Ep. 133: Family, Flying, and Hunting: Greg McHale's Yukon Adventures

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a member of the Silvercore club and community, visit our website at silvercore. ca. I'm joined today by a true modern day explorer and Hunter. He's not just a world class adventure racer and pilot, Silvercore. He's a steward of the wild with his own plane as his wings. He ventures deep into the Yukon untouched back country, revealing its hidden treasures through his show wild Yukon.

He showcases a power of nature and our deep connection with it through exhilarating adventures, breathtaking scenery, and heartwarming family moments. Welcome to the Silvercore podcast, Greg McHale.

And. You know, I spend spending time in the outdoors with the family is so important to me and just spending time with the family, whether it's, you know, at a hockey rink or whether it's a soccer field or whether it's out, uh, out hunting. Um, so really.

It's, uh, it has been, it's certainly, there's challenging moments when you have, when you're trying to produce a television show with your family and, and everyone forgets that, uh, especially my father forgets that there are cameras there, which, which can be good and it can be bad. Like you want authenticity. It's, it's, you know, what, uh, really. What is the foundation of, of what Greg McHale's wild Yukon is, I believe.

And so, you know, my dad could be a bit of a character and, and, you know, you get the, you get my wife and the kids and especially like Coulter, he doesn't talk a whole lot. He, he's, um, he's a little bit more, More stoic and reserved than maybe my father and I, but at the same time, you know, he's very dedicated and it's just, it's, it's so much fun. And those are the really the best, those are the best shows for me because certainly when I started out Travis, it was, it was more like really.

Kind of hard hitting and really physically demanding and the aviation side of the show, it was really important along with, you know, just pushing the human body and more of adventure race style, right? That's kind of where I started, started out.

And I still do that, but, um, it's, you know, As the kids have gotten older and my father's, you know, getting older, it's like really important that to me and that this is how we, this is what we do together and we go into the outdoors and we challenge ourselves and we, You know, have fun with it. And that's why that's, you know, kind of how it has evolved with, but I still try to, um, try to get out there and push it for myself too.

So if, when you start out, you know, showcasing the flying in, you're a pilot, you got your pilot's license, so you can hunt, so you can go to these remote areas, showcasing the plane, showcasing the endurance side of things. That's going to attract a certain kind of viewer and audience. Yeah. Uh, when you start transitioning to more the human element and the family side, how, how have you found that just out of my own personal curiosity, that impact on the following and the, the audience?

And, and it's really difficult for, for people that don't do that to really understand it, but everybody can understand being it, you know, out there hunting with your father, who's in his seventies or your son who is, you know, 10 years old, seven years old with his grandfather, every, that human element is really what people can connect with. And, um, that's, like I said, it wasn't, certainly wasn't something that we, I really. You know, focused on, I got to bring the family in here.

Uh, but it was just, it has, that was such a great element of it. And so much more satisfying to me. Like I can do these 12, 14 day hunts and come out successful at, but it's nothing like the watching your son kill his first, you know, mountain goat.

And being part of that and just working together, getting up the mountain, or you're watching your 70 year old father kill his first doll sheep, like, and, you know, just with your son and the last, last year, the whole family, we all went out sheep hunting, my daughter, my wife, and my son and I, and the four of us went out.

And, you know, we, We killed a ram and it was just such a great experience and watching my daughter for the first time, hold a, you know, hold the sheep heart up and be part of, you know, dismantling it, knowing where that meat comes from. Those are, those are special times that I think a lot of people that hunt can really relate to. And that's what makes it special for me now, being able to just show the, how the importance of involving your family in the outdoors.

And in, in the hunt or whatever it is, whatever your thing is, get the family involved and experience it together. And that's what it's about. And that's what I think that people like.

And not everybody's going to have the ability to go out on these wild, super remote hunts with their family. Uh, but I think. I do think that people have the ability to at least educate through watching your show or other shows or going out to the butchers and going out to the farms, talking with the farmers, seeing where the food comes from. I do think people have that ability to form that deeper connection. I know when I was, um, my kids were younger, it was really important to us.

My wife's a chef by trade and. Um, you know, we're watching the kids and they're eating their food. And there's only so many times we can emphasize, come on, you got to respect where this comes from, eat your food on, on it goes. And we took them out to a farm and we had a Berkshire pig that a friend of ours was raising. And. And took him out to the farm. We had them there for everything minus the, uh, the, the bullet in the head. I took him around the corner for that.

But, uh, other than that, they got to see it dragged out, got it out, butchered up and spent a few days up there. And I think those little moments, uh, Aren't shocking to somebody, but they, they make the children appreciate more deeply what it is that they're perhaps wasting on the plate.

Of, of the nutrition that you're putting into your body, or for your whole life, but then when we start to talk about meat, and what it's really, you know, where does this meat come from?

Well, this is where it comes from, and this is how it's processed, and you need to, and when you understand, you, um, You have an appreciation for it's really difficult not to have an appreciation for those who go out and harvest their own or get their, you know, kill their own animals in the field and then bring it home and feed the family with it. So that like, I've never, you're, you're a unique, you're a unique individual.

And I think that your family is very fortunate for what you've, what you've done to them. And I wish that more people would do that.

Years ago, he wrote on killing and, you know, he's had people look at this and some people a hundred percent agree, and some people don't agree, but he says, looking at school shootings and looking at, um, you know, Uh, some of these massacres that are happening, he says, He relates it to a disconnect in the value of human life. Some of the things he puts towards that are, uh, video games, uh, or media, which seems to glorify violence or glorify shooting.

And he says, you know, you want to inoculate soldiers to killing. Yeah. Here's a target, shoot it. It goes down target, shoot it. It goes out and you gamify it. Right. The gamification of killing. And I don't think playing video games will make a person into a killer. Um, and that's one area where he's had a lot of critique. It desensitizes us though. But there is a desensitization. I agree. And the other one was how death is behind closed doors. They don't, they rarely have open caskets.

You don't. You're not on the farm, seeing the animal get raised. You're not a part of that process of the food. Even, even the food they grow, most people aren't growing their food. And he thinks that it creates a, um, an illusion in people's heads. Like this, this just isn't real. It's disconnect. Right. And he says that hunting will take a, Not only a greater appreciation for your food and for work, your role in the environment, but a much greater appreciation for a human life as well.

Yeah. And I, I agree with them there.

Um, for me, it is so important to instill in the children and instill in my family and the people that, that watch my show, that take the time to, to sit down and watch my show, that they know that they're not going to get from Greg McHale, this. Um, sure. I'm happy. I I'm, I'm when you put in so much effort toward a certain goal, there's a, there is an elation and a happiness when it is done, but there's also, it must.

Be directly related to a respect and the respect of, of the animal and the respect of what you, what you have done, you've taken the life and then what did, what that life is going to go to, you know, it's going to go to feeding the family. It's going to go to feeding other families or, um, but none of it is going to be for waste and that's what's really important for me, but I do understand. And that, that would. Directly correlate to, you know, to understanding the value of a human life.

Um, and when you, so if, when you are desensitized through media or video games or whatever, and you don't have that, that respect for, for, you know, the kill is just, is the glory and it can, I think that it can desensitize people to, to, you know, to the, the death of a human too.

But that human aspect, which we've been seeing like a meat eater, uh, Steve Rinella and the crew and, uh, showing a more human side to things, showing the failures, not just all the highlights, the hit reels, the, uh, the success points, but showing the struggle in between. I think that the, um, hunting media in general, or at least the stuff that I've been seeing your stuff in particular has been doing a phenomenal job of telling that story, the death part.

That's a fraction of a section second, if it's done correctly. Pulling of a trigger and then waiting for the animal to expire. Um, but all of the work that surrounds it prior to, during the emotions and after, I think that's, that's something that you have been doing really well with your show.

You know, drawn there and do our, we do our best to, to try to just be authentic and kind of show the truth as to what it is out there. And I've done, had lots of shows where I've not killed anything.

And they're everything, they're a holiday. We're looking at these people like, holy crud, like they're setting up a base camp, like you wouldn't believe. And, and, uh, and like they, they, these guys got everything. And then we're in a, um, a cabin, there's a group, uh, cabin on the, on the lake that we're on and talking to these people. And they all seem like they're in a kind of an off mood. I'm like, like you're in, You're in God's country in a beautiful area.

Like what's going on with you guys. Right. And they're talking in hushed tones and whispering amongst each other. And it's like, like, this is kind of odd. Right. And anyways, we find out the next day that they're the leader of the group, the guy who's actually a core instructor, a hunter education instructor down here, he'd forgot some essential paperwork that he's supposed to have with him. And I guess they were talking about the ethical ramifications in the ins and the outs. But, but really.

There, if you set your decision branching tree up in a proper way, there is no ethical ramification. There is a yes or a no. Yeah. It's just, we don't have it. We don't hunt. Right. But

I don't think, uh, bottling it up and saying nothing is an appropriate response because then it just builds resentment. I thought you guys did a fantastic job of, okay, clearly there's frustration on everybody's side, clearly there's remorse on your father's side and he's thinking, oh my God, like, like I'm, I felt for him big time. I felt for you, Colter, I felt for you. I mean, you're like, okay, here we go. I'm, I'm rolling with it. Right. But I thought it was dealt with really, really well.

And I thought that human aspect to the, um, uh, to that possibly trying situation, because maybe you fly out and the weather window is you're not in for a bit, right. Exactly. And they're on their own. And

It was like one of those ones where you, you, and, and all the adrenaline and we're pushing, we're trying to like, he takes a shot at the sheep and we got to get the sheep and everybody's, you know, got tunnel vision and I'm just looking at it at the sheep and I'm trying to figure out where to go, where it is, and I'm not watching my dad.

And he's, you know, it's one of those things he's from media away and he might as well be a mile away because by the time I recognize what's happening, It's just like, you're so close, but I know I just can't get you. And you just watched, you know, watch this, this old man fall head first down the hills into the rocks. And it's just like, I was, I don't really know, um, what I was thinking at the time, other than this is really bad. And how bad is this? So, but it wasn't that bad.

Oftentimes don't realize is the predicament, the future predicament they're putting themselves and everybody else around them in by not opening their mouth and saying, maybe I should get a bandage on this leg. Maybe we should at least clean, clean it out a little bit because it's perfect punctured and got dirt in there. And I, I think it'd be.

It's hugely helpful if we, if people in general, especially if you're working in a team environment, which we generally are, can normalize the, okay, I'm fine. Now I'm not fine. I'm going to take steps to fix it. Just let you know, and not complain about it, but, but here we go. We're going to

It's like arguably the most difficult team sport on the planet. And you, you have to have that communication. Like you have to, because the goal is the team getting across the line. It's not you.

And if you don't have that communication and that, um, you know, if you don't have the ability to put your ego into the You check your ego at the door when you start on that start line, then it's going to unravel because you're going to get into a deep hole at some point that maybe you can't even climb out from and your team doesn't know what's going on. And until it's too late.

And when I say a deep hole, I mean, physically, mentally, just, just drained beyond, beyond where, you know, it's going to take six or eight hours maybe to get you back, uh, whether it's dehydration or situations like that. And I've lived, you know, 15 years of that racing at, uh. And doing that. So like my wife has, has carried my backpack for me, like she's like other, you know, I've told teammates and like all these kinds of things.

And that's how you get across the line, which is what you're talking about, which is being able to be commune, to communicate when things aren't going well. So the team can pick up the slack and help you along the way. So we all get to the goal quicker. Um, I don't think my father, he, you know, he grew up in, he grew up in that, uh, That era where it's just like, you shut your mouth, you put your head down and you just keep grinding it out and you know, you suck it up just like you said.

You know, I, I, I give him a lot of, and I think that that is really what gets him, gets him up mountains often. Um, and that, you know, that grit that will allow him to keep coming out even. Um, uh, but sure. I think that, uh, in that situation, if he had a, Communicated a little bit better. Um, but maybe he was concussed and he wasn't even thinking about his leg.

And that was the, you know, there, there, but he, I have not seen him in a situation where he had to dig real deep, like, like that before. So it was a bit of a, it was, it was a, an eye opener for all of us, certainly in understanding when you're on the mountain with, you know, With, uh, with a guy that's, you know, almost 80 years old, there are different things that you have to, it's, it's, it's often like, it's like a child.

It's in fact, Colter's first, first sheep hunt was with my dad and my dad was maybe 73 at the time. Um, and it was easier to like, Colter was easier at seven years old than my father at, you know, 73. Yeah, I could see that. Um, So it's, you know, we, we, and nobody wants to hear it, but like I'm in my fifties, like I'm 51 right now and none of us are getting younger and the deterioration is inevitable.

Um, we try to ward it off as long as we can, but you know, we are going to revert back to, back to speed at, you know, when we were children. And, um, There's nothing wrong with it. It's life and embracing it and knowing it and trying to ward it off as long as you possibly can by doing all the things that are right, um, is what we, what we need to do. And, you know, so not being afraid and I, so I'm not carving up, you know, anyone who's in their seventies are certainly not my father.

Um, but that's just the way, the way we're, we're heading. And, um, And it is quite easy now, you know, when you get into, when you deal with, you know, you're in the mountains with, with I'm in the mountains with my dad and it is very challenging kind of to you, to what we talked about earlier on is the challenges that you have, you know, with, with videotaping and, and producing a television show with this, with this family dynamic dynamic.

And often, you know, that's the most difficult thing is like Greg. Checking his himself every time he goes into the mountains with and just stepping back and enjoying the moments

And man, we didn't do it properly. Now it's all blown over. Like those sorts of challenges. I find are, are what make life worth living? Uh, who was it? Michael Easter wrote a book called the comfort crisis. And he's talking about how, you know, in society, we're getting better and better at making everything comfortable. You want food, you want Amazon delivering to your door, you want Uber Eats sending things over. Uh, You don't even have to leave your home. You want to interact.

Okay. Interacting is really easy. I just do it on my phone. I'm done. I can put it down and I can sit here and watch everyone else living their lives. I'm going to do air brackets on, for anyone who's listening and not watching, living their life, which of course is typically just their version of a life that they want to show everybody else that they're living. But you're put outside in the natural environment, you're put in these difficult situations, you're with. Your nearest and dearest.

I, I, you know, I, I think that level of discomfort is really what makes life worth living.

And I think that like, you're, you're right. You're referencing is the, the go out, do difficult things in order to live life, to feel what life

Um, that it has resonated with them and they, they understand, or they've taken the on the challenge to go out and go hiking, get into the outdoors or get in better shape because they know that it's going to elevate their life and they're going to, you know, whether they know it or not, or can articulate it, it's. That they are more fulfilled in the life that they're living.

And it's all these real quick fixes that everyone's just, and it feels like. A lot of these things are just touching on the periphery and there's massive businesses in all of these peripheries. Cause they offer a solution to people when the solutions actually always been there. And it's pretty simple. It's get up and go for a walk, spend 10 minutes a day. And do a little bit of exercise, something physical, something that gets your heart going.

Spend 10 minutes and be mindful, be present for where you're at. You don't have to do it with a group of people. If that's not your thing, he can do it all by yourself. You don't have to tell anybody about it. You don't have to post about it on, on Instagram. The solution is there. And I think people are desperate for it. I'm just hoping that by sharing stories like yours, that people are at least inspired.

They might not be getting the super cub and getting their license and flying out in the mountains and going to these remote areas, but it doesn't stop them from, I don't know, you want to be in an area where it's not surrounded by people, get up early and go out to your local park. Right. Yeah. Um, simple things like that.

And got minimal amount of physical activity, like 20, 20 minutes a day, five days a week, that would, that could, that would be plenty as like, as long as you elevate your heart rate, you sweat and you actually move your body, not just go through the motions. So you just, that's, and it's so minimal. You do those things and your life would absolutely change. Like, I know, like, I know.

I know how much better I feel when I'm physically fit now, and physical fitness is different for everybody, depending on where they were, you know, you know, where they are along that journey when I'm physically fit, my brain works better. I'm a nicer person to be around. I'm. Um, I'm more mindful. I, I think more deeply about things and some of that has come with age as well, but, um, certainly I think that I'm, I'm a far better parent because I'm not frustrated as easily.

I'm not, um, I'm not frustrated with myself cause when I'm out of shape, it's really me beating, beating up me in the brain, into my brain and I, and then I. Project that out to everybody else

And can you tell me about that?

And I've found that, um, in this particular situation is I've been traveling a lot. And when I, when I travel a lot, like to, to hockey tournaments is like the kids are, or it's, it's so much about them right now at this time in their life. And so when I go out to a hockey tournament, I don't have my gym at home. I don't have these things that I, that I just, I get up at five, four 30 in the morning, five o'clock in the morning. And this is what I do.

And before the rest of the world wakes up, I've already done everything that I need to do for me. So when I'm out of that routine, And I not, I need to get to the arena at 7 30 and I'm in a hotel and the food is crap. And I haven't, you know, I haven't done the work to go and get the food, to put it in the proper food, to put it in the hotel. And now I'm beating myself up because, Oh, Greg, you were too lazy to go shopping last night after he got off the plane to go get the proper food.

To eat right this morning to get up and then exercise you didn't have, you didn't make it a priority and that's when I don't do that, I'm out of sorts and everyone around me suffers for it and recognizing that, um, Is important so that I, you know, like this morning, like I'm away from my routine and, uh, we got, we got in last night, a little bit later, um, by the time we got back to the, to where we're staying, got, but I did, you know, it's like, I got up

this morning, I exercised, I got my 40 minutes in, I did stairs for 40 minutes, um, you know, and then, but when I don't do that, And now I feel good, right? Like I feel good. I'm, I'm, I'm here. I'm present. Um, and, and I won't let that happen tomorrow because I know that the pattern that I've gotten into is not good for me. So really it is about understanding. Um, who you are understanding your body and getting into those, like those repetition day after day of, this is what I do.

Like I identify myself as somebody that works out. So when I don't work out, well, I'm not being true to who I believe that I am.

I do all of these things and then I've culminates in how I play hockey I identify as as a hunter or whatever it is that you identify as but for me when I'm not Working out when I'm I just I know that I'm not being true to who I am and therefore I don't feel good about myself and everyone pays for it and I think that when we think deeply about who we are and what it is that we want to want to be or, and the thing, and then you just think about the things that That you

need to do to become the person that you want to be like if you would like to be a runner and you're 240 pounds and you go, you know what you can be But you have to decide and you have to put in place the the steps that will get you to that place

And like, I have conversations with the kids and like, guys, You're, you, when you live in this house, you are not having a cell phone. Your brain is not developed, fully developed till they say around 25 years old. That's what I've read. Yes. So think about, think about a 12 year old or a 10 year old with a cell phone. And the impact that that has on us as adults

You can't like, it's going to be out there and they're going to, and our, our philosophy within our house is that what value is adding to their life, especially, you know, little, Like little girls and little boys, what value is that actually adding to their life? Why don't we just go outside and play well and make that a habit.

Great question. So

Um, whether it's, you know, business, uh, education, whether it's, um, my next goal that I'm going after, how to, uh, gathering information to make me more efficient, make me better. Um, that's my, my main driver and the, uh, and, and with the other one, you know, that's the, that's the education component. And then I take, uh, inspiration. So I look for. Look for, you know, quality podcasts, you know, that, that can teach me something that can inspire me.

Some of the guys that you've had on your podcast, like they're inspiring there and, and women, very inspiring people. And so that's what I, I really try to, um, and which also falls in the, the education component, um, most of the time. So if I can, As a media company can portray that I inspire somebody to get out there and get off the couch, you know, or take their family out hunting, or even just go out hunting the amount of men that have, you know, dm me.

I never grew up in a hunting family, but now I go out and, you know, I really want to learn how to hunt. Where do I go? Like, those are the kinds of things that I, I, I love to hear. So if I can inspire somebody and then provide some education on to how to go about doing these things, whether it's somebody that reaches out to me on, uh, on. And I have to take the time to, to respond back to them, you know, as best I possibly can and give them that information.

That's where I. I feel a comfortable place with social media and where I fit into the, to the world. Um, I like, I, it's interesting. I watch the kids and they're watching YouTube and I'm, I'm watching, you know, seeing what they're consuming and, um, Um, probably the world's, one of the world's best marketers out there right now is, is the guy called Mr. Beast and, and I look at that as straight garbage. Okay. Um, because it's, it's, it's just straight up entertainment.

Sure. Um, it's not educating. Um, It's, and it's not in, it's not inspiring, um, to me, like, it doesn't inspire me to, you know, want to start a YouTube channel and, you know, and just try to grow followers because I'm giving money away or whatever. So that's the kind of content that, um, that is not inspiring to me and is not educational to me. And unfortunately, I think that that's what the world is being bombarded with.

And these YouTubers that are, are all out there trying to like, Literally there's courses now from what I understand at schools on how to become a YouTuber

And the one thing about that is that, um, I do have, I do have great partnerships and I've got great sponsors and I've been very fortunate to be able to build a company that, um. That has companies that want to be involved with me. Um, but the one thing about that is I don't, I try to be cognizant about, you know, being salesy. I was never, I don't believe I was born to be a salesman. So the products that I do use.

I know work and that's like, I, I am not a, a NASCAR, like I, I have very few partners because, because I am very picky about who I will partner with because your product has got to work because someone like you, if you're going out in the field and you, and you're I want you to be able to say, you know what, it works for Greg in the Yukon and in the mountains. So it's probably going to work for me. And that's, that's the most important thing to me is again, it comes down to authenticity.

And that's where, you know, the, the whole media company, um, kind of to circle back Travis's, I have to be true to who I am across every spectrum of my life.

I think that's where the sales happen. I, I, I honestly believe that, um, the way that the partnerships with, uh, people who would be like yourself, I'm not, some people hate the term, but an influencer is social media influencer. And I think the only reason that, that influencers are here or it's ever became a, a, a term is because we're so inundated.

With so much information that if they can find somebody who they trust, who seems to be doing things right, uh, and that person's using certain equipment or kit, I don't have to think about all the different things that are out there. I'll say, okay, that works. Right. So you're essentially an information Concierge, and you're taking all of this information that's out there and distilling it down and making a more simple decision for somebody else in the end run.

So I don't know a different way to look at the, uh, how, how the two can work together because they're both necessary. You need money to get out in the mountain. Yeah. People need gear to get out there might not always be the most expensive gear, but that could be aspirational, um, to essentially simplify somebody, their decision process and buying kit. The second that you do something that's not true to you, all credibility is gone. Yeah. Sponsors are at the door and so are the viewers.

Probably.

Maybe my family never, I was the first one in my family to go to university after college. Um, and then, but then you go and you get a good government job and you know, you get your white picket fence and your pension after. 30 years and, you know, you sail off into retirement. And that's just how I was raised to think that that's, was the way the, the best way to navigate through the world. Um, and I think that, I was fighting that through college and through university.

Um, I moved away from home after like my girlfriend and I, uh, wife now, uh, Colter's mom, Denise, um, we, we left university and moved out West to the Yukon and, um, and I was fighting. That, but I'd had no direction as to, I just still knew that that's what I had to do. That was the right way to make, make a living. And I went and, uh, joined the RC, joined the RCMP. Um, like I said, I did, uh, you know, eight, uh, in the enforcement, eight to 10 years there, and it was, it was great.

I, I loved, um, I. I loved the camaraderie. I loved the team. Uh, I loved getting out on a Friday night and rockin and rollin and, you know, shits happenin and, and, you know. You know, anyone in the enforcement world knows what I'm talking about without, you know, without saying a whole lot more you're like, you're Friday night and it's, it's that 5 percent and it's the adrenaline's pumping and, and you're getting a guy like me is getting the fix that I need. Um, and then the 95%.

Kicks in and that 95 percent is the paperwork, the bureaucracy, the, just the system. And I knew that there was no way that this is how I could continue to go through my life. It was, it was great. It set it. I was really good at saving money. Um, my wife and I are really good, uh, at saving money and kind of starting to understand finances and in the young age. So. You know, we did some good investments and, um, some real estate and stuff like that.

I was Uh, I, so I used that foundation to save money and to educate myself during that time, um, to feel good enough about, you know what, I don't need this job. They, you know, and I wanted to move into the world of, uh, adventure racing professionally. And, um, there was really no appetite within the RCMP to be, um, You know, to, to be compromising on my need to be a professional athlete and to see what I could do in that world. Um, so.

You know, the line was kind of, the line was kind of drawn. And, um, I had just said, well, if you're not interested in, you know, working with me, the system is the system is the way the system is.

I was actually thankful right away that there was no mechanism for them to say, yeah, you know what, you can work part time or you can take a leave of absence and then come back because, well, I would have never come back, but at the same, probably, but at the same time, I'm glad that there, that was never an option. Right? Like I could have come back years later. Of course I could have re engaged, but. Um, I needed to make that, I needed to cut that off, but that did take a period of time.

And when I knew that it was like, well, this is not the, this is not the world for me. I need goals and I need things to achieve and I need to have something to, that I can go and get and nobody can stop me. There's no roadblocks to what Greg McHale can do both in that system. There's that there are roadblocks and, and, you know, without, without carving up the RCMP, I'm just, I'm, it's more just, it's the way the government is run. Sure. And I knew that I did not fit into that government

Like, like, you know, when I referenced, well, I identify myself as an athlete or as, you know, somebody that works out every day. I never identified myself as a police officer, where a lot of my coworkers were always like, well, this is who I am. Right. And. That was never me. So I think that it was important, you know, for me to be able to, to move on. And I knew that I was inevitably going to move on.

I think in the back of my heart and, you know, I knew that I was, this was not going to be for me forever.

From your time there, whether positive things you've learned on ways to do things or ways to maybe do things differently. What have you learned from that?

So that's what, um, you know, going through that process and, and seeing how depo is, is run and how the, um, and the people that, you know, the people that are, that I thought policing was, or the kind of person, the kind of, that should be a police officer is, is changing and it's changing. And I've been out for a long time.

And it was changing then, so I can't even imagine what it is now, but, um, I think that if I was, I probably would have done far better in the military in more of a, um, uh, an operations unit. I think that my mindset would be certainly more, and that's why I did great in, uh, adventure racing. Mm hmm. Uh, because it's, it's The, you know, it's so challenging and the team that you're on all have to be high level and um, and I raced it on some of the best teams in the world.

So it was, that's where I, I think I, without ever being been, I've never been on a, um, you know, one of those, one of those military teams, but I think that there, I can draw a lot of similarities probably to the, the mindset of the individuals that are on them and the amount of the work ethic that has to be there. Has to go into maintaining those positions and being able to do what they do.

He approaches the idea of building special Operators and elite soldiers and, uh, their graduates in, in courses that have a up to 90 percent dropout rate, they have their graduates of their programs that they have, they have a 90 percent success rate going through buds or going through different, uh, uh, different units, but that elite.

Soldier and the elite operator is going to be looking at their mental aspects or emotional aspects or physical aspects, the food they take in the, uh, the information they consume and everything you've talked about here so far would lead me to believe that you are predisposed to be one of those individuals who would do well in an environment like that.

Now, one of the reasons I was asking about the depot and your CMP and sort of, you know, Uh, the training programs is cause that gives you some background into how, how people build other people up, how people can, uh, influence others to, uh, achieve goals in a certain area, different training programs.

And something that I've talked about with Gladys, as well as with, uh, you off offline here is about building stronger future generations, as well as, you know, allowing men to be men, a couple of things that are Close to your heart. What are your thoughts on that?

What's like the stuff that's happening happening now like the not to get too too far down there Because I want to be very articulate and I don't want to come across um as either placating to to anyone or not, um, not saying exactly what I mean my point is that I take a lot of pride and a lot, I put a lot of energy into trying to build, um, to focusing on my, both my son and my daughter, um, making, making sure that, that to, about my daughter is that she has a very positive feminine woman in

her life and there's nothing wrong with

And that's where I think the lines are getting so blurred right now, where little boys are not, you know, not, they can't go outside and they can't rough house and they can't be little boys. They can't, they're not allowed to.

You know, utilize or express those masculine tendencies that we have by nature and little girls are being taught to you've got to be strong and you've got to go out there and you've got to, you know, work in the man's world and you have to, you know, climb the corporate ladder, which is fine too.

Talking to women who are raised to climb that ladder, to try and compete in a quote unquote man's world, when that was never the goal, they're strong in their own right and much stronger than men in certain places. And men are much stronger than women in certain areas and be able to rely on each other's strengths back and forth.

And I think that's where the, um, Uh, some of the difficulty has come in is because people will talk about the, uh, the patriarchy and the, uh, uh, how, how we have to overcome this. And we, in order to overcome that women have to become the men and men have to tone it down. They got to be more like the women. Our education system was built like that for, for, well, still is it's a, it's a very female dominated, uh, uh, industry.

And with the understanding that men and women are not equal on all, on all spectrums. Right. And they shouldn't be. They shouldn't be right. We shouldn't expect them to be like, Take a look at our differences and, and embrace them and be happy that they're there because what are we trying to build this androgynous society of, you know, of everyone's the same and everyone is treated equal and it's not. It will never happen. It is not nature.

And that's what, that's what I think that we're, we're really struggling with right now. And my job, I literally feel like it's my job to make sure that my children and the people that listen to me, or that derive some sort of value from what I have to say that they, They will think a little bit more deeply about what it is that they're doing with their children or themselves.

Like you can't go out and eat fast food and think that you're going to be in shape or think that you're going to live a long time. You, you can't, you can't suppress a little boy's nature, natural tendencies to go out and explore, to go out into the wilderness in the backwoods. In the backyard, like, like we literally live in the wilderness and my kids run around the neighborhood. We're all like, there's, we have a neighborhood that there's three acres.

Everyone's got kind of three acres and it's just a little, little neighborhood. Sure. And. The kids can be gone for, for hours at their age now. And I don't know where they are, but I know that they're going to come home. They know how to get home because we've taught them the skills, you know, whether it's okay, it's evening, the sun is setting in the West and you need to go through the bush this way. You're going to hit it, probably hit a trail. And

And then that river flows into Alaska, um, past Dawson city. So basically this man at 14 years old, he was, and I say, man, at

So they had to leave home and they were, they were going to the school in Dawson city, which was the capital of the Yukon at the time.

They're like, Oh, he's just a kid. He doesn't know what he's doing. I'm like, Oh, wow. I totally, now I might not have known the ins and outs and the, all the reasons behind, but I would know what I was doing. Um, and I, and I carry that forward, you know, with my own kids as well. I maybe sometimes overly anticipate that they know what's going on and they're fully capable and they can do things.

And I'd rather see them go out and fail in a controlled way, in a way where they're not going to hurt themselves too badly. And it's not going to be too catastrophic and start normalizing these failures so that they can actually start pushing further. And you mentioned, you know, about, uh, guys, young boys having a strong male role model. From my observations, kids are born, dad's needed for nothing. Mom's the one that everyone needs, right? Mom takes care of everything.

And mom, mom's the one in for the kids. But when, when the kids get older, the boys need a strong male role model to show them. What a man should be like, and women need a strong male role model to show them what to expect in a husband.

In a nutshell, and they view other people who are assertive or strong or doing something in a more brazen way as a threat. And how do we eliminate these threats? I need my safe space, safe space. I want these threats gone. And we're just now seeing, uh, The repercussions of that. And there's, there is a pushback that's happening.

Like I'm going to, I'm going to move toward my goals methodically, and it's, I'm going to, I'm going to get what I want, but I don't really, um, I don't feel comfortable being that activist and, you know, having the, this is the purpose, but when it, that pendulum swings so far, like, and you wake up guys like you and I, uh, to the realization that this is not the best thing for society, then, Then you become the activist, you take on that role because that's what strong men do.

We step up when the time is, when, when it is needed and no matter what the circumstance. Um, and that's where, uh, I don't really have a choice. And like, I mean, you, you're doing this podcast and you're having these conversations because it's important because society, because it's the best thing for society. And when you know better, you do better. And that's what we're, that's what we're doing right now.

And that's what my, like, I feel my job is a big part of it is to create certainly a great, strong, uh, strong young man in, in, in my immediate family and a strong young woman that understands, like you said, she needs to know what a man is actually like and what the expectations of a man are. But the problem right now.

And it's gone so far the problem right now is that young women cannot find that strong aggressive, like aggressive is not the right word, confident, strong, confident male in society. And it's, and it's depressing because they, they maybe they've seen.

They've had that role model in their life, their father, and now that guy isn't out there because, um, single, single parenting, you know, there's all kinds of social dynamics that have created this and, um, and it's getting harder and harder for, um, For as women get, you know, get stronger and more, you know, more assertive, they can't find those guys because there are very few and far between because society is dumbed, dumbed the male down to sit and watch video games and porn.

Like we're like, guys, we, we are, we are not, um, We are not difficult. Uh, we're , we're not difficult, you know, people generally speaking, I think we're quite simple.

Issues in a very different way where men might want to be a problem solver and say, here's the solution. I see the solution. Um, women might approach it from a different fashion where, as opposed to be solution oriented, the solution is talking it out and, and you know, the whole Mars and Venus sort of thing where everyone's coming from a different angle, but the.

disillusionment that we have when we don't realize that we have differences and these differences are important and how we hone these differences so that confidence doesn't come out as arrogance. So that assertiveness doesn't come out as aggressiveness and people can actually understand the difference between the two of these things. Yeah. I think that comes from example more than Being told over and over again.

If they can see somebody who's, uh, strong and feminine, and they're going about their day without having to hammer them over the head, they say, well, that's the example I want to follow. They see someone who's strong and masculine and they say, well, this is a role model. I look up to, I think that's. The strongest way we can do it. And you're, you're doing it from your perspective through your shows, showing how vulnerable you are with your family. I mean, there's emotion in there.

You can see that, um, that doesn't mean you're less vulnerable.

Yeah. There's, um, I think that it is important to, to note that I'm, I'm of the same conclusion as you are in, in that you do need to have all of those things to be a well rounded human and to be, to be a good, uh, a good person that, that has empathy and that has, but can still be, um, you know, still go and have goals and be motivated and driven. Um, yeah, that we, we are very, uh, I love the way you put it, Travis. We are, we are very complex, complex people.

Um, uh, humans are, and men are as well, but I do think that, um, men in general, uh, because, you know, that's my go to here is, um, is we can be also be very, very Um, very simple in the fact that we don't, um, maybe think deeply or we are very impacted easily by non, um, we are not emotional by, by nature. We are not as emotional as, as women by nature. And I think that we can, we can sit in front of a, like, generally speaking, men can sit in front of a TV and just, and the hours can go by.

Um. Thank you. And all of a sudden, you know, you've, you're playing video games and that stimulation that is, that is provided in, in those settings that is not good for, for anybody.

Um, I think that we can, we may be, and this is a personal opinion, that males can be more, Um, more apt to spend their time that way than women, like, like guys will sit in front of video games or sit or be to go back to what I'm talking about, you know, is, you know, you look at the, the inundation of pornography within, within society and the, and men not interested in going out there and, um, and meeting women and having these social interactions because that, that part of their world is.

Is taken care of some somewhere else. And that interest that, that, you know, human nature, sexual desire is satisfied through this fake and artificial world. And now all of a sudden women aren't getting that same. Um, interaction back that they, that they need because they, they don't get that. They don't release that tension in the same way that males do.

I think those are some pretty huge, um, barriers that people are now finding because they don't have that. You're talking about eighth place ribbons. They don't have the, okay, I ran and I lost. I came in second place. I lost. Right. Yeah. Um, they don't have. That repeated fail and then build back up, fail, then build back up. It's I, I, I see that as one of the, the bigger, uh, bigger drivers, but, but I have to imagine with these views.

You're going to have some polarizing opinions and you being in the public eye, um, you're probably going to get some hate, whether that be from just the fact that you're out hunting, you're going to have anti hunters. Uh, the fact that you are, uh, perpetuating a more male dominated, um, uh, male energy persona, um, are you getting hate on these? Are you getting, uh, you Yeah, you know,

Sure. Um, but that, you know, That's very few and far between so, so which is, um, either, either what I'm saying is resonating with, with people or some people.

Or most people are just never seeing it because, because I do have dead animals in my social media, I do have firearms in my social media, I, you know, I have these things that are really not, not liberal, like, and, and I would probably say that, you know, social media platforms are very, I wouldn't, not going to say they're anti, but they're certainly not promoting The, uh, the kind of things that, that I'm saying or that I'm doing. Sure. Because it's not the norm.

It's not what, uh, what mainstream society wants to hear.

That'd be interesting to hear too.

And. I would really be interested in, in that the same question, because I want to know what it is that, you know, what am I saying that the people either agree with or disagree with and for what reason so that, so that I can go, okay, you know what, Greg, maybe you really need to think about, sit down and really think deeply about what it is that you said and why you said it and why you believe that. And, um, I'm always up for.

For a great debate, but also a great conversation that I can take away and reflect on. And what can I take away from that to make me better or my family better?

Yeah. At the end, I might not agree with them, but I can agree that they are justified in feeling the way they do or thinking the way they do based on their background, life experience, whatever it might be. But there's going to be just as many people out there with my background and life experience that, um, um, maybe that's where the echo chamber comes in, but I think being open to reasonable persuasion is a very important thing when, whenever having these discussions. Yeah.

do you come to the conclusion that, that this is what you believe, because Maybe, maybe you're right and I'm wrong. And, and I need to, and I need to reflect on that. And I need to understand the topic better. And yeah, when we stop, when we stop learning, when we stop educating and you think that you know it all, then that's, it's a scary place.

All of a sudden they get a little bit of information and their confidence is through the roof and they know in their head, they know everything. Yet they've only learned a little bit more. And then that slowly starts going down, down, down to a point where their perceived competency. Is actually lower than what their ability is, because the more, you know, the more, you know, you don't know. And they start second guessing themselves.

So you always find people at different stages in life on that Dunning Kruger where they're I'm so rock solid and I know, and they're screaming from the hilltops about their opinion and whatever it might be. You get a little bit older in life and you're like, Okay. Maybe there's other ways. Maybe, maybe my approach wasn't the right one there, but you're, you're more receptive anyways.

So I, um, You know, there's, there's this, that, that bell curve, there's that Dunning Kruger effect, and it goes, it's about between 400 and 600 hours, uh, flight time is one of the, well, zero to 600 hours is the most dangerous flight time that a person can have because, and, And usually around that four to 600 is where you're going to see accidents happened as well, or somewhere in there.

I don't know if the numbers are a hundred percent correct, but it's, I know the 600 hours is roughly, um, and it, it was almost to clockwork for me. Like you, you get into aviation and bush flying for me and I didn't know anything. And you know, you're just, you're so afraid and you're learning everything. And then you get, you know, you start to get some hours under you, you start to get the feel of the plane and yeah, yeah. Now you get around that four to 600 hours. It's like, I got this.

Like now you start, start to push things and, and, uh, you know, you're You know, really ride that, ride that envelope on what a bush plane can do, where you can land your, your perception of, you know, there's so much that goes into bush flying, not to get into the nuances of it, but, um, you know, I got to that 600 mark and. And it was, it was like, I got this. And that's when I had my accident.

I, there was this, this grassy area that I want, I thought, okay, I can land here and dump my fuel off and I can shuttle and do my scouting out of this, out of this area. So, you know, and it's important to know, like, It is remote.

And I kind of put wheels down and I didn't fully, fully care. I half ass committed and it didn't feel good. I was starting to slide off wet grass. I was starting to slide off to the left and I decided, okay, I got to get out of here. So I poured the, poured the salve to it and, and the plane. This is, this is where the thinking, you know, everything and all the mistakes come in. It's not usually one thing that kills people in airplanes.

It's usually a culmination of a bunch of different small mistakes which lead to, lead to the accidents. So, hottest day Of the, of the summer that I've ever flown in, it's like 27 degrees. Um, I was fully loaded, like max weight in the airplane. Um, landing on an unknown air, air strip or location. And all of these things, um, Culminated in me. I, you know, putting the throttle down to it and the plane just did not respond.

You know, just slowing the plane and the trees are coming, are coming at me. There's there's sparse and I'm, I'm thinking, okay, and I'm gaining, and I get a little bit of elevation because actually where I was going to land kind of drops off. So now I'm, Off of the bushes, but I'm not gaining altitude and I'm see this one pine tree coming up and I'm right at the top and I'm thinking, okay, I can't, you know, I can't move.

I can't just throw the stick and get out, get out of here because I'm going too slow. I know I'm going to stall and a stall means. Basically stop flying and you nose dive into the ground. And I know that this is going to happen. If I, you know, if I, if I do anything that is, um.

I I'm coming up on the tree. I turned the wings slightly. And I think, okay, the wing is over top of it. The chop of this tree hits the, hits the, uh, L or the, uh, aileron and, um, or the spar on the wing and hits, hits it. And it's just enough to slow me down. It, you know, it's only the top foot of this tree,

Like he, I know how to fly this plane and this is, I've got it all under control. And then, uh, and then you don't. And you're just, some days, you know, you're lucky to walk away from it. And in that situation, I've had a number of them that, uh, that I was just lucky to walk away from that and go back to the family and shake it off and go, holy crap, Greg. Like you can't, uh, you got, you got to think a little more deeply.