A self taught archery hunter, chasing Whitetails in Ohio as a child proved both daunting and incredibly fulfilling. Seeking bigger adventures, John enlisted in the Navy, trained as a Deep Sea diver, and spent many days of his life under water. Traveling extensively with the military and moving often for a decade, he hunted were and when he could along the way. 

A transfer to California found John among other individuals who wanted to push hard in the mountains and allowed the opportunity to begin forging himself into an experienced backcountry traveler.

In late 2001 John transferred to a Special Operations training detachment in Kodiak, Alaska as a field instructor. There he would spend the next 14 years training Special Operations Forces how to navigate, live and survive in uncompromising mountain environments throughout the world. He also became deeply involved in the development of the clothing and equipment systems to support these elite troops and their mountain operations.

Alaska proved the perfect testing ground to apply his backcountry skills and learn a lifetime more. Pursuing Dall Sheep, Brown bear and Mountain goats deep in the  mountains with his bow proved to be the challenge he had been seeking.

In the summer of 2014, John left the government after 26 years leaving Alaska for greater challenges. John started crushing it with Sitka Gear in January 2015 as the Big Game Product Manager.In this episode, John and Rob discuss everything from hunting as a means of sustainable, organic food sourcing to debating the merits of merino wool vs synthetics.

For more about John’s time working in Kodiak, read here about his “Rewarming Drill”: https://www.sitkagear.com/insight/a-navy-seal-rewarming-drill

The post Mountain Tactical Podcast #16 w/ Sitka Big Game Product Manager, John Barklow appeared first on Mountain Tactical Institute.