The Grand Canyon has always been a magnet for the bold, the reckless, and the people who look at a mile-deep chasm and think... yeah, I can take that. In this episode, we race through a century of jaw-dropping stunts, from a 1922 biplane pilot who somehow landed inside the park’s early boundaries to Nik Wallenda balancing across tribal land on a high-wire without a harness. Along the way we unravel how thrill-seekers dodged rules, rewrote them, or ignored them entirely in a quest to outdo nature itself.

For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodes

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

Smalls: For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/NPAD.

Blueland: Use our link to get 15% off your first order.

Rocket Money: Use our link to get started saving.

Quince: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.

Against The Odds: Follow Against The Odds: Tsunami in Thailand on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes early and ad-free right now on Wondery+.

Trail Tales 82 - Today’s stories include cemetery tales, childhood tubing trauma almost felonies and ghostly protectors. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers!

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

Bellesa: EVERYONE who signs up wins a FREE WhisperVibe™ OR a FREE Rose toy with any Whisper™ order! https://www.bboutique.co/vibe/nationalparkafterdark-podcast

Jones Road Beauty: Use code [NPAD] at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchase! These sell out fast so get them while they last! #JonesRoadBeauty #ad

Hollow Socks: For a limited time Hollow Socks is having a Buy 2, Get 2 Free Sale. Head to Hollowsocks.com today to check it out. #Hollow Sockspod

BBC History's Toughest Heroes: Listen to History’s Toughest Heroes at BBC.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In November of 2024, 65 year-old Valdas Bieliauskas was on a rafting trip with a group of friends in the wilds of Tasmania when he did something we all have - he stumbled. But that trip landed him in an impossible situation. With his leg pinned between boulders in fast moving cold water, options were running out. A decision had to be made - a limb or his life.

Sources:

River Rescue Documentary

Franklin River Documentary

ABC News

For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.

Ollie: Take the guesswork out of your dog's well-being. Go to ollie.com/npad and use code npad to get 60% off your first box!

Naked Wines: To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/NPAD and use code NPAD for both the code AND PASSWORD.

Uncommon Goods: Use our link to get 15% off your next gift.

In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, we venture into Badlands National Park, where a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation left two FBI agents and an activist dead. Leonard Peltier, convicted on questionable evidence and finally released after 49 years, insists his only crime was “being an Indian.” This is a story of defiance, injustice, and the complex fight for Native lands and sovereignty.

For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodes

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

Soul:  Take advantage of Soul’s Black Friday-Cyber Monday deal now! For a limited time, get 40% off at GetSoul.com and use code NPAD.

Uncommon Goods: Use our link to get 15% off your next gift.

BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off.

Cash App: Download Cash App Today: [https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ejy661fu] #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Direct Deposit, Overdraft Coverage and Discounts provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.

Today’s stories include rites of passage, veiled threats, small town legends, and mysterious melodies. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers!

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

Nutrafol: Get $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you use promo code NPAD.

Ka'Chava: Go to https://kachava.com and use code NPAD for 15% off your next order.

Coyuchi: Get 20% off your first order when you visit Coyuchi.com/npad.

In June of 1877, 800 people were faced with an impossible choice - leave their home or be forcibly removed from it. What resulted was a 126 day 1,500 mile journey across four states by a band of Nez Perce who were attempting to escape forced relocation. They were relentlessly and violently pursued by the U.S. Army, eluding and fighting them for months through mountain ranges and within Yellowstone National Park before ultimately being forced into a corner just 40 miles from Canada - and freedom.

For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.

Smalls: For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/NPAD.

Rocket Money: Use our link to get started saving.

Hello Fresh: Use our link to get up to 10 FREE meals and free breakfast for life.

Truman Everts, a 54-year-old bureaucrat, joined the 1870 Washburn Expedition to explore Yellowstone. After becoming separated from the group, he lost his horse, food, gun, and blankets. Alone for 37 days, he endured brutal storms, frostbite, a scalded hip, and even a mountain lion. His dramatic survival captivated the nation and helped inspire the creation of Yellowstone as America’s first national park.

For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodes

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off.

Blueland: Use our link to get 15% off your first order.

Quince: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.

SelectQuote: Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/npad

Today’s stories include wilderness tripping, formative moments, interrupting crimes and protective spirits. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers!

For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodes

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

Coyuchi: Get 20% off your first order when you visit Coyuchi.com/ NPAD

Against The Odds: Follow Against The Odds: Tsunami in Thailand on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes early and ad-free right now on Wondery+.

Soul:  For 30% off your order, head to GetSoul.com and use code NPAD.

Small Town Dicks: Checkout Small Town Dicks wherever you get your podcasts, or at smalltowndicks.com

Topping every “America’s Most Haunted” list sits The Winchester Mystery House. It’s story has been told time and time again, but do we really know the truth of the woman behind its facade, and have we treated her legacy fairly? In today’s episode, we discuss the forgotten Winchester.

For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes

For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark

TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

Thank you to the week’s partners!

Ollie: Take the guesswork out of your dog's well-being. Go to ollie.com/npad and use code npad to get 60% off your first box!

IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.

Relief Band: For 20% off your order, head to Reliefband.com and use code NPAD.

Naked Wines: To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/NPAD and use code NPAD for both the code AND PASSWORD.

We have a special Halloween episode for you this month to celebrate spooky season. We’ve decided to release what would have been a subscribers only episode :) 

This week we are joined by Patricia, better known as Patches, the creator of The Morbidly Curious Book Club. What began in 2021 as a small online space for readers to share dark and fascinating nonfiction has grown into a worldwide community of more than sixteen thousand members. From plagues and cults to witches, forensics, and haunted places, MCBC celebrates morbid curiosity without limits.

Together, Cassie, Danielle, and Patches bring some of their favorite stories and personal book recommendations to you, spanning witchy feminist fiction, eerie survival tales, and historical narratives that forever changed how we see the natural world. We also talk about how the club chooses its titles, the growing network of local chapters, the monthly subscription box, and the MCBC companion podcast that keeps the conversation going with the authors behind the books.

We wrap up tackling important literary questions like:

• Hardcover or paperback? And what kind of person breaks the spine of their books? 

Join the Morbidly Curious Book Club!

Follow MCBC on Instagram