Out There

Fresh out of college, Brendan Leonard was an alcoholic.

He got sober, but drinking had been his favorite thing. It was what defined him. After alcohol was taken away from him, he didn't know who he was anymore.

On this episode, he joins us to talk about the difficult process of creating a new life for himself. For Brendan, that new life came about through rock climbing. And it happened completely by accident.

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When we pass people on the trail, we often exchange quick greetings, recognizing our fellow hikers and showing that we are no threat.

But sometimes — whether intentionally or not — the words we share with strangers in the wilderness end up being hurtful, or invasive. Sometimes, these exchanges exacerbate wounds created by a lifetime of discrimination.

On this episode, Barbara Jensen shares their experience as a gender-neutral hiker, and invites us to consider adopting a new trail etiquette.

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On this bonus episode, we talk with Mercy M'fon Shammah, founder of Wild Diversity, about her efforts to make the outdoors safe and welcoming for the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities.

We discuss how Out There is working to shift the narrative about "outdoorsy."

And we discuss how YOU can support fairness — both in nature, and in the workplace.

Becky Jensen had a lot of things going for her: sweet kids, a caring fiancé, a promising career. But deep down, she wasn't happy. So a few years ago, she left everything (and everyone) behind to thru-hike the Colorado Trail. By herself.

On this episode, she shares her story. It's a story about relationships — both with your family, and with yourself. And it's about the surprising things that can happen to those relationships when you do something selfish — something just for you.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon and called for the area to be protected.

"Leave it as it is," he said. "You cannot improve on it."

Roosevelt went on to preserve an unprecedented 230 million acres of American land. But many of his achievements came at the expense of indigenous communities; conservation was coupled with genocide.

Our guest on this episode is David Gessner, author of the book Leave It As It Is. We discuss Roosevelt's ground-breaking efforts to save wild places, and explore how lessons from the past can help us create a new environmentalism that is more inclusive and just.

We often assume that scientists are not supposed to fall in love with their research subjects. They're supposed to remain objective — to keep their feelings and emotions out of their work.

Wildlife researcher Joe Hutto did exactly the opposite. Over a decade ago, he embedded himself with a herd of deer in Wyoming. He figured the best way to understand an animal was essentially to become one of them.

This is the story of how he did that. It's a story of love, curiosity, and sadness. And it's about what happens when the line between fact and feeling becomes blurred.

On this episode, we also preview a new series that will highlight individuals and groups who are engaging with the outdoors in thought-provoking ways.

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Growing up, Erin Parisi knew she was a girl. But the body she was born with didn't match. And she didn't feel safe telling anyone her secret. It wasn't until decades later that she finally mustered the courage to come out.

On this episode, we share Erin's story. It's a story that takes us from a small town in the U.S. to the the top of world's highest mountains, and explores what can happen when you decide to risk everything and become the person you know you are.

Derick Lugo was not a typical thru-hiker.

A suave, manicured New Yorker, he wasn't into hiking and had never been camping. But one day, he decided to challenge himself by doing the Appalachian Trail.

Derick's memoir, The Unlikely Thru-Hiker, is a delightfully cheerful account of his journey, and on this episode, he joins us to talk about it.

We discuss the warm welcome Derick received on the A.T. as a hiker of color; we talk about how the generosity he experienced on the trail shifted his habits back home; and we share the highly entertaining story behind his trail name. Plus: why you shouldn't fear stepping outside your comfort zone.

In 2001, Donna Martino stuck a photo on her fridge. It was a picture from the newspaper of a handsome kayaker paddling through the surf.

A few months later, Donna matched with the man on a dating website. The rest is history.

We tend to assume that fairytale beginnings are a recipe for disaster. But sometimes, the world serves up a dose of schmaltz.

This story, by Out There production intern Aja Simpson, is about what happens when coincidences pile up, and strangers take a chance on each other.

Christine Boskoff was a mountaineer who pushed boundaries and set records.

She climbed mountains no North American woman had ever summited, and she was the only American woman to have reached the top of six of the world's 8,000-meter peaks. She was also a well-respected guide.

But despite her impressive resume, Chris's story went largely untold — until this year.

This spring, writer Johanna Garton published a book called Edge of the Map, chronicling Chris's rise in the mountaineering world. Johanna joins us to talk about how Chris got her start, the challenges she faced as a woman in a man's realm, and the complicated moral questions surrounding her death on a sacred mountain.