Out There

Last summer, writer Erin Jones set out to hike the Colorado Trial, a 500-mile footpath through the Rocky Mountains. 

Erin was pursuing her master's degree, and as is so often the case for grad students, her future seemed uncertain. She felt powerless, oppressed by adulthood. And so, she decided to hike. The journey, she hoped, would help her find out what she wanted, allow her soul to unfurl. 

But it didn't work out that way. On this episode, Erin shares the story of her hike -- the story of what happens when you strive for something big, and fail.

Tranquility; meditation; serenity. These are words that many of us might use to describe what we feel when we’re in the woods. But for Tiara Lin, a different word comes to mind: terror. Since she was a teen, Tiara has had botanophobia—a crippling fear of plants. Most people laugh in disbelief when she first tells them that such a phobia exists. But the laughter stops when they see her dissolve into panic near a tree, or when they hear that she has broken up with boyfriends for sending her flowers.

On this episode, reporter Chelsea Davis brings us Tiara’s story. It’s a story about a fear so powerful that it disrupts how you function in society. And it’s a story about the struggle to overcome that fear – to experience nature the way others do.

This summer, I signed up for a 70-mile mountain bike race called the Laramie Enduro. I've always liked big athletic challenges, like triathlons and half marathons. But this race was different. This time, pushing my limits turned out to be a big mistake. On today's episode, I share the story of that mistake. It's a story about trying to prove yourself, about testing what you're capable of. And ultimately, it's about learning when to say no.

On Episode 5, a scientist named Trista Vick-Majors shared a first-person account of her team's quest to find out if there's life, deep beneath the ice in Antarctica. After the story aired, several listeners asked to know more about the discoveries that Trista and her colleagues had made. So we invited her back on the show.

In this episode, Trista explains how tiny organisms cling to life in one of the least hospitable places on the planet.

Last year, I quit my job, packed everything I needed into a backpack, and started walking. The plan was to thru-hike the Colorado Trail, a long-distance footpath through the Rocky Mountains.

I was a total novice at backpacking, but I craved an escape from the daily grind of work and life. And so, I decided to escape from society for a summer and head to the wilderness.

In this episode, poet Amy Strieter interviews me about the hike, and how it changed both my career path, and my mental health. 

This spring, I found myself in a lonely situation: I craved a vacation (and actually had time for one), but I had no one to go with. This is the story of what transpired -- how I turned a social failure into an emotional victory.

What happens when something you love keeps hurting you? Many of the activities that draw us to the outdoors are inherently risky, and millions of sports injuries are documented in the U.S. each year. On this episode, Denver-based reporter Dan Boyce shares a personal story about pushing onward, injury after injury. And we talk with a sports psychologist about the challenges -- and merits -- of giving up a sport that has come to define you.

What should conservation look like, in a world where people have affected every inch of the planet? Environmental writer Emma Marris, author of Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World, joins us to discuss a new approach to caring for the earth. She argues that we shouldn't just focus on preserving "pristine" wilderness -- shouldn't try to freeze every landscape in time. Instead, she says, we need to celebrate and foster change.

Antarctica is dotted with a series of lakes buried deep beneath the ice. Several years ago, scientists set out to discover whether those subglacial lakes contain life. Team member Trista Vick-Majors joins us to offer a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse at what it’s like to work in one of the most extreme places on the planet – a place so remote and unforgiving that failure seems imminent every step of the way.

Out There is a podcast about the outdoors--from your window box and garden, to the fields on the edge of town, to the forests, prairies, seashores, and wilderness.  On the show, we explore our relationship with nature, through stories, interviews, essays, and even some fiction. We travel around the U.S. and the world, with tales of love and heartbreak, passion and adversity, desperation and triumph.