On today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, presented by Topo Athletic, we’re joined by Liz Crandall, a former US Forest Service ranger who was fired by DOGE last February and has since transitioned into advocacy, activism, and podcasting, serving as host of Rangers of the Lost Park.
In it, Liz walks us through nine years of climbing the federal government career ladder, from GS3 volunteer to permanent employee, and what it really felt like to receive the phone call telling her it was all over. She discusses the DOGE firing process, the spam-looking emails that no one believed were real, the Fork in the Road offer that most people didn’t accept, and what it looked like inside a Forest Service office where even the people who voted for the administration were crying. He also shares what it took to go from someone who was trained to never speak to the press to someone who does CNN live, the Roadless Rule and why he thinks rescinding it is a bad idea, his podcast guest Ken Burns, the crown jewel, and two stories from his hitchhiking days that he’s been afraid to tell us since he booked this.
We end the show with hikers who discovered human remains in Vermont, the names of celebrities we’ll never be able to remember, how I slaughtered the boy who cried wolf, the triple crown of worst gifts to give your children, and an email from an ALL-TIME listener and a poop story.
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Interview with Liz Crandall
Timestamps and questions
00:05:34 – Processing
00:10:30 – Reminders: Join us for Chaunce’s Live Podcast Farewell, subscribe to The Trek Youtube, check out our new merchandiseand listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon!
00:17:25 – Introducing Liz
00:18:10 – What is the story behind your ranger raccoon tattoo?
00:24:47 – Tell us about working in wildlife rehabilitation between Forest Service seasons.
00:30:23 – How did you go from wildlife rehabilitation to becoming a game warden?
00:33:00 – What do GS pay grades mean and how does the Forest Service career ladder work?
00:36:39 – What were your greatest achievements when moving up from GS-3 to GS-6?
00:41:13 – When did things start to go wrong under the new administration?
00:43:01 – What did the DOGE emails in Fork in the Road really say?
00:47:15 – What happened when the February 14 layoff emails were sent?
00:52:06 – Is there any optimism that the laid-off feds can get their jobs back?
00:53:32 – How quickly did you go from being fired to becoming a defender?
00:57:41 – What was it like to represent all the fired federals in the press?
01:00:15 – Discussion on the State of the Union and the DC lobby
01:02:18 – What do you disagree with about the Forest Service and BLM?
01:09:25 – How did Rangers of the Lost Park start?
01:10:31 – How did you get Ken Burns as a guest?
01:15:26 – What were the most important takeaways from your interview with Ken Burns?
01:17:46 – What are some of the major remaining battles over public lands?
01:20:48 – How do you respond to people who are not affected by these problems?
01:26:45 – Where do you get your validation when the victories are invisible?
01:28:45 – Triple Crown of the best guests on Liz’s podcast
01:31:20 – How do you find joy in a world of bad news?
01:34:07 – Shitty stories from Liz’s hitchhiking days
01:43:17 – What is your most underrated backpacking gear?
01:45:45 – Tell us about your encounters with mountain lions and grizzly bears.
01:56:40 – Peak Performance Question: What’s your top backpacking or performance-enhancing trick?
Segments
Propaganda Clues: Hikers discover human remains near Vermont’s Appalachian Trail by Kelly Floro
QOTD: What celebrity names do you never remember?
What of the week for parents
Triple Crown of the worst gifts to give young children
mail bag
5 star review
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