Arizona State Parks and Trails Podcast

New to camping? Want to make your weekend outdoors a success? This information-packed episode cuts the learning curve for any camper looking for new techniques to improve your overnight experience in the outdoors. Hear from experts on the equipment you'll need, the food you can prepare and make at camp, selecting your campsite and being safe out there, and why time in nature is so beneficial for us in the first place! Visit AZStateParks.com/Camping-Logistics for even more tricks, tools, and tips to make camping easy and fun. About our guest: Dr. Brent Bauer Dr. Brent Bauer is a general internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic and director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. Dr. Bauer's personal goal is to ensure that research conducted under the auspices of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program is always held to the same high standards as all other research at Mayo Clinic. You can find Dr. Bauer's clinical profile and research faculty profile at MayoClinic.org. About our guest: Christine ConnorsHaving sold more than 100,000 copies of their outdoor cooking books, Christine and her husband and co-author Tim Conners are experienced campers, backpackers, and outdoor chefs and the authors of The Scout’s Outdoor Cookbook, Lipsmackin’ Backpackin’, and Lipsmackin’ VegetarianBackpackin’. The Conners have twice served as judges for Scouting magazine’s prestigious national camp food cooking contest. Learn more at LipSmackinCampin.com. About our guest: Ryanne CraryRyanne is a northern Arizona native whose adventuring in the high desert sparked her passion for the outdoors and all things wildlife. Her family's involvement with the Bureau of Land Management also inspired her to receive her degree in Parks and Recreation from ASU and a minor in Parks and Protected areas, when she spent time as an animal handler at the Phoenix Zoo and attempted to escape the heat. Ryanne joined the Hike Shack in 2020 where she met her now husband Caleb, and future fur-son, Lance. She now works for The Town of Prescott Valley Parks and Recreation as a Recreation Supervisor and handles marketing and outreach for The Hike Shack. When she's not at work, you can find Ryanne exploring her home in Prescott, hiking, rock climbing, and picking up rocks and lizards with her husband, dogs Lance and Bingo, and her lizard Lizzie. About our guest: Louis JuersLouis Juers of The Arizona Family Campout Program helps families discover the joy of camping. He introduces them to the experiences you can share in Arizona's outdoors. Ranger Louis is continuously applauded by families who participate with reviews like Jennifer S., who said, "The warmth we felt from [ranger] Louis and his outstanding team of volunteers was immediate and sincere. Their energy and effort were unparalleled during the whole weekend, giving us families a chance to bond while building upon our camping know-how. Louis's background in education shone brightly all weekend." Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Announcing (drum roll, please )... the 2023-2024 Opt Outside Photo Contest at Arizona State Parks! Join us in this episode to hear all about the photo contest, its categories, and sweet prize packages. See the full contest details, rules, deadlines, and submission form at AZStateParks.com/photo-contest. Professional photographer for Arizona State Parks, Carlos Ramirez, joins Neil and Elisabeth on the show to give tips and tricks of the trade to take stunning photos. We also hear from one of the contest judges Tim Elinski. Not only is Tim a judge, his company, Pin Drop Travel Trailers, is part of the grand prize package for the contest winner! You can find out more about Pin Drop Travel Trailers at PinDropTravelTrailers.com. Also check out the contest's other two judges, Lauren and Owen Steinwall of The AZ Hikeaholics and their popular Arizona adventure travel account at TheAZHikeaholics.com or on Instagram! About our guest: Elijio Carlos RamirezArizona native Elijio Carlos Ramirez started his career in public policy before transitioning to photo and video. He's worked with private clients, Hollywood movie studios, and even saw his work screened in Times Square. In his spare time, he enjoys other creative pursuits and credits his family for the support that has allowed him to do so. About our guest: Tim Elinski, Pin Drop Travel TrailersPin Drop Travel Trailers are solar-powered, fully self-contained micro-campers manufactured in rural Arizona. The company was launched in 2018 by avid campers and entrepreneurs, Tim and Ruth Ellen Elinski.  Pin Drop Travel Trailers are intentionally designed and crafted in small batches using premium materials. Combining unmatched, superior quality with user-friendly functionality, the trailers provide travelers the ultimate camping and adventure experience. Sturdy enough for remote, off-road destinations, they are constructed with built-in conveniences for established campgrounds and equipped with comforts appreciated by weekend adventurers who prefer a glamping experience. Tim leads design and manufacturing operations, bringing over 20 years’ experience as a licensed general and HVAC contractor to the company. Raised in a family of tradesmen, Tim honed his skills restoring historic homes and building energy efficient additions and new homes. Now licensed by the State of Arizona as both a trailer manufacturer and dealer, Tim brings his talent, creativity and eye for design to lead the manufacturing team. Together, they create custom, teardrop trailers that are rolling works of art. Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

Humans seem to be hardwired for nature, but did you know there is an actual term for this feeling? It's the concept of biophilia, and research is helping medicine incorporate time in the outdoors and a connection to nature with our health!  Dr. Brent Bauer, a general internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota joins us on the show to explain how our physical and mental state can be positively impacted by simply going outside. He addresses questions like the types of outdoor recreation activities that are beneficial, how much time outdoors is needed, and, from a medical standpoint, how this connection to nature is important in different stages of life. It's time to put the backbone behind what you always knew was connected: getting outdoors and your health! Links referenced in this episode: Prescription for nature online resources: Park RX America and ParkRX Prescribing nature for mental, physical health on the Mayo Clinic News Network About our guestDr. Brent Bauer is a general internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic and director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. Dr. Bauer's personal goal is to ensure that research conducted under the auspices of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program is always held to the same high standards as all other research at Mayo Clinic. By ensuring this level of quality, the results that are achieved will positively contribute to knowledge that can inform clinical practice. The research of Dr. Bauer and the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program has had many tangible impacts on patient care. For example, massage therapy is now routinely offered to postoperative patients, meditation training is being provided to more than 20,000 patients each year, and acupuncture is helping patients with migraine headaches. These are just a few examples of how Dr. Bauer and his colleagues have been able to translate research into direct changes in patient care. Research informing practice remains a key focus for the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. You can find Dr. Bauer's clinical profile and research faculty profile at MayoClinic.org. Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.

For Chelsea Ballard, the world underneath the ground we stand on has always had a draw. She earned a Karst Hydrogeology degree and went on to work in several different caves before moving to Arizona to lead our Cave Unit team at Kartchner Caverns State Park. In this episode, Chelsea shares what excites her about working in the unique ecosystem of caves and karsts, and gives us insight into the wonders Kartchner Caverns holds. Listen as Chelsea explains the work her team does, the distinctive features of Kartchner Caverns that set it apart from other show caves, and the importance of conserving this treasured natural resource. Tour Kartchner Caverns yourself by booking a tour reservation at https://azstateparks.com/kartchner/cave-tours/tours. You can learn more about the Arizona grottos of the National Speleological Society that Chelsea references at https://caves.org/state/arizona/. More about our guest, Chelsea Ballard:Chelsea is the Cave Resource Manager / Research and Project Specialist at Kartchner Caverns State Park. She is from Horse Cave, Kentucky and grew up only a few miles from Mammoth Cave National Park and Hidden River Cave. She has been fascinated with caves and sinkholes since she was a young girl after being exposed to the resource from a very early age growing up on a farm. This led her to Western Kentucky University (WKU) to study Karst Hydrogeology. During her time at WKU, she has completed two undergraduate karst thesis research projects with grant funding, taught a Cave Conservation and Karst Management class in Texas, completed a Physical Science Technician internship with the National Park Service, inter-agency trainings with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and an internship with the U.S. Geological Survey. She has also worked as a cave guide with Diamond Caverns, Hidden River Cave and Mammoth Cave National Park. She has completed various karst related trainings, karst research projects and classes through her career. She is deeply involved with the American Cave Conservation Association, the National Speleological Society, WKU Karst Field Studies, Karst Waters Institute, and the United States Biosphere Network. She is currently writing a children’s book centered around the subject of karst. When Chelsea is not at work helping to protect one of the coolest caves in the world you may find her in other caves helping with geology/hydrology research, mapping and surveying projects. She also enjoys volunteering for cave organizations, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, traveling and visiting her friends and family in Kentucky. Find your next Arizona adventure and sign up for our newsletter at AZStateParks.com/Amazing, and follow @AZStateParks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter for even more inspiration.