Morbid Outdoors

In August 2007, experienced climber and outdoor educator was climbing in Wyoming's Wind River Range when tragedy struck. While belaying his climbing partner hundreds of feet up a rock face, he was struck and killed by a large boulder deliberately thrown over the cliff by hikers above. Despite wearing a helmet and having decades of climbing experience, there was nothing he could do to escape the falling rock. His sudden and preventable death devastated his family and the outdoor community, raising questions about responsibility and safety in the wilderness.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_River_Range

https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200847000/Pete-Absolon-1960-2007

https://www.patagonia.com/stories/culture/community/our-deepest-con/story-20801.html

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/opinion/columnists/mountainside/internet-commenters-stir-up-trauma-of-old-accident/article_ce41f289-d489-489a-8f3c-d03331dc8fa1.html

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/death-pete-absolon/

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/iraq-vet-remorseful-after-rock-climber-dies/73-343789696

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Today I sit down with Alex Foster, the CEO & Executive Director of Ozark Natural Science Center. In this episode, we discuss what ONSC provides for the community and the environment. Alex even shares her own campfire story about the (possibly) haunted bluff shelters of the Ozarks! I had a blast sitting down with Alex and hearing her story, learning about ONSC, and talking about how important nature is to all of us.

If you feel inclined to help ONSC make differences in children's lives, please donate to their nonprofit! Check them out here.

https://www.onsc.us/

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Support the show

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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Spooky season isn’t over here for Morbid Outdoors! The bluff shelters mentioned by Alex Foster of Ozark Natural Science Center (in today's other episode) aren’t the only things that might be haunted in the Ozarks. Today I’ll take you to the Ozark National Forest. It has its own “triangle” and we’ll discuss the 2001 case of a missing girl and how her disappearance might be related to a 70’s cult murder in the same area.

All ad revenue from this episode will be donated to Ozark Natural Science Center

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark%E2%80%93St._Francis_National_Forest

https://www.kark.com/news/special-reports/haley-zega-recounts-her-three-days-alone-in-the-arkansas-wilderness-as-a-6-year-old/

https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/09/cave-mountain-links-lost-girl-to-a-70s-cult-killing-in-arkansas

https://www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-at-large/2026-03-05/new-book-explores-eerie-connections-between-two-girls-lost-in-the-ozarks

https://harpers.org/archive/2023/08/who-walks-always-beside-you/

https://harpers.org/archive/2023/08/who-walks-always-beside-you/

https://haleyzega.com/

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Support the show

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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Join us for this month's fatality incident reports from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado and Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

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The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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It's 1997 and yet another person has gone missing while visiting Mount Rainier National Park. A 27 year old took his camera equipment to the park for a photography day on the trails, promising his mom he’d be home by dinner. He was never seen again.

Sources:

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/2017/11/6/chethanson

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/17/search-for-mount-rainier-hiker-called-off/

https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/23010/details

https://charleyproject.org/case/vincent-djie

https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/news/two-searches-continue-for-overdue-hikers.htm

https://charleyproject.org/case/ramona-lynn-fey

https://wheninyourstate.com/washington/mount-rainier-national-park-washington/

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The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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A regular contributor to various Arizona outdoor websites such as HikeArizona.com and ArizonaHikers.com took off on a solo hike in a rugged Arizona mountain range and has never been seen since. 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazatzal_Wilderness

https://charleyproject.org/case/joseph-s-domin

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/gps-joe

https://charleyproject.org/case/david-barclay-miller

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/david-barclay-miller

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/mary-sloan

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/gps-joe

https://vanished.us/listing.php?slug=gps-joe-joe-domin-vanished-off-the-face-of-the-earth

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Support the show

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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An amateur archaeologist disappeared into the Grand Canyon while searching for prehistoric rock art paintings. He remained missing for 14 years, only recently being found again.

Sources:

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/bill-ott-remains-found-grand-canyon/

https://gizmodo.com/an-amateur-archaeologist-disappeared-in-the-grand-canyon-14-years-ago-his-remains-have-finally-been-found-2000789948

https://people.com/man-remains-found-after-he-vanished-while-hiking-grand-canyon-to-see-ancient-art-12024781

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/bill-ott-grand-canyon-missing-hiker-field-notes/

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Support the show

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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It's the year 2000 and a woman travels to the  Marble Mountains Wilderness to spend time with a Native American spiritualist organization and recover from a personal tragedy. But during this trip, she mysteriously vanishes. The only thing left behind was a tuft of her hair in a bush. She hasn’t been located since.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Mountain_Wilderness

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP29586

https://charleyproject.org/case/rosemary-theresa-kunst

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90124785/rosemary_theresa-kunst

https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/rosemary-theresa-kunst

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/search-is-on-for-missing-female-hiker-2742996.php

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/search-is-on-for-missing-female-hiker-2742996.php

https://www.siskiyoudaily.com/story/news/2021/09/14/unsolved-disappearances-siskiyou-county-without-answers-2021/5699788001/

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Support the show

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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 In September 1990, a 42-year-old woman disappeared while camping with her husband in a remote Idaho wilderness area. She had gone on a short hike to a nearby meadow to birdwatch, carrying only her camera and binoculars, but never returned. Despite extensive searches, no trace of her was ever found. More than 30 years later, she still remains missing.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selway%E2%80%93Bitterroot_Wilderness

https://charleyproject.org/case/susan-seymour-adams

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/category/Susan+Seymour+Adams

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/gxkn03/susan_adams_disappeared_from_idaho_30_years_ago_a/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274880723/martha_susan-adams

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274880723/martha_susan-adams

https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-obituary-for-s/46374124/

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP2078

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Support the show

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

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My episodes might become a little more boring and a little bit more ambiguous soon (obviously that's supposed to be a joke.) I’ve noticed a trend of incident reports being less and less detailed over the years, but now a new law might make accidents and deaths in our parks even more vague. Why is the Department of the Interior trying to conceal incidents within the national park service sites?

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service

https://www.nps.gov/index.htm

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-06-25/national-park-staff-ordered-not-to-reveal-deaths-as-part-of-new-policy

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/nps-internal-memo-deaths/

https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/mortality-data.htm

https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/life/department-of-the-interior-changes-policy-about-reporting-deaths-injuries-in-national-parks/article_14353bd8-568b-4572-a744-0af9af26c5f3.html

Follow me on Instagram here.

Support the show

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: [email protected]

Buy Me a Coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.