Adventure Cross

Join us as we delve into the thrilling world of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, famously known as "The Race to the Clouds." This historic event is the second oldest auto race in the U.S., following the Indianapolis 500. Our guest, Layne Shranz, and his father have a unique legacy in this race, with his dad competing more than 40 times and their combined experience surpassing all others.

Layne isn't just one of the fastest drivers; he's also a pastor at Church of the Highlands, the second-largest church in America. In this episode, Layne shares his exhilarating racing adventures and the profound spiritual lessons he has learned along the way.

Support the show

In 1984, I embarked on a mountaineering course with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), exploring the rugged beauty of the Wind River Range. We climbed peaks, crossed glaciers, and faced many challenges. One harrowing moment stands out: I nearly drowned, but a fellow climber’s hand reached out and saved me. 

Later, reading Psalm 18:16—"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters"—I realized that the Lord was with me then and would always be there when I need Him. 

This podcast explores those moments of divine rescue and the lessons learned along the way.

Support the show

Join Dusty as he embarks on an extraordinary adventure when he took a group of wrestlers a tennis player to Kenya to train with the national wrestling and tennis teams. After a few days of intense training, Dusty's team boards a dubious school bus for a journey to Tanzania, aiming to conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

What starts as a seemingly straightforward trip quickly turns challenging when their guileful guide seems unclear of the route and gets them lost. The hike transforms into a precarious climb over steep rocks and cliffs. Amidst the struggle, wrestler Lief carries his father’s ashes, with the hope of releasing them into the winds to blow from the summit of Africa and spread across the plains below. 

Tune in to hear the highs, lows, and unforgettable moments of this incredible journey.

Support the show

Swimming with a horse can be a lot of fun, but safety is paramount. Tying a rope around a horse’s neck and dragging a raft can be dangerous for several reasons:

1.Risk of Spooking: Horses can easily get spooked, especially in water, leading to unpredictable and potentially dangerous behavior.
2.Entanglement: The rope could wrap around the horse’s legs, neck, or even the rider’s leg, causing injury or drowning.
3.Panic Response: If the horse feels restrained by the rope, it may panic, increasing the risk of injury or drowning for both the horse and the rider.

All three of these problems occurred on a hot summer afternoon in Alabama which turned  summer fun into  summer FEAR.

Support the show

What starts out as an adventure to climb Mount Whitney—the tallest peak in the lower 48 states—turns into a day of altitude sickness and fear. Altitude affects people differently, sometimes even altering their personalities. The altitude on Whitney impacted their climbing partner, Big Ike, adversely.  To make matters worse, on the descent, Dusty and Honey get separated. With over 500 square miles to search, Dusty fears he may never see his daughter again.

Support the show

Striving for greatness in multiple sports—racing bicycles in Italy, competing in waterski jumping, and showing horses—led to the development of bulimia and overtraining syndrome. 

Overtraining syndrome (OTS) is a condition where athletic performance declines due to an  imbalance between too much training and not enough recovery.  

Support the show

How do you stay sharp and race your dirtbike for 24 hours? Dusty Davis demonstrated grit and endurance, riding through the night and overcoming heat, sweat, trees, sand, and fierce competition to clinch the Ironman Single Rider division at the Perry Mountain 24-Hour Challenge.

Support the show

If you play hard, you’re bound to break a few bones. Cole Davis knows this all too well. He’s broken his hand and arm in a motocross accident, fractured both feet in a rock climbing fall, and sustained multiple contusions from mountain biking. But when he broke his back snowboarding, he wondered if his adventurous days were over.

Support the show

Alabama summers are hot!  When you ride your horse bareback, the horse hair sticks to your legs, making you look like Mr. Tumnus from Narnia. Skinny-dipping seemed like a great idea, at the time, but what happens when they sink under the muddy water of the Cahaba River.  How do you ride home then? At least Lady Godiva had long hair to cover herself when she rode through town without a stitch on.

Support the show

After climbing to the top of Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest with nine 11-year-old campers, a sudden lightning storm hits. Dusty must confront his own fear while calming the boys’ anxieties as they prepare to rappel down the sheer 500-foot rock face. What do you do with Fear? Is it good or bad? Can it help or hurt?

Support the show