When we hear of shark attacks, the species we think of most often is usually the deadly Great White. This could be due to movies so deeply embedded in popular culture (specifically “Jaws”) or even the focus on Great Whites in the highly popular Shark Week series that has aired every July for an amazing 35 years. If you’re a huge fan of Shark Week, a host that you might even recognize from the annual series is Paul de Gelder. You might be familiar with him from his distinct Australian accent, but the most distinct thing about his appearance would be his prosthetic right arm and right leg. These limbs were brutally taken from him in a shark attack. This was no Great White however, this was the lesser known but certainly no less vicious bull shark.

While urban areas populate the state of Maine, particularly along the eastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean, there are vast wilderness areas across the state, even along the oceanside coast. Popular with tourists, the state and local economies benefit from an influx of $8.2 billion in outdoor recreation dollars. Acadia National Park, called the Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast, draws 4 million visitors annually, ranking in the top ten most-visited national parks in the United States. The park features 27 historic roads, 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads.   

Established in 1934, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers parts of North Carolina and Tennessee and features some of the highest mountains in eastern North America. The Great Smoky Mountains are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a division of the Appalachian Mountain Range. The Appalachian Trail, which runs from Maine to Georgia, passes through the park's center for 72 miles. Clingmans Dome is the park's highest summit, reaching 6,643 feet. Sixteen mountains in the park reach higher than 5000 feet. The park covers over 522,000 acres or 816 square miles, making it one of the most extensive protected tracts in the eastern United States. 

What does it mean to live off the grid? Living off the grid means operating one's life without a physical connection to public utilities—self-reliance with your own energy sources, often renewable such as solar and wind. Off-grid living frequently means living in a secluded area, away from the country's population—actual wilderness survival, supplying your needs, and growing your food. But off-grid living today is much different than over a hundred years ago…

Though you may feel you are in a safe location, you never know when you will be faced with a survival situation. There are no formal boundaries between the wilderness and humanity. Nature has a way of encroaching into areas which may surprise us. 

The Little Moose Mountain Wilderness Area is in the western middle section of Adirondack Park, south by southeast of Seventh Lake in the Fulton  Chain. The area encompasses over 12,000 acres but is bordered on all sides by other regions of the Adirondack Park. If you were lost, wandering out of the region would not help facilitate a rescue, as you would still find yourself in the heart of the Adirondack wilderness. The Little Moose Wilderness was in the past and remains a little-visited region today. Very few tourists visit the area, as it is one of Adirondack Park's most remote and wilderness-like areas. 

Mountain lions, also known as cougars, panthers, pumas, or catamounts, are all the same animal. In fact, the scientific name, 'Puma concolor,' is sometimes known as 'the cat of many names.' Naturalist, writer, and Utah native Claude T. Barnes listed 40 English names for a mountain lion, along with 18 names from South America and 25 from Native Americans. This large cat species is native to the Americas and is quite agile. They can leap 15 feet toward prey or into a tree, sprint 50 miles per hour, and maintain a 10-mile-per-hour gate over several miles.

These Boy Scouts in the Adirondack mountains of New York took a hike and a climb that lead to days they never knew were coming..

In the Wild details amazing stories of survival. In our episode "Cougar Attack," we told the unbelievable true story of Marine Corps veteran Anne Hjelle living to tell about being pummeled by a vicious predator. Our "Mama Grizzly VS Father and Daughter" episode detailed father and daughter Johan and Jenna Otter surviving a grizzly attack. But not all stories on In the Wild are about escaping horrifying encounters with animals. Many people come prepared for a hike lasting a couple of hours in a hot or cold climate but don't expect to be out there for days or weeks and end up facing that reality. Even worse, sometimes the protagonists of our stories don't come prepared at all, and the harsh truth of extreme climate comes unexpectedly. Like on our episode "Stranded and Freezing," where Jim Stolpa and his wife at the time, Jennifer, got stuck in an avalanche for nine days on the way to Jim's grandmother's wake. To give you an idea of how extreme this avalanche occurring on the last day of 1992 was, it completely buried people at a Sierra ski resort, even killing one of them. So being prepared for extreme climates is a must; let's dig into that subject.

Long time listeners of this podcast know that a common theme of In the Wild are the dangers of national parks. All 63 of them designated in the U.S. are a sight to see, but it should not be overlooked that these parks experience a total of over 300 deaths each year. But what about if you take heed to the necessary precautions often mentioned, and come fully prepared for your journey? Even so, some unexpected circumstances can arise that may actually put your life in jeopardy.