mentioned YouTube takingoff for you.
How did?
How did you get into?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
YouTube in the first place.
Like what were you doing?
Yeah, so that forum, you guys,that forum was a big stepping
stone for me.
I uh, I was a skinny youngCanadian on a military American
owned bushcraft site Okay, therewas Canadians all over it, but
it was hardcore militaryAmerican style and, uh, I felt
(06:50):
like I needed to prove myselfright.
So there was there was um,competitions and challenges and
things like that that peoplecould send in pictures to
compete in.
And I always thought you cancheat, pictures can be cheated
and there's no real reason to dothat.
But I just thought you cancheat, pictures can be cheated
and there's no real reason to dothat.
But I just feel like I wantedeveryone to understand that I
was legit and that I was reallytrying.
(07:11):
And then I was a force and Istarted taking video.
Because you couldn't cheatvideo, I thought I didn't know
how to edit, so it's not evenlike I could take clips and like
, oh, I just it was all.
When I started it was a littleflip camera about the size of
his phone that was cheap, cheap,cheap and I would sit it on a
stick and do a whole spiel fiveminutes, and if I had messed up
(07:33):
anywhere in that, I would juststart over again the whole
project started again because Icould not edit and I remember I
was using like windows moviemaker at the beginning because
it was like the free thing andit would always crash and all
this nonsense.
But yeah, so I would use videobecause I thought that I could
not be taken lightly that way, Icouldn't be faking things and
(07:54):
the catalyst to put videos frommy camera onto this forum was
YouTube.
That was the way you could notupload videos to the forum.
You had to upload to YouTubethen post the link was the way
you could not upload videos tothe forum.
You had to upload to YouTubethen post the link to the forum.
That was the be all, end, allonly reason I ever started
YouTube.
And after a little while I gotexcited about getting attaboys
(08:19):
and congratulations and you dida good job, and blah, blah, blah
, blah, blah all this stuff notjust on the forum but on YouTube
through YouTube comments,because that was there,
obviously, and I liked it, itfelt good and that was way
before you could monetizeanything.
You could not monetize YouTubeat all.
No one could.
It was not a thing back then.
(08:40):
This is 15 plus years and oneday and this went on for a long
time, probably a year or twobefore this happened.
One day I saw this little thingbutton.
It was like monetized video onyoutube.
This is a new thing.
I was like I'll try.
And I monetized one video and Ithink I made 50 bucks that
month and I was like, oh snap,50 bucks.
(09:01):
Like all I was doing wasputting money in for years you
know what I mean.
Like now I'm getting 50 bucksback, like, oh sweet, I can like
pay gas to go somewhere orwhatever.
And there was another buttonthat said hit, monetize all
videos.
So I was like, why not?
And I hit it.
In the next month I made 200bucks and I really the the
wheels started to turn right and, uh, for the longest time I
(09:24):
just did instructional typestuff, little challenge type
stuff or whatever.
Blah, blah, blah.
My first video that ever didanything for me, view wise, was
me showing the experience ofcamping overnight with my dog,
and that was the first time Iever did that.
That was the first like, oh,here did that.
(09:44):
That was the first like, oh,here's just what I'm doing, not
like, oh, you need to sharpenyour knives and whatever.
You know what I'm saying.
And that really again got thewheels going.
So I think it took.
I know, when I went on Alone,when I went on a TV show Alone,
I had 30,000 subscribers.
I know this and there's a bigmisconception that alone was
(10:05):
where I got my start, that Iwasn't, that.
That couldn't be farther fromthe truth.
Alone hurt me big time.
I got, I got reamed out, I, I,I.
It was like I walked up topeople and slapped their babies
that's how upset they were withme for for losing my fire.
Still, it's crazy and it wasthe first time I really, really,
really experienced trollinglike I had experienced it a bit
(10:25):
before.
But this was extreme and uh,that that took its toll on me.
And while signing the thecontract to go on alone, I had
to to agree to not put outyoutube videos at all because no
one could know I'm still around, nobody could know when I'm
back.
It would ruin the whole thingfor alone, right?
So in that time I think Ididn't put out videos for like
(10:47):
six months or whatever.
And yeah, and in that timepeople who were beneath me in in
in subscribers had farsurpassed me.
Black owl, bushcraft you knowwhat I mean Like TA outdoors,
all these people who, who who'vebeen around now, that were way,
way, way younger than me as faras a YouTube channel, and so I
(11:08):
saw that and I did not like thatat all and I got a fire lit
under my ass and I went hard fora long time.
So from alone I can't rememberhow long it took me, but I only
had 30,000 subscribers on aloneand that took me years to get.
And then from then I went to100,000.
It took me total seven years toget 100,000 subscribers Okay,
(11:30):
not after alone, but total fromthe beginning.
And one year after 100,000, Iwas at 500,000.
So there was this crazysnowball effect and, um, yeah, I
don't know it was from there.
It just kept going for a longtime for for a very, very long
time.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
No, people are really into what you do.
Obviously I'm wanting to learnmore from you.
Yeah, that's.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I'm wanting to learn more from you.
Yeah, that's.
I've heard about the snowballeffect.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
We haven't experienced it.
We have not.
We're at like 200 subscribers.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Yeah, and it's harder these days, you guys.
It's saturated, right?
You got to remember when I'mtalking, this is 10, 15 years
ago and it's like I can name youoff the top of my head the top
five outdoor bushcraft channelsthen.
Now there's too many to nameand I don't know them yeah, yeah
(12:26):
, I hear you.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Yeah, there's.
I mean, I think we all socialmedia wise like across the board
, not just youtube, but I thinkwe all have our favorite people
that we like to follow.
If it wasn't for the algorithm,I probably wouldn't wouldn't
see any other ones, like I don't.
I don't go looking for thembecause I'm getting, I'm getting
my fix from the people thatthat I already watch.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Yeah, yeah, and I'm uh, I'm actually struggling
right now to get views.
You know what I mean.
Things changed a lot after myaccident and stuff and I took
some time off and things havechanged quite a bit.
I have to switch things up if Iwant to keep this up.
You know what I mean.
I know that, but it's like astruggle because you have to
bring the people in in order forthem to watch the video, so
(13:07):
that lends itself to titles andthumbnails, right, and if you
don't get the titles andthumbnails spot on, nobody's
even coming to check the video,no matter how quality the video
is.
So there's, there's a biglearning, even for me.
Even for me now, after doing itfor so long.
It's all different with ai andeverything.
Everything's changing all thetime yeah, I know, perfect segue
(13:28):
.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Your accident that was, that was.
That was a brutal thing towatch, just that.
Just that the the video you putout after you were out of the
hospital.
That was painful, man, likethere was.
A couple times I wanted to cry.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Tell us what the hell happened I wish I could
remember it all.
I can tell you what I know.
So I, uh, we were here, it wasspringtime, I was looking
forward to starting canoe tripand I had already gone on a
couple of trips.
I was feeling really good.
We had some friends over, I wasbarbecuing, had a couple of
beers and a stupidly looked over, saw my dirt bike, which is
(14:08):
pretty new to me at the timeJust just got the hang of it.
I got the hang of it and uh, Iwas.
I was going to rip down to thehang of it.
And uh, I was.
I was gonna rip down to the endof the street and come back and
I did not wear a helmet.
Like an idiot which I highly,highly, highly want to tell
people.
You have to wear a helmetperiod.
Um, things can change in theblink of an eye and I'm proof of
that.
But I wasn't thinking and I, Ihad rid it all over the place
(14:30):
that day with a helmet.
I was just going to end thestreet and back.
I just felt good, good, I was,I felt good and uh, I never came
back.
And, um, it had been about 20minutes or whatever.
My buddy, who was at our housebarbecuing with me, went inside
and he's like, let me just hop,tell him what, my, what, my wife
, let me just hop on the fourwheeler, go.
Look for Joe.
I can't hear him, like whatever, it was Joe's doing his Joe
(14:58):
things, whatever.
But yeah, he, he had theintuition.
He came, I was out just out anduh, he saw me like flat out on
the ground, the bike.
The bike had stopped running,the bike was mangled, it had, uh
, ass over tea kettled and Iguess what had happened was it
was nighttime and it was gettingdark.
There was dew all over theground and when you're on a snow
machine, sometimes you go intoa little bit of a ditch and you
(15:20):
pop back out just for fun.
And I think that's what.
I think that's what I was doingwith the dirt bike no snow, but
do we wet long grass with big?
I know the exact spot where itwas.
I went back and checked it outa bunch of times big boulders,
big boulders, not rocks,boulders underneath this wet
(15:41):
grass and I think I just hit ittoo hard and when I thought I
was gonna pop down, come backout having fun, and I hit it too
hard and I went over thehandlebars like superman and I
cracked my dome on another rockand I got split way up.
I'm surprised I still have myeye.
I got split way up, uh,stitches all up into my head,
everything.
I had a traumatic brain injuryand I was unconscious, uh, for
(16:02):
three weeks.
So they um, took, took theambulance 40 minutes to get to
me and I guess I was combativebefore that.
I was kind of not awake butenough to try to get up and they
were holding me down and I'mscreaming at them.
I have to pee, I have to pee,let me up.
But uh, I guess that's what Iwas doing.
And uh, will, my wife waslaying there holding my body, so
(16:24):
it wasn't cold until they gotthere.
And uh, they, they, they airrushed me to to Sudbury.
They were giving me fentanyl,all sorts of crazy, crazy, crazy
stuff, put me, induced my comaeven more and I guess I had some
(16:45):
crazy things happen in a coma.
I can't really explain it allbecause it's crazy.
I don't even know how toexplain it, but I lived a whole
other life and they thought Iwas they.
They were the doctor wastelling will my wife get it,
getting her ready, like that Iwas gonna die.
Um, they, they go home and getyour shit in order and, uh, take
(17:06):
care of your kids there's nopoint even being here type thing
, which is crazy for a doctor tosay.
But, um, my mom's my mom wassuper religious, born-again
christian and uh, did not, didnot hear any of that, you know.
I mean was just like prayingthe whole time and I really
appreciate that and whateveryour beliefs are, whatever my
beliefs are, you know, I meanthat can't be bad for you.
(17:27):
So, anyways, I got out of it.
I got out of it in three weeks.
When they expected me to be init for months, they said I was
going to be a vegetable.
Out of it in three weeks.
When they expected me to be init for months, they said I was
going to be a vegetable.
They said I was going to bevery, very combative, like
disruptive.
When I got up, like not evenreally know who my family was or
(17:48):
anything like that, and I guessthey were scaring everybody and
I got up and I was prettypretty okay right away, like I
do have memory loss and I didthink this was one thing that
that happened about theanniversary of my one year
anniversary of my littlebrother's death and that that
(18:09):
really that really screwed me upbig time and I and I think
that's part of the reason I wasdrinking so much and stuff
screwed me up big time and I andI think that's part of the
reason I was drinking so muchand stuff and, um, I didn't.
My brain when I woke up didn'tlet me remember that my brother
had passed.
I was angry at people my wife,my mom, everybody for not
letting me call my brother.
All all I had in my head was Ineed to warn this guy, because I
know how he is and he's justlike me and he's even worse than
(18:36):
I am, and everybody needs to betold right now.
This is all in my head.
Everybody I know needs to betold be careful with what you're
doing.
Everything can be changed in aninstant and he was the most
important person that I neededto tell that, because he was the
most at risk and I knew thatand I was upset with my mom and
screaming at my wife and likelet me call him.
Why won't you?
Let me call him?
Blah, blah, blah.
I thought I heard him in thehallway at the.
Anyways, they had to come in andtell me, and it was like
(18:57):
reliving the whole damn thingagain.
It was so, so bad.
But your brain you know what Imean your brain is it keeps you
from shit you can't handle.
I guess Like, uh, I needed tonot handle that in the hospital,
I needed some time to come outof it before, and, and I had a
few days before they told me andit was horrible, but I it would
(19:17):
have been worse before, youknow.
So I don't know.
Anyways, I had bad nerve damagein my hand.
I could not use my hand for along time.
I thought I thought my life wasover.
I thought I couldn't protect myfamily, I couldn't provide for
them, I couldn't play with mykids anymore.
I thought it was over.
I'm very self-sufficient.
That's how I make my money.
You know what I mean.
I go into the wilderness forhowever long by myself and I
(19:39):
thrive.
I've walked away from shit allthe time.
I thought bigger than this,laughing, and this really put me
in my place, right, and thisreally put me in my place right.
So I lost use of my hand.
It was extreme pain, forever,and my fingers were erect like
this.
I've lost mass in my hand likecrazy but with Carrie Physio
(20:03):
from Toronto reached out to me.
This physiotherapist reached outbecause I was going to physio
and they were not giving me anyhomework to do.
It was like they wanted moneyand they wanted me to come to
them.
It was once a week, twice aweek type thing.
It's like I'm at home living inin in, swallowing my own misery
.
At least I can do someexercises.
You know what I mean.
So this, this carry physio guyI cannot thank him enough came
(20:23):
reach out to me and we wouldjust do online things for free.
He never asked for a penny andme all this stuff to do at home
and it helped quite a bit and Ijust started using it more and
more and more.
I stopped taking the pain pillsbecause those are no good for
you.
And I can move my hand.
I have complete dexterity of myhand.
I probably have about 75% ofthe strength.
(20:45):
I can canoe, I can pump ashotgun, I can tie my shoes.
I can play with my kids.
You know what I mean.
There's nothing I can't.
I can pump a shotgun, I can tiemy shoes.
I can play with my kids.
You know what I mean.
There's nothing I can't do.
There was a point where I couldnot peel an effing banana.
I couldn't peel a banana.
You know how disturbing thatwas to me.
I broke down.
I'm a 40-year-old man, very,very, very self-sustained.
(21:05):
I can't peel a banana Changedmy life.
But it gave me a whole otheroutlook too.
And uh, and I'm back.
You know what I mean and I'mnever going to take shit for
granted.
Ever again in my life I neverthought about how awesome it is
that you can use your hands.
We have.
You know what I mean.
This is what separates us fromthe animals.
(21:25):
Folks we could.
I lost that.
It took, took away from me and,uh, my passion, canoeing and
stuff.
But it's all back and I'm gonnago hard this year and I'm never
, ever, ever going to make anexcuse again about this for any
reason.
It's not going to hold me backever again.
And in the mornings it'sfreezing, cold and it is the
worst pain in the world.
But I know that all I have todo is just warm it up and it
(21:48):
goes away.
And and I'm okay with that, Iwould have taken do is just warm
it up and it goes away.
And and I'm okay with that, Iwould have taken less.
I would have taken 50% and Igot about 75.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
And you're alive.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I'm raring to go to like uh, imagine that, like I
would have, I would havedeserved to burn into hell if I
left my family without a fatherand a husband.
You know what I mean?
That is the worst, most selfishdamn thing I could have ever
done in my life and I hate, Ihate the fact that it happened.
And every time I walk past thatspot that it happened, I cringe
.
Every time I go in my garage toget something, I see that dirt
bike.
I want to smash it with africking sledge hammer.
(22:19):
You know what I mean?
Uh, it's my fault.
It's not the dirt bikes fault,it's completely my fault.
And every now and then I get, Iget I get flashbacks of my coma
too, and that's a wild thingand it keeps me grounded.
It keeps me like oh yeah,smarten the F up bud.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yeah, it'll certainly give you pause for thought.
I literally got nothing to say,like that's such a wild, it was
bad, I'm glad you're back fromit, man.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Thank you, sir.
Yeah, the picture speaks.
You know the picture was bad.
My kids seen it and it's bad,but I'm hoping that this was a
lesson to them through me.
You know what I'm saying For acouple of different things.
It's I always wanted to be amotorcycle rider.
You know what I mean saying Fora couple of different things.
Uh, it's I always wanted to bea motorcycle rider.
(23:12):
You know what I mean.
And I could have done itresponsibly and I didn't.
And, uh, and I paid the price.
Everything happens for a reasonand uh, I am so very, yeah,
exactly, it's kind of hard tosee it sometimes.
You know what I'm saying, but Ido believe that, uh, even even
losing my brother, as hard asthat is, you know what I mean.
(23:32):
Like there's reasons behindthings and stuff like that, and
it takes it takes a while to tounderstand it sometimes, and
maybe you never will, but I dobelieve that and, uh, I'm a
better person for it.
It's, uh, I have to beresponsible for my family like I
never I grew up without a dadand if I would have left my
girls without a dad, like Inever even want to think about
(23:53):
that.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yep, I hear you, I hear you there.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
So do your girls go go with you?
Do they go camping with you?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Yeah, me and Emmy just got back from a winter camp
.
Um, up here in the blush, thesnow is still up to my crotch.
When I post-hauled through andshe was a G, we snowshoed in
with backpacks for about twohours.
We lost the snowshoes halfwaybecause we were staying on top
and the snow was so firm.
But it started to warm up as wewere hiking still.
(24:23):
So we started post-hauling likecrazy and she kept up.
Granted, her legs are as longas mine now.
Okay, she's 13 years old.
Crazy, but yeah, she's.
I told them this year this is anew tradition that we're going
to do.
They have come camping with mein the past for sure my whole
family has many times.
But this is the new traditionOnce a week, or sorry, one week
(24:45):
for the year, one, one week ayear every now.
From now on, until I can't doit physically anymore, we are
going camping together, one ofthem at a time, one for Emerald
and me, one for Autumn and me,to teach them self-reliance, to
teach them confidence, to teachthem that just because a boy
comes along one day, you don'thave to follow him.
(25:05):
You know what I mean.
Like just if you can camp outin the middle of the wilderness
for a week with bears and eatingyour catching your own food and
fish and stuff, like you'regoing to have a little bit more
confidence in your ownday-to-day life.
I know this, I know this and,uh, I want to create memories.
That's the most important thingto me now is creating memories
(25:26):
for them and for me, and, uh,that is worth more money than
more than any money ever.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
I think that's excellent and I think you're
you're bang on with that.
Self-sufficiency will give themso much more confidence in in
their, in their their ownabilities.
Sorry, just stepped on my dog.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Yeah, I really wish that I had somebody to take me
camping growing up and stuff andlike.
But that said, everything doeshappen for a reason.
Maybe I would have lostinterest in it if I would have
been inundated with it when Iwas a kid.
You know what I mean.
It was all brand new to me whenI started, so that's why and
people pick up on the joy that Ihave when I'm out there and
stuff it's it's, it's genuine,you know what I mean.
It's not, it's not a farce,because it's like a lot of the
(26:09):
stuff is new to me or was new tome, and I still have a big
enjoyment for it, and that'spart of the reason that I never
really forced my kids before todo the camping thing.
It was always when, wheneverit's cool with you guys, we'll
do it or whatever.
But now it's like I do see, Ido also see the other side and
it's like, even if they don't doit later on in life, I want to
(26:30):
instill these things with themright now a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Obviously, camping with your family is a is a
something you totally enjoy.
What about what style do youprefer to do?
Solo camping, or when you dostuff like you go with tosh or
or whatever like is that which?
What do you?
Yeah, I'm sure you like it all,or else you wouldn't do it.
What do you prefer to be onyour own or do you like hanging
(26:54):
out with the guys?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
when it's always uh trip dependent.
It's also always situationaldependent.
So if I go into it feeling andthinking like I need to make a
really good video, I want to puta lot of time and effort into
making a video.
I'm going solo period.
I'm going with the dog wolfie'samazing.
Wolfie's a great canoe canoebuddy, but that don't get me
(27:16):
wrong.
I love hanging with friends.
I love hanging with buddies, ofgoing camping with friends and
stuff.
Uh, tosh and I had a fallingout.
We don't camp together anymore,which sucks.
Um, I do have some people me.
Me and dog are still reallygood buddies.
Uh, we will go camping againtogether.
Doug's been walking around on abroken foot for six months not
(27:36):
knowing it, so he's a bit of ahard head, that guy, but he'll
get better.
We'll go back out together andJoel Tremblay I camped with him
last year.
We're going to be going outtogether and this year, actually
, I'll be going out withsomebody I haven't made a video
with yet.
There's a dude, evan LaFave.
Evan LaFave and we're going todo some whitewater on the
(27:58):
Spanish.
So I'm super excited about that.
He's an awesome whitewater guyand I'll pick up a lot of stuff
from him.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
But he's just a super guy.
Like he's just a super guy,he's just an absolute treat,
salt of the earth, great dude.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Yeah, so his dad's coming the whole nine yards.
It'll be a lot of fun, but yeah, no, I really do enjoy camping
with people, but my best tripsare always with me and the dog.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
So what do you have planned?
Besides 7 to 5 this year, whatelse do you have planned?
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Oh man, so I'm going to be doing, uh, this this long?
Yeah, exactly, we're.
There's a bunch of things thatI'm not a hundred percent on.
I'm about 99 on, but uh, we'regonna finish, we're gonna do a
documentary.
So, about me, about my accident, about me kind of just dropping
off the face of the earth andthen trying to come back, my, my
(28:48):
comeback, and that is going tobe up north I can't give away
the exact place, but very far upnorth and uh, we're gonna canoe
in, we're gonna fly in canoe,build a shelter, live out there
for like a week ish.
And uh, right from there I'mdriving to thunder bay to pick
up buddy kyle, my Americanfriend, who is from Ohio, lives
(29:11):
in California now.
We haven't seen each other intwo years because of my accident
Last year.
We had a Wabakimi trip plannedand I never even was able to
call him to tell him I was out.
I had my wife had to call himand tell him, and so we're going
to do that trip.
I'm going to not come homeafter the documentary.
I'm going to go pick him up inThunder Bay from the airport,
drive right to Bruce's inWabakimi.
(29:32):
We're going to do another weekflying there, cannot wait.
Love Kyle.
We're really good buddies.
Complete opposites that seems tobe how it is.
Me and Doug are completeopposites too, but that, and
then there's this section of theTrans-Canada Trail called the
Path of the Paddle and theTrans-Canada Trail.
It's a hiking, it's a paddling,it's a biking trail.
(29:55):
This section of the trail ispaddling and it's called the
Path of the Paddle and it goesfrom Thunder Bay over to
Manitoba or vice versa, and I am99% sure I'm going to do that.
I already have everythingworked out.
The film crew that are going tocome up and film the
documentary are going to come upand be my support team, so I
(30:20):
don't have to carry 50 days offood with me.
You know what I mean.
So they'll meet up with me atRhodes film a little bit.
Come with me for a couple dayshere and there, have my supply
of have wolfie supply of food.
They're my rescue team if Ineed them in reach, in reach,
and uh, yeah, that'll be epic,that will be epic, so that'll be
all of july.
If I do that, that'll be about50 days solo.
(30:42):
That will be by far the biggestundertaking I have ever done,
and these aren't wellestablished routes you know what
I'm saying like some of it's inthe middle of nowhere.
So that will be very, very cool, a big bonding experience for
Wolfie and I as well.
And then after that it's familystuff.
It's gotta be all family stuffbecause I've I've been gone for
spring, all through summer atthat point and uh, but last year
(31:05):
I did, I did not do anything.
You know what I mean.
I've been home more than I haveever been home since my kids
have been alive.
For this stint we went toflorida, disney went to north
carolina, tons and tons offamily time.
So I don't feel overly badabout being gone for so long.
We were all used to it.
We were, this was, this wasnormal for us for for as long as
(31:25):
anybody could remember.
And this now, this past year,two years, has been completely
abnormal yeah, I can see the kid.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Well, I could see our kids.
If.
If roles were reversed here,our kids would be like love you,
dad, but get out.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
It's exactly right you need to go now, yeah, for
everybody's well-being exactlyexactly what.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
What style of camping do you like to do?
Most Like build a shelter, do atarp, take a tent.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Hammock.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
By far my favorite type of camping is canoe
tripping Period Bar none,there's nothing that comes close
.
I love the fact and there'smultiple types of canoe tripping
that I like too Like there's somany different variations of it
that I have done and that Ienjoy, for example, in the
spring no, yes, in the spring Ilike to get out and go focus on
(32:27):
trout, focus on catching trout,so whatever that that means.
If that's a big trip inalgonquin where I'm crossing the
whole park through the petawawariver and catching trout on the
way, you know what I'm sayingbig logistic thing, cool,
whatever.
Or I'll go in somewhere aroundmy house here where I know it's
like I can get in within likehalf a day to to a spot where I
can base, camp, leave all mystuff there and then just take
(32:52):
my canoe to lakes from there.
That takes only maybe an hour,whatever the case may be, and
fish all day, have a shore lunchover there, bring the fish back
if I want, whatever the casemay be.
That is my favorite type ofspring trout fishing.
That's what I love to do in thespring.
Then summer comes.
I really like to put it moretowards tripping, where the
(33:15):
focus is moving and seeing moreland, more water, more landmarks
, pictographs, what have youBurn into not burn?
If you go up far enough north,it's been burned, all burned,
and then sometimes you paddleout of that into the old growth
and it it's like you know what Imean, like thoracic park type
stuff, um, or there's otherother other trips where
(33:39):
sometimes I wait till the fall,where I have my sea legs, my
canoe legs under me and I'll dothis hardcore, long distance,
like minimal gear, quick trip,just for like an endurance thing
, right.
So I remember was it last twosprings ago I did kevin callan's
northwest loop in in calarneyand he says it takes six days.
(34:00):
I did it in one night and, uh,that that was not not an
enjoyable trip where you're liketaking in the experience and
stuff that was head down, bustyour ass, go single, carry
everything like 14 pounds on myback, including food type thing.
Now, in that case I liken thatto backpacking.
(34:20):
I I take the same mentality forlightweight, ultra light
backpacking to canoe tripping,because not only do I have that
weight on my back, I have acanoe on my head right, so you
really have to take, take thatinto consideration, but um, all
those things, and then.
And then there's even justtaking my kid into to a certain
uh spot.
That's one portage that I knowis our favorite lake.
(34:42):
There's bass to catch, it'scrystal clear water to swim in.
Summertime.
Living's easy type stuff.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
So yeah, canoe tripping by far yeah, I'm, I'm
totally with you there.
I mean, I like, I like doingfront country.
Our youngest and pamela arefans of doing front country just
compared to doing back countryalthough pamela does do some
back country with me.
But yeah, it like.
Anytime anybody asks me whatare you doing this summer, I'm
getting in the canoe and goingaway from people.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and don't get me wrong, I
like front country as well, likethere's nothing nicer than
pulling up to a really nice site.
Just set your tent up.
You know what I mean.
It's luxury.
I like that.
Cook a steak on the grill thatthey provide, it's all good,
yeah, but for me, personally,it's backcountry canoe champion
period.
Yeah, no, I'm with you, man.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Camping with your dog , yeah.
So what's the appealspecifically to bringing a dog
along?
Speaker 3 (35:42):
It might be different for certain people, but for me
growing up, old yeller, rintintin, littlest hobo, right, just
like Grizzly Adams Little Houseon the Prairie, it was just
something in my head, it wasromantic, it was a romanticized
thing.
It's like a mad boy and his dog, you know, and anybody and
their dog.
But growing up it was always aboy and their dog Lassie, all
(36:04):
that stuff and all that stuffand, uh, dogs don't complain, I
can go.
And here's the thing too whenI'm camping with another person,
there's only certain amount oftent spots and stuff like that,
and I pride myself in being avery a person who thinks a lot
(36:28):
about that type of stuff.
So I'm not going to just go anddrop my gear and set up a tent
in the best, my tent in the bestspot period.
I'm going to stop.
I'm going to say, hey, buddy,try to find a spot, let's see
what we can do.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Now I want that spot, don't getme wrong.
I want that fricking flat spot.
I love a flat, nice spot.
But there's etiquette.
When I'm with a dog, I get thatspot.
(36:49):
Now that dog can come in thetent with me if he wants to.
That dog sleeps outside, nottied up.
If he wants to, which he mostlikely does it's wolfy, he's a
husky leave me alone type thing.
He's very aloof, but there'stimes when there's hail and
there's raining and lightningand stuff, he wants to come in
with me and I love that.
I love that.
I love that.
The best time for me with thedog is like I have visions of it
(37:12):
I'm canoeing and the dog's justrunning along the shore.
I'm in a river and the dog'sjust running along the shore
keeping up with me, I, I.
He hops out because there's arapid that I want to paddle
through and then, as soon as therapid's done, I just pull over
and he's waiting for me on alittle peninsula.
He hops in.
You know what I mean or like,or, or, or or.
There's frogs jumping aroundand he's just all super
(37:34):
interested in jumping in thelong grass like a, like a Fox.
I just get so much enjoymentout of it.
I really do.
Dogs don't complain.
They don't say no, I want to gofor longer.
They don't say I want to stopearlier.
They don't.
You know what I mean.
It's just it's a good companionand I feel it's a friend.
It's a good friend.
It's a good friend.
I had a very good friend inScout.
Scout was my best friend barnone.
(37:55):
I say that without any kind ofI'm not joking.
I really sorry, I really domean it.
We had a good bond and I'vealways looked for that.
Since him and Wolfie is I Icatch myself calling him scout
every now and then.
Uh, and he, he's not the same.
You know what I mean, but he's,he's very, very, very similar.
(38:15):
I have that same kind offeeling towards him.
Uh, it's a dog, belongs in theoutdoors.
If I'm, if I'm gonna be goingsolo a lot, which I normally do
I I like to have the companionof a dog yeah, it's, we don't,
we're we?
Speaker 2 (38:33):
we, our previous pupper hated camping with us,
like he was just bored out ofhis skull.
He, just, he just lay in themiddle of the dirt if we're
front country, just like justlooking at us.
Oh, you'd want to sit in thecar?
Yeah, I'm in the car.
Yeah, I'm in the car.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
Although we did take him on a back country trip when
he was on his last legs and Ikind of regretted that we hadn't
taken him on more back countrystuff.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
What kind of dog was that?
Speaker 2 (39:03):
He was a cockapoo.
Oh yeah, yeah, just a littleguy Didn't, didn't paddle't,
paddle.
So it's, it's kind of like,yeah, you're not carrying your
weight.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
I couldn't understand why you couldn't just drink
while we're paddling.
It's like why can't I juststick my head over the side?
There's water right there.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
That's a tip I remember, uh, one of the first
canoe trips.
So I was not really able totake scout on very many canoe
trips at all.
He he liked to chase the lurelike tripper did and he didn't
really sit well in the boat andstuff.
So my wife, will, and I tookhim on a couple trips in 2008 or
so when we lived up in theSioux, up in Lake Superior Park
(39:38):
in this Lake, midgetamunction.
Highly recommend it if you guysare in the area or whatever
driving by.
It's right off the road, it'sawesome, but anybody.
But we went in there and wewere camping and I remember it
was morning, we were paddlingand the lake was glass.
You know how in the morningsometimes it's just and Scout
thought that it was like hecould step on it.
(39:59):
It was so, so glass and wereally did it Almost tipped us
and then the whole nine yardswas quite amusing.
We still talk about it.
We will.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Yeah it.
It was quite amusing.
We still talk about it.
We will.
Yeah, it's hard enough to keeppeople from tipping you A dog
that doesn't get it.
Don't grab the gunnels, Exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
All right, that's it for us for today.
Thank you so much to ourspecial guest, joe Robinette.
Please check him out on YouTubeand on Instagram, and the links
will be in the show notes, soplease click through and check
us out while you're there, andwe would love to hear from you
If you want to reach out to us.
We are at hi atsupergoodcampingcom.
That's hi atsupergoodcampingcom, and we'll
talk to you again soon.
Bye, bye.
Hello and good day.
Welcome to the Super GoodCamping podcast.
My name is Pamela.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Tim.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
And we are from supergoodcampingcom.
We're here because we have amission to inspire other people
to get outside and enjoy campingadventures such as we have as a
family.
Today's guest is big intobushcraft, backcountry, canoeing
, hiking and camping, and healso loves being a dad and a
husband.
He creates fantastic, realisticcontent on YouTube and
Instagram.
He's been a contestant on theHistory Channel's TV show Alone.
(00:32):
He has recently recovered froman absolutely horrific accident.
Please welcome, youtuber.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Joe Robinette.
Hey welcome, hey folks how areyou Great?
Speaker 1 (00:36):
thanks for coming out .
Speaker 2 (00:38):
For those at home.
We're recording this on EasterSunday so hopefully, if you hear
background noise, it's justJoe's kids running around jacked
up on chocolate.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah, he told us beforehand that they're full of
chocolate already.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yep, you know what.
Let's do this chronologically.
How did you become abushcrafter?
How did you get into doing this?
I know that's not a shortanswer.
It couldn't be, for whereyou're at now compared to you
know, did you?
Have you been?
Were you an outdoor kid?
Were you?
You know, 12 years old and andhiking into the backwoods on
(01:12):
your own sort of deal?
How did that play out?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Man, the far, the farthest thing from that right.
I was a city boy down inWindsor, raised, born and bred
and zero connection with theoutdoors, outdoors.
I shouldn't say that my mom didtake me car camping a few times
.
Uh, it was just me and my momgrowing up for a long, big part
of it and she did and and tookme car camping.
I remember really loving it.
(01:35):
I have pictures of that.
It brings back memories.
But I also I really rememberwatching like little house on
the prairie and grizzly adamsand what have you and I'm a firm
believer that, like you know, Imean you always want what you
don't have.
So it's like in Windsor we hadfactories, we had cement and we
didn't have nature, and I sawthat on those TV shows and my
(01:59):
mom bringing me camping a littlebit and here and there and it
was something that resonatedwith me like crazy, camping a
little bit and here and there,and it was something that
resonated with me like crazy anduh, I remember survivor man
coming out less stroud and thatwas a really, really, really big
stepping stone for me, a bigblock, and I, uh, I just I just
fell in love with it.
I bought his movie, snowshoes insolitude, the vhs of it, which
(02:20):
is like super old, and and Ijoined a forum online, a
Bushcraft USA, and it was.
It was just a bunch of dudes,women too, everybody loving the
outdoors and being part of it,and that was really the first
that was early on in theinternet and that was the first
like experience I had withlike-minded people, the first
experience I had with a forum,and I fell in love and I became
(02:42):
like one of the one of of theone of the big contributors to
that forum and so, yeah, I justtook off from there.
I taught myself how to do thebow drill from Morris Kahansi's
book bushcraft book and likethat was before.
You could go on online and see4,500 people doing the bow drill
.
Yeah, and it was.
It was just a, it was a.
It was a long time in themaking and and I didn't really
(03:03):
have any passions my whole lifeuntil this that's awesome, and I
think that following yourpassions are what makes people
happy definitely, yeah, I, I'mpicturing, I, I do my.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
My picture of windsor is, you know, car, plants and
and, like you said, concrete andstuff, and it would, it would
be, must've been, must've beentough to to find that nature.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, we had a spot me and my friend had a spot that
was about the size of afootball field big, and that was
on Walker road, a very busyroad, in between Glidden paints
and ground effects car factory.
Okay, literally it's sandwichedin between the two transports
buzz a while.
We built a log cabin in thatthing, like we didn't know what
(03:49):
we were doing.
This is where I cut my teeth.
I learned how to use an axe inthere, did a bunch of stuff.
My old dog scout my first dogscout used to come there all the
time with me and, uh, to behonest with you, our log cabin
got took over by a homelessperson and it was a war war for
a little while as well the joysof Windsor.
But that's where I cut my teethand that's where home was, and
(04:10):
I learned a lot of stuff thereand knew that I needed to get
out of there in order to reallytest myself and really
experience wilderness.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
So from Windsor, where was your next?
You moved just straight northfrom there.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah.
So my wife and I in 2007, wewere just dating and we moved up
to Sault Ste Marie and we livedthere in the city proper and
went to college, and then weended up moving back down to
Huntsville, back down to Windsor, for a while and then when
YouTube took off for me and Iwas starting to actually make
money and we were looking for aplace, this was right before
(04:45):
COVID hit I was living.
I owned the house that mygrandmother bought brand new in
the 40s.
It had been passed down.
I bought it off my uncle and wewere raising a family there and
we started looking andsomeplace up here where we live
now, we have this is crazy theneighbors that we had in Sault
(05:06):
Ste Marie in a hotel or, sorry,sorry in an apartment.
In 2007 we stayed friends withthose people and we moved here
2019 ish, and so from 2007 to2019, we kind of kept a little
bit of communication with themand where we are now, their
(05:26):
neighbors which is this houseexactly were American and they
were selling this house.
They were only in here this isthe cottage home and they were.
They were selling it and we gotword from there, from them.
So we came up and visited our,our old neighbors in that house
next door.
We visited this house and allkind of fell into play.
It seemed like it was supposedto happen and thank God we did
(05:46):
this before COVID, because theprice that it was it was half
the price, you know what I mean.
And uh, we lucked out and welove it here and uh, it's a way
better place to raise thechildren.
I could walk out my door and gocamping.
It's a.
It's a different.
It took a lot of getting usedto when we could walk to three
different corner stores in amatter of five minutes, and now
(06:07):
it's a good, good drive.
You know what I mean, and butit's worth it.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Yeah, it's great for the kids too.
They can, they can be freerange kids.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Yes, free range kids is right, exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Good term.
Yeah, I like that you mentioned.
You mentioned YouTube takingoff for you.
How did?
How did you get into?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
YouTube in the first place.
Like what were you doing?
Yeah, so that forum, you guys,that forum was a big stepping
stone for me.
I uh, I was a skinny youngCanadian on a military American
owned bushcraft site Okay, therewas Canadians all over it, but
it was hardcore militaryAmerican style and, uh, I felt
(06:50):
like I needed to prove myselfright.
So there was there was um,competitions and challenges and
things like that that peoplecould send in pictures to
compete in.
And I always thought you cancheat, pictures can be cheated
and there's no real reason to dothat.
But I just thought you cancheat, pictures can be cheated
and there's no real reason to dothat.
But I just feel like I wantedeveryone to understand that I
was legit and that I was reallytrying.
(07:11):
And then I was a force and Istarted taking video.
Because you couldn't cheatvideo, I thought I didn't know
how to edit, so it's not evenlike I could take clips and like
, oh, I just it was all.
When I started it was a littleflip camera about the size of
his phone that was cheap, cheap,cheap and I would sit it on a
stick and do a whole spiel fiveminutes, and if I had messed up
(07:33):
anywhere in that, I would juststart over again the whole
project started again because Icould not edit and I remember I
was using like windows moviemaker at the beginning because
it was like the free thing andit would always crash and all
this nonsense.
But yeah, so I would use videobecause I thought that I could
not be taken lightly that way, Icouldn't be faking things and
(07:54):
the catalyst to put videos frommy camera onto this forum was
YouTube.
That was the way you could notupload videos to the forum.
You had to upload to YouTubethen post the link was the way
you could not upload videos tothe forum.
You had to upload to YouTubethen post the link to the forum.
That was the be all, end, allonly reason I ever started
YouTube.
And after a little while I gotexcited about getting attaboys
(08:19):
and congratulations and you dida good job, and blah, blah, blah
, blah, blah all this stuff notjust on the forum but on YouTube
through YouTube comments,because that was there,
obviously, and I liked it, itfelt good and that was way
before you could monetizeanything.
You could not monetize YouTubeat all.
No one could.
It was not a thing back then.
(08:40):
This is 15 plus years and oneday and this went on for a long
time, probably a year or twobefore this happened.
One day I saw this little thingbutton.
It was like monetized video onyoutube.
This is a new thing.
I was like I'll try.
And I monetized one video and Ithink I made 50 bucks that
month and I was like, oh snap,50 bucks.
(09:01):
Like all I was doing wasputting money in for years you
know what I mean.
Like now I'm getting 50 bucksback, like, oh sweet, I can like
pay gas to go somewhere orwhatever.
And there was another buttonthat said hit, monetize all
videos.
So I was like, why not?
And I hit it.
In the next month I made 200bucks and I really the the
wheels started to turn right and, uh, for the longest time I
(09:24):
just did instructional typestuff, little challenge type
stuff or whatever.
Blah, blah, blah.
My first video that ever didanything for me, view wise, was
me showing the experience ofcamping overnight with my dog,
and that was the first time Iever did that.
That was the first like, oh,here did that.
(09:44):
That was the first like, oh,here's just what I'm doing, not
like, oh, you need to sharpenyour knives and whatever.
You know what I'm saying.
And that really again got thewheels going.
So I think it took.
I know, when I went on Alone,when I went on a TV show Alone,
I had 30,000 subscribers.
I know this and there's a bigmisconception that alone was
(10:05):
where I got my start, that Iwasn't, that.
That couldn't be farther fromthe truth.
Alone hurt me big time.
I got, I got reamed out, I, I,I.
It was like I walked up topeople and slapped their babies
that's how upset they were withme for for losing my fire.
Still, it's crazy and it wasthe first time I really, really,
really experienced trollinglike I had experienced it a bit
(10:25):
before.
But this was extreme and uh,that that took its toll on me.
And while signing the thecontract to go on alone, I had
to to agree to not put outyoutube videos at all because no
one could know I'm still around, nobody could know when I'm
back.
It would ruin the whole thingfor alone, right?
So in that time I think Ididn't put out videos for like
(10:47):
six months or whatever.
And yeah, and in that timepeople who were beneath me in in
in subscribers had farsurpassed me.
Black owl, bushcraft you knowwhat I mean Like TA outdoors,
all these people who, who who'vebeen around now, that were way,
way, way younger than me as faras a YouTube channel, and so I
(11:08):
saw that and I did not like thatat all and I got a fire lit
under my ass and I went hard fora long time.
So from alone I can't rememberhow long it took me, but I only
had 30,000 subscribers on aloneand that took me years to get.
And then from then I went to100,000.
It took me total seven years toget 100,000 subscribers Okay,
(11:30):
not after alone, but total fromthe beginning.
And one year after 100,000, Iwas at 500,000.
So there was this crazysnowball effect and, um, yeah, I
don't know it was from there.
It just kept going for a longtime for for a very, very long
time.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
No, people are really into what you do.
Obviously I'm wanting to learnmore from you.
Yeah, that's.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I'm wanting to learn more from you.
Yeah, that's.
I've heard about the snowballeffect.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
We haven't experienced it.
We have not.
We're at like 200 subscribers.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Yeah, and it's harder these days, you guys.
It's saturated, right?
You got to remember when I'mtalking, this is 10, 15 years
ago and it's like I can name youoff the top of my head the top
five outdoor bushcraft channelsthen.
Now there's too many to nameand I don't know them yeah, yeah
(12:26):
, I hear you.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Yeah, there's.
I mean, I think we all socialmedia wise like across the board
, not just youtube, but I thinkwe all have our favorite people
that we like to follow.
If it wasn't for the algorithm,I probably wouldn't wouldn't
see any other ones, like I don't.
I don't go looking for thembecause I'm getting, I'm getting
my fix from the people thatthat I already watch.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Yeah, yeah, and I'm uh, I'm actually struggling
right now to get views.
You know what I mean.
Things changed a lot after myaccident and stuff and I took
some time off and things havechanged quite a bit.
I have to switch things up if Iwant to keep this up.
You know what I mean.
I know that, but it's like astruggle because you have to
bring the people in in order forthem to watch the video, so
(13:07):
that lends itself to titles andthumbnails, right, and if you
don't get the titles andthumbnails spot on, nobody's
even coming to check the video,no matter how quality the video
is.
So there's, there's a biglearning, even for me.
Even for me now, after doing itfor so long.
It's all different with ai andeverything.
Everything's changing all thetime yeah, I know, perfect segue
(13:28):
.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Your accident that was, that was.
That was a brutal thing towatch, just that.
Just that the the video you putout after you were out of the
hospital.
That was painful, man, likethere was.
A couple times I wanted to cry.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Tell us what the hell happened I wish I could
remember it all.
I can tell you what I know.
So I, uh, we were here, it wasspringtime, I was looking
forward to starting canoe tripand I had already gone on a
couple of trips.
I was feeling really good.
We had some friends over, I wasbarbecuing, had a couple of
beers and a stupidly looked over, saw my dirt bike, which is
(14:08):
pretty new to me at the timeJust just got the hang of it.
I got the hang of it and uh, Iwas.
I was going to rip down to thehang of it.
And uh, I was.
I was gonna rip down to the endof the street and come back and
I did not wear a helmet.
Like an idiot which I highly,highly, highly want to tell
people.
You have to wear a helmetperiod.
Um, things can change in theblink of an eye and I'm proof of
that.
But I wasn't thinking and I, Ihad rid it all over the place
(14:30):
that day with a helmet.
I was just going to end thestreet and back.
I just felt good, good, I was,I felt good and uh, I never came
back.
And, um, it had been about 20minutes or whatever.
My buddy, who was at our housebarbecuing with me, went inside
and he's like, let me just hop,tell him what, my, what, my wife
, let me just hop on the fourwheeler, go.
Look for Joe.
I can't hear him, like whatever, it was Joe's doing his Joe
(14:58):
things, whatever.
But yeah, he, he had theintuition.
He came, I was out just out anduh, he saw me like flat out on
the ground, the bike.
The bike had stopped running,the bike was mangled, it had, uh
, ass over tea kettled and Iguess what had happened was it
was nighttime and it was gettingdark.
There was dew all over theground and when you're on a snow
machine, sometimes you go intoa little bit of a ditch and you
(15:20):
pop back out just for fun.
And I think that's what.
I think that's what I was doingwith the dirt bike no snow, but
do we wet long grass with big?
I know the exact spot where itwas.
I went back and checked it outa bunch of times big boulders,
big boulders, not rocks,boulders underneath this wet
(15:41):
grass and I think I just hit ittoo hard and when I thought I
was gonna pop down, come backout having fun, and I hit it too
hard and I went over thehandlebars like superman and I
cracked my dome on another rockand I got split way up.
I'm surprised I still have myeye.
I got split way up, uh,stitches all up into my head,
everything.
I had a traumatic brain injuryand I was unconscious, uh, for
(16:02):
three weeks.
So they um, took, took theambulance 40 minutes to get to
me and I guess I was combativebefore that.
I was kind of not awake butenough to try to get up and they
were holding me down and I'mscreaming at them.
I have to pee, I have to pee,let me up.
But uh, I guess that's what Iwas doing.
And uh, will, my wife waslaying there holding my body, so
(16:24):
it wasn't cold until they gotthere.
And uh, they, they, they airrushed me to to Sudbury.
They were giving me fentanyl,all sorts of crazy, crazy, crazy
stuff, put me, induced my comaeven more and I guess I had some
(16:45):
crazy things happen in a coma.
I can't really explain it allbecause it's crazy.
I don't even know how toexplain it, but I lived a whole
other life and they thought Iwas they.
They were the doctor wastelling will my wife get it,
getting her ready, like that Iwas gonna die.
Um, they, they go home and getyour shit in order and, uh, take
(17:06):
care of your kids there's nopoint even being here type thing
, which is crazy for a doctor tosay.
But, um, my mom's my mom wassuper religious, born-again
christian and uh, did not, didnot hear any of that, you know.
I mean was just like prayingthe whole time and I really
appreciate that and whateveryour beliefs are, whatever my
beliefs are, you know, I meanthat can't be bad for you.
(17:27):
So, anyways, I got out of it.
I got out of it in three weeks.
When they expected me to be init for months, they said I was
going to be a vegetable.
Out of it in three weeks.
When they expected me to be init for months, they said I was
going to be a vegetable.
They said I was going to bevery, very combative, like
disruptive.
When I got up, like not evenreally know who my family was or
(17:48):
anything like that, and I guessthey were scaring everybody and
I got up and I was prettypretty okay right away, like I
do have memory loss and I didthink this was one thing that
that happened about theanniversary of my one year
anniversary of my littlebrother's death and that that
(18:09):
really that really screwed me upbig time and I and I think
that's part of the reason I wasdrinking so much and stuff
screwed me up big time and I andI think that's part of the
reason I was drinking so muchand stuff and, um, I didn't.
My brain when I woke up didn'tlet me remember that my brother
had passed.
I was angry at people my wife,my mom, everybody for not
letting me call my brother.
All all I had in my head was Ineed to warn this guy, because I
know how he is and he's justlike me and he's even worse than
(18:36):
I am, and everybody needs to betold right now.
This is all in my head.
Everybody I know needs to betold be careful with what you're
doing.
Everything can be changed in aninstant and he was the most
important person that I neededto tell that, because he was the
most at risk and I knew thatand I was upset with my mom and
screaming at my wife and likelet me call him.
Why won't you?
Let me call him?
Blah, blah, blah.
I thought I heard him in thehallway at the.
Anyways, they had to come in andtell me, and it was like
(18:57):
reliving the whole damn thingagain.
It was so, so bad.
But your brain you know what Imean your brain is it keeps you
from shit you can't handle.
I guess Like, uh, I needed tonot handle that in the hospital,
I needed some time to come outof it before, and, and I had a
few days before they told me andit was horrible, but I it would
(19:17):
have been worse before, youknow.
So I don't know.
Anyways, I had bad nerve damagein my hand.
I could not use my hand for along time.
I thought I thought my life wasover.
I thought I couldn't protect myfamily, I couldn't provide for
them, I couldn't play with mykids anymore.
I thought it was over.
I'm very self-sufficient.
That's how I make my money.
You know what I mean.
I go into the wilderness forhowever long by myself and I
(19:39):
thrive.
I've walked away from shit allthe time.
I thought bigger than this,laughing, and this really put me
in my place, right, and thisreally put me in my place right.
So I lost use of my hand.
It was extreme pain, forever,and my fingers were erect like
this.
I've lost mass in my hand likecrazy but with Carrie Physio
(20:03):
from Toronto reached out to me.
This physiotherapist reached outbecause I was going to physio
and they were not giving me anyhomework to do.
It was like they wanted moneyand they wanted me to come to
them.
It was once a week, twice aweek type thing.
It's like I'm at home living inin in, swallowing my own misery
.
At least I can do someexercises.
You know what I mean.
So this, this carry physio guyI cannot thank him enough came
(20:23):
reach out to me and we wouldjust do online things for free.
He never asked for a penny andme all this stuff to do at home
and it helped quite a bit and Ijust started using it more and
more and more.
I stopped taking the pain pillsbecause those are no good for
you.
And I can move my hand.
I have complete dexterity of myhand.
I probably have about 75% ofthe strength.
(20:45):
I can canoe, I can pump ashotgun, I can tie my shoes.
I can play with my kids.
You know what I mean.
There's nothing I can't.
I can pump a shotgun, I can tiemy shoes.
I can play with my kids.
You know what I mean.
There's nothing I can't do.
There was a point where I couldnot peel an effing banana.
I couldn't peel a banana.
You know how disturbing thatwas to me.
I broke down.
I'm a 40-year-old man, very,very, very self-sustained.
(21:05):
I can't peel a banana Changedmy life.
But it gave me a whole otheroutlook too.
And uh, and I'm back.
You know what I mean and I'mnever going to take shit for
granted.
Ever again in my life I neverthought about how awesome it is
that you can use your hands.
We have.
You know what I mean.
This is what separates us fromthe animals.
(21:25):
Folks we could.
I lost that.
It took, took away from me and,uh, my passion, canoeing and
stuff.
But it's all back and I'm gonnago hard this year and I'm never
, ever, ever going to make anexcuse again about this for any
reason.
It's not going to hold me backever again.
And in the mornings it'sfreezing, cold and it is the
worst pain in the world.
But I know that all I have todo is just warm it up and it
(21:48):
goes away.
And and I'm okay with that, Iwould have taken do is just warm
it up and it goes away.
And and I'm okay with that, Iwould have taken less.
I would have taken 50% and Igot about 75.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
And you're alive.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I'm raring to go to like uh, imagine that, like I
would have, I would havedeserved to burn into hell if I
left my family without a fatherand a husband.
You know what I mean?
That is the worst, most selfishdamn thing I could have ever
done in my life and I hate, Ihate the fact that it happened.
And every time I walk past thatspot that it happened, I cringe
.
Every time I go in my garage toget something, I see that dirt
bike.
I want to smash it with africking sledge hammer.
(22:19):
You know what I mean?
Uh, it's my fault.
It's not the dirt bikes fault,it's completely my fault.
And every now and then I get, Iget I get flashbacks of my coma
too, and that's a wild thingand it keeps me grounded.
It keeps me like oh yeah,smarten the F up bud.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yeah, it'll certainly give you pause for thought.
I literally got nothing to say,like that's such a wild, it was
bad, I'm glad you're back fromit, man.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Thank you, sir.
Yeah, the picture speaks.
You know the picture was bad.
My kids seen it and it's bad,but I'm hoping that this was a
lesson to them through me.
You know what I'm saying For acouple of different things.
It's I always wanted to be amotorcycle rider.
You know what I mean saying Fora couple of different things.
Uh, it's I always wanted to bea motorcycle rider.
(23:12):
You know what I mean.
And I could have done itresponsibly and I didn't.
And, uh, and I paid the price.
Everything happens for a reasonand uh, I am so very, yeah,
exactly, it's kind of hard tosee it sometimes.
You know what I'm saying, but Ido believe that, uh, even even
losing my brother, as hard asthat is, you know what I mean.
(23:32):
Like there's reasons behindthings and stuff like that, and
it takes it takes a while to tounderstand it sometimes, and
maybe you never will, but I dobelieve that and, uh, I'm a
better person for it.
It's, uh, I have to beresponsible for my family like I
never I grew up without a dadand if I would have left my
girls without a dad, like Inever even want to think about
(23:53):
that.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yep, I hear you, I hear you there.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
So do your girls go go with you?
Do they go camping with you?
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Yeah, me and Emmy just got back from a winter camp
.
Um, up here in the blush, thesnow is still up to my crotch.
When I post-hauled through andshe was a G, we snowshoed in
with backpacks for about twohours.
We lost the snowshoes halfwaybecause we were staying on top
and the snow was so firm.
But it started to warm up as wewere hiking still.
(24:23):
So we started post-hauling likecrazy and she kept up.
Granted, her legs are as longas mine now.
Okay, she's 13 years old.
Crazy, but yeah, she's.
I told them this year this is anew tradition that we're going
to do.
They have come camping with mein the past for sure my whole
family has many times.
But this is the new traditionOnce a week, or sorry, one week
(24:45):
for the year, one, one week ayear every now.
From now on, until I can't doit physically anymore, we are
going camping together, one ofthem at a time, one for Emerald
and me, one for Autumn and me,to teach them self-reliance, to
teach them confidence, to teachthem that just because a boy
comes along one day, you don'thave to follow him.
(25:05):
You know what I mean.
Like just if you can camp outin the middle of the wilderness
for a week with bears and eatingyour catching your own food and
fish and stuff, like you'regoing to have a little bit more
confidence in your ownday-to-day life.
I know this, I know this and,uh, I want to create memories.
That's the most important thingto me now is creating memories
(25:26):
for them and for me, and, uh,that is worth more money than
more than any money ever.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
I think that's excellent and I think you're
you're bang on with that.
Self-sufficiency will give themso much more confidence in in
their, in their their ownabilities.
Sorry, just stepped on my dog.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
Yeah, I really wish that I had somebody to take me
camping growing up and stuff andlike.
But that said, everything doeshappen for a reason.
Maybe I would have lostinterest in it if I would have
been inundated with it when Iwas a kid.
You know what I mean.
It was all brand new to me whenI started, so that's why and
people pick up on the joy that Ihave when I'm out there and
stuff it's it's, it's genuine,you know what I mean.
It's not, it's not a farce,because it's like a lot of the
(26:09):
stuff is new to me or was new tome, and I still have a big
enjoyment for it, and that'spart of the reason that I never
really forced my kids before todo the camping thing.
It was always when, wheneverit's cool with you guys, we'll
do it or whatever.
But now it's like I do see, Ido also see the other side and
it's like, even if they don't doit later on in life, I want to
(26:30):
instill these things with themright now a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Obviously, camping with your family is a is a
something you totally enjoy.
What about what style do youprefer to do?
Solo camping, or when you dostuff like you go with tosh or
or whatever like is that which?
What do you?
Yeah, I'm sure you like it all,or else you wouldn't do it.
What do you prefer to be onyour own or do you like hanging
(26:54):
out with the guys?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
when it's always uh trip dependent.
It's also always situationaldependent.
So if I go into it feeling andthinking like I need to make a
really good video, I want to puta lot of time and effort into
making a video.
I'm going solo period.
I'm going with the dog wolfie'samazing.
Wolfie's a great canoe canoebuddy, but that don't get me
(27:16):
wrong.
I love hanging with friends.
I love hanging with buddies, ofgoing camping with friends and
stuff.
Uh, tosh and I had a fallingout.
We don't camp together anymore,which sucks.
Um, I do have some people me.
Me and dog are still reallygood buddies.
Uh, we will go camping againtogether.
Doug's been walking around on abroken foot for six months not
(27:36):
knowing it, so he's a bit of ahard head, that guy, but he'll
get better.
We'll go back out together andJoel Tremblay I camped with him
last year.
We're going to be going outtogether and this year, actually
, I'll be going out withsomebody I haven't made a video
with yet.
There's a dude, evan LaFave.
Evan LaFave and we're going todo some whitewater on the
(27:58):
Spanish.
So I'm super excited about that.
He's an awesome whitewater guyand I'll pick up a lot of stuff
from him.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
But he's just a super guy.
Like he's just a super guy,he's just an absolute treat,
salt of the earth, great dude.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Yeah, so his dad's coming the whole nine yards.
It'll be a lot of fun, but yeah, no, I really do enjoy camping
with people, but my best tripsare always with me and the dog.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
So what do you have planned?
Besides 7 to 5 this year, whatelse do you have planned?
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Oh man, so I'm going to be doing, uh, this this long?
Yeah, exactly, we're.
There's a bunch of things thatI'm not a hundred percent on.
I'm about 99 on, but uh, we'regonna finish, we're gonna do a
documentary.
So, about me, about my accident, about me kind of just dropping
off the face of the earth andthen trying to come back, my, my
(28:48):
comeback, and that is going tobe up north I can't give away
the exact place, but very far upnorth and uh, we're gonna canoe
in, we're gonna fly in canoe,build a shelter, live out there
for like a week ish.
And uh, right from there I'mdriving to thunder bay to pick
up buddy kyle, my Americanfriend, who is from Ohio, lives
(29:11):
in California now.
We haven't seen each other intwo years because of my accident
Last year.
We had a Wabakimi trip plannedand I never even was able to
call him to tell him I was out.
I had my wife had to call himand tell him, and so we're going
to do that trip.
I'm going to not come homeafter the documentary.
I'm going to go pick him up inThunder Bay from the airport,
drive right to Bruce's inWabakimi.
(29:32):
We're going to do another weekflying there, cannot wait.
Love Kyle.
We're really good buddies.
Complete opposites that seems tobe how it is.
Me and Doug are completeopposites too, but that, and
then there's this section of theTrans-Canada Trail called the
Path of the Paddle and theTrans-Canada Trail.
It's a hiking, it's a paddling,it's a biking trail.
(29:55):
This section of the trail ispaddling and it's called the
Path of the Paddle and it goesfrom Thunder Bay over to
Manitoba or vice versa, and I am99% sure I'm going to do that.
I already have everythingworked out.
The film crew that are going tocome up and film the
documentary are going to come upand be my support team, so I
(30:20):
don't have to carry 50 days offood with me.
You know what I mean.
So they'll meet up with me atRhodes film a little bit.
Come with me for a couple dayshere and there, have my supply
of have wolfie supply of food.
They're my rescue team if Ineed them in reach, in reach,
and uh, yeah, that'll be epic,that will be epic, so that'll be
all of july.
If I do that, that'll be about50 days solo.
(30:42):
That will be by far the biggestundertaking I have ever done,
and these aren't wellestablished routes you know what
I'm saying like some of it's inthe middle of nowhere.
So that will be very, very cool, a big bonding experience for
Wolfie and I as well.
And then after that it's familystuff.
It's gotta be all family stuffbecause I've I've been gone for
spring, all through summer atthat point and uh, but last year
(31:05):
I did, I did not do anything.
You know what I mean.
I've been home more than I haveever been home since my kids
have been alive.
For this stint we went toflorida, disney went to north
carolina, tons and tons offamily time.
So I don't feel overly badabout being gone for so long.
We were all used to it.
We were, this was, this wasnormal for us for for as long as
(31:25):
anybody could remember.
And this now, this past year,two years, has been completely
abnormal yeah, I can see the kid.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Well, I could see our kids.
If.
If roles were reversed here,our kids would be like love you,
dad, but get out.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
It's exactly right you need to go now, yeah, for
everybody's well-being exactlyexactly what.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
What style of camping do you like to do?
Most Like build a shelter, do atarp, take a tent.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Hammock.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
By far my favorite type of camping is canoe
tripping Period Bar none,there's nothing that comes close
.
I love the fact and there'smultiple types of canoe tripping
that I like too Like there's somany different variations of it
that I have done and that Ienjoy, for example, in the
spring no, yes, in the spring Ilike to get out and go focus on
(32:27):
trout, focus on catching trout,so whatever that that means.
If that's a big trip inalgonquin where I'm crossing the
whole park through the petawawariver and catching trout on the
way, you know what I'm sayingbig logistic thing, cool,
whatever.
Or I'll go in somewhere aroundmy house here where I know it's
like I can get in within likehalf a day to to a spot where I
can base, camp, leave all mystuff there and then just take
(32:52):
my canoe to lakes from there.
That takes only maybe an hour,whatever the case may be, and
fish all day, have a shore lunchover there, bring the fish back
if I want, whatever the casemay be.
That is my favorite type ofspring trout fishing.
That's what I love to do in thespring.
Then summer comes.
I really like to put it moretowards tripping, where the
(33:15):
focus is moving and seeing moreland, more water, more landmarks
, pictographs, what have youBurn into not burn?
If you go up far enough north,it's been burned, all burned,
and then sometimes you paddleout of that into the old growth
and it it's like you know what Imean, like thoracic park type
stuff, um, or there's otherother other trips where
(33:39):
sometimes I wait till the fall,where I have my sea legs, my
canoe legs under me and I'll dothis hardcore, long distance,
like minimal gear, quick trip,just for like an endurance thing
, right.
So I remember was it last twosprings ago I did kevin callan's
northwest loop in in calarneyand he says it takes six days.
(34:00):
I did it in one night and, uh,that that was not not an
enjoyable trip where you're liketaking in the experience and
stuff that was head down, bustyour ass, go single, carry
everything like 14 pounds on myback, including food type thing.
Now, in that case I liken thatto backpacking.
(34:20):
I I take the same mentality forlightweight, ultra light
backpacking to canoe tripping,because not only do I have that
weight on my back, I have acanoe on my head right, so you
really have to take, take thatinto consideration, but um, all
those things, and then.
And then there's even justtaking my kid into to a certain
uh spot.
That's one portage that I knowis our favorite lake.
(34:42):
There's bass to catch, it'scrystal clear water to swim in.
Summertime.
Living's easy type stuff.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
So yeah, canoe tripping by far yeah, I'm, I'm
totally with you there.
I mean, I like, I like doingfront country.
Our youngest and pamela arefans of doing front country just
compared to doing back countryalthough pamela does do some
back country with me.
But yeah, it like.
Anytime anybody asks me whatare you doing this summer, I'm
getting in the canoe and goingaway from people.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and don't get me wrong, I
like front country as well, likethere's nothing nicer than
pulling up to a really nice site.
Just set your tent up.
You know what I mean.
It's luxury.
I like that.
Cook a steak on the grill thatthey provide, it's all good,
yeah, but for me, personally,it's backcountry canoe champion
period.
Yeah, no, I'm with you, man.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Camping with your dog , yeah.
So what's the appealspecifically to bringing a dog
along?
Speaker 3 (35:42):
It might be different for certain people, but for me
growing up, old yeller, rintintin, littlest hobo, right, just
like Grizzly Adams Little Houseon the Prairie, it was just
something in my head, it wasromantic, it was a romanticized
thing.
It's like a mad boy and his dog, you know, and anybody and
their dog.
But growing up it was always aboy and their dog Lassie, all
(36:04):
that stuff and all that stuffand, uh, dogs don't complain, I
can go.
And here's the thing too whenI'm camping with another person,
there's only certain amount oftent spots and stuff like that,
and I pride myself in being avery a person who thinks a lot
(36:28):
about that type of stuff.
So I'm not going to just go anddrop my gear and set up a tent
in the best, my tent in the bestspot period.
I'm going to stop.
I'm going to say, hey, buddy,try to find a spot, let's see
what we can do.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Now I want that spot, don't getme wrong.
I want that fricking flat spot.
I love a flat, nice spot.
But there's etiquette.
When I'm with a dog, I get thatspot.
(36:49):
Now that dog can come in thetent with me if he wants to.
That dog sleeps outside, nottied up.
If he wants to, which he mostlikely does it's wolfy, he's a
husky leave me alone type thing.
He's very aloof, but there'stimes when there's hail and
there's raining and lightningand stuff, he wants to come in
with me and I love that.
I love that.
I love that.
The best time for me with thedog is like I have visions of it
(37:12):
I'm canoeing and the dog's justrunning along the shore.
I'm in a river and the dog'sjust running along the shore
keeping up with me, I, I.
He hops out because there's arapid that I want to paddle
through and then, as soon as therapid's done, I just pull over
and he's waiting for me on alittle peninsula.
He hops in.
You know what I mean or like,or, or, or or.
There's frogs jumping aroundand he's just all super
(37:34):
interested in jumping in thelong grass like a, like a Fox.
I just get so much enjoymentout of it.
I really do.
Dogs don't complain.
They don't say no, I want to gofor longer.
They don't say I want to stopearlier.
They don't.
You know what I mean.
It's just it's a good companionand I feel it's a friend.
It's a good friend.
It's a good friend.
I had a very good friend inScout.
Scout was my best friend barnone.
(37:55):
I say that without any kind ofI'm not joking.
I really sorry, I really domean it.
We had a good bond and I'vealways looked for that.
Since him and Wolfie is I Icatch myself calling him scout
every now and then.
Uh, and he, he's not the same.
You know what I mean, but he's,he's very, very, very similar.
(38:15):
I have that same kind offeeling towards him.
Uh, it's a dog, belongs in theoutdoors.
If I'm, if I'm gonna be goingsolo a lot, which I normally do
I I like to have the companionof a dog yeah, it's, we don't,
we're we?
Speaker 2 (38:33):
we, our previous pupper hated camping with us,
like he was just bored out ofhis skull.
He, just, he just lay in themiddle of the dirt if we're
front country, just like justlooking at us.
Oh, you'd want to sit in thecar?
Yeah, I'm in the car.
Yeah, I'm in the car.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
Although we did take him on a back country trip when
he was on his last legs and Ikind of regretted that we hadn't
taken him on more back countrystuff.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
What kind of dog was that?
Speaker 2 (39:03):
He was a cockapoo.
Oh yeah, yeah, just a littleguy Didn't, didn't paddle't,
paddle.
So it's, it's kind of like,yeah, you're not carrying your
weight.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
I couldn't understand why you couldn't just drink
while we're paddling.
It's like why can't I juststick my head over the side?
There's water right there.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
That's a tip I remember, uh, one of the first
canoe trips.
So I was not really able totake scout on very many canoe
trips at all.
He he liked to chase the lurelike tripper did and he didn't
really sit well in the boat andstuff.
So my wife, will, and I tookhim on a couple trips in 2008 or
so when we lived up in theSioux, up in Lake Superior Park
(39:38):
in this Lake, midgetamunction.
Highly recommend it if you guysare in the area or whatever
driving by.
It's right off the road, it'sawesome, but anybody.
But we went in there and wewere camping and I remember it
was morning, we were paddlingand the lake was glass.
You know how in the morningsometimes it's just and Scout
thought that it was like hecould step on it.
(39:59):
It was so, so glass and wereally did it Almost tipped us
and then the whole nine yardswas quite amusing.
We still talk about it.
We will.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Yeah it.
It was quite amusing.
We still talk about it.
We will.
Yeah, it's hard enough to keeppeople from tipping you A dog
that doesn't get it.
Don't grab the gunnels, Exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
All right, that's it for us for today.
Thank you so much to ourspecial guest, joe Robinette.
Please check him out on YouTubeand on Instagram, and the links
will be in the show notes, soplease click through and check
us out while you're there, andwe would love to hear from you
If you want to reach out to us.
We are at hi atsupergoodcampingcom.
That's hi atsupergoodcampingcom, and we'll
talk to you again soon.
Bye, bye.
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