In July of 1897, three men were carried into the sky inside a hydrogen balloon with the goal of being the first to reach the North Pole. The fate of their ambitious expedition remained a mystery for decades until the 1930’s, when a chance discovery unveiled the location of their final camp. But that revelation only gave rise to more puzzling questions  we are still trying to answer today.

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Sources:  History, The New Yorker, Balloon Museum, Aurora Expeditions, National Geographic, Smithsonian

Scary Interesting , A Nordic Heart

Book – The Expedition: Solving a Polar Tragedy by Bea Uusma

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Today’s stories include slapping the bag, a mother’s intuition, geocaching gone wrong, being saved by spirits, synchronicities and sibling pranks. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers!

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Graza: Take your food to the next level with Graza Olive Oil. Visit https://graza.co/NPAD and use promo code NPAD today for 10% off your first order.

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iRestore: For a limited time only, our listeners get $625 off their iRestore Elite when you use code NPAD at iRestorelaser.com

The Box of Oddities: Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!

In todays episode, we had the incredible opportunity to speak with Cecilie Skog. Cecilie has cemented her place in the world of extreme adventure sports as being the first person in the world to have skied across both the North and the South Poles and to have climbed all of The Seven Summits. She also completed the first unassisted and unsupported trek across the continent of Antarctica and has made several treks across Greenland. Cecilie was also among the 31 climbers who were on K2 on its deadliest day in August 2008. She survived one of the worst tragedies in Himalayan history, witnessed her husband lose his life on the mountain - and has persevered. This isn’t a conversation to miss.

Listen to Extreme: Peak Danger HERE

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On Valentine’s Day 4,400 Public Land workers were abruptly and illegally terminated from their positions and since then, news of executive orders threatening to exploit our public lands for their natural resources have been flooding headlines.

To better understand the gravity of this situation and to hear straight from those most directly effected we are joined by Yosemite and Devils Postpile Ranger Alex Wild, Liz Crandall a field ranger in Deschutes National Forest, and Morgan Smith a Biological Science Technician for the US Forest Service. All three were recently terminated from their jobs due to the recent federal budget cuts.

They share their love of the outdoors, explain the importance of their jobs, and speak to the dangerous repercussions our public lands will experience as a result of these terminations and extreme staffing shortages.

How you can help!

SAVE OUR PARKS MERCH! - 100% of our proceeds will be donated to and evenly allocated between The National Park Foundation and The National Forest Foundation.

Sign petitions and write to your reps!

Whitehouse resources:

Unleashing American Energy

Unleashing Alaska’s Resource Potential

Immediate Expansion of Logging Timber (including BLM land, National Forests, and National Parks)

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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!

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

AG1: AG1 is offering new subscribers a FREE $76 gift when you sign up. You’ll get a Welcome Kit, a bottle of D3K2 AND 5 free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out DrinkAG1.com/npad.

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

Today’s stories include dumpster lemons, haunted marathons, national park first dates, night hippos, hero dads and being saved by science. 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:

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SelectQuote: Use our link to get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS. 

Crime House True Crime Stories is the ultimate destination for true crime fans. Every episode features two notorious cases from that week in crime history, tied by a common theme like infamous serial killers, mysterious disappearances, tragic murders, and more. Every Monday, uncover the full stories behind the headlines as host Vanessa Richardson takes you through high-profile investigations like the murder of Gabby Petito, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, and the mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate cult. Follow Crime House True Crime Stories — a Crime House Original — wherever you listen to podcasts. 

On April 10, 1815 the most powerful volcanic eruption in human history was recorded on an island in Indonesia. The ash cloud that formed with its explosion was as large and the entire country of the United States and hovered close to 12 miles above the earth, reaching the stratosphere. The results were catastrophic. It resulted in major climate changes, where in most of the world, summer never came. Wildlife and humans alike were left without sources of food while the landscapes changed around them. Roughly 100,000 people died in the immediately aftermath, but the death toll is estimated to be closer to 1 million around the globe. The time following the eruption has now been remembered in history as, The Year Without a Summer.

Come see us in Joshua Tree! Buy tickets here.

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

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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!

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

Boll and Branch: Use our link to get 15% off, plus free shipping on your first set of sheets.

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.

Smalls: For 50% off your first order, head to Smalls.com and use code NPAD.

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

Sources:

1816 - The Year Without Summer (U.S. National Park Service)

Taman Nasional Gunung Tambora

https://www.history.com/news/the-deadliest-volcanic-eruption-in-history#

https://www.history.com/news/the-deadliest-volcanic-eruption-in-history#

Mount Tambora and the Year Without a Summer | Center for Science Education .

Book:Tambora: The Eruption that Changed the World. by Gillen D’Arcy Wood

On July 17th, 1944 the worst home front disaster of WWII unfolded in an instant when a munitions base exploded with the force of 5,000 lbs of TNT just outside of San Fransisco. The catastrophic incident killed 320 people instantly and injured hundreds more. The event resulted in the largest mutiny trial in US Naval History and raised awareness of racial injustice and unsafe working conditions during the war and became a critical event in the Civil Rights Movement.

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

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Sources:  NPS, The National WWII Museum, CBS, US Naval Institute, NPS (2), Naval History and Heritage Command, NPS – Golden Gate Cemetery , CBS News, Legal Defense Fund

Today’s stories include check ins from the other side, underwater close calls, man ghosts, cases of mistaken identity, cursed Airbnb’s and bodies in the woods. 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:

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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!

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iRestore: For a limited time only, our listeners get $625 off their iRestore Elite when you use code NPAD at iRestorelaser.com

Factor: Use our link and code npad50off to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping.

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Astonishing Legends: Astonishing Legends is available wherever you like to listen to podcasts.

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

The area that is now Biscayne National Park was once considered a wasteland and worthless - but the Jones family, newly freed from slavery, saw the value it had. They purchased three islands there and created both a home and a lucrative business. When business tycoons finally realized the locations monetary worth, they fought hard to gain control of the land to develop high rises and oil refineries. Sir Lancelot Jones wasn’t willing to give up his land, and today remains a large part of why Biscayne National Park exists.

Come see us live in Joshua Tree National Park! Grab tickets here !

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

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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: Use NPAD to get 60% off your first box of meals when you subscribe today.

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

Lume Deodorant: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with

@lumedeodorant and get 15% off with promo code NPAD at LumeDeodorant.com! #lumepod

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