HumaNature

By Megan Feighery

What's HumaNature about?

HumaNature explores where humans and our habitat meet. You'll hear real stories about human experiences in nature. Along the way, we’ll meet people whose encounters help us reflect on our own place in the natural world.

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176176 ratings

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HumaNature episodes:

01.18.2024
Episode 113: The Air We Breathe
Erin Parisi is on a mission to become the first trans woman to summit the highest mountain peaks on all seven continents. She’s conquered five of them and wants to save Mount Everest for last, but one mountain keeps standing...
01.11.2024
Episode 112: Buckaroo and The Blues
Gayle Woodsum loves llamas. And her work with them would lead her to help evacuate hundreds of them from a Montana animal sanctuary in 2011. It is still one of the largest rescue operations ever documented in U.S. history.
01.04.2024
Episode 111: Ruffin' It: A Road Trip Adventure
Carolyn Hochlowski never liked the outdoors. But when she turned 36 she realized life was passing her by. So she bought a cheap tent and sleeping bag and set off on a solo road trip across the country with a...
12.28.2023
Points North: No Ice Is Safe Ice
In the frigid month of February, three companions embark on an ice fishing expedition on Lake Huron. Initially, the camaraderie is palpable, but as the story unfolds, a collision of friendship, peer pressure, and the stark reality of facing mortality...
12.21.2023
Episode 110: A Discovery of Whales
Doreen Cunningham always loved whales. So when she got the chance to live with an Iñupiaq tribe, whose survival depends on whales, she jumped at it. Years later, back in her home in the UK, Doreen would once again turn...
12.14.2023
Episode 109: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind IV
It’s back! This week we are doing another installment of our fan favorite series “Close Encounters of the Wild Kind.” This week we will bring you two stories from listeners who have gotten a little too close for comfort with...
12.07.2023
Episode 108: The Night Shepherd
Josh King grew up in small town Wyoming. So he never imagined that one day he would end up being a night shepherd in the Swiss Alps.
08.16.2023
Episode 107: Where we're going we don't need roads, just rivers
In September, 2014 writer Ben McGrath had a chance encounter with Dick Conant; a 63 year old man on a solo paddling trip from Canada to Florida. Months later, Ben received a phone call from an unknown number which set...
08.09.2023
Episode 106: Paws in peril, expect the unexpected
When Jeff Bonhert's dog didn't come home one day he feared the worst. Two months later he got a phone call that changed everything, and Jeff realized his dog may have been closer to home than he realized.
08.02.2023
Episode 105: Not all who wander are lost, but some definitely are
Mike Sarvey was an experienced hunter who felt confident in his outdoors skills. But one day he ventured in the Wyoming wilderness and lost his bearings. As the sun began to set, he realized he had made a huge mistake...
07.26.2023
Episode 104: Hey now, you're a lob-star
When Brady Brandwood decided to see what would happen when he bought a lobster to keep as a pet, he never expected it to change his life. This is the story of Leon the Lobster and his unlikely journey from...
07.19.2023
Episode 103: The mountains are calling and I must go...grab my peanut
In 2022, Bob Salem broke a very unusual record. He now holds the fastest time for pushing a peanut up Pikes Peak Mountain with his nose. Hear Bob's story and the history of this unusual feat on this week's episode.
07.12.2023
Episode 102: Urban Birder
David Lindo always loved nature, but he grew up in the middle of the city and didn't feel like he had access to it. Until one day he realized that nature is everywhere. He started looking up, looking around, and...
07.06.2023
HumaNature Season 8 Trailer
Join us as we gear up for season 8 of HumaNature.
06.28.2023
Bonus: Modern West ‘Rematriation
As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.
06.21.2023
BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Ryan Kelley EP 4
As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.
06.14.2023
BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Micah Schweizer EP 3
As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.
06.07.2023
BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Charles Fournier EP 2
As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.
05.31.2023
BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Megan Feighery EP 1
As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.
04.05.2023
Episode 101: Seas the Day
Emma Harper lives in Cornwall, England. She's a wife, a mother, and...a real-life mermaid! Emma spends hours each week in the Cornish seas frolicking in the waves. But she also uses her platform to speak up for our oceans and...
03.29.2023
Episode 100: Bigfoot, a gorilla, and a potato all walk into a bar...
For the 100th episode of HumaNature, we’re bringing you two stories! In the first, a man plays the ultimate prank on his brother. In the second, a man out doing trail maintenance finds something odd at his campsite.
03.22.2023
Episode 99: All Beagles Great and Small
This time, almost 4000 Beagles are rescued and given a second chance at life.
03.15.2023
Episode 98: The Long and Winding Trail
After months of isolation during the pandemic one Vermont family, and their dog Moshi, decides to thru-hike a 272-mile trail for the very first time.
03.08.2023
Episode 97: Chekhov’s Bear Spray
Kirk Speckhals spent most of his summers in Wyoming mountain biking. He lives in Jackson Hole and always felt comfortable venturing into bear country. But that all changed on a beautiful August day when Kirk found himself face-to-face with a...
03.01.2023
Episode 96: Reggie the Alligator
In the early 2000’s Los Angeles became obsessed with a new celebrity – a six foot alligator named Reggie. And when city officials set out to capture him, Reggie went on the lam.
07.20.2021
HumaNature Update
A HumaNature update.
06.16.2021
Episode 95: Close Encounters Of The Wild Kind III
It's late spring and animals are on the move. Sometimes their paths cross with people. For our last episode of the season, here are two stories…this time from the deep.
05.26.2021
Episode 94: Surfing With Jason
Justin Murray and his brother Jason spent their childhoods in Florida. They did everything together: fishing, surfing, making their own surfboards. But when they grew up, they forgot about their old dreams and got corporate jobs--until something happened that reminded...
05.05.2021
Episode 93: Reaching Rob's Roadhouse
Greg Mills and his best friend Rob adventured together in the Alaska wilderness. Their dream was to run the Iditarod Trail Invitational Trail together. A wild river seemed to present an insurmountable obstacle. Despite everything, Greg kept going.
04.14.2021
Episode 92: Fireline
Introducing Montana Public Radio's new podcast, Fireline. When Lily Clarke arrived at the August Complex Fire, it was a fire of sensational size. The blaze eventually burned more than 1 million acres, becoming the largest recorded wildfire in California history....
03.26.2021
Episode 91: Meeting A King
Shermin de Silva was an elephant researcher looking for a sign. Then she met a king.
03.03.2021
Episode 90: These Boots Were Made For Hiking
Wyn Wiley thought they had to pass for straight, even in their beloved outdoors. But then a special pair of boots came into their life.
02.10.2021
Episode 89: Beyond The Court
Damen Bell-Holter faced a lot of trauma growing up in his small village in Alaska. He formed a goal to play professional basketball. But reaching for his dreams revealed an even larger purpose.
01.21.2021
Episode 88: From One Glowworm To Another
How has your relationship with nature changed during the pandemic? The HumaNature community weighs in.
01.06.2021
Bonus Episode: Ten Steps
We're on a holiday break until January 20. In the meantime, here's a dramatic story from the archives. In December 2016, Karen Klein got trapped in a snowstorm near the Grand Canyon. But she pushed through it to save her...
12.23.2020
Episode 87: 'Have I Had My Last Good Oyster?'
HumaNature's taking a holiday break. We'll be back with a fresh new episode on January 20. In the meantime, we'd like to introduce you to Life Raft, an upbeat podcast about living with climate change. In this episode, they take us on...
12.09.2020
Episode 86: A Vegan's Guide To Eating Chicken
Muyambi loved biking, so when his friends asked him to plan a cycling trip across his home country of Uganda he was thrilled. But challenges arose one late night when they had to get creative for dinner.
11.25.2020
Episode 85: The Unclimbables
Mo Beck was a professional climber who regularly won gold in competitions. But when she joined a team on a long expedition in the remote Cirque of the Unclimbables, she was amused to witness the tension between two of her...
11.11.2020
Episode 84: Out On The Road
Mikah Meyer grew up the son of a pastor and secretly struggled with his sexuality. But on a record-setting road trip to all of America's national parks, he realized its success hinged on being open about who he was.
10.28.2020
Episode 83: The In-Between IV
The leaves are scattering down the sidewalk and fog touches the tips of the trees. It's that time of year again when the shadows lengthen and we bring you stories that aren't quite human or all the way natural. Welcome...
10.14.2020
Episode 82: The Afrovivalist
Sharon Ross wanted to be prepared for anything. But when she joined others getting ready for the end of the world, she found herself the odd one out. Header photo by Sera Lindsey Additional links https://blackpdx.com/destination/portland/afrovivalist/ ...
10.07.2020
Season 6 Preview
A glimpse of some of the stories coming your way this season, starting October 14.
09.23.2020
Bonus Episode: The Source
Climate change is all over the news, from burning forests to melting ice sheets. But it can seem like a big, abstract problem. Writer Manasseh Franklin wanted to make the melting of glaciers more real to people. So on an Alaskan...
08.26.2020
Bonus Episode: Row Row Row Your Boat. Or Not.
As summer wanes, we’re reaching into the archives for a story about a classic summer activity: a leisurely river float. At least, that’s what it was supposed to be. But when they lost their guide, a group of tourists got...
08.05.2020
Bonus Episode: Tipping Point
While we work on new stories for this fall, here’s a summer favorite from 2019. Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho paddled thousands of miles in a canoe from Minneapolis to the shores of the Hudson Bay. The journey tested their physical...
07.08.2020
Episode 81: The Ghost Of Africa
South Africans Chris Diedericks and Anna Calitz wanted to go on a romantic getaway, but their adventure broke down before it even began. Music Blue Dot Sessions
06.24.2020
Episode 80: Starstruck
Juan Martinez grew up in South Central L.A. in the early nineties. He was struggling to find his way until he traded detention for a pack of jalapeño seeds. Those led him all the way to the stars. ...
06.10.2020
Episode 79: The Feeling Of Being Alive
Boyd Varty lives on a game reserve in South Africa near Kruger National Park. After his family began returning the land to its wild state, it awakened something wild in him, too. Photography by Amanda Ritchie ...
05.21.2020
Episode 78: Biking On Empty
After cycling across America, Taylor Thibodeau had a lifetime of adventures ahead of him…until a mysterious illness cut that short. Then he decided to adventure anyway. Photos from their trip across America Music Blue...
05.06.2020
Episode 77: Morley’s Vision
Morley Nelson delighted in watching raptors in aerial combat as they fought over nesting sites. And he made it his life’s mission to protect the part of Idaho’s Snake River with the highest nesting density of birds of prey in...

What's HumaNature about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

HumaNature episodes:

Episode 113: The Air We Breathe

Episode 112: Buckaroo and The Blues

Episode 111: Ruffin' It: A Road Trip Adventure

Points North: No Ice Is Safe Ice

Episode 110: A Discovery of Whales

Episode 109: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind IV

Episode 108: The Night Shepherd

Episode 107: Where we're going we don't need roads, just rivers

Episode 106: Paws in peril, expect the unexpected

Episode 105: Not all who wander are lost, but some definitely are

Episode 104: Hey now, you're a lob-star

Episode 103: The mountains are calling and I must go...grab my peanut

Episode 102: Urban Birder

HumaNature Season 8 Trailer

Bonus: Modern West ‘Rematriation

BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Ryan Kelley EP 4

BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Micah Schweizer EP 3

BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Charles Fournier EP 2

BONUS 100th Episode Celebration W/ Megan Feighery EP 1

Episode 101: Seas the Day

Episode 100: Bigfoot, a gorilla, and a potato all walk into a bar...

Episode 99: All Beagles Great and Small

Episode 98: The Long and Winding Trail

Episode 97: Chekhov’s Bear Spray

Episode 96: Reggie the Alligator

HumaNature Update

Episode 95: Close Encounters Of The Wild Kind III

Episode 94: Surfing With Jason

Episode 93: Reaching Rob's Roadhouse

Episode 92: Fireline

Episode 91: Meeting A King

Episode 90: These Boots Were Made For Hiking

Episode 89: Beyond The Court

Episode 88: From One Glowworm To Another

Bonus Episode: Ten Steps

Episode 87: 'Have I Had My Last Good Oyster?'

Episode 86: A Vegan's Guide To Eating Chicken

Episode 85: The Unclimbables

Episode 84: Out On The Road

Episode 83: The In-Between IV

Episode 82: The Afrovivalist

Season 6 Preview

Bonus Episode: The Source

Bonus Episode: Row Row Row Your Boat. Or Not.

Bonus Episode: Tipping Point

Episode 81: The Ghost Of Africa

Episode 80: Starstruck

Episode 79: The Feeling Of Being Alive

Episode 78: Biking On Empty

Episode 77: Morley’s Vision