Episode 11 - Brooke Whipple

Episode 11 is an interview with Brooke Whipple, a contestant from seasons 4 and 5 of the Alone show.

Audio Transcript:

Brooke Whipple

Sam: [00:00:00] hello and welcome to episode 11 of and podcast. Before we get started today, we have a review to read from apple podcasts. This comes from music and Moss and music and Moss says, I love learning the background on all the contestants. And Sam is a great interviewer music and mosque. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave that review and the comment and those kind words for me and for the show, it really means a lot.

Sam: And it helps me to, to keep going with this project. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and work to, to do this show and to so far have, you know, pretty much weekly. Weekly shows to listen to. So it does mean a lot when people take the time to not only listen, but also to interact with the show.

Sam: Speaking of interaction with the show, we will be starting a new, a new part of the show or trying to start a new part of the show where I'm [00:01:00] gathering questions and, and other information from. The listeners of the show, and then we will then take those questions and those comments and, and present those to whoever is being interviewed.

Sam: And so if you wouldn't mind, or if you're interested in doing something like that, you can go to the alone podcast on Facebook. So that's facebook.com/d lone podcast, or at the Alon podcast. You can also email@thealonepodatgmail.com. And go ahead and send me a question that you have for a show participant look back through the catalog and make sure you don't send one for someone who's already been on the show.

Sam: But if there's someone that you're interested in hearing from, or maybe you just have a general question that you would like to ask of any of the show participants, go ahead and send that to me again on facebook@vilanpodcastoratthealonepodatgmail.com, we'll take some of those thoughtful questions. And at the end of each episode where we have questions for either that individual or just general questions, [00:02:00] we will go ahead and ask those and do kind of a quick three question fire round of listener questions.

Sam: So again, thank you for your comments. Thank you for your participation and listening to the show. And with that, we will get right into episode 11 of the alone potty. So we're here with today's guest, Brooke Whipple. So we will all remember Brooke from her time on alone, she was out on season four with her husband, Dave, and then she went back for ademption in season five.

Sam: So Brooke, welcome to the show and thank you for taking time out of your schedule to be with us today. I'm excited to talk with you and, you know, I've I realized as I was putting together some notes and some stuff for me, You know, leading into our conversation that you you've done a lot. And I think you, you seem to be very humble about that on the show and on, you know, your own stuff on YouTube and other things, but you really have led a life of adventure.

Sam: So I'm just going to take a second to share that background with [00:03:00] people. And I'm going to parse from a few different bios that I've read of yours. So Grew up, it sounds like starting early with the hunting and fishing and outdoor stuff. And then you've moved around. You spent some time in Montana doing wildland fire, which is kind of a secret passion of mine.

Sam: So I'm sure we're going to talk about that, but then you moved to Colorado and you were a lifting and a ski bum. You, this one was on the show. You are an award-winning baker, which I'm sure came in handy yesterday. For those out there. We're going to break the wall. Here we are. We're recording the day after Thanksgiving.

Sam: So man, you're a documentary filmmaker and author. You are a successful YouTube creator. You are a teacher instructor, public speaker. So, so much more what, what have I missed on there? And, and what would you add to that list? 

Brooke: Well, I don't think there's as much, you know, I'm just a curious person. I just think you should live life with just your eyes wide open and your [00:04:00] feet hit the ground and you just go for it.

Brooke: So I've just really never let anything you don't slow me down. So I'm very blessed. I just, I'm just, I can't believe the life that I have. And I'm so happy. Yeah. Well maybe I'll maybe I'll ask that from a different direction. Is there, is there anything that, you know, typically doesn't make that list when, when people are talking bio or when you're talking bio that you're particularly proud of?

Brooke: Hmm. I think one of the best experiences in my life was a law grafting on the Yukon river. Just really, it was just such a special place. And boy, I could just go spend lots more time there on a log raft on the Yukon river is like my happy place. So that's a, I'm glad you went there. That's a perfect segue.

Brooke: The, the log rafting on the Yukon. I believe that was the subject of was, was this your first network? TV venture. Okay. [00:05:00] Yeah. Yeah. So it ended up my good friend Neil hired me back in, gosh, it was 2000 to be a guide. He was running the only guy in the world who would build like a giant log raft from drift logs on the Yukon river, basically put up like a floating lodge on this log around.

Brooke: I mean, this log raft is like 40 by 70. It's huge. And then just float sections of the river. So we would float like a week at a time, maybe go 60, 70 miles basically kind of village to village. People would come and then we'd float and then they drop off and the new people would fly in and come float with us for a week.

Brooke: And it was just the most amazing experience. So it really just. I can't, I can't even put into words how special of a thing that is to do. And anyway Nat geo kind of found out about him and what he was doing and built this show around [00:06:00] him. You know, building the law Grafton and my whole family and Neil and his son built a law graph for the show and floated for, I don't know, a month and a half or so on the river.

Brooke: And they filmed, you know, some, the whole, the whole thing. And so, you know, my, my son, I think was nine and my daughter was 11 or something like seven and nine maybe. And so they got to go with us. Dave was there and, you know, it was just amazing floating down the river, being some, you know, immersed in the wilderness like that.

Brooke: And then there was this camera crew trail and us. Yeah, it was, it was really, the show itself is pretty quirky and. Not super awesome, but the experience was still, still alive and well, does it, does it capture, you know, for all the, for all the things that TV is, right. Does it, does it capture at least the, at some point the [00:07:00] essence or the beauty of what you're doing is you're floating that river?

Brooke: You know, I wish, I wish I could say it did. It was kind of more those early years of it was filmed in 2014 and it was, you know, they liked to emphasize kind of drama that really wasn't that dramatic and like, oh, what's the weather in these ways, you know, and stuff like that. And, you know, snow's coming and, you know, the kind of overdraft drama to station of things.

Brooke: So it was a little disappointing in that regard. And you know, we had all these amazing moments that, you know, of course never make it to TV. Because you're not in charge, unfortunately you're not in charge of the edit. It's kind of like a loan, you know, you just, you put all your guts on the line and they kind of take that and, and make the show out of what they think should be shown.

Brooke: So it is what it is. We had an amazing time, especially as a family and great memories. And so yeah, the Yukon, [00:08:00] Yukon river on a log graph, just pretty amazing. You know, when you, when you talk about the dimensions of that vessel, I think it's big enough to deserve something more than just lager after that's that's large.

Brooke: When I think, yeah, that sounds massive. And when I think of these Alaskan rivers and I, I, I believe that the Yukon probably certainly fits the same bill. You know, I live in the Western United States and Utah and all of our rivers are fairly straight, you know, they're fairly. They're, they're not too windy.

Brooke: And, and, you know, when I think of those Alaskan rivers, I think of sandbars and twists and turns and just lots of meandering and that doesn't seem super conducive to probably the most unwieldily unworldly craft. I can imagine. I'm sure that leads to exciting moments or is it, I mean, how does that work with something so large?

Brooke: You nailed it. It's a silky river, so you can't see through the water at all. And it's just full of [00:09:00] sandbars that change with the seasons. So yeah, you have to really be able to read the water cause you cannot quickly maneuver, you know, I mean, I don't know how many tons that thing weighs when we have it finished.

Brooke: And then what we do is attach two skiffs to the back and then the props of the skiff, you know, They that's kinda how we steer the raft. So it's in the back. So you think about like a big pivoting, giant floating kind of like barging, I guess, you know, tug is pushing the barge from the back and that's kind of how we would operate.

Brooke: So you just really had to be reading the river and seeing what's up ahead because, you know, grounding a log raft was pretty bad, pretty bad deal. And same at night, of course we're not floating at night week. We land the raft and there's strategic moments for that too. And you've got in the, even the river [00:10:00] fluctuates every day, day by day.

Brooke: So you could beach the raft. You always got to be making sure it's boomed out. So it's actually floating if the river, the river drops. So it's just a constant, you know, paying and paying attention situation. So. Let's stay floating. Cause if they're not easy to yeah, that doesn't, I mean, it just, it does not, I'm sure there's all sorts of metaphors that that could describe that.

Brooke: And I can't think of a good one right now, so we won't go there, but that just sounds like, you know, what's going to happen is going to happen unless you are paying very close attention. Yeah. Yeah. It's just a big you're in the middle of absolute wilderness and the river can be a mile down towards the mouth when you get towards the the other end it's, you know, three miles wide, but where we were it's about a mile wide.

Brooke: Oh, So it's a big river and it can get really gnarly, really big waves and sections. When you get an upstream wind and you have [00:11:00] three foot standing waves on the Yukon river, and you wouldn't think about that, but it can be pretty gnarly. Yeah. That's I mean I, so my family, we used to do whitewater canoeing skipped the raft and went straight to the canoe.

Brooke: And so I, I don't have a ton of reference, right. But I'm imagining a river of that size with three foot waves on it. And that, that, I mean, yeah, I think that sounds like a hell storm. That's about the only way to describe it. I mean, that seems pretty, pretty wild and pretty wicked You know, maybe not necessarily from, just from the time on the show, but when you think of all of your experience running the Yukon, it sounds like it's obviously an important part of your life.

Brooke: Do you have a specific moment that you like to think back on or that a specific memory that just kind of encapsulates that whole journey and experience? Oh, I'll tell you what. I can't have my first alone wilderness experience Neal. We had just gotten. Rid of some customers [00:12:00] and rid of customers, that sounds terrible.

Brooke: They, they were done with the flow and it was just him and I, and he needed to fly to Fairbanks. And, you know, he's just like, you know, you're just going to be on the raft alone for a week. So we were tied up in a slew of the river. So it's not the main channel, but you know, you gotta keep the RAF boom down and you're just alone.

Brooke: So yeah, whatever flies off, you know, he's got a boat to the nearest village and then they fly out by Bush plane. So I'm just alone. You know, I've got a battery operated radio and I've got firepower and that's about it. I got a boat because you can hear things coming for just miles and miles away. When you're in that deep a wilderness, you can hear planes and even your boats coming from miles of river down river.

Brooke: It's really interesting. And so we're tied up to shore, obviously I'm worried. So we have like a gangplank to get from the shore to the raft. And I'm obviously worried about bears and you know, I'm just like a floating refrigerator full of [00:13:00] food in the wilderness. Well, not refrigerator. Yeah. We actually had a propane fridge.

Brooke: I take that back. We did ever appropriate refrigerator anyway. I'm like, what am I going to do? Like it we're at the time of year where it was actually getting dark at night, it's late summer. So by the end of August, you are getting like some dark darkness at night and I'm like, you know, I gotta be ready for bears.

Brooke: And so I took all of our empty cans that I could find, and I like stacked them up on the gangplank. So if anything was going to come on the raft, I would, it would wake me up. And meanwhile, I had like a shotgun and a rifle under my cot in a Walmart. And so you're all zipped up in there. And one morning I woke up and I could hear like cloth.

Brooke: Walking across the deck, like, well, we grew up and the problem is, you know, the only way to look out is to unzip the whole front door of your tent. There's no window in the front. [00:14:00] It's like kinda like grabbed my shot, gonna do like this army style belly crawled. So the front of my tent and like just kind of pull it open so I can look.

Brooke: And there's a porcupine, cause I'm sitting there going, why didn't my cans work and what, you know, why, how does he get past, you know, the alarm system, but it was a porcupine. So that was just a really fun learning moment of just being alone because I don't really think I had been alone before then completely alone in a wilderness situation like that.

Brooke: So I think. That was kinda my first initiation into that. And it, it sounds like that wasn't a terrible experience because you've, you've spent a good portion of your life replicating that. Well, you know, it just takes practice being alone in the woods, in the wilderness. I don't believe anyone that tells me that doesn't make them nervous or scared a little bit.

Brooke: [00:15:00] Because it's just, I think it's a human instinct to be, to have that feeling of just that fear of what you can't see and what you don't know, what that sound is. I mean, I think that's just ingrained in us. It just takes a lot of practice to get by that. I mean that week on the raft, I didn't get a lot of sleep because I was nervous.

Brooke: I was concerned. Stuff, walking on the raft and eating me. And, and to be fair when you're out in the woods at night, porcupines do sound about as big as grizzly bears. Everything sounds as I in the woods. Yeah. I mean, your mind just goes crazy. So it's really a mind over matter thing. Yes. The reality is there are things that can, you know, each youth they want to, on the other hand, it's not likely, and you just have to control your mind [00:16:00] to wrap yourself around the whole idea of it.

Brooke: And then you come out the other side like that. After I was on the raft alone, you know, I felt so much more confident and I felt so much stronger about my own abilities. So, and that's what I think is a pretty common theme. Even if you're not on the show and you spent a night alone in the woods, it's an accomplishment.

Brooke: It's, it's really something, it makes this mental, physical shift in you. That's just really powerful. Yeah. Thanks for, thanks for giving all of us who can spend a couple of nights alone. Thanks for giving us permission to feel good about ourselves. I, I appreciate that. It not easy. I, and I do remember another time.

Brooke: I try to stay alone in the woods and I bailed. I'm like, you know, I don't feel comfortable. There's no shaming and being real about it. Like, okay. And you know what, to be honest, your [00:17:00] instinct, you need to listen to your instinct, intuition. Yeah. And your intuition that's valuable information that you shouldn't be ignored.

Brooke: Yeah. I mean, we've, you know, it's, I guess it depends on, on your worldview, but regardless of how you see things, we are a species that's been around for a very long time and you don't get to be around for a very long time without getting really good at staying alive. And I think a lot of what you've talked about for the last few minutes really touches back on, on, you know, inside of us, whether, you know, whether we have, have cultivated that connection or not inside of us, there is something that is very familiar with all of these circumstances and these experiences.

Brooke: And it's very good at trying to keep us alive. That's right, exactly. This Yukon thing and, and speaking of, of trying to keep alive, do you have any story that you can share of, of maybe [00:18:00] when things didn't go so well on that log raft? Cause I can, again, I can imagine that that's, you know, you're asking for all sorts of excitement when you do something of that nature.

Brooke: Well, it's more to do with the navigation of the raft because it'd be hung. Hang. If you get the raft hung up, it can be bad. So one night we tied up on the north shore, I'm sorry, the south shore of you type on the north shore. You get the sun in the morning. And for whatever reason that we tied up on the south shore and I don't know why it made a difference, but we were always used to tying up on the north shore.

Brooke: The river runs east to west and in the section we were at. So the north shore in the morning you'd get all that sunshine. You wouldn't be in the shadows anyway, we were on the south shore that night. And so when you land the raft, you have to have the skiffs pointing down river would be the ideal. And that night we had [00:19:00] swung the raft around so that the skiffs were pointing like up river.

Brooke: And what happened was the intentionally done that. Yeah. And the ropes in the front that night opposite of where it like, so it'd be the front of the raft pointing upstream, came starting to come loose. And so it was pulling the raft out into the current, like, you know, on the corner, but it was grinding the motors of the boat into the, into the shore.

Brooke: You know what I mean? Yeah. So there's no way to jump in the skiff and fix the raft. So what's happening is it's just being.

Brooke: Yeah, dude, it was bad. So we were all just yelling and screaming at each other and try to figure out what to do. And, you know, you're like, it's just getting worse because the current strong, and we have this giant raft, it's just like grinding the back end, where the skiffs are into the [00:20:00] shore and pulling out the front end into the current.

Brooke: So it was just like, and those, those skiffs would cause I'm assuming that without those, that, I mean, again, that raft is basically going to be not useless, but yes, pretty much. Yes, because it's the whole rudder system of the motors on the gifts that are, you know, getting us where we need to go staring us off sandbars and whatnot.

Brooke: So that was bad. And that was while we were filming the show and. The, the camera guys that night had. Cause they were like right on the raft with us, they had to go like skiff off to some production meeting. And so they weren't even there. They weren't even filming it. Cause it probably would've made the show.

Brooke: One of those moments that for us, yeah, not this one. So what the good news is that they had left, which means they had to come back. And so they [00:21:00] had a skiff and as soon as they were coming, you know, we're screaming at them, get to the frog. And so luckily they kind of bailed us out with that other free gift.

Brooke: Like we were able to take the front back towards shore and like level everything back out because not only were we not in control of the RAF, but it was going to like break off the motors and the skits because of that pressure. Yeah. So the production crew with their skiff, like save the day. No one would have been around it.

Brooke: I don't know what, I don't know what would have happened. We actually had it tied to tipped over pine way up on shore. And it like ripped that thing out of the ground, the pressure of the raft. So it was, it was a real moment that you can't like, even, you couldn't see coming, you didn't, and those are the things that'll get you in the wilderness general.

Brooke: Like you can plan, but it's the stuff that you don't plan for. And [00:22:00] then it's like a perfect storm of things that like fail that really gets you into a bad situation. Yeah. What's the, what's the, I can't remember. You might, but there's something about, you know, there's three or five bad situations or FA and a bleeding to like an ultimate catastrophe, right?

Brooke: There's all these little mistakes. The add up and then you've got a massive problem. And that's kind of what happened that night. It was just like this one, fail one, fail this failed. Like we didn't do that. We didn't do this. And this broke and this went wrong and it's like, oh crap. Yeah. That's a exciting moment.

Brooke: Thank goodness for the, for the camera crew on that one. Yeah. Yeah. That extra skiffs got us out of the the danger zone there. Cause I really don't know what would happen. It would have wrecked the motors, the rafts would have just gone downstream at night, you know, with no like ability to steer it.

Brooke: Like it would have been really. [00:23:00] Do you remember how far in you guys were at that point? Well, I mean, you mean time-wise not distance? Like how, like how long were you going to be? How long were you going to be? Walking is basically the question. Oh, there's there's I don't know. I mean, 50 miles. Something like that.

Brooke: Like, there's, there's nothing out there and that's, if you walk the shore, if you could, you know, there's a lot of spots it's not possible anyway. Yeah. That, that sounds like a, like excitement that you can't, wouldn't be able to ever convey to someone that wasn't there for that excitement. It was scary.

Brooke: Yeah. I can, I can imagine. Well, so the Yukon and that experience obviously is a big part of your life and what other things, I mean, we can transition to, I mean, you've done everything, right. You've, you've [00:24:00] done fire and, and the everything. So let's, let's go to fire for a minute. And how long did you do fire for, and what drew you to that?

Brooke: I'm just a really physical person. I really like hard work. I like to be challenged in that physical way and you know, I was just kind of Driftless there for a few years. I had gone to community college for a couple of years and I just hated it. And I just wanted out of Michigan and ended up out west.

Brooke: So I would just kind of bounce from one thing to the other out there. So I only did fire for one season. But I worked for an independent contractor, gray back forestry, and yeah, we did a lot of project work, which is just, you know, in prescribed burns. And then like the forest service or those people, they would call us up when their resources were, you know, tasked out.

Brooke: And so we'd be like an independent contractor for the forest service and people like that that needed more fire help. So super fun. I mean, it's really hard work and you're kind of just with this small [00:25:00] crew and you just travel all over and, and I got to ride my first private jet when they flew us through a fire boot was pretty cool.

Brooke: You know, it's just and to get on the crew, you know, you had to, you had to pass all the stuff and be selected. So. You know, your physicality meant something, your hard work meant something, and those are kind of like value propositions to me. So I just liked that kind of stuff. It's funny, as you mentioned that, I'm sure that and maybe, maybe it's still this way, but I'm sure anyone who's done done fire is like, wait a minute.

Brooke: Private jets, we've got a ride in that stinky buggy with 20 other people for 12 hours to get to fires these days. Yeah. I mean, it was just because of, we were needed so quickly. I mean, it only happened once, but it was like a moment. I remember like, dude, we get to ride a private jet. It was pretty cool.

Brooke: Only like 10 of us. So did [00:26:00] they leave all the snacks and drinks in there for you guys to, to ransack? Yeah, I don't remember that at all. I think it was just like quick way to get there, get in and get on the ground. So I don't remember. Like getting treated like royalty other than we just had to fly fast.

Brooke: That's funny. So with your experience on a fire, did you, I mean, you did it for one season and it's not like you did a lot of prescribed burns, but at least we're called into one major fire at least. Do you have any experiences or stories from your time doing fire that you would like to share?

Brooke: You know, I just think there's just something so valuable about being with a group of people who kind of have a common goal and desire. I mean, that's kind of how alone was too. I mean, you're just all they're geeked out to do the same thing. And that's how, you know, when you get together with a group of people and I'm sure like police officers and first responders and, you know firefighters, urban firefighters, I mean, you get that comradery of just [00:27:00] a common goal, common directions.

Brooke: And this kind of specialized knowledge and it's just really an enjoyable atmosphere. I just really liked it. Yeah. And I think a common thread with all of those things, you mentioned as well as the intensity of the experience, right. That tends to, to forge, not to use a fire pun there that was but that tends to kind of forge that relationship and forge, you know, needing to be reliant upon each other in a situation where that reliance actually counts.

Brooke: Right? Yeah. Yeah. And so what I learned is I don't do really good in hot weather in general and usually on fires, you're in the hottest weather and the driest weather fighting a fire. It's like, dude, this is so hard. And anytime now I smell like chard anything. It takes me right back to my season. On the fire crew.

Brooke: Cause it's just like to smell memory, you know, [00:28:00] I was just doing mop up and clean up and digging out, you know, smoldering stumps. And there's just a smell to that. It's like an earth slash like chars smell. It's very distinct. So it's like, Ooh, that as soon as I smell that, I'm right back on the fire crew.

Brooke: I'm assuming that brings back good things, right? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. It's just good, hard work. Cool. And what part of Montana that was in Montana? I believe. Right. And where in Montana was it? Well you're based out of Missoula, but we traveled like all over. We did tons of work in Oregon. The fire we were on was in California.

Brooke: No surprise. But it was really, we did a lot of work in Oregon. We traveled a lot, but only once via private jet. Only once still the only time. Well, you should, you should fix that. You should. I think you deserve a good, like good private jet ride. Did you get, did you get the helicopter treatment on a loan [00:29:00] at all?

Brooke: Or were you boat and, and I guess there was the swamp buggy thing for season five, right? Yeah. Yeah. Both of those were, yes. So lots of amazing moments that's for sure. We'll switch gears here again a little bit and move into some Alaska stuff. Something I've been super excited to talk about was the documentary that you filmed.

Brooke: So you filmed a show about something called Mount marathon and Mount marathon today in 2021 is probably quite a bit more known than it was what a decade ago and or over a decade ago. I think when you, when you did that documentary and so for a quick, and you understand it better than I do, but I'll just give a quick background of what Mount marathon is.

Brooke: So Mount marathon is a running race. I believe it's in Seward, right? Okay, so Seward, Alaska, and there's a few different versions of the story, but [00:30:00] basically there's this mountain that goes from sea level to really tall. I think it's what 3000 feet, something like that. And, and for those out there that 11, that 11 feet counts, just to say for those out there, that 11 feet that, that counts.

Brooke: So I think there's a few different versions of the story, but basically a long time ago, there was some miners that were hanging out in town. And I think one version involves alcohol and one might not, but basically someone looked up at the mountain top and said, Hey, I can do that in an hour. And so, you know, inebriated or not, some people went and decided to try and make it to the top of this mountain in an hour.

Brooke: And so basically you're, you're going from sea level to 3011 feet. And you're doing that in, in what, a mile mile and a half, somewhere in there. Oh, it's three miles total. It's like classified is like the hardest 5k in America, but the world, I don't know. But the vertical gain, I mean, you're, you're doing that [00:31:00] in about a mile and a half, right?

Brooke: I think so. Yeah. Yeah. And so if you're if you're interested in seeing something equally terrifying and entertaining, go, go find some footage from Mount marathon. And especially if people descending Mount marathon. And I mean, it just, it, it is, it looks like less than controlled chaos of legs and arms and bodies just fleeing themselves off of this nearly vertical mountain.

Brooke: So you've, you've competed in, in Mount marathon. And you, you did your documentary there. What, I mean, you can see you're going to say hard work I'm sure. But what made you decide that that doing something like Mount marathon was a good day? Well, I think the first time I decided I wanted to run the race, I was just a, I was just pregnant.

Brooke: I'm like, well, that sounds like a logical thing to shoot for. I don't know. It just really captured my attention. I had heard about the race and I [00:32:00] really just wanted to do it. You know, I just really love a challenge. And so I went down and it's so popular. You have to put in for a lottery to win the race, to get a spot.

Brooke: And I put in and I got it and I'm like, holy crap. Okay, so now I have to like train and do this thing. So were you a runner prior to this? Yeah, I was a really good runner in school. But I mean, this is a while past high school. Let's just be honest where you in mountain runner, I guess is the real question.

Brooke: No, not really. No, no, just cross-country. Running. And I've always been in pretty good shape. And so I just had my son as my second child. I'm like, yeah, let's go run this race. And so trained and went and did it. And I was just floored. Like the only spectators there are, is like on the C level, the very start and bottom of the race is in town, in Seward, Alaska.

Brooke: The rest of the, the race is [00:33:00] completely like goat climbing and, and getting up and down the mountain. I mean, it's just like, it's insane. I couldn't believe what I was participating in. And, you know, and I had been there and like ran through it before I actually did the race, but I mean, it's really, really crazy.

Brooke: And I got done thinking. The world needs to see this race. Like this is insane and you're not gonna see it unless you're on the mountain. And very, very few like spectators climb the mountain to see what's actually happening up there. So it's only like spectator or the actual participants that are, you know, going through it that see what's going on.

Brooke: So I was just really inspired and I was just kind of getting into filmmaking at that point. And I thought, what a great like first project, like I'll just whip out a documentary. So it's, I am proud of the documentary still, but like I would change so much. I know so much more now, but for, for first run, like I did [00:34:00] pretty good with it.

Brooke: And so to get in the race, so here I'm planning this documentary, but yet like I'm going to have to film and like race at the same time. So I researched and found like the lightest camera at the time. I mean, a decade ago that's asking a lot, it was still like mini DV tape. It wasn't even digital at that point.

Brooke: And so I found like a one and a half pound camera and I ran with that. And then I had like like GoPros. I had a GoPro on my hat, and then it I'd hired like two guys to like strategically be in a couple of places in the race to actually also capture some footage. And then I just did tons of interviews and like put this documentary together, but I didn't win the lottery that time.

Brooke: So they have this auction the night before the race. So here I've planned this documentary and I don't have a slot to run it. So I had [00:35:00] saved up money for like a year because these slots, they auction off 10 spots in the women's and 10 spots in the men's. And I was like, you know, I have to buy my way into this race, but it made a good, you know, little segment for the documentary too.

Brooke: So here I am like, you know, I'm at the auction trying to get a spot. And, you know, I think I paid $700 to run the race. That was the cost of entry for me. In some years they go like $2,000. People go crazy to get into this race. That's a lot of money for the privilege, but, you know, I had everything on the line.

Brooke: Like I planned on filming this documentary. I had to get in the race. So yeah, I ran the whole stupid race with that camera in my hand and the GoPro on my head. And it just, it was wonderful, but that race is so intense and you're right coming down. It's just like, you're, you're jumping off the moon. It's just this really loose scree.

Brooke: And coming down to my favorite, I just love the giant leaps you can take. You know, and you have [00:36:00] to like tape up like your socks and your shoes. Cause you'll just fill them with that stuff coming down. And yeah, it's an incredible race. I believe it's the third oldest foot race in the country. And I believe this year might be the hundredth anniversary.

Brooke: I think 20, 22 might be the hundredth anniversary of that race. So the town of Seward goes from like, you know, 4,000 people to like 35,000 people for that 4th of July weekend. Cause it takes place every 4th of July. So this is amazing. It's intense. Yeah. One of the reasons I wanted to talk about it, cause I've known about Mount marathon for a few years.

Brooke: Yeah, I used to, I used to run and, and mountain run and do all that fun stuff and I agree the dissent on any mountain run is the most fun part. But for me, when I S you know, so Mount marathon has actually gained what I would call some level of popularity in the last probably five or six years. But when I saw that you had done your documentary, you know, five or six [00:37:00] years before that, it just intrigued me because at that point in time, I mean, and you just kind of confirmed that at that point in time, Mount marathon was, you know, would have been.

Brooke: Very very, I don't want to say cult following, but it may have been very, very niche as far as who knew about it and who was doing it. And so it's awesome that you kind of where the it's. So it's fun for me, you know, a decade later being someone who, who has followed that race and who does watch the, the things that are put out about Mount marathon and has been intrigued by, by it to then learn that, you know, that you were kind of the original person to show, not to just tell, but to show Mount marathon to the world.

Brooke: That's, that's really neat and kind of special for me is, is that footage of like, do you have that available? Is it on your YouTube channel or is there somewhere that people can go and, and watch that, you know, unfortunately I never did upload it to. YouTube. I should do that. [00:38:00] Otherwise believe it or not people, you have to order it on DVD for me, which is so old school.

Brooke: That's that's the only place you can see it. And I do believe I think a couple other films, documentary ish, things have been made since I did mine. But yeah, you have to like get on my Etsy store and order a copy. And I saw them cheap because I have too many of them. They're like, well then I, I won't pressure you to digitize.

Brooke: Cause I don't want to take away from your, from your DVD selling magnate business. But no, it would actually love to be rid of them completely. I mean, coming from someone who I don't even think I have the ability to play a DVD in my home anymore. I would love to see that on your YouTube channel sometime.

Brooke: Yeah. Yeah. Well there, if you go back and I'm talking back years, you have to go to the bottom of my channel. I have a couple of little snippets of like trailer type stuff on my [00:39:00] channel which is girl in the woods. So if you go back to like 2009. Or something 2010. I don't even know when I posted it, but there's a couple of little snippets, I mean, YouTube channel, but I do need to digitize the whole thing and put it out.

Brooke: That would be, that'd be really fun. Well, when you do I'll I'm, I'm subscribed. So I'm going to be excited to get that notification at some point. Cause I'm, I'm excited to see what that original take on the race is and was because it's a, it's a fascinating thing. So we we've talked a lot about your filmmaking and, and we've mentioned YouTube.

Brooke: So I'm gonna try and tee this up in a, in a way that will help people understand. So I, I have a podcast. I don't know if anyone listening, understands or knows that, but I, I run a podcast and I feel, I feel pretty good about my show. Right? It's very small. It's a, it's a niche group of people that are interested in the alone show.[00:40:00] 

Brooke: And I get about 300 listens per episode, and that's in the first couple of weeks and we're only two months old, but I feel really good about that. And there's a lot of podcasts out there and that's, you know, my show or this show is in like the top 10% worldwide, currently of podcasts, which is great. But you know, it's a, it's still a very small number.

Brooke: So to kind of tee this up, when we talk about. Brooks YouTube channel. You know, again, I get about 300 listens per episode, which I'm super stoked on and have about 120 like dedicated subscribers. Your YouTube channel. You have, I just checked again this morning. They, it kind of just grows on its own all the time, but you're at like 317,000 subscribers.

Brooke: I think you've had over 35 million total views and you average like a hundred. Yeah. And then you average like a hundred thousand views per episode. And so when, when we say [00:41:00] that, that you have a successful YouTube channel I think it's safe to say that you have a successful YouTube channel. And you kinda already answered the question.

Brooke: I didn't know what came first, the, the alone chicken or the YouTube channel egg, but it sounds like, you know, filmmaking has been something you've been interested in for a very long time and has been an outlet for you for a while. Can you talk about the YouTube journey and I guess why, why start a YouTube channel and, and what does it do for you?

Brooke: Cause it sounds like it probably fulfills something inside of you to, to create in that way. Yeah, that's, that's exactly it. It's the creating part and the artistic part of filming. I just really I bought my first camera in 2007. I had to get like a yard sale, like cam quarter before that, you know, Dave and I, and our kids were in Alaska and you know, we're doing all this stuff.

Brooke: That's hard. And in building up our lives and homestead and in like our, all of our family was back in Michigan. And so it was kind of a way to share [00:42:00] like what was going on in our lives and the kids growing up. And I just have this like insatiable need. I don't know, like record things and share things.

Brooke: It is a creative outlet. And the film filming for me was what hit that sweet spot. So, you know, I'm just filming owls and moose are our lives and it just kinda morphed into like more creative things, more artistic type things. And then, you know, the documentary and in pretty soon you're upgrading cameras and, you know, you're just, it's just like, I can hardly walk out the door without grabbing my camera.

Brooke: You know, it's just kind of part of me. And so I didn't really put a lot out on YouTube until I think I've, I'm approaching six years of like really steady, continuous posting on YouTube, but it's just this thing you can, you can do. Create something, put it out to the world and share it and hopefully [00:43:00] inspire other people to get outside.

Brooke: And if you'd know my channel at all, you know, I say, get outside and get happy. And that's really what it is for me. And just filming that and immersing yourself in the outdoors, but with a camera in your hand, you know, so when alone happened, it was like a real, super easy transition for me. I'd been filming myself and filming everything for years prior to that.

Brooke: And it was such a natural fit. And YouTube now is just it's our jobs. You know, Dave is on YouTube has almost half a million subscribers. It's my husband. And it's just a creative outlet, but also now it's just, it's our job it's turned into our full-time jobs, but it's not like punching a clock. It's like, Where do I want to camp today?

Brooke: And like take people along. Like, it's pretty amazing. I'm so blessed. And then the, you know, the longer unit, the better you get and you figure out what works and what doesn't and what people want to see. And you begin to form this community around your [00:44:00] viewership, and it's just really rewarding. Yeah. It you know, again, I, I am on like the, the, the very opposite end of that spectrum.

Brooke: And, but I, I can understand. I mean, for me, it's so awesome to just see that people are enjoying something that you put time and effort into. Cause I, you know, I don't know that that, unless you've done something creative, like you do that people can understand, you know, how much effort goes into what you do.

Brooke: I mean, your videos, you know, 15, 20, 30, 45 minutes. And you know, to me that seems like it's probably weeks of work to get an episode or to get a, an I guess an episode out. So there's a lot of, of you that goes into not just what's seen on camera, but what's happening behind it to make that possible.

Brooke: And to, to put that out there for people. Yeah, you absolutely have to love the process of all of it. Like you have to like the editing, you have to like the [00:45:00] filming, you have to like the finished product and the interaction afterwards, because it is a ton of work, especially these, I mean, like my last, I built a cabin the summer literally took me months because I wasn't doing it, you know, continuously, but filming an entire build.

Brooke: I mean, we're talking hours and hours and hours and hours of footage on top of the work of building the cabin. And then you've got to sort through all of that, which made me really feel sympathy for the alone editors, by the way of all the footage to sift through, to make a story, come to life. And I mean, you have to enjoy all of those parts or the process will be miserable and you won't succeed.

Brooke: So you have to like, like it all And it's also a longevity thing. You know, you cut a stick with it the longer you're in the game, the better you get, but the more people find out about you and, you know, it's a snowball effect, so you [00:46:00] absolutely have to put the time and it's a long game. You cannot think I'm going to jump on and just be awesome out the gate because nobody is takes a lot of years and just grind.

Brooke: It's just a grind. Like if you enjoy it, it's it's good. Oh, and, and your channel, I mean, you do awesome stuff. You, I think, I mean, you undersell again, right? I built a cabin. But I mean, you've, you've built a couple of cabins on your channel, I believe, and shared that process. And you know what, I guess you've already mentioned the name it's girl in the woods, but what kind of things can people expect if they were to go and look at your channel, what are they going to experience?

Brooke: And, and. I think a lot of it is an immersive experience in the outdoors. You know, I try to get the feeling across that. You're with me, whatever I'm doing. But it might just be some, it might be fishing might be putting up a Walton and that experience of like sitting around a fire[00:47:00] it might be building a cabin.

Brooke: It might be it's basically anything outdoors, but with kind of this vibe of hoping to inspire you to get outside and that's kind of what it has evolved to, but really I'm just like filming the stuff. I like to be honest, I'm so lucky to be able to do that, but, you know, in order to be successful on YouTube, you do have to have like you have to be able to convey something that's a value to someone else.

Brooke: And I think I hit the inspiration button on my channel. More than anything I hear from a lot of women in particular. And I didn't really think I could do that or this, and you've inspired me to do that or this and that just makes me so happy. So I think just seeing a woman getting out there and getting at it hits the button for some people.

Brooke: So I really liked that. Yeah. I wanted to, to kind of touch on that. Cause I, [00:48:00] I assumed that your audience was, was quite female. Right. And I think it's awesome to have someone in that space that is able to cater to. To the needs and to the experience of women in the outdoors. And so that's great that you're able to be there and to share that experience and to be inspirational to so many people with your cabin builds, I think this kind of feeds into that, but were those solo builds like mostly solo builds or were you working with Dave or other people as you were putting those together?

Brooke: Oh, let's see. The one before the last one I just did, that was Dave and I building the shell together and then I finished the insight alone and then this last build was completely solo me. So that was my first solo build. And yeah, so I just really love the challenge. [00:49:00] I think that resonates across like my personality, I guess I just really.

Brooke: I just really like to be challenged. Yeah. I watched I watched a few of your videos before before this, obviously, so I could get a feel of, of your channel and, and your creativity and that outlet for you. But I didn't, I didn't have the time to immerse myself in a, in a series. And so I watched some of your more standalone videos, but I was very curious to know if it was a, a solo project.

Brooke: And so I'm excited to go back and, and watch those. And I would encourage anyone because to me, I mean, it just sounds fascinating to see the experience, or I guess, to experience the experience of you creating a, a cabin and a structure all on your own and, and, you know, I'm sure that you had a lot of those skills, but I'm sure there was also lots of learning opportunities and moments for you there that you share as well.

Brooke: Yeah. Yeah, it was totally, you know, I'm a good worker. To be completely in charge of the build and it was remote. It was only accessible by ATV. [00:50:00] So added another layer of getting material to the site, but not having anyone there to answer your question. Helping you figure out something or stand up one end of the A-frame like, it's just, you got to just power through and do it.

Brooke: So yeah, it was huge learning and yeah, it was kinda like that first time you stay alone in the woods, you know, and you're like, I'm not sure I can do this, but you actually, can you come out the other side? Like, oh great. I'm like so excited what I'm going to build next. I have like two bills already in my mind for what we do next.

Brooke: So that's cool. Just snowball. Yeah. You mentioned that your channel, you know, you, you feel like you hit the inspiration button and, you know, in talking and talking to you about that and seeing what you've done. What I think is super cool and I don't want to call it unique cause that's going to be unfair to other people, but I, you know, I think what is unique and.

Brooke: Awesome about what you're doing is that you are inspirational, but it's very genuine inspiration. It's very genuine of, this is how I [00:51:00] am, and this is what I do. And this is why it's been so great for me. And so the, the inspiration, like you, you, you say inspiring things, but you're also just inspirational because of how you are and what you do.

Brooke: And it comes across as very real and authentic. And I'm sure that's just how you are. And if that's not, you are doing a great job of editing your videos. Well, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate. That's very cool. So with the filmmaking, we've talked a little bit about Dave as well and, and his channel and, and, you know, obviously the one cabin bill that he was involved in here we are 55 minutes in and we're finally getting there, so I'm sorry people, but you obviously had a, a, a very I'm going to call it an intense experience with Dave with alone season four.

Brooke: And then for you, you, you know, you turned right around and you were back out on season five. You know, you, I mean, you had what nine, 10 months in between, but that's a quick turnaround. Can you talk a little bit [00:52:00] about your time on alone and, and what it was like to have? I think to me, especially that experience with Dave, where you're able to have that focused time, but also that intense experience together.

Brooke: Yeah. Season four, we were both just really excited to be able to do it together because. I came across the show and was just like enthralled with it. And we both were like, I would love to do this, you know, both of us. So when that family season came up it was like, ah, this is a perfect fit, right?

Brooke: Like we both get to do it. We both get to do it together. So it was really amazing. Can't say enough, good things about production. And the cast, the people who are with us, we just love them all. We just had such a great time leading up to the show and, you know, you kind of launched into that show, just buddies and it doesn't feel like a competition whatsoever.

Brooke: You just hope everyone does well and stays safe. And it's constantly on your mind, you [00:53:00] know, you've just made these friends and you know, you're out there and you're wondering how they're doing, you know, wondering who left and in our case, On the coast. So every time you'd see a boat, you know, you're craning your neck to be like, does that look like a production boat?

Brooke: So what's happening, you know? But you know, we were alone. I was dropped on one side of the island and he was dropped on the other. So we had to hike to me and it took eight days. So I was kind of really obsessed with making sure camp was going to be set up for him. Cause I knew he would be just absolutely exhausted.

Brooke: And I think people really tuned in to see like, oh, the only husband, wife team, like they're going to fight, like how do they do that? But Dave and I lived were, we haven't lived conventional lives, our entire marriage. And we're together 24 7, like all the time. Neither of us really. Other people long-term spend like gig work or [00:54:00] we're self-employed.

Brooke: So we're together all the time. And what you saw on TV was what you would see us at home too. Like it's just our relationship and how we work and get along. So I think people were disappointed. They didn't see a couple of bickering, couple on the show who couldn't handle being like together that much, even though the show's called alone we're together that much all the time.

Brooke: So it was really not anything abnormal. We lived really, you know, rustic lives and, you know, the first cabin we built, we lived in our dome tent while we build it in Alaska, we'd go to work, get out of work, work on our Gavin, we'd go to bed in the dome tent. Like it's kind of how we have always done things.

Brooke: So it wasn't that much of a step outside of. Existence together to do the show. It just, it was wonderful. I mean, really, we didn't have any challenges between us. The only thing I can [00:55:00] say is when you're with someone in a situation like that, you know, be emotional ups and downs, you're going to feel the other person, which if you're alone, you're only dealing with your own.

Brooke: So if I was having an update or a down day or vice versa, you know, the other person, it's you feel that in, that's not helpful or it is helpful depending on which end of it you're on. So that was the unique part of that season. I can imagine. I mean, that's a stress. You know, as soon as you say that, I mean, everyone who's listening, it's like, oh yeah.

Brooke: You know, that makes sense. But that's a, a factor that I would, I wouldn't have thought about. But you know, but not, I think about that and think about my own life, my own circumstances, like, yeah, that would be an especially challenging thing to, to have to manage or to feel like you have to manage it.

Brooke: There's probably this feeling of pressure of, oh man, if I'm feeling X, Y, or Z today, you know, that's going to impact Dave and he's going to feel like he has to do a, B and C or [00:56:00] that's a, that's an interesting perspective. And I think something that is really great and unique and really wonderful about season four is that you also had someone that.

Brooke: Could share with right. And not just on the show, I'm talking more about when you got home, that there was someone who understands you, right. And that you don't even have to talk about it at that point. You can just look at each other and I'm sure there are still moments where you just look at each other and go, wow.

Brooke: You know, cause it's such an intense experience. But again, that sounds like it's been your whole relationship. That is so true. We are so blessed in that. I mean, you could really. You could get excited together before the show. You could like talk about bootcamp. You could talk about launch. I mean, just everything it's been so wonderful and same as YouTube too.

Brooke: Like we talk shop all the time and we are so blessed. We said so many times, like, think about these people go back to their spouses or [00:57:00] their partners or whatever. And there's just that, that connection is just so valuable and powerful, very hard there. You know, we are able to deconstruct and, you know, de everything after, because we both been through it.

Brooke: And it's really, really, that's a really interesting vibe to share for sure. The division of labor was really great though, too, on the show. It's just really great to have someone there to. To help with work and cutting wood and stuff. Yeah. I mean, I, you know, I think, and not to, you know, obviously not to get personal with anyone, but you know, that coming home piece is, is like, it seems like it's the challenge of the whole experience is that coming home and, and, you know, for some coming home to someone who doesn't understand or to whatever the circumstances may have been, it, that leads to some, to some challenges.

Brooke: And so it's awesome that you're able to come home and have each other to, to [00:58:00] understand the, the experience that you've just gone through. What was it like to, to, I mean, that's a, it's a quick turnaround. If you ask me, I think that, you know, 10 months or whatever, it ends up being nine months turnaround to go out on season five and to do that alone.

Brooke: What was that like? And, and what was the feeling like the, the mental state of knowing that you were going to go through that again? Then also knowing that you had to do it alone alone the second time. That's a really, really great question because it was such a quick turnaround. I said season five was like, we all kind of went into it with PTSD.

Brooke: All of the returning people were knew exactly what we were getting into. And that was different than the other seasons where like, it's just this really ramped up exciting experience. And everyone's just so [00:59:00] pumped. And season five was a really subdued. Like every, it was like serious. We still had fun and everything leading up, but like there was this.

Brooke: I wouldn't say a cloud, but you know, what's coming and it's not going to be easy. It's not going to be enjoyable all the time. So it was really a different vibe. That was fascinating to me. The psychology of the show is super fascinating to me. Yeah. I, I don't know if you've, I mean, I've mentioned this on a few episodes, but then I'm going to say it again and I'm going to say it until I'm going to say this until there's a psychologist listening to the show and they do something about it.

Brooke: I think that if there's not a university that's, you know, or some psychologist who's working with production to get access to the footage, to just, to, to do psychology, psychological research on the show. I mean, I think there's an understanding of the raw human condition that has, that is sitting on those films.

Brooke: And on that footage of that is just, if there would be a shame for that, [01:00:00] not to go to a scientific use. Kind of like deconstructing some of the moments. Yeah. I mean, just, just watching in general. I mean, the experience is so raw and so rough that I think there has to be some psychological value there and learning that can happen.

Brooke: But you also mentioned to the, that you didn't, you know, you don't wanna use the word cloud, but kind of the, just, he, I guess humility is probably what to expect or what to call it, this humility of, of going into this experience and something that Michelle and I were talking about the other day, you know, we were watching back through as, as we get to watch and prepare for an episode.

Brooke: And when you said that, I realized like, wow, you know, when you, when you watch the season five, There is a totally different vibe on season five that I don't think you'd pick up on, unless you, unless you had been told to look for it. So I, I recommend if you're listening, go back and watch the seasons again, or watch someone's clips after you've [01:01:00] heard them on this show and you'll, it's a whole different experience, but yeah, season five, when I think about it, it was, there was totally a different vibe that you could even feel of it.

Brooke: You know, I was really excited to do it alone. I mean, that didn't bother me at all. I felt really bad, actually. I really felt like Dave deserved to go back. I mean, I had to leave season four because I had lost so much weight. They were going to pull me that day. So we decided to make that decision ourselves that day instead of like, have them come pull me.

Brooke: And I know he could have gone longer and we were in it to win it. We were in it to stay as long as we could. So I felt bad that it was me that ended it, you know, and as a team, that's how it goes. You know? So when I got called back from Mongolia and it was probably just cause they needed another female you know, I was like sweet, but really I felt like it should have been his chance.

Brooke: Of course, I don't make that decision, [01:02:00] but I was totally psyched to try it alone. And that, you know, the alone thing doesn't bother me it's but nine months turnaround was, I'd be lying. If I said it wasn't really difficult on me and my body and mental whole thing is really quick turn around to do that twice in a year.

Brooke: And so was losing weight a clip much faster than I did on season four. So at day 19, I was like the same way I was at day 30 and season four, man. So it was just kind of accelerating. And by day 28, I was like, you know, I'm just done with this. I'm sick of being alone. I'm sick of this feeling of being starving.

Brooke: That's sick of myself. So I called it and something that as I was watching back to the, the green [01:03:00] tarp that does almost seem like a cruel and unusual thing for them to do, to provide a green tarp instead of like a, a white tarp is that were, you know, your experience you were sitting in there and just not tarp was driving you nuts to have that green glow in your shelter.

Brooke: We made his conscious decision on season five, that one of our extra things was going to be a white tarp. So we wouldn't have to deal with. Awful color. But with Mongolia, I decided not to do an extra tarp and I was just going to roll with the tarp. They give us that is for our camera gear. And if it's incorporated into our shelter, which protects our camera here, then that's allowed.

Brooke: And so I was like, you know, I'm just going to do that. And yeah, I paid for that. I mean, I, I, the white tarp we had in season four, I mean, that was why we took it for that mental health. It's really important to have natural light. [01:04:00] So I was definitely missing that. And yeah, it is what it is, is just awful.

Brooke: Cause he gets stuck in there for just hours and you're just with your thoughts and yeah, it can consume you. That's another funny little insight that just shows how. I mean to use the vernacular of today, how legit he wouldn't Dave IRA. You've, you've done this enough that you knew going into season four, like, yeah, we're going to want a white tarp.

Brooke: Cause we're, we're going to want that color in our shelter. I mean, that's just a, it's a small thing you just said, but it says volumes about your experience and the things that you all have have done throughout your life. Which is really cool. And something else that I'm thinking I want to kind of talk about, as you mentioned, that there was, you know, that feeling, I don't know if you use the word guilt and I certainly don't want to put that into you, but you had certain feelings and emotions of when you had to leave on season four, you know, because you were the one who was.

Brooke: You know, losing weight and it's at that point where it was time to go and then [01:05:00] being chosen to go back out on season five is that something, those feelings of, of whatever they are that you've been able to put in their proper place. And how long did that take and how did you manage to do that?

Brooke: Because I'm sure there was a lot of stress and weight with, you know, I don't want to say being the one, cause that's like totally the wrong vibe, the wrong connotation, but that is what happened. Yeah. Well, I don't know if you ever, I still wish it would've been him to go and you know, I, I honestly, I feel like even going in, I knew I wasn't gonna win season five just because of my size.

Brooke: And he'd been so quick. So I, you know, if I'm being completely honest, like season four, we went in like we're gonna win and I didn't have that going into season five. I was like, I'm going to go do the best I can. And I remember Dave saying like, that's wrong? Like, you don't go and doing the best you can you go into [01:06:00] when you know, I'm like, oh yeah, right in my head.

Brooke: And in my heart, I was like, I know I'm not going to win. And that's just being 100% transparent. Like, I, I know how hard that was. I know how hard it is. And I honestly didn't know if I had it in me to go like a huge amount of time, the second time around. And so I feel guilty about that too. Like, yeah, he would have gone a second time and go on to win, you know, I don't know.

Brooke: It's just choices you make and stuff you have to deal with. But you know, if I wouldn't have gone with Dave would have gone like that, wasn't an option. It wasn't like one of us gets to go. Yeah. They asked me and I, wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to go to Mongolia and have an awesome experience in the wilderness.

Brooke: And it was, I mean, I wasn't super happy with how they portrayed me in season five. Like they didn't even show me fishing. So I was pretty [01:07:00] bombed, you know, that goes back to that. You don't have control of anything and only your experience and no one's going to even see it. Like I don't even get, I don't have the footage and it's really hard to give up that much.

Brooke: What would you, what would you call it? I mean, you're giving up everything to somebody else, so that's tough. So season five was kind of hard for me to deal with after honestly, I didn't even watch the whole season. I was so disappointed. I still, to this day, I don't watch the final season, like the final episodes.

Brooke: Cause I was just like, so bummed how, like I performed how I was portraying. Like, oh man. No. And you know, it should've been Dave, so I don't know. You just, it was an awesome experience. Like that's what no one can own, but me, like, I had an amazing experience in Mongolia. I was so happy. I was so immersed in the [01:08:00] experience.

Brooke: No matter what I was portrayed like on TV, they can't take that away from me. And. You know, Dave was very supportive and, and everything, but I just wish it would've been him well, well, I mean, no, I it's, you know, to save, to say that with discount that you earned it and deserved it as well. And I think that you most certainly did.

Brooke: You know, you've lived an incredible life and, and the experience that you both had on season four. And I mean, you know, so I wouldn't discount that, but you you've said a few things I want to kind of circle back to and just kind of, you know, touch, touch on as we are moving forward here. But you, you talked about the, your feelings going into season five and, and.

Brooke: You know, knowing maybe not knowing you weren't gonna win. I mean, anything could happen, but knowing that you, I guess you knew your threshold is maybe to put that out and, you know, I've had the opportunity to speak to a [01:09:00] few seasoned five veterans. Right. And I haven't spoken to Sam and I haven't spoken to some of the others that, you know, but so far the ones I've spoken to from season five, they all have shared, I think that similar, you know, maybe it wasn't a, Hey, I'm not going to win, but it was definitely of, Hey, I know, I know when it's, I know when it's going to be time and I know where my threshold is and you know, I'm not going to do, I'm not going to do that season to think to myself again, or that season four thing.

Brooke: Yeah, I will say it was, it was amazing being with the, you know, all the other seasons five participants. I would be remiss if I didn't say that was just absolutely awesome. It's like a, it's like, you're, you're just fans of each other, you know, it's like, oh my gosh. You're from season two. You're kind of like fanning out on like your fellow contestants and super fun.

Brooke: And you know, you're [01:10:00] just in this really, really tight knit group. Again, it's kind of like the, you know, the fire crew, it's like, you've been through these things and it's just a really small club and you all get it, especially like season five. I mean, we've all been there before, so it was just super awesome to just hang with everybody and be there.

Brooke: And, and yeah, that was super special. It, it was wow. Mongolia. It was an amazing experience. What was the you know, what was it like? Cause there's, there's obviously this experience. After being after tapping or after being pulled or however, however, an experience ends, but there's this time that's spent kind of in camp and, and with, you know, the crew while you're recuperating and before you ship off did you have anybody, any of the other participants with you during that experience and, and what was that like to be able to so quickly after that experience have someone who's, who knows that was there with you if you had that opportunity?[01:11:00] 

Brooke: Yeah. So when I tapped him on Golia, Jesse had just got released from the hospital. So he was back at base camp because he had ingested all of that inner bark that really bound him up. So it was so cool. So Jessie and I got to hang out for gosh, like a week and yeah, you know, you can just kind of deconstruct everything with somebody.

Brooke: And it's really valuable. So it was just me and him and GAM and like, you know, one person from like the the fixers, you know, people who make the camp and kind of like checking in on you and keep the camp going. Cause this is so remote production crew was, you know, mile away or whatever. So, you know, they might do an exit interview, but you're kind of just left to be on again, which is kind of what you got food and you're kind of doing your refeeding thing.

Brooke: And it's just really chill, really, just really down, you know, you're just happy to be warm and get some food and like not have to work so hard. It's just really a lot of work on the show. So it's just kind of like you're on vacation when you get out. Like I can relax now. [01:12:00] And so yeah, it was super valuable to have Jesse there and, and again, you know, you just, it's just a crew that you've just really come to love and respect these people that are with you on the show and production too.

Brooke: I mean, it's just, it's a great production crew and yeah, it's just, I can't say enough good things about. Do you keep in touch with anyone from the show? That's not Dave. Yeah, we do. We've before the pandemic we got together with Ted and Jim Baird and their wives, they came and camped with us for a few days.

Brooke: Super awesome. And David's been in contact with Chris, from season as Chris and Brody seasons four. They've gotten together. Brad and Josh Richardson. Don't live too far away from us. We've we've connected with them in person. Dave Mac McIntyre. He was in Michigan, too. We've gotten in touch with him and he's come over and hung out with us for a few hours around the fire.

Brooke: So, yeah, I mean, if you, oh, and Mike Lowe, I've, I've met and hung out with Mike Lowe[01:13:00] in Arizona actually just bumped into him in Michigan recently, too. That was truly bizarre. Oh, that's funny. Like you just bumped into each other. In a Menards next to a highway. Right. And I just get this random text, like, Hey, you know, or I'd seen him a post on Facebook that he was in Michigan.

Brooke: And so I texted him real quick. I'm like, are you in Michigan? He's like, oh, I'm on like such and such a road. And I'm like, dude, you just pass the Menards I man, like, that's crazy. He's like, well, I'll turn around. I'm like sweet. So we met in the parking lot, him and his wife. I mean, what is a weird coincidence?

Brooke: Like he happened to be driving next to the nerds. I was like in, you know, the highway. It was funny when you, when you, when you started saying, well, I mean, we were texting and he was here. I was like, oh, okay. I mean, so it was, you know, kind of, oh wait, he was actually driving by in the moment that you were really, really serendipitous.

Brooke: Really fun. So [01:14:00] yeah. Yep. So yeah, I'm trying to think if there's anybody else, but you know, it's like if you're close so you can connect. It's it's really, really great to. Get together with people. I think we've always wanted to do just like a big alone camp out with all the people who've been on alone.

Brooke: But I think the idea started coming around right before the pandemic and then it was just like impossible, but I think that's something on all of our radars. Like we'd like to just, you know, do some big camp out where it's just the people from alone and you just can just meet and greet and talk and share stories.

Brooke: Be super fun. Well, I'll, I'll, I'll throw this out here. Obviously not like an invite, but something that I've wanted to do for a long time and I'm trying to figure out how to accomplish it as I think it would be so interesting to hear you know, more than one participant. Just discussing, right. You just, just getting together basically.

Brooke: I mean, basically what you're describing is something that I've [01:15:00] wanted to try and figure out how to do is to get a handful of people together and just, you know, push record and say, and just, just talk and here and here, that, that side of, of the show, I mean, certainly there's things to be protected and to stay personal because of how personal it is.

Brooke: Yeah. So I recognize that, but I, I love that idea and hope you all are able to do that because for me, I've, I've wanted to try and find a way to facilitate something similar. Because I think the experiences and the things that you would hear would be, you know, just phenomenal and very personal and very interesting.

Brooke: So hopefully that can get together. But we've, you've kind of led us again to a perfect transition as we're starting to wind down here. So I had reached out to you before and asked if, if you were comfortable with me mentioning you were coming on the show, so I could try and gather some questions. And then I, I put that out on Facebook and, you know, for anyone else who's listening it's kinda hard.

Brooke: Sometimes this [01:16:00] goes just really fast when I, you know, someone says, Hey, I'm able to come on. And then our schedules will align, you know, like the next day in some circumstances. So if there's, if there's someone, you know, for those listening, if there's someone that you have questions for, or maybe just general questions that you would like to ask, if any of the participants feel free to either find the show on Facebook, it's at the alone podcast or you can email@thealonepodatgmail.com.

Brooke: I'll link those in the description below, but. If you want to, you're interested, you can send some questions either for a specific person that hasn't been on the show yet. Or you can send some general questions and we'll take some of those thoughtful questions and, and pitch those to some of the participants.

Brooke: So we received a few different questions. The first one that I want to ask you, I think this is actually a, really, this is a fantastic question. This has comes from someone named Cheryl and Cheryl asks, what did you learn from your time in the wilderness on alone that is helpful to you during the pandemic.

Brooke: [01:17:00] And maybe I'll expand that to maybe what you've learned in your vast experience, but if you have something specific from a loan, that would be fantastic. Well, I think you have to be, I'm a problem solver. That was, that's a big deal and alone. Like you have to figure things out without everything that's normal.

Brooke: Right? So. If you don't have something you need, you got to figure out how to make it or procure it or do it out and do something else. And I think that's pretty apropos for the pandemic. I mean, I live in a very rural area, so I wasn't like locked down and I couldn't go places. Life was pretty normal for me too.

Brooke: Cause I don't have a real regular job. And, and that may seem kind of callous life was kind of the same for us here, but for those of you that had to be just locked down and continue to be locked down. Like you have to find ways to entertain yourself. So keep your morale up. And I'm [01:18:00] just, I love being able to dive into do a deep dive into something.

Brooke: And, you know, wanting to learn or be curious about, and that's just, you know, alone teaches you that you have to be, you know, a self-starter, you have to be a problem solver. And that goes for if you're home alone and you know, you can't get into your head too much, or you won't do anything or you'll overthink it.

Brooke: It's kind of just like you just got to do it, you know, boots on the ground, figure something out and make it happen. And, you know, I think the pandemic gave people a lot of opportunities to do a little introspective, you know, deep dive into themselves, maybe get at-home fitness program started. I mean, you had the time for it, right?

Brooke: Like, you know, when was going to work and just stuck. And I think it's a valuable moment to dive into a different part of your life that maybe you've shut down. So I don't know. I can see it as a blessing and a curse, depending on your mindset, just like a long, you know, either super can deal. You can [01:19:00] deal with it and make the best of it.

Brooke: Or you can really kind of. Involved in your head and let it go south. Yeah. As you're talking, I'm not going to put words in your mouth at all, but as you're talking what has come to my mind is sphere of control and, and focusing on that spirit of control is. So huge to me anyways. And you know, I think that's kind of at the heart of maybe some of the things you've just mentioned is just being able to focus on what you can control and what you can do, and really taking charge of that and then letting the stuff that, that you can't cause you can't control it.

Brooke: It's just going to make you mad. It makes you mad then that that's not super useful. Yeah, absolutely. So that's fantastic. Thank you for that. And then we've got another one. And I'm, I'm glad that the show went, the directions that it did. This one comes from, and I'm going to use the full name because this person is they're out there enough that he's not going to care if I use his [01:20:00] full name.

Brooke: And he's been on the show. So this comes from a Mr. Mike Lowe, someone that you're familiar with and a. And it's funny. This is a question that, that I have I've actually held off on asking this question because it, it's a very obvious question and I've, I've been afraid of, and you probably understand this too.

Brooke: I've been afraid of compromising what I'm doing, right. As far as getting to know the people behind the show and not necessarily focusing solely on alone. So I'm glad that Mike asked this question because then it gives me creative permission to get outside of the own confines I've created for myself.

Brooke: So thank you, Mike. I really appreciate it. But my next question, and this is kind of a general one, but what, what didn't make the cut on the show that you wish did, or you know, anything in that realm? If you can speak to that for a minute. Oh, there's so much yeah, it sounds like fishing is one of them, which when you, when you say that, you know, that I thought back to [01:21:00] thinking of watching your episodes and like, man.

Brooke: Yeah. They, they, you know, they, they weren't kind with the fishing work, but anyways, what, what was there that you feel that way about seasons for? I was battling an octopus, but it was more of my, it was more my fault. I didn't get great footage of it because it happened. So in the moment kind of had to react.

Brooke: I was, it was really towards the end of our say and I was fishing on the rocks and the fishing had been really, really bad and we were getting nothing. And I'm watching this giant Pacific octopus, like pull himself out of the water, on the rocks right in front of me. I was like, kinda like, dude, what do I do?

Brooke: All I have is a book and I'm on the edge. Very slippery rocks on the edge of the ocean ride fallen and they get super deep. Evan we're starving and I want this octopus, so I'm like, okay, all I have is either. My hook or a [01:22:00] stick, like in the moment I decided to go for the stick and I should have gone for a hook.

Brooke: So I took the stick and I tried, so I'm battling to get him more out of the water. And as soon as I started doing that, he's like fighting to go back in the water and just see an octopus, like move and work and think, and you know, it knew exactly what I was doing and it was going the opposite. And I'm battling, trying to like pull it out of the water.

Brooke: And this went on for, I dunno, a minute maybe where it was like, oh, I've got the upper edge. No, he's got the edge. And then he won and slipped back into the water, but it was just one of those. Wow. Did that really happen? To me? It was so cool. Like, I don't even care if it didn't get filmed. Like I was in that moment.

Brooke: It was so amazing to just kind of have that really intimate battle with an octopus. And it really, you know, I'm starving and it's dangerous and it was awesome. Yeah. That's that's neat. Was there [01:23:00] was the octopus light, was there color changes happening? I mean, what was, what was like the pink and purple? I mean, just to be in contact and like.

Brooke: With Ava's huge. I mean, it was like the size of a basketball. Like it was huge and just seeing it move, I mean, I'm from the Midwest. Like I don't get to see this stuff. It was super girl. And and then on season five, you know, I made a lot of really cool floating. So we were on a river in Mongolia where our food source mainly was this the river catching a lot of fish that looks a lot like Arctic grayling, but had this Eddy.

Brooke: And so I figured out this like floating line that was fished for me 24 7. So I would just throw it in on a floating line with a grasshopper. And it would just swirl around in the Yeti every day. It's like, Ooh, you know, what, if I caught it was super cool. I was really proud of like how I learned to fish the river there and was successful, but they didn't show any of it.

Brooke: So it made me look like all I did on season five is like make [01:24:00] jewelry well in the evening. I mean, not to, not to stir any pots, but I think there was even a moment where they had. Cause they, they, there was a specific of not showing you fishing. And then there was a moment where they, you know, I think they had cut you talking about fishing in some way, and it kind of just portrayed it.

Brooke: I mean, give, gave the feeling that like fishing wasn't happening. And so that's interesting to hear that it was, and, and for those, just to kind of paint that picture, if you don't know what an Eddy is you know, basically you've got a rock or some other surface, or even at the surface structure in the water that would create, you know, kind of a swirling slack water behind it.

Brooke: So you've got the flowing river and then as the water hits that structure and, you know, pillows around it, you have this, this section of water behind it, that is kind of a slack water. And you just, you can sit there, right? So if you're a river rafting on a, on a raft or whatever else, you can hit it. And you can be in the middle of a huge [01:25:00] rapid set, and you can find an Eddy and you can sit there and get reprieve.

Brooke: And so just to kind of paint that picture of, of, you know, that fishing technique of finding a way to land your, your fishing gear in that 80. So it can just sit there and hang out. That's. Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, it was ugly. It was really neat. That's for sure. Really interesting. Cool. Well, Brooke, this has been an absolute pleasure and, and super fun for me to get to talk with you and get to know you a little bit better.

Brooke: We've already mentioned your YouTube channel, so we'll link that. So it's girl in the woods, where else would you like people to be able to find you? I know we had discussed before we started recording that you just revamped your website. So where can people find. I can get in touch@brookewhipple.com.

Brooke: Pretty simple YouTube, the easy one I'm on Facebook, two public Facebook page at Brooke Whipple. I think if you just type in Brooke [01:26:00] Whipple, you'll find me. Let's see. Where else? Etsy, Etsy store girl in the woods goods. Instagram at girl in the woods with a Z on the end. I post a lot of stuff on Instagram.

Brooke: So I would say Facebook or YouTube and I love Instagram. So I'm always posting stuff on Instagram. Awesome. Well, we'll, we'll get all those linked in the show notes so people can go and find you and keep up to speed on what you're doing. I guess as we, as we wrap up, is there anything that we've discussed that you want to kind of touch back on again?

Brooke: Or any records you want to set straight or any last words you want to share before we close up to. I just gotta say you're fantastic at podcasting. So I think you're going to be huge. You're doing a great job. You've just you're so naturally did a really, you did a really good job, so kudos to you. I think it's a great idea to have as a podcast.

Brooke: I want, I want a deep dive into other, all the other alone. People's thoughts too. It's super [01:27:00] cool. Well, you've you can submit questions if you want. You can go to the alone podcast on Facebook or the loan pot@gmail.com. You can submit, submit questions, but yeah, I don't know. I, I appreciate your kind words.

Brooke: It's to me that's been the most humbling. Part of this and really the most rewarding and the most I guess validating, not that, you know, everyone says you don't, you know, you just self validate, but when you're creative and you're creating something validation ends up kind of being a big role, at least so far for me in the early stages.

Brooke: And it's been so awesome for me to, to hear how meaningful this has been to a lot of the participants. I mean, there's a lot of participants that are listening and, you know, talking about how, yeah. Like I, you know, I've learned even more about this person that I have this shared experience with. And, and so that that means a lot to me.

Brooke: And it's very special. So thank you for mentioning that. Absolutely. It's been a pleasure, but this has been fantastic [01:28:00] and I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'm excited to see what the future. Great. Sounds good. Thanks so much, Sam, take care of .