[laughs]

"That's your name." [laughs] And then, uh, what really made the name, uh, stick or what really solidified the name, uh, was, uh, further north in the Sierra Nevada's mountains, um, I, uh, deliberately was avoiding camping on snow, uh, below, uh, Forester Pass.

It's kind of one of the more iconic, uh, passes along the trip.

And I deliberately camp on not snow.

And I'm hiking with a group, and we all agree we're gonna do this alpine start at, like, 4:00 in the morning so we can get up and over the snow while it's still firm and you're not postholing.

And it turns out where I camped was on this soft clay, and then overnight the tent floor sunk into that, and then that froze overnight.

[laughs]

[laughs]

Okay.

So I finished Thursdays ago.

Yeah, it's looking very clean cut for those of you that will see a, a clip here, a little different than your last days on the route.

But man, thanks for joining.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, um, for those that don't know, Donovan has quite a background in trail life, um, being-- what, what would you, what would you consider yourself of the trail, a trail man? Like, how did you kinda get into all this? Has it been a lifelong venture, or is it maybe a little newer? So I've-- I got into thru-hiking in 2020.

Um, and there's some risks involved, like, uh, any thoughts about worrying about people getting hurt y- you know, doing a route that you recommended that they do, or you think like, you know, anyone who's gonna attempt this is hopefully experienced enough to know what they're getting into?

So I mean, would you mind kinda taking us through what exactly happened and how you came out the other side?

For sure.

Yeah.

So [chuckles] my, my addiction story, I would say that I was just going through a rough patch, a really messy breakup, being in a graduate program while I was having a really hard time finding my bearing, being completely isolated in New York City, fresh out of the PCT and experiencing all the enchantment out there to being locked in 110 square foot micro studio apartment.

And so w- for me, it's just something that started really small and started spiraling out of control.

For me, it was primarily gambling and, you know, it'd be where I go to the casino, play some Texas Hold'em, blow up, and next thing you know, I try to win it back by going upstairs to go play blackjack or roulette or just try to make some quick, easy winnings or money so I can go play some more.

But then guess what? You lose it, and now you go double or nothing.

Now, of those three trails, what is the go-to story you find yourself s- sharing the most with other people when they ask you about your experiences?

Share with us when and why you picked up the trail name Iceman.

Yeah.

So I picked up the name Iceman on my first thru-hike, which was the PCT in 2020.

Um, it was my first time ever having to camp on snow.

It was on Mount San Jacinto in the desert section in SoCal, and it was really mashed potato-y snow.

I didn't figure out how to get my tent stakes to engage in the snow and hold up my tent, and it just kept falling over.

And eventually I got so frustrated with it and I said, "Screw it.

What was it in your childhood that led you to where you are right now?

What was the, the inspiration, and how does one go about putting together this route? What are the logistics of creating this?

Yeah.

So, uh, my basic approach to it was s- first starting by just dropping a bunch of pins saying, "This is an area I would love to incorporate.

This is an area I would love to incorporate," and doing that across the entire state.

Um, the next step after that is just googling online what are some of the best backpacking trips in Colorado and discovering these areas that I knew nothing about ahead of time, such as the Rito Alto Loop over in the Sangres, or I think it's the Buffalo Mountain Loop in the Lost Creek Wilderness.

So you kind of put all these areas on your radar.

The next step is getting a public lands layer on top of your, on top of your map and seeing w- what can I actually traverse, you know? You can't, you can't trespass on private property, so working within that limitation, what are my options?And so, for example, I knew that the West Elk Wilderness I really wanted to highlight 'cause so few people explore that area over by Crested Butte, and it's so beautiful.

What is the go-to story you find yourself s- sharing the most with other people when they ask you about your experiences?