Patagonia Stories

The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record for Phoenix, Arizona, with a daily average temperature of 100 degrees for more than 100 days and 61 days with highs of at least 110 degrees. In such conditions, getting out on the trails isn't just uncomfortable; it can be downright deadly.

Mountain bikers, however, tend to be a foolishly tenacious crowd. Faced with such searing conditions, many local riders have taken a cue from the wildlife and gone fully nocturnal to escape the heat.

“Down here, it’s the only time that’s safe and tolerable to ride," says Arizona rider Kurt Refsnider. "You can only spend so much time by the pool, and not everyone has a pool."

“Riders of the Night” read and written by Sakeus Bankson.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In northern Chile, a stretch of Atacama Desert has become known as the fashion industry’s biggest dumpster. Discarded clothing enters the country in bales through the tax-free zone in Iquique. What can’t be sold by merchants gets transported to neighboring Alto Hospicio and illegally dumped into its surrounding dunes. These illegal landfills come with a host of environmental and human-health issues, including greenhouse gas emissions and fires that spew toxic fumes.

Most stories about this region are filled with bleakness. But a community of activists, educators and artists are turning the fashion industry’s trash into seeds for change and building the foundation for a different narrative.

“Built from Scrap” read by Alex Perry and written by Franco Calderón.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada spent most of her childhood outside. Then, at 7 years old, she emigrated from Colombia to the US and found herself far from the mountains and forests that had once been like an extension of home. She spent decades chasing access and acceptance in Western outdoors culture, only to realize that she had much more to learn from the mountains—and mountain community—of her youth.

“Running Led Me Home” read and written by Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grappling with her aging trail dog’s declining health, a mountain biker decides to give her furry best friend one last dose of singletrack.

“Roscoe's Last Ride”read and written by Lacy Kemp.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can't protect our home planet if we lose our basic rights to defend it, says longtime climate advocate Annie Leonard.

“Protecting the Right to Protest” read and written by Annie Leonard.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Fonda has been angry at politicians for as long as she's been an activist. Here's why she still votes.

“Our Power” read and written by Jane Fonda.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At 9, Nalleli Cobo set out to shut down an oil well next to her South Los Angeles home that was making her community sick. What unfolded would change history.

“Free to Breathe” read and written by Nalleli Cobo.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All dams are dirty. The Round Butte Dam and its reservoir has been spewing methane, polluting Oregon’s Deschutes River and blocking its iconic salmon and steelhead since 1964. In his piece, “The Wrong Green,” writer Steven Hawley shows how efforts to mitigate this destruction are only making things worse.

“What Is the Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World?” read by Steve Duda and written by Steven Hawley.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eastern Washington is known for apple trees, hops and college basketball, not verdant forests or loam-lined singletrack. But each spring, when the still-damp soil meets the full brunt of Spokane sunshine, there is no better place to ride a bike.

“For the Love of Dirt” read and written by Sakeus Bankson.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"On the Theft of Dreams," 17-year-old writer Maya Rose's winning essay from the youth writing contest we held in April 2024 with Write the World, is an artful experimentation full of scenes from her beloved Arizona desert that linger with dizzying effect.

“On the Theft of Dreams” read and written by Maya Broeks.

This episode of Patagonia Stories was produced by Patagonia and Cosmic Standard. See more at https://pat.ag/PataStories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices