Hello friends,
Welcome back! My season guiding in Alaska was magical, wild, and unimaginably rainy. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am already looking forward to being back up in the Greatland in the spring.
Last week, Nick and I tethered a gas-can to the top of our new-to-us Subaru, Merle, and headed South from Anchorage to British Columbia (just like the cranes do in October). We chose to travel down the remote Cassiar Highway (a drive we couldn’t do on the way up in March because of all of the snow). The Cassiar was one of the most scenic drives I’ve taken in my life. From the golden encore of Aspen trees to the lynx spotted along the way, I was moved.
A black bear crosses in front of our car on the Cassiar Highway. October 2023.
Along the 40-hour drive, Nick and I occupied ourselves with playlists, podcasts, and too many Tim Hortons coffee stops to count. The first time we saw cows again (after six months in Alaska with no livestock), I pointed to the pasture and said (out of instinct) “look, bears!”
What a wild couple of months on the road it’s been. My brain can’t quite keep up.
Between driving back and forth from Colorado to Alaska and guiding multi-day trekking tours on the road in Alaska, I’ve spent over 25,000 miles on the road this year.
The good news (for you) is that I listened to a lot of podcasts along the way. It hasn’t always been easy to find good ones, especially this year (with all of the podcast layoffs and cancellations). But, that’s why I think it’s important to celebrate the memorable ones.
One of my Favorites Campsites from this September in Denali National Park
Here are a few of my favorite podcasts that I’ve listened to this year:
National Parks After Dark: Try this episode: The Dirtbags of Dope Lake. National Parks After Dark was one of our go-to podcasts this year. The podcast recounts stories that have occurred within the bounds of our national parks. In the episode about Dope Lake, hosts Cassie and Danielle tell the story of a drug plane that crashed in Yosemite NP in the 70s and the ensuring quest for “green treasure” that made many Yosemite “dirtbags” rich. The rumor on the street is that the money from Dope Lake Marijuana sales is thought to have funded many prominent companies in the outdoor industry. If you like this story, Alex Honnold also has a three part series on Dope Lake on his podcast Climbing Gold. I listened to both versions of it the story (LIKE 8 hours of content) because I could not get enough of it. There is also a film called Valley Uprising (should you feel the need to continue your exploration of this story!).
Normal Gossip: Try this episode: In Defense of Young Children With Youngmi Mayer. If you need a light-hearted-laugh-along listen, this podcast is definitely the move. Both my friend Katie and my brother’s girlfriend recommended that I tune in to Normal Gossip, and I am glad I did. During the episode In Defense of Young Children, the narrator takes a detective-like approach to solving the decades-old family mystery of which grandchild flushed a hot dog down the toilet? You’ll be on the edge of your seat until you know the truth.
Song Exploder: Try the episode with Nathaniel Rateliff or the one with Glass Animals. (You really can’t go wrong, they are all amazing). I love music, but I am so terrible at analyzing it. On Song Exploder, host Hrishikesh Hiraway invites musical artists to pick a single song and tell the story of how it came to be. The episodes offer the perfect 20-30 minute dive into the minds of our world’s most talented musicians.
NPR Ted Radio Hour: Try this episode: Stay Hungry Stay Foolish. Tune in to listen to an interview with Stewart Brand, a brilliant mind who has been on the frontline of several successful counter-culture movements (everything form the Earth Catalog to early computers). I enjoyed hearing his thoughts on de-extinction and bringing mammoths back to life. I’m still not sure what I think about him or whether I agree with him, but this episode offers a thought-provoking dive into his life.
Tooth & Claw: Try this episode: Night of the Grizzlies Part 1. Oh. My. God. As someone who guides in grizzly country, I’ve thought about this episode almost every day of the year. While at times long-winded, the podcasts hosts are hilarious, well-researched, and fun to listen to. This episode investigates two separate deadly Grizzly Bear attacks that occurred on the same night in 1967 in Glacier National Park. Until I listened to this episode, I had no idea that we used to ACTIVELY feed bears in our National parks and was aghast at the former Glacier NP superintendent’s comments that “Grizzlies are no more harmful than a butterfly.” If you want a podcast to keep you on the edge of your seat, this one is for you. As someone who guides in bear country, I feel that I must share the caveat (as the hosts do as well) that bears are AWESOME creatures, and they are only dangerous if they are conditioned to human food or feel threatened. Otherwise, they are AWESOME!!
Rollingstone Music Now: Try this episode: From Fake Eminem to Neural Net Guitar Amps: More AI Music Madness. AI scares the hell out of me. On this episode, David Guetta shares his thoughts on how AI will influence the future of music. Nick and I yelled at the AUX player a few times on this one, but it’s worth a listen.
Armchair Anonymous: Try this episode: Bad Roommate. Comedian Dax Shepard brings listeners on to tell theme-based stories. This one had me laughing from the start.
Trail Society: Try this episode: UTMB Recap and Equal Media Coverage. Now that my hiking season is over, it’s time for me to get back to my trail running. I miss it so much and have already enjoyed running the rail trail in BC. My friend Rae told me about this podcast, and I’ve been tuning in while I run. Did you know that three major road marathons (Boston, London, and New York) all recently changed their pregnancy policies?! Are you caught up on UTMB? I love listening to these badass women talk about running.
The Art of Manliness: Try these episodes: Stop Being a Complainer and Why You Like the Music You Do. My only gripe with this podcast is it’s name! Other than that I’ve been mesmerized by the talented and thought-provoking speakers that the host brings on. This year, I tuned in to the story of how one man decided to stop complaining and an episode with a music producer-turned-neuroscientist who talks about why (from a neuro-psych perspective) one person likes punk rock and another person likes jam bands.
Ologies: Try these episodes: Lampyridology (Fireflies), Witchology, or Sciuridology (Squirrels). I love this podcast. If you like to learn about science, then this is podcast is your jam. On each episode, host, Alie Ward, invites an expert on to the show to discuss a different Ology. Alie does a good job of making science fun and even funny!
Dollop: Try this episode: Abalonia (Live). My friend Grace told me about this podcast. Grace sails around Alaska with her cat Poptart, so I trust any podcast recommendations she makes. If you need a laugh and a good story, it’s worth a listen! The hosts of this podcast are comedians, who unpack a crazy story that appeared in the papers in history. The Abalonia episode follows the life of a man who tries to make a new country off the coast of California. It’s long, but good.
Overheard at National Geographic: Try this episode: Overheard at National Geographic: Trapped in the Icy Waters of the Northwest Passage. This podcast follows National Geographic explorers, photographers, writers, and adventurers as they navigate the wild world. The Northwest Passage Episode describes Mark Synnott’s attempt to retrace the steps of the failed 1845 expedition of Sir John Franklin and get more insight on what happened to the 129 men who vanished. I loved listening to this true and bone-chilling adventure.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you give them a listen and what you think! Many thanks to all of my friends for sending recommendations along the way.
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