Zach Hansen: Turning Feral in Idaho and the Future of the Trades
From artificial intelligence and airports every week to wood stoves, trap lines, and Atlanta Idaho. Author Zach Hansen walked away from a successful tech career and turned himself feral in the Idaho backcountry. We talk about his life between city and cabin, his book Turning Feral, and why he thinks the future of America runs through the trades.
In this episode:
[00:45] From planes and boardrooms to Atlanta Idaho and a one way dirt road
[04:20] Learning self sufficiency when the power, water, and firewood are your responsibility
[09:10] How time in the wilderness changes your relationship with phones, comfort, and risk
[13:30] Raising kids between Garden City and a remote cabin and why they are never bored in the woods
[17:10] Trapping as education conservation and a real world economics lesson
[22:25] Zach’s new book The Trade Gap and how we turned teenagers away from the trades
[26:40] Corporate layoffs, eleven months of unemployment, and how trapping and taxidermy paid the bills
[30:10] Why college is a tool not a religion and how trades can mean freedom and ownership
[34:30] Side hustles, starting small, and the power of building something with your hands
[37:30] Wrestling, parenting, and teaching kids to love the land and the work in front of them
Recorded for The Great Idaho Show on KIDO Talk Radio 580 AM and 107.5 FM.
Brought to you by Old Arms of Idaho, your ambassadors to America’s heritage and collectible firearms specialists at oldarmsofidaho.com.