Barry Outdoors

Barry Outdoors

By BarrySociety & CultureSportsHealth & FitnessPlaces & TravelWilderness
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Barry Outdoors episodes

  • Call of the Void Barry Outdoors
    Ever stood at the edge of an overlook and heard a little voice say, "What if I just jumped?" You're not alone, and you're not broken. It has a name: the call of the void.
    In this episode of Barry Outdoors, I dig into the research on the "high place phenomenon" (the 2012 Florida State study and follow-ups in Germany and Iran) and why your brain's safety system may be behind that strange pull at the edge. I share my own moments on a river gorge and in the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, explain what it isn't, and share my 3 tips for edges on the trail.
    If these thoughts stick around, keep coming back, or come with any real wish to hurt yourself, please talk to someone. In the U.S., call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time: https://988lifeline.org
    Outside the U.S.: https://findahelpline.com
    CHAPTERS
    00:00 Have you felt the urge at the edge?
    00:53 What it's called: l'appel du vide
    01:25 My own moments in Michigan's U.P.
    02:18 The 2012 Florida State study
    03:14 Germany and Iran: how common is it?
    03:36 Why your brain does it: a misread safety signal
    04:22 Anxiety sensitivity and intrusive thoughts
    05:06 What it isn't: acrophobia, vertigo
    05:40 If the thoughts stick around: 988
    05:56 Flat Florida vs. the North Country Trail
    06:22 My 3 tips for edges and overlooks
    07:02 The bottom line
    SOURCES
    1. Hames JL, Ribeiro JD, Smith AR, Joiner TE Jr. (2012). An urge to jump affirms the urge to live: An empirical examination of the high place phenomenon. Journal of Affective Disorders, 136(3), 1114–1120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.10.035
    2. Teismann T, Brailovskaia J, Schaumburg S, Wannemüller A. (2020). High place phenomenon: prevalence and clinical correlates in two German samples. BMC Psychiatry. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12888-020-02875-8
    3. Asgari Z, Naghavi A, Abbasi A, Ertle A, Wiesmann L, Teismann T. (2025). High place phenomenon, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and suicidality. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1653961/full
    4. Radomsky AS, et al. (2014). Part 1 – You can run but you can't hide: Intrusive thoughts on six continents. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 3(3), 269–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.09.002
    5. Cleveland Clinic: "Acrophobia (Fear of Heights)" and "Vertigo vs. Dizziness" (clevelandclinic.org)
    6. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org
    This video is for general information and isn't medical advice.
    Music: the Barry Outdoors theme plus a quiet background bed, made with ElevenLabs AI music.
    ----------------------------------------
    Barry Outdoors: hiking, backpacking, and car camping from Florida to Michigan.
    Website: https://barryoutdoors.com
    Podcast, Barry Outdoors - The Podcast: https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/barryoutdoors.xml
    Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@barry_k?sub_confirmation=1
    LOCATIONS: Tahquamenon River & Porcupine Mountains (Michigan's U.P.), North Country Trail, Florida Trail
    MEDIA CREDITS (Wikimedia Commons; cropped, panned/zoomed, color-graded, text added)
    • "Alton Heights Fire Tower (2014)" by Sfearion (CC BY 4.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=197057321
    • "Flatwoods (5746497571)" by Chris M Morris (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=151714905
    • "Flatwoods (5752751644)" by Chris M Morris (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=151714781
    • "Pine flatwoods 001 by Scott Zona" by scott.zona (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=17186169
    • "Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains WIlderness (55568920109)" by daveynin (CC BY 4.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=201078689
    • "Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains, MI" by Sharon Mollerus (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=148131630
    • "Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains, MI 4" by Sharon Mollerus (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=148131635
    • "Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in spring 2023 - 136" by Curtis Abert (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=132608759
    • "Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in spring 2023 - 140" by Curtis Abert (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=132608767
    • "Toroweap Sunrise by John Fowler" by John Fowler (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=30393744
    • "Wolken Zeitraffer - Clouds Timelapse 4K HD 24FPS" by FreeSwissVideo (CC BY 3.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=25957020
    • "Looking Over a Cliff in the Dieng Mountains" by Joaquim Baeta (CC BY 4.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=129082378
    • "Seventh Lake Sunset" by John Brighenti (CC BY 2.0) commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=132262908
    Public domain/CC0 imagery: National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Commons contributors Yinan Chen, Troy A. Heck, Shawn Steinfeger, Notorious4life, Cbaile19, Coconino NF, Pseudopanax.
    #BarryOutdoors #Hiking #CallOfTheVoid
    8 min
  • Two New Knees, Two Trails, One Van: Meet Barry Outdoors - The Podcast

    Barry Outdoors — Episode 0: Back on the Trail at 74, Two Knee Replacements Later

    Hiking, backpacking, and van life after two knee replacements — proof it's never too late to hit the trail. In this debut episode of Barry Outdoors, host Barry Kantz shares how he returned to the Florida National Scenic Trail and Michigan's North Country Trail after back-to-back knee surgeries in 2023 and 2024.

    Barry is a lifelong outdoorsman, veteran podcaster (founder of Blubrry podcast hosting), and snowbird splitting time between Coopersville, Michigan, and Florida. He and his wife Gail travel in a 19-foot Grech Turismo-ion Class B camper van.

    What to expect on Barry Outdoors:

    ???? Hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail & North Country Trail

    ???? Backpacking gear, packing light & trail shoes vs. hiking boots

    ⛺ Car camping setups, campsites & tent stories

    ???? Van life lessons from a compact Class B camper

    ???? Reading the outdoors — trees, weather, wildlife in Michigan & Florida

    Coming back from surgery and wondering if it's too late? It isn't.

    ???? barryoutdoors.com

    ????️ Hosted on Blubrry

    Now get outside.

    6 min

About Barry Outdoors

From the publisher's feed

Barry will take you on backpacking, hiking, car camping, e-biking, and van life adventures. Also, you will learn tips and tricks about wildlife and gear. If you love the outdoors, you will love this…