ASCEND by Ducks Unlimited

Learn how to stay safe, prepared, and confident in the backcountry—no matter the terrain or weather.

Olympian, biathlete, firearms instructor, and trick shooter Lanny Barnes joins host Adrian to share real‑world safety insights from decades of high‑stress shooting, extreme cold exposure, and deep‑country hunting.

Lanny breaks down what actually causes most backcountry emergencies, what to pack, how to prevent hypothermia and dehydration, and the mindset that saves lives when things go wrong. Her cautionary stories—from stabbing her thigh while quartering an elk to bonking at 12,000 feet—offer practical lessons for hunters and hikers of all levels.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
  • The most common dangers in backcountry hunts
  • How to prepare for rapid weather changes, terrain hazards, and cold exposure
  • What should be in every day‑pack, including med gear and survival items
  • How to prevent (and recognize) dehydration, bonking, and hypothermia
  • Why pack checks, mapping tools, and backup plans save lives
  • The training approach Lanny recommends for high‑altitude hunts

Subscribe and join this exciting journey to explore, learn, and grow together in the outdoor world.
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Creators and Guests

Host
Adrian Jessen
Adrian Jessen is a reviewer, writer, and adult-onset hunter best known as co-founder and on-camera host of the YouTube channel Review This Thing. Since 2020, she and her husband Robbie have published thorough, real‑world reviews and tutorials on optics, firearms, archery, and outdoor gear—built around a promise to be complete, honest, and unbiased. Adrian also contributes to titles such as North American Deer Hunter and Crossbow Magazine. When she isn’t testing new kit, she’s likely chasing spring gobblers or helping new hunters choose reliable gear and build safe, ethical skills.

What is ASCEND by Ducks Unlimited?

Ascend is a multimedia platform that spotlights the millions of outdoorswomen across our country who go hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, biking, running, and perform important conservation work every day.

Our web series and podcast feature guests who share their experiences with a focus on entertainment, education, and authenticity. Our viewers and listeners will get to know them and learn all about their passion for the outdoors. Whether you've been in outdoor communities all your life or are just getting started, Ascend is the place for you to follow your story!

Brought to you by Ducks Unlimited.

Lanny Barnes:

I said, you know, be careful. Don't don't slip. And, actually found an a knife on the trail coming in, and it was sharper than mine, so I used it. And I think it'd been there for a so was a little rusty. So I was cutting up this elk, and I slipped, and I stabbed myself right in the thigh.

Lanny Barnes:

Oh, no.

VO:

Welcome to the Ascend podcast, a podcast by and for women in the outdoors. Every episode delivers real stories, practical how to's, and a welcoming community to help you start, sharpen, or rediscover your passion for the outdoors. Authentic women, real stories, outdoor adventures, Ascend. Presented by Ducks Unlimited, the leader in wetlands conservation. Your next adventure starts here, the Ascend podcast.

VO:

Don't forget to rate and review the Ascend podcast. It's the best way to grow the podcast and help other women discover the next step on their outdoors journey.

Adrian Jessen:

Welcome to the Ascend Podcast by Ducks Unlimited. I'm Adrienne, and today we're gonna talk about how you can stay safe when hiking and hunting in the back country. Today I am joined by Lanny Barnes, affectionately called Lanny Oakley for very good reason. We'll get into that. But let me just tell y'all, Lanny is a straight up beast.

Adrian Jessen:

She is a three time Olympic Biathlon competitor. And in 2010, she actually clocked one of the fastest times in US women's history, which is insanely impressive. She and her twin sister are also firearms instructors and basically try to help military, law enforcement, hunters learn how to shoot effectively and efficiently in high stress situations, which I definitely need to work on that. When your hearts go and things go, things can go a little haywire. So she's also again, Lanny Oakley, an incredibly impressive trick shooter with any type of firearm and a public speaker.

Adrian Jessen:

And actually, she's also a super impressive artist. So mainly, Lanny, I just need you to tell me that there's something you can't do. Like, tell me you can't sing or something.

Lanny Barnes:

There are a lot of things I can't do. Singing is one of them, and I'm a horrible dancer. I'm just gonna admit that upfront. So, you know, we'll we'll leave it at that.

Adrian Jessen:

So you don't dance and shoot at the same time?

Lanny Barnes:

Not yet, anyways. But we'll see.

Adrian Jessen:

That may be next. That may be next. Well, Lainie, thank you I'm so so glad that you agreed to be here. Looking forward to this conversation for sure.

Lanny Barnes:

Thank you for having I'm really excited to to talk with you today. This is gonna be fun.

Adrian Jessen:

I know. I'm I'm well, Lainie and I have not actually met in person before, but I've been following her on Instagram for several years now. And Lainie has always been very gracious with her time to answer the many, many questions that I have had for her through the years. So I know this is gonna be a great conversation. We have a few mutual friends as well, and everybody always has great things to say.

Adrian Jessen:

So, knew whenever we were gonna plan this podcast that Blannie would be an amazing resource for this topic. We're probably gonna have to have you back on for other things because there's just so many things we could cover. So be be ready for me to hit you back up.

Lanny Barnes:

Let's do it.

Adrian Jessen:

And guys, as you're listening on, on your podcast platform or watching on YouTube, make sure that you like this episode. And if you have any questions that we don't cover, comment and we'll make sure that we do our best to reach out and find those answers. And then just let us know what you think, what experiences you had as well. Main thing is we want this to be a huge Ascend community, and the more that you involve yourself, the bigger we grow. So, Lanny, before we get into our topic, just tell everybody a little bit about you, about how you got here, what drives you, just let us know who you are.

Lanny Barnes:

Well, I I'm one of those people I just don't like to sit still. So, if I start moving around, it's just because I can't sit still very well. But, yeah, I grew up in the amazing town of Durango, Colorado with two sisters, a twin and an older sister, and and had a very outdoorsy family. Hunting was our biggest passion growing up, and we did a lot of sports and things like that. But found a sport that was as close to hunting in the Olympics as you could get, which is biathlon.

Lanny Barnes:

It originated as a form of hunting on skis. And so we've tried that sport out and fell in love with it. And three Olympics later, we dove into action shooting sports, and and, you know, I I think majority of that was to try to get more time for hunting. But, unfortunately, the shooting shooting sports kinda ended up taking away more time for hunting than than we wanted, but hunting has always been our biggest passion.

Adrian Jessen:

And now, just for those who may not know, you you reference we often, and that I'm assuming you're talking about your sister.

Lanny Barnes:

Correct. Yeah. That's that's my my, better half, my twin sister. And, yeah, she, we competed in the Olympics together, and I've pretty much done almost everything together since.

Adrian Jessen:

Which I think I think you're the first Olympian I've ever met. I know you're the only Olympian so far on the on the podcast that I've had. So this is pretty cool. I'm I'm having a chat with an Olympian. I'm pretty impressed.

Lanny Barnes:

Well, we we bleed just just the same as as everybody else, and, you know, I'm I'm sure we'll we'll get into that and have some some interesting stories for you guys. But, yeah, it's you know, I've been following you as well, and it's it's great to talk to you today.

Adrian Jessen:

Absolutely. So let's get into our topic because I know this year it seems like there's been a few more incidents than I've heard of before with injuries and stuff happening in the backcountry. I know you also just had a really amazing trip to Alaska, so certain there's some back country action there. Tell us paint a picture of that trip and and what that looked like for you.

Lanny Barnes:

So I spent eighteen days in the the very, very, very remote wilderness in, Northern Alaska, above the Arctic Circle, with my dad and and two other folks, floating on a float trip down a river. We were flown in. We had to put our rafts together, pump them up, and then hit the river. It was one of those kind of trips where you can't just, you know, pull over and stop at a Walgreens if you need something. So I put a lot of thought into what I needed for that trip based off of past experiences and, you know, also what other people recommended.

Lanny Barnes:

You know, I think being prepared, you know, like you said, there's been a lot of incidences and and situations this year where people have encountered some some challenges in the woods and and you just never know what's gonna happen, so you it's good to be prepared.

Adrian Jessen:

Okay. First, what are the biggest dangers that that in general for a back country hunt? We'll get into more Alaska specific, but in in a backcountry hunt or or hike, what are the biggest dangers that you were aware of?

Lanny Barnes:

Well, I think I think the things that people encounter the most are probably weather and terrain. You know, a lot of people aren't necessarily prepared for weather that might roll in. You know, I grew up hunting in the the Rockies, and it could start out in the morning sixty, seventy degrees, and then, you know, within minutes, it could be snow snowing and sleeting and, you know, you could you could encounter some some potential hypothermia in a in a heartbeat. So being prepared for all different kinds of weather is really important. And then as far as terrain, you know, people have a tendency to to take big falls and things like that.

Lanny Barnes:

Just most people, I I imagine, are not hunting necessarily on a trail. So ground and things like that that are unstable, can really be a hindrance to hunters.

Adrian Jessen:

Absolutely. And like you said, it's not like, you know, you fall down and sprain an ankle and, you know, the the park ranger who's just down at the station can come grab you on the cart, you know, just right up the trail. So Absolutely. Unfortunately, I'm it I'm sure, in a perfect scenario, the beauty of the area, as long as everything is going tremendously well, absolutely trumps any concerns. But you have to be aware and prepared as best you can be for those sorts of incidents.

Adrian Jessen:

Let's talk about the weather situation. What is your best advice for back end like, for how to prepare for weather as best you can?

Lanny Barnes:

Well, I think there's a few things that you you always need to have in your pack. I mean, I I take a little day pack regardless of of when and where I'm hunting. Even if it's duck hunting, I'll have a little pack on my back and I'll tell you why here in a second. But having just a few emergency supplies on hand can be the difference between life and death. You know?

Lanny Barnes:

And I think a lot of times, if especially experienced hunters like ourselves, we tend to get complacent. You know? And so we we take take for granted, you know, the weather and and just things like that, and and that's when that's when we get into trouble. And me, personally, I've had a lot of scenarios and situations where I got complacent, and I got lucky because it worked out, but it could have gone either way. So some of the things that I always carry with me, doesn't matter summer, winter, spring, fall is a I actually have a lot of stuff here.

Lanny Barnes:

So I have

Adrian Jessen:

a Perfect.

Lanny Barnes:

Ziplock bag. Okay? That it keeps it waterproof. I always carry a pair of extra socks, wool socks, gloves, and a knit hat too. You know, hypothermia is is a really, really big danger in the woods, and being able to get those things warmed up in a in a hurry can really help.

Lanny Barnes:

Those are the things that get that get wet easily, our hands, our feet, you know, our head. If we can get those warmed up, then our our it helps our core stay warmer.

Adrian Jessen:

And do you know, off the top of your head, hypothermia wise, how quickly like, how much time in general do do people have in a really big change in weather?

Lanny Barnes:

It it totally depends on the on the situation. I mean, it could happen within a matter of minutes. It depends on the the person's level of fitness, how how exposed they've been, how how, depleted their system is. You know, if you've been hunk hike hiking and hunting all day long and your blood sugar's low and you're close to what we what we call bonking, you know, your body can't keep itself warm and you can't produce heat, then, you know, the the effects of hypothermia can kick in a lot quicker. So, you know, there's different stages of hypothermia.

Lanny Barnes:

You know, if if you if you're shivering and all of a sudden you stop, you know, that's a very bad sign. And, you know, there's in a lot of situations, they'll find people in the woods completely naked. Because when you go through hypothermia, the one of the final stages is your body feels like it's really hot. Oh. So and people start getting delirious and things like that, So they start taking their clothes off thinking that they're overheating, when in fact they're not.

Lanny Barnes:

It happens a lot on Everest and things like that too. So

Adrian Jessen:

another thing, which we'll probably get it more into this, but I know often when you're out when you're hot, when it is hot and you're sweating, you your brain automatically understands like, hey, I need to drink more. I'm sweating. But I feel like often in colder environments or especially out West where it's so dry. Here in the South, it's humid all the time. We we kinda understand, you know, like, oh, I'm thirsty because it's humid.

Adrian Jessen:

But when it's so dry, I think sometimes you don't register that you're still dehydrating yourself.

Lanny Barnes:

Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, in in in the West, especially, dehydration is is a big thing. I mean, just being at altitude, which most places out West, you know, they start at 5,000 and then go up to about 15. So, you know, you're you're especially if you're from low altitude, dehydration is is a big issue.

Lanny Barnes:

And then also electrolytes, you're you're burning more calories, and and your sodium potassium pumps in your muscles are working a lot harder than they do at low altitude just just because it's harder on your body at altitude. So, you know, a lot of people don't drink enough water altitude. They start getting headaches. You know, headaches is is the first clue really. Well, actually, you know, dry mouth and and feeling thirsty is the first clue.

Lanny Barnes:

But if you get to the point where you're thirsty or hungry, you're already dehydrated and you're already depleted.

Adrian Jessen:

Right.

Lanny Barnes:

So what I always tell people is don't ever get to the point where you start feeling thirsty or start feeling depleted. Like, keep keep your blood sugar constant so you're not getting these spikes and drops, and then always continue to drink little bits throughout the day, just continuous drinking of water and electrolytes and things like that.

Adrian Jessen:

That makes great sense because like you were saying, if if you already are thirsty or hungry, and then some event, whether it's an injury or the weather, something changes, then that just magnifies your chances of things not going extremely well for you.

Lanny Barnes:

Yep. Absolutely.

Adrian Jessen:

So other than the the socks, the gloves and the hat, just in case, what are some other things that absolutely a 100% you are gonna have in your pack?

Lanny Barnes:

I'm gonna have a emergency blanket. You know, that's that's gonna be something you can wrap around yourself, kinda make a little tent or something like that. If you need to get warm in a hurry, a poncho, a little little thin rain poncho with those storms that just roll in unexpectedly. You know, I also carry, like, a they have these these down jackets that are, you know, super packable, and I carry things like that just for an emergency so I can throw on something. Put it even put it under the poncho if I need to just for a little bit of extra warmth.

Lanny Barnes:

For me, because I've had so much frostbite exposure through my Olympic sport, staying warm in the backcountry is is a is a big challenge for me because I get cold really easily. Where other people have that circulation in their fingers and toes, I don't have it because I've had so much nerve damage. So I have to to to think about that because I could get myself in a pickle a lot quicker than most people. So some other things too Yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

Go ahead. Sorry.

Lanny Barnes:

That I always keep keep in my pack is a lighter. You know, always making sure that you have something to start a fire with. You know, there's there's the little fire starter logs and then the the little rope and things like that that can help you. You know? I I on the side of caring too much as opposed to not enough just because I've been in situations where I thought, oh, well, I'm just going out for a quick afternoon hunt, and then I got myself in a bad situation.

Lanny Barnes:

So, you know, it's just one of those things. The the more you prepare, the better it's gonna be. So you think about the kind of the basics that you need, food, water, shelter, warmth. You know, those things, if you just think about those things, those are gonna help keep you safe and and help determine what you need to to bring with you.

Adrian Jessen:

In terms of the hunt that you guys did, what did that look like with the food and the shelter and all that? What did that look like?

Lanny Barnes:

We were lucky because, on the rafts that we were floating on, we could actually bring bring quite a bit of equipment, surprisingly. So we had tents, and our tents also had stoves in them, which was nice for drying our clothes out at night because it rains up there all the time. It actually rained 18 inches before we flew out.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, wow.

Lanny Barnes:

And flooded everything. But and that the and it also helped keep us warm. You know? If you don't have that option, being able to find a place where you can start a fire, getting it bringing a tarp with you. Tarps are really incredibly handy.

Lanny Barnes:

I I always carry a small tarp with me regardless of what I'm doing just because you you can use the tarp to put meat on. If if it's raining like crazy, you you can make a little shelter. You know? There's so many uses that you can use for a a little mini mini tarp. So I always have one in the in my pack as well.

Adrian Jessen:

That, that definitely makes sense. I hadn't thought about we haven't done, I would say, very little backcountry hunting. Most of any hunting we've done has been even like little day trips where, you know, you like, you go out for the day, but then you get back in the truck and drive back to the house sort of thing. So this is very helpful for me because I I wouldn't I mean, I think I would have think like, oh, I need, you know, some Band Aids and some blister kit, that kind of thing. But those kind of major things like the tarp and and that sort of stuff, I probably wouldn't have have really considered as a as an something you should for sure have with you every time.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. Well, let me let me give you an example for, so and this this applies to all the the duck hunters, duck and waterfowlers hunting, hunters that are watching. So I was, I don't know. Was probably early teens, 13, 14, 15, something like that, and my dad had taken my twin sister and I duck hunting along this river. We were sitting in the blind and and my twin sister and I with some ducks flew over and we both shot a few ducks And I was young.

Lanny Barnes:

I you know, inexperienced with that kind of thing and and or we only had one dog, and she was going out to get my sister's duck, but my duck was floating downstream. So I wanted to keep an eye on it, so I started running downstream along the river after it, you know, just just following it to make sure that I could tell the dog where to go after after she brought back my sister's duck. And I slipped and I fell in the the river. Ugh. So number one rule, I I did what my dad told me to not do not ever do.

Lanny Barnes:

And I held on to my gun, which was good, so it wasn't, you know, deep in the river and have to go back in to get it. So I I popped up with my gun, got onshore, but the tarp was a lifesaver because there's so much snow on the ground that we were able to put the tarp on top of the snow, get a bunch of dry clothes, and get me dried off and warm without having to stand in the snow to do it, you know? And and that's that's one example of how a tarp can be be useful. You know, a lot of people don't think of a tarp over you, but sometimes, you know, being able to stand on it and things like that can make a big difference as well. Having a a completely dry area to be able to, you know, get get yourself warmed up and things like that can can help.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. Because, like, even if you, you know, built a fire to to dry things out, you're still sitting in wet snow, which is now melted snow, so everything is is still wet. So that's a yeah. That's a pretty ingenious. I'm gonna have to write that.

Adrian Jessen:

I'm have to put that in my pack. I have to have me one of those all the time now. Let's real quick. I wanna I feel like you're gonna have a few more cautionary tales for us. So before we get to those, let's go ahead.

Adrian Jessen:

Let's just take a quick little break so we can hear from our sponsors. Well, welcome back. Thank you guys for sticking with us. So Lanny, like I said before the break, I feel like, you've hunted enough, especially in pretty harsh terrain and harsh conditions. Share a note like, I'm sure you have plenty, but tell us another couple of just cautionary tales of things of of how you know how not to have these bad things happen now.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. And and the it was even just last year, and I made a very unfortunate mistake that that could have cost me. And when when we were growing up, my dad always told me a tale about one of his best friends growing up hunting. He had slipped with a knife and accidentally stabbed himself in the thigh while he was cutting up a deer, and they found him. He had just un undone his belt, bell buckle, and his belt was halfway out, and he had passed out and then bled out and didn't make it.

Lanny Barnes:

So I always always remembered that and thought about that every time I was out in the backcountry. And I usually almost always have a very, very good med kit with chest seal, trauma dressing, a tourniquet. You know, I I bring a little bit of everything. I even have, like, the bleed stop. If you guys don't have this in your pack, this stuff is really helpful.

Lanny Barnes:

I've used this on a lot of people and friends and stuff like that. It it it can help in a an emergency. But, anyway, so last year, I I had one day to elk hunt. I was really busy out out in Nevada where I worked, and so I I had one day. I flew back, landed at, I think, four in the morning, went home, grabbed my pack, which I thought was sufficient.

Lanny Barnes:

I didn't even look in there to see if I have had everything in there, and I hit the mountains. And by, I think, three or maybe it was four or five in the afternoon, I had a a bull on the ground. I had shot an elk. Oh. So, you know, great day.

Lanny Barnes:

Awesome day.

Adrian Jessen:

Great day.

Lanny Barnes:

And my twin sister had shot an elk maybe about a half a mile to a mile away. And so knowing that she was over there by herself, I I wanted to hurry up and and get mine cut up because I was a little bit ahead of her and then go help her. So I was rushing. And as I was cutting on my elk, I even thought about it. I said, you know, be careful.

Lanny Barnes:

Don't don't slip. And I actually found an a knife on the trail coming in, and it was sharper than mine, so I used it. And I think it'd been there for a So it was a little rusty. So I was cutting up this elk, and I slipped, and I stabbed myself right in the thigh. Oh, no.

Lanny Barnes:

And it was one of those things I at that moment, I was like, okay. I was in the middle of this field. It was dark. I had my headlamp on, and I was all alone. And I said, you know, I can do one of two things.

Lanny Barnes:

I can freak out, and I can panic, and it's gonna be worse Mhmm. Or mind over matter, and I can just deal with it, do what I gotta do, and make the most of whatever situation that I I need to to handle in this in this moment. And I chose the latter. And so I I said, all right, it's not a big deal. I did it.

Lanny Barnes:

There's nothing I can do about it, so let's just take care of the Took my pants down in the middle of the field, put my hand on the the wound and hobbled over to my backpack, and I said, don't worry, Lanny. You have the best medical kit in the world in your pack. And I got in there, and all I had were snacks. So Oh, I'd taken my med kit earlier on another trip. I'd thrown in another pack and went out on a on a a shorter hunt and put it in my day pack and not my my elk packing pack.

Lanny Barnes:

So my fault for not checking. Right? We get complacent. Yep. And so I looked at it, and and, you know, it was it was bleeding, but not bad.

Lanny Barnes:

I could pinch it closed, and it would stop bleeding. So I had a pair of long johns that I wasn't wearing, so I wrapped them as tight as I could around my around my leg. And, again, I got lucky because had I needed a tourniquet, I wouldn't have had one and I probably would have bled out right there in the mountains and, you know, we wouldn't be sitting here right now. So, just a good reminder that, like, anybody and everybody can get complacent and and, you know, learn from other people's mistakes and always double check your equipment. So it I ended up hiking out.

Lanny Barnes:

It wasn't it wasn't fun. Later later, ended up getting stitches and and whatnot. But, yeah, had I had I had the my med kit, it would have been just fine. But it's just just another one of those situations. You always have to have something with you because you never know what's gonna happen.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. And that's, I'm obviously another good tip of always check your bag before you Yeah. Before you leave.

Lanny Barnes:

Yep. The one thing I always recommend for people, when they're hunting, especially in the back country, is a meat stapler. And it's not for game meat. It's for your meat. I I also carry a suture kit because I've practiced on you can you can get little suture kits and practice things and and actually learn how to to sew up yourself for others.

Lanny Barnes:

And I highly recommend people doing that. But if you if you don't have the stomach for that kind of thing or you don't know how or things like that, these these little staplers can work really, really well. Yes. It's not gonna feel good. Right.

Lanny Barnes:

But if you need to staple up something that's bleeding or or things like that, it can it can work really, really well.

Adrian Jessen:

That's cool. And you can I'm I'm assuming you can just buy those Amazon sort of situation, or do you have to get them at a medical supply store?

Lanny Barnes:

I think mostly at medical supply stores. The suture kits, you can I think you can get on Amazon, stuff like that, but the the little stapler, and they get they they have different sizes? So and depths of of staples. So I just kinda get the the medium one. Thankfully, I haven't had to use it yet, but, you know, if I do, then I you know, obviously, it'll come in handy.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

And I could have used it, last year. Yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

And like you said, if it obviously, it won't feel great, but it's better than the potential of bleeding out when you're when you're alone.

Lanny Barnes:

Absolutely.

Adrian Jessen:

So that's another question I have for you. How often do you hunt by yourself more than you hunt with other people, or how do you how do you feel about that?

Lanny Barnes:

I would say, probably fifty fifty. Even when I'm hunting with other people, like when I go out with my family and my, like, my twin sister, for example, she'll go one way and I'll go the other way. And we'll know in general where each other are, but the places that we hunt don't have cell phone service. You know? And and luckily now with Apple, they you you can do the the, excuse me, the satellite texting.

Lanny Barnes:

Mhmm. You know? And and when I was in Alaska, I had a satellite phone as well as for backup and and things like that. But, you know, you you should count on emergency services and search and rescue not getting to you for at least two or three hours. Yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

You know? And in that time, you have to have enough medical supplies, enough food, water, and things like that to keep you hydrated and and from depleting your your energy, and then also enough things to help keep you warm so that they can get to you and you don't expire by the time they get to you.

Adrian Jessen:

So with your, well, I hadn't thought about this question, but do you find that the SOS, satellite thing actually works pretty decently?

Lanny Barnes:

You know, I've never used it. I've had family members that have used it. They've rolled their vehicle in the backcountry and had to use it, and it worked really well. But, again, it was it was quite a bit of time before they were they were reached, you know? And whether it's in your car, whether it's in your pack, you know, having having a really good first aid kit, a trauma kit

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

You know? Because I I mean, I I carry a chest seal Mhmm. In my pack and you're like, well, you know, that why would you need that? That's that doesn't happen that often. But but if you fall and a stick punctures your lung or or something like that, you know, being able to to seal that up is is really important and things like that.

Lanny Barnes:

So, again, I on the side of of bringing more than than less. You know, obviously, when you're in the backcountry, if you carry too much and you're not in enough shape to to haul that all day, then, you know, you could still get yourself into a bad situation as well. So getting in shape and being prepared for hunts is is part of the part of the plan or

Adrian Jessen:

should So be part of the that's another good point is you're you work out a ton, like on your Instagram. I I think your your working out routine has maybe something to do with your hunting, but I think it's just, you know, who you are as an athlete. But what do you recommend? Like, let's say somebody's going to not just not like a back country three, four day, but they're going to Colorado elk hunting for the first time. What training program would you recommend for that?

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. So a lot of people think when they think of hunting, they think, well, I gotta hit up the gym and and things like that. And and I strongly advise against going to the gym.

Adrian Jessen:

Okay.

Lanny Barnes:

And the reason the reason being is the more muscle mass you have, the more energy and the more oxygen your body has to supply those muscles with. Okay. And at altitude, you have obviously a lack of oxygen, and your body has to work harder. So the more muscle you have, the harder your body has to work just sitting and just being present at altitude. So think light and lean.

Lanny Barnes:

So you don't want big, you know, thick, heavy muscles. You want endurance and what I call strength endurance. Like, you you know, people think, well, I'll go and I'll do three by eight eights three three sets by eight reps. Right? And you don't you know, that's building thick muscle.

Lanny Barnes:

Mhmm. I I talk to people about strength endurance, and it's how many how many times can you lift your leg with a 50 to 80 or even more pound pack? Let's say you're you're packing out an elk Yeah. Which, you know, for me, the packs at least 90 to maybe a 110 pounds per pack. So and you have to carry that for miles.

Lanny Barnes:

How many times can you lift your leg? Whether it's an hour, two hours, three hours, and, you know, people have time to do three hours, obviously, but Yeah. The more endurance you can build up with an 80 with an 80 plus pound pack on, you know, or even just hiking throughout the day with a with a thirty, forty pound pack on. Can you do that? Can you hike all day with a 40 pound pack and not shoot an elk right before dark and not have enough energy to get yourself and the elk out.

Lanny Barnes:

You know? Right. If you if you hire horses, you're, you know, you're golden. But for those of us that don't have that option, you gotta be able to slap it on your back and then still get yourself out.

Adrian Jessen:

So it sounds like, not to be, all physiological, but specificity of training is kind of the objective. Like, figure out what it is that you're gonna need to do and just get really good at that.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, it doesn't matter if it's a a sheep hunt, if it's, you know, if you're you're doing waterfowl, you know, tromping through the the heavy deep snow, sitting sitting there in really cold conditions, you know, that that is kind of an endurance of itself for the body, enduring body. So, you know, just preparing yourself for difficult conditions, you know, mentally and physically. And I think the the better your endurance people hate endurance because it's long, it's slow, it's boring.

Lanny Barnes:

But the better your endurance, the better you're gonna be not only in hunting, but in everything you do in your life. Yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

That's a very good point. Being able to kinda mind over matter sometimes.

Lanny Barnes:

Yep. Especially when you stab yourself in the leg.

Adrian Jessen:

Especially especially when you stab yourself in the leg. So note to self, try really hard not to stab yourself in the leg. Even though you tried really hard

Lanny Barnes:

not to. You avoid those situations by preparing ahead of time, being patient, and not rushing.

Adrian Jessen:

That's true. Yeah. Because I guess had you been gotten home a day earlier, you could have had time to check your pack and make sure everything was good and and all that good stuff. How much experience do you have? We've talked about cold weather situations a lot.

Adrian Jessen:

So let's flip that a little bit. Let's say somebody is going pronghorn hunting in, you know, where it's gonna be super hot. What are what does that look like? How is that different?

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. So, you know, I think the the hardest thing for people to do is carry enough water with them, you know? And so being able to find, one, map out where potential water sources are in case you get into a a sticky situation are really important. You know, that's part of the the prepping and planning ahead. If you're hunting in a new area, you know, I mean, nobody has an excuse these days not to know.

Lanny Barnes:

Back in the day, we didn't really have resources and things like Onyx Hunt and stuff like that where you can you can look up Google Maps or anything like that ahead of time. So mapping out where water potential water sources are, but knowing how much water to carry. You know, I I carry one of those Nalgene packs, big packs on my back and and fill it up. And if you don't drink that in an entire day, plus some, you're probably not drinking enough water. And so some of the things that I always carry with me regardless is, like, even my little day pack, if I'm going just for a short amount of time, like, I always have a a LifeStraw with me, you know, because that could help in a sticky situation.

Lanny Barnes:

You could put this in a, you know, mud puddle and and and, you know, it's not gonna be fun, but get yourself a little bit of water. You know? And and nobody ever talks about them anymore, but the water purification tablets. Everybody everybody carries a water filter, which I do too, but there's there's a lot of things on a water filter that can break. You know?

Lanny Barnes:

And if if you're filtering a lot of water in the backcountry and let's say your filter gets jammed or or stops working or anything like that, having water purification tablets can be the difference between giardia and not getting giardia. Yeah. Trust me. Yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, that sounds like a story.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. Well, I when when we were little, I, you know, I thought I was invincible and and going in the backcountry, we we thought, okay, well, this looks like a right from the source spring and and end up getting giardia because a coyote had had done his business dream. And, you know, it's just you never know. It's always be cautious. And whether it's beavers or just you don't know what kind of animals are or things are getting into the water.

Lanny Barnes:

The more you can just prepare, the the better. You know, to deal with that later. And

Adrian Jessen:

I'm sure you've never done that again since then.

Lanny Barnes:

Nope. I'm

Adrian Jessen:

Unfortunately, live and learn. So as you said, at the beginning, it's important to learn from other people's mistakes as well, so you don't have to suffer yourself.

Lanny Barnes:

Absolutely. Yeah. And right. I mean, always I always carry the little packs of, you know, electrolytes. One of the biggest things for people at altitude or, in, like, desert places because a lot of the deserts in the West are still high altitude.

Lanny Barnes:

So when you get dehydrated, electrolytes and also, you know, lemon packets, those are really good to to help you, you know, rehydrate and things like that. The the problem with a lot of people with hydration is is people don't understand it. You know? They say, oh, well, I'll just chug a Gatorade and, you know, I'll be fine. That's there's electrolytes in there and sugar and whatever.

Lanny Barnes:

But Gatorade is probably I hate to, you know, if if if there's Gatorade lovers out there, I hate to say this, but Gator is probably one of the worst sports drinks. So is Powerade, and all those all those sports drinks are horrible for you because there's too much sugar, not enough of of the electrolytes that you actually need. They they call them the sodium potassium pumps Right. In your muscles for a reason, not just sodium, which is in most things, but potassium. You need both in order for your muscles to function.

Lanny Barnes:

So, you know

Adrian Jessen:

It sounds like what you're saying too is it's important to hydrate with water, but you all if you overhydrate, then you're also depleting that sodium potassium pump. Then that's when you're gonna get your cramps and and not, you know, may potentially in a bad enough situation not be able to get yourself out because of that.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. It's the two extremes. If you drink too much water, your cells are gonna become diluted, and you're not gonna have enough of the the electrolytes to allow your body to function properly. If you if you're drinking too much of the Gatorade and, you know, those types of things, it's gonna dehydrate you even more because it's gonna be too much of the sugars and the salt and things like that and not enough water. So having a good mixture, you know, is is is gonna help.

Lanny Barnes:

I highly recommend taking the time to research a good electrolyte, not just something that, you know, is like the Gatorades and things like that.

Adrian Jessen:

Is there I know there are a couple of new, I guess newer ones out there that are, I guess, lean toward the healthier side because there's less of the bad stuff in them. Are there any that, I mean, not like an ad per se, but are there any that you're like, well, I really do kinda like these because they tend to to be a little more healthy?

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. Like, I can't remember the one that everybody's been doing now. It's like, I think it says IV or or

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, yeah. Can't remember. Liquid. Liquid IV. Is that what it's called?

Lanny Barnes:

Liquid IV?

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. Yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. Yeah. They they actually and and, you know, I hate to to a lot of those ones that people think are healthier these days aren't necessarily because the kind of minerals that they're putting in there is not and the percentages are not necessarily what you want. Two places that I've I've kinda used over the years is there's a and I don't even know if they're still in business. We use that we we had so much stuff.

Lanny Barnes:

We just stocked up on it and last forever. But and now I can't remember the name, but it's out of Salt Lake, and they use minerals from the Great Salt Lake. I'll have to to look it up. It was really awesome stuff. And then Shakely made a really good electrolyte with the right percentages of electrolytes that we use while we were training for the Olympics back in the day.

Lanny Barnes:

And so I really liked really liked those. But, again, you don't have to like, most of those electrolyte things have things in there that you don't need, like caffeine. I mean, it's just gonna it's just gonna make your heart pump even more. With exercise, you're gonna get the endorphin release. So you you don't need caffeine while you're out hunting, things like that, and just make you shake it when you're shooting.

Lanny Barnes:

So, you know, anything that has a lot of just just look for something that's really simple. That's that's that's my recommendation. Another thing that I recommend is carrying honey sticks for quick quick energy. They're really lightweight. You don't need a lot to get to go a long ways.

Lanny Barnes:

But if you start feeling shaky Yeah. You know, if you start getting, like, your eyes get blurry and and, you know, you start feeling the the signs of of serious fatigue and and, you know, that that kind of bonking feeling Mhmm. Then, you know, the the the problem with a lot of those energy goos and gels and things like that is those things will dehydrate you quicker than anything else.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh.

Lanny Barnes:

You know, unless you have because they're they're too much, like, those little goo packets Yeah. You know, people hit those, and then it's it's just like, it's almost too much sugar and and things like that. So, you know, a little honey packet like this, that's what you need. That's really cool.

Adrian Jessen:

Where do you find those?

Lanny Barnes:

Well, actually, in Durango, we have a a little place called, Honeyville. Yep. It's local, and they call it the the land of elk and honey. So I just get them from there. But you can order these honey sticks, anywhere.

Lanny Barnes:

Okay. You know? Again, don't order just from China because he knows what's in there. But, yeah, most local honey stores have them.

Adrian Jessen:

That's a good tip for sure. Because like in the in the past, we've used Goo for various training things and, you know, like during a endurance event that's like a couple hours, it's fine because you just need that burst. But that makes sense if you're out there for hours, like days, you don't wanna and again, like you said, you maybe not knowing where your next water source is or how quickly you can get to it, you don't wanna do things that are gonna suck the hydration out of your body even further. So that's that's a pretty cool tip for sure.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. And it's just gonna those goos and gels and stuff, they give you a spike. Mhmm. And then there's always a crash afterwards.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

So if you're crashing already, think of how bad your next crash is gonna if you're depleted after a something like that. I mean, if you're if you're back at the truck, hit one of those things if you have to. Big deal. You're there. Right?

Lanny Barnes:

But if you're if you still have a ways to get out to the truck, you know, then don't don't hit those things. You know? You you have to be smart about what you what you put in your body.

Adrian Jessen:

It's easy to, you know, see the advertisements and be like, oh, that'd probably be a great idea. But then if you don't really think about what it how your body responds to those things, then definitely can get yourself in a a pickle out there in the in the wilderness.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. And if if people are wondering what to use, go to store and buy multiple products and test them out in your training get leading up to hunting season. Yeah. You know, if you're if you're going for hikes, see how see what what it does to your body, you know, because everybody acts everybody's body reacts differently to different products.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That's especially too, you never know digestive wise how your body will respond. So if you wait till you're out there and you try something and then it just totally tears up your system, then that's a whole other issue.

Lanny Barnes:

Yep.

Adrian Jessen:

So let's go back to the I mean, the stabbing yourself in the leg sounds like a pretty bad thing, but what it would you say? What's the like, I guess, what could be the scariest thing that's happened to you while hiking or hunting out in the back country?

Lanny Barnes:

I would say that that ranked up there pretty high, just because I was I was, you know, an inch the other way, and it, you know, it would have been a But, different you know, I'll I'll tell you one one story. And then, you know, people I'm a little bit crazy and different when it comes to to hunting. So my twin sister and I were up elk hunting. She was about 11,500 feet when she shot her elk, and I was a little bit lower, maybe about 10,000. She I think she called me and said, hey.

Lanny Barnes:

There's there's still elk here. They just went around the mountain. Get your butt up here, and you might be able to track them down and shoot one. So I was with my dad at the time, and so he looked at me. He's like he's like, I'm just gonna sit here and eat my my lunch.

Lanny Barnes:

I'll I'll meet you up there later. He's like, go. And so I started running. Right? Because back when I was training for the Olympics, we could run mountain ranges and you know, because we were in shape for it.

Lanny Barnes:

And so I started running. If you've ever run at, you know, ten, eleven thousand feet, it's it's challenging. And the the elk were had moved up to about 12,000 feet, and I was maybe a mile and a half to two miles away from them. And in my mind, I I was at lower altitude, I started really running pretty hard. And I had a pack on, and I had my gun and, you know, so extra weight and everything.

Lanny Barnes:

And I wasn't I was rushing to get there because I didn't want them to leave, so I wasn't stopping to hydrate or anything. And by the time I got to where the elk were, I bonked, which is basically your your your body gets to the point where you you can't do anything. Like, it it hits a wall. And I couldn't even lift my leg over logs. So Oh my gosh.

Lanny Barnes:

I the elk had gone had left. So, you know, whatever. But I was not in any any shape to to do anything anyways had I seen them. You know? I was Right.

Lanny Barnes:

I was so shaky. It was like so I laid down. That can be a very dangerous thing because my core temperature dropped quickly.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, back when

Lanny Barnes:

training Yeah. Back when we we were training for for Olympics, my, you know, my body fat percentage was anywhere from eight to 10%. And so as soon as I laid down, my my body temperature started to drop quickly, and I started to get hypothermic. So luckily, I had all the right stuff in my pack, but had I not or had I been, you know, and and and being depleted already, I didn't have that much energy left. Yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

So luckily, I had enough energy to get out my emergency blanket and put on an extra coat and things like that. But it had I had extra things on top of that, rain, snow, you know, something like that, it probably would have been a different situation because I had pushed myself past what I was what I was capable of doing at that that altitude, capable of functioning.

Adrian Jessen:

So how did you get out? Like, how did

Lanny Barnes:

That's it's actually a really funny end of the story. So I I laid there probably for a couple hours. And while I was laying there, I I ate something. I drank something, you know, things like that. Because I knew that if that if at that altitude, if I kept, you know, exerting energy, then I was I was done.

Lanny Barnes:

Right? Yeah. So I I just I just laid there, and I'm like, there's nothing I can do. I if I don't recover, I'm not gonna be able to walk out. So I just laid there until I my body recovered enough for me to to at least get over to my twin sister.

Lanny Barnes:

And then at that point, we had we had to pack a elk out and then hike out. So but, again, you know, like, my twin sister and I, we've done a lot of really crazy not so smart things, and we've learned a lot from the lessons over the years. But while I was laying there, thankfully, the sun came out. Ah. Can't believe I'm telling you this.

Lanny Barnes:

But I was super sweaty too, so I'm like, okay. I started stripping my clothes off to, you know, to change, And I was didn't have enough energy to take my boots off, so I had my pants around my ankles. And I had my shirt off, and I was just hanging out there in my sports bra. And while I was was doing that, I didn't think anybody was even back there in that area. Here, a guy behind me, hey.

Lanny Barnes:

How's it going? And I'm like, I'm like I'm like, well, just changing here. And he's like, seeing any elk? He just starts carrying on conversation with me. Right?

Lanny Barnes:

So I'm thinking, like, you see a girl in her underwear in the woods with a pants on her ankle? Why wouldn't you just leave her alone? You know?

Adrian Jessen:

Sadie out. Right.

Lanny Barnes:

And so I'm just like, no. Like, I, you know, I just wanna end the conversation as quick as possible. So he just said, okay. Well, you have a good day, and then he walked off. And I can't imagine what campers back at camp that that night.

Lanny Barnes:

But, anyways,

Adrian Jessen:

so to that hear that that hit I would love for that guy to be like, oh my gosh. That was me. Like, what he was thinking when that was going on.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. Yeah. But anyways, again, having extra clothes to change into, regardless of who's watching is really important. That's right. You know, that can help.

Adrian Jessen:

And I think too, one thing that I thought could be a very strong temptation and, you know, this is kind of based on some things that have happened this year, is when your dad said, hey, I'm going to stay here, and you know you just got a couple miles to go, like a strong temptation could easily have been to left your pack with him, because you know you're going toward your sister. So now if you make that choice, don't take your pack because you'll be faster. Now you're done.

Lanny Barnes:

And I both my twin sister and I, we've done that before. Sneaking up because we, you know, we're we love to to hunt elk archery. Those are our favorite. And so we've had situations where we've left our pack and our shoes gotten down to our sock and start sneaking down. And you could you could have a two to three hour sneak.

Lanny Barnes:

It's not that far, but, you know, two, three hundred yards to try to get in closer to get a shot on an elk with a bow. And your your pack's way up there. You're dehydrated. You know, you your feet could be wet, you know, things like that. If you don't know how to get back to your pack, like my twin sister once, she lost her pack.

Lanny Barnes:

She couldn't find it. And so she called me, and I was able to get get to her. And we spent a good while looking for it, but we found it. But had she had she not been able to find that, she she would have been at least half a day and Yeah. You know, good six, eight miles from the car without food, water, you know, all that kind of stuff.

Adrian Jessen:

So again, you were talking earlier, the mapping tools that are out there now. Like, sounds like marking your spots would also like if you take your pack off, mark your drop a pen so you can get back to your pack or any other spots like that for for that matter.

Lanny Barnes:

Right. Yeah. And, you know, technology is only as good as, as long as it's working.

Adrian Jessen:

Mhmm.

Lanny Barnes:

So, you know, one thing like we had in Alaska is like, okay. Well, we we have these phones for mapping out where we're going down the river and stuff like that, but but we don't have any way of charging them. And and solar charging in Alaska where there's no sun is not good. Yeah. So having a backup of paper maps is not a bad idea.

Lanny Barnes:

That's what we did. We had backup. So or having a battery pack if you're if you're not going out for very long.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

So just things like that to think about.

Adrian Jessen:

Is there anything else? We talked about a lot of really good stuff. So make sure your bag is packed with the things you need. You want to have in a preferably a waterproof manner, clean socks, dry socks, hat, gloves so you can stay warm, emergency blanket, ponchos, electrolytes, plenty of, water purification sources, the tablets and the straw, snacks, good snacks, the honey sticks. I was trying to think of what else.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, the blood kits for sure. Yeah. Fire starters. Let's, we'll put together a list and put, put that in the description. So we'll we'll work on that.

Adrian Jessen:

We'll make sure it's in there.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. I'll I'll get get a list of a a day pack for just day hiking and then, multiple day trip, because there's obviously things like that that I recommend. Like, I even when we were in Alaska, because we couldn't just pull over to a pharmacy and we were

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah.

Lanny Barnes:

You know, really, really far from anything. I mean, and this is the thing in, like, in Alaska, your air transport, if you can't if they can't fly in, you could be stuck there anywhere from a few days to a week before they can come and get weather turns south. So things that I brought with me, antibiotics, you know, different medications if you have cold or, you know, nasal things, a stomach issue, you know, things like that, I I brought all of that with us because you just never know.

Adrian Jessen:

Right. That's really smart too. Yeah. So we'll make sure that there's a list available for like that. That'd be great.

Adrian Jessen:

And then that way you guys can just click that and and have that, available to you. Lainie, any other kinda last tips that's like, okay, if I don't tell you anything else, this is what you need to know.

Lanny Barnes:

I would say have a list and every time before you step out the door, double check to make sure that everything is on the list. Because it's easy to just grab one thing when you're hunting and then not replace it. Mhmm. You know? Or or something could fall out of your pack.

Lanny Barnes:

You know? Who knows what's happening? So having a list and just being really religious about checking it every time you go out could could make the difference between life and death.

Adrian Jessen:

That's a good point. Yeah. Excellent. Well, Lainie, thank you so much. Such great information.

Adrian Jessen:

Awesome. Like I say, we're gonna have a great resource for you guys. Today we covered a lot, which is fantastic in terms of backcountry safety, hunting, and just if you're going on a multi day hike, these things are gonna apply to that as well. Lanny, thank you so much for being an amazing guest, an amazing resource. Tell everybody where they can find you and follow along.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. Thanks so much for having me on. Super excited to be part of this amazing community. Everybody can check me out on social media at Lanny Oakley or on, my website, lannyoakley.com.

Adrian Jessen:

And I promise you guys will not be disappointed. There's a she's again, pretty much any trick shot you've ever imagined. I think the one I just saw the other day, you were hanging upside down and split a playing card with a 22.

Lanny Barnes:

Yeah. I like I like to do, lots of different things and and kind of think outside the box.

Adrian Jessen:

You won't be disappointed. It's great. And then tons of just great content. Very entertaining. So if you head over there, check her out.

Adrian Jessen:

Also, while you're perusing the social media, make sure that you follow Ascend by Ducks Unlimited on all of our platforms. I've said this before, I pretty much say it every time, but the big thing is we want this Ascend community to be for everybody. We want if if you're interested in being outdoors in any type, then we want you to be part of it. So make sure you follow along. As I mentioned before, if you're watching on YouTube, make sure you subscribe, hit the like button, comment, share it with all your friends.

Adrian Jessen:

Same thing on all of your favorite podcasting platforms. As always, we appreciate your time. This is Adrian encouraging you to follow your story wherever it takes you.

VO:

Thank you for listening to the Ascend podcast. New every week, the conservation driven podcast one week and our adventure video series the next. Watch the Ascend adventure episodes on the Ducks Unlimited YouTube channel, and be sure to like, share, and subscribe. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited. Until next time, follow your outdoor story wherever it leads you.

VO:

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