John Barklow spent 26 years in the U.S. Navy, most of it teaching Naval Special Warfare how to survive the coldest, most unforgiving mountains on earth. After 9/11 the military needed mountain warfare experts and almost none were left. They picked a diver from Cleveland, Ohio, and his work went on to reshape cold weather survival training for a generation of special operators. In this conversation, Travis Bader and John go far past gear. They get into the mindset that keeps you alive when things go wrong, the difference between chasing happiness and building satisfaction, and why the hunting and firearms communities are so quick to turn on their own. John breaks down his famous rewarming drill in full: what to do if you fall in cold water in the backcountry, why you keep your wet clothes on instead of stripping them off, and how your own body heat dries your system from the inside. He explains how to train it safely in your own backyard before your life depends on it. He also tells the story of a British Columbia horseback hunt that nearly ended under 1,400 pounds of falling horse in the dark, opens up about two hip replacements and refusing to let the old man in, and shares, for the first time publicly, who wrote the foreword to his new book. Some of the best survival lessons of your life are the ones John learned the hard way, so you don't have to. John's first book, Knowledge from Storms, is available for pre-order now. This episode includes a giveaway. Details are in the show and on our channels. Learn more about John Barklow:Book: Knowledge from Storms (St. Martin's Press)Website: knowledgefromstorms.comInstagram: @jbarklowCourses: outdoorclass.comFree videos: Montana Knife Company YouTube, MKC Survival Guide series _____Silvercore Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training - https://www.silvercore.ca/Other Training & Services - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/categoryMerchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandiseBlog Page - https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.travSilvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors ____ Timestamps 00:00 Cold open: they picked a diver01:00 The best introduction he's ever had02:00 Cleveland, Ohio does not grow mountain men05:00 Enlisting in the Navy at 1907:00 The cardinal direction: a heading he couldn't name08:00 Breaking the script he was handed10:00 Happiness versus satisfaction17:00 The harder you work, the luckier you get18:00 When it goes wrong in the mountains, who does he call?21:00 COVID, and the birth of Knowledge From Storms23:00 The inciting incident: his drill in a competitor's marketing27:00 Why the hunting and firearms communities eat their own28:00 The camo wars, and refusing to fight in public31:00 Trust is slow to earn and fast to lose34:00 Travis at 16: the station wagon, the cabin, and hypothermia38:00 Where he learned cold: diving, the Sierras, and Mark Twight41:00 After 9/11: rebuilding a lost cold weather capability42:00 Making the soldier durable45:00 The rewarming drill on camera, and Adam Foss47:00 The static rewarming drill: clothing is shelter48:00 Why building a fire can be the wrong first move49:00 Trap the heat, then move51:00 An hour in: the shivering stops54:00 Do it in your backyard, not in the middle of nowhere57:00 Granddad in denim, and what modern gear actually changed59:00 The active rewarming drill: one bucket, any trailhead1:02:00 Mark Twight wrote the foreword, announced here first1:05:00 Extreme Alpinism: the book that prepared men for war1:06:00 Going light without getting forced out: the margin of safety1:09:00 Three days pinned in a Mount Rainier blizzard1:11:00 Planning builds confidence, confidence builds decisions1:13:00 Keeping your world small when the float plane leaves1:16:00 We romanticize the mountains. Here is the rest of it.1:19:00 The PPCLI research miss1:20:00 The BC horseback hunt that went wrong1:22:00 1,400 pounds of horse in the dark1:24:00 Giardia, and the unforced error he owns1:28:00 Two hip replacements, and not letting the old man in1:32:00 Who the book is for1:35:00 OutdoorClass and Montana Knife Company1:38:00 Start higher on the mountain, but climb it yourself1:39:00 Student of the game: enjoy where you are
