Garage Logic – MISCHKE: Voices in the Wilderness

Podcast: Garage Logic (Gamut Podcast Network)
Episode Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Tommy Mischke
Guest: Stephen Fuller, retired Yellowstone winterkeeper

Episode Overview

In this uniquely structured episode, Tommy Mischke presents two distinct segments. The first is a deep, contemplative conversation with Stephen Fuller, Yellowstone National Park’s legendary winterkeeper, who lived alone in the wilderness for over 50 years. The second, strikingly different in tone, is Mischke’s raw and reluctant commentary on the recent, highly controversial federal immigration enforcement actions unfolding in his Minneapolis neighborhood. The episode concludes with Mischke performing his original song, “The Devil Walks.”

Part 1: Life as Yellowstone's Winterkeeper

Introduction to Stephen Fuller and His Role [02:05–06:44]

• Mischke sets the scene: a remote Yellowstone log cabin, a snowy January night, and a man—Stephen Fuller—who has spent half a century as the park's sole winterkeeper.
• Role: Hired in 1973 because "no one else wanted it" (only applicant); protected park buildings from crushing winter snows.
  • “He was going to put me up for the night so that I could interview him...this man just retired from his job as the winterkeeper in Yellowstone national park after over a half century of living there alone...That’s what the winter keeper does at Yellowstone.” [05:20–05:55]

Fuller's Reflections on Solitude, Work, and Nature [06:44–16:03]

The Allure and Hardship of the Job

• On Getting Hired:
  • “It was late September. The gorgeousness of the American west…There was a job in Yellowstone for a winterkeeper. And I thought...that sounds just about perfect for me. And I got the job. Since I was the only applicant for the job, I wouldn’t have gotten it otherwise.” – Stephen Fuller [06:44]
  • Isolation, hard labor, and poor pay ("$13 and a quarter a day") deterred most applicants.
  • “Historically, winterkeepers didn't last very long. The guy before me had been here for two years. Hated it. The guy before that damn near killed himself with whiskey.” – Stephen Fuller [07:40]

The Physical and Spiritual Nature of the Work

• Fuller describes clearing snow as "a combination of engineering and sculpture"; snow is "an incredibly complex...material."
• “I loved the physicalness of the work...There was an exuberance to...the craft...snow is an incredibly complex, always in flux material...” – Stephen Fuller [08:36]
• "Some of the blocks resemble an upright refrigerator. On some of my buildings, I would cut blocks the size of a van. They were great fun, like cutting down a redwood, only without the ethical implications.” [09:22]
• Despite the grind, he never suffered "cabin fever or boredom."
  • “I have never experienced cabin fever or boredom.” – Stephen Fuller [13:08]

The Perception and Value of Solitude

• Contrasts his years in the wild with the short “retreats” urbanites often write about.
  • “We’re at a point where a 48 hour, 10 day retreat in the wilderness is worth an essay…What happens in years of solitude?” – Interviewer [13:22]
• On the benefits of silence:
  • “Most of us spend our lives in a cacophony of white noise … Silence is rare and lovely space to be in … But in the natural world, cutting down the inner and the outer chatter allows us to hear unheard sounds.” – Stephen Fuller [14:30]

Connection with Nature

• Rejects the common man-vs-nature framing, sees himself as “fruit of this earth,” fundamentally and inseparably part of the whole.

  • “I am made of this earth. I'll return to this earth. I'm not an alien in this place.” – Stephen Fuller [18:53]
  • Cites the Hindu saying “tat tvam asi” (that art thou) as embodying the unity of humans and the environment.

• Deep empathy for wild animals, especially bison:

  • Tells of watching a wounded buffalo's decline and feeling a profound kinship.
  • “I've developed a real empathy with them…every one of them has a life history...I've been with them when they've died...I certainly related his dying to my own eventual experience.” – Stephen Fuller [22:09–24:06]

Fuller’s Philosophy

• Sees solitude not as deprivation but as abundance—of sensory input, contemplation, and intimacy with the living world.
• Finds meaning and purpose in living "beyond himself" in wildness.

The 1988 Yellowstone Fires [24:23–30:46]

• Mischke and Fuller recall the historic fires that ravaged Yellowstone.
• Fuller provides a vivid on-the-ground account:
  • “Fires in Yellowstone are normal, but 88 was extraordinary. Nothing in modern history had occurred on that scale … The fire came up this timbered ridge, back of my house. And I was there. It laid down when it was within 15 minutes of the house. I was very lucky to survive that one.” – Stephen Fuller [24:48; 26:33–26:55]
• Describes fire as an “animal,” with unique, even mischievous, behaviors.
  • “Fire behavior, fires are like animals. They have personalities. We talk about the fires getting up and running…at night they lay down and rest…You swear sometimes there's a consciousness there. I wrote a piece afterwards describing fires as dragons.” – Stephen Fuller [26:55–27:32]
• Accepts fire as part of Yellowstone’s ecology, like wolves—a natural force, once seen as an enemy, now protected.
• The end of the fires was brought by snow, not human intervention.

Part 2: A Reluctant Foray into Politics — ICE, the Border Patrol, and Silence [31:50–61:28]

Mischke Explains the Shift in Tone [31:50–37:00]

• Mischke admits his lifelong aversion to political talk radio, recounting how talk radio shifted to politics after Rush Limbaugh’s syndication in the late ‘80s.
  • “But there was one fella in the middle of it all, a syndicated guy by the name of Rush Limbaugh. And he was a different cat. He did politics. Now, no one else in radio in America back then sat around doing politics every day on the air for hours. Rush was a real freak. But the freak got ratings.” – Tommy Mischke [32:45]
• Shares that he has always preferred “culture, odd stories, quirky people” to polarizing politics.
  • “I don't like anger. I'm not a fan of going home with a headache every night.” [34:59]

Forced to Speak: The ICE/Border Patrol Crisis in Minneapolis [37:00–56:00]

• A recent series of violent incidents involving ICE and Border Patrol in Minneapolis compels Mischke, against his nature, to address the issue.
• Critiques “brutal” enforcement tactics targeting immigrants and communities of color.
  • “It no longer really seemed to be about finding bad guys. It became more about accosting people with different colored skin and different accents and harassing them, asking them for their papers. The Germans of the 1930s would have been so proud.” [38:37]
• Describes a climate of fear in his neighborhood, with “shops afraid to open” and “children having nightmares.”
• Highlights the staggering cost (“$18 million a week...accomplishing very little but harming greatly” [39:20]) and the lack of meaningful improvement, likening it to “massive government overreach, an act of punishment against a state by a president who just doesn’t much like Minnesota.”
• Draws historical parallels to right-wing anti-federal overreach stances (“When I was growing up, the great conservatives I knew lived for fighting off this kind of federal overreach.” [45:03]), arguing the current administration is betraying those principles.

The Moral Cost of Silence

• Mischke frames his decision to speak out as a moral imperative, invoking famous quotes about silence and complicity:
  • “Silence is complicity…In essence, it is cowardly and kind of cruel to those who have died to say absolutely nothing. It’s an affront. It’s chicken shit.” [43:43]

First-hand Stories and Local Impact

• Details real incidents:

  • U.S. citizens with brown skin detained (Irma Escodo, Jose Ramirez, others)
  • A veteran held for observing an arrest
  • Several local activists detained without charges, pepper-sprayed, interrogated
  • Native tribal members unlawfully detained (treaty violations)
  • “A Hmong fella, naturalized US citizen, no criminal record, detained by ICE, who broke down his door, did not allow him to put on proper clothing before pulling him outside in 10 degree weather. His grandkid inside. ‘Are we still in the United States, grandpa?’ I don’t know.” [53:15]

• Critiques the transition of ICE operations from “quiet, diligent” law enforcement to “theatrical” and chaotic street confrontations.

  • “Trump didn’t like that approach. He wanted a show, a real show, something theatrical. He wanted to create moments of confrontation.” [50:10]

Personal Resistance and Civic Duty

• Mischke stresses he will not cooperate with ICE’s current operations, will actively protect his neighbors, and supports immigrants as a matter of conscience.
  • "I make sure to shop every week at stores owned by people of various ethnicities whose stores are empty right now to try and keep them afloat. I will protect my neighbor long before I will aid ICE … I'm the anti big government guy that reminds me of all the old anti big government guys I grew up with." [59:27]

Notable Quotes

• "Not talking about something is an action in itself. Inaction is action. Inaction. Silence is a statement." – Tommy Mischke [43:10]
• “Remember Ruby Ridge? ...When I was growing up, the far right hated the idea of the government intruding into our lives. When I was growing up, I could count on Republicans to push for freedom. That was the right's great gift.” [45:23]
• “Find real problems, Find real criminals. What the hell are you doing for your 18 million a week?" [48:30]
• "This will be my one and only weighing in on the matter as I don't do this for a living. I talk about other stuff. ...Silence is a crime. Inaction is action, immoral action. Which is why I run food to people in my city who are afraid to go outside.” [58:05]
• "Darkness swirls out there, folks. Darkness swirls these days. And I expect it to get a lot darker in this country before it ever gets lighter.” [60:13]

Musical Coda: "The Devil Walks" [61:28–64:13]

• Mischke closes the episode with a somber original song on piano, reflecting the mood of the times:
  • “The devil walks these sacred hills / Daylight fades and shadow spills.” [61:28]
• The song serves as both a metaphor for the encroaching darkness he perceives in society and a personal meditation on enduring hardship.

Key Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |----------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:05–06:44 | Introduction: Mischke sets up Yellowstone segment | | 06:44–16:03 | Winterkeeper Stephen Fuller on isolation and nature | | 18:29–24:23 | Fuller on oneness with nature, animal empathy | | 24:23–30:46 | The 1988 Yellowstone fire, resilience and recovery | | 31:50–43:43 | Mischke’s radio history and anti-political stance | | 43:43–59:27 | ICE/Border Patrol actions, moral imperative to speak up | | 59:27–61:28 | Personal resistance and hope | | 61:28–64:13 | “The Devil Walks” – musical coda |

Memorable Moments

• The poetic wisdom of Stephen Fuller, from practical snow science to his philosophy of unity with all life.
• Mischke’s reluctant, passionate social commentary, rooted deeply in a personal code of ethics and history of skepticism of government overreach.
• Touching, disturbing local stories humanizing the impact of aggressive immigration enforcement.
• The closing song, blending melancholy and resilience, encapsulating the episode’s theme of struggle against the darkness.

This episode is a journey from the farthest reaches of wilderness solitude to the urgent struggles of urban community, bound by a narrator’s unwavering search for meaning, common sense, and moral clarity.