Almost fifteen years ago to the day, our friend Jeremy encountered Bigfoot in a remote part of Ohio's Tar Hollow State forest during deer season. His climbing tree stand is likely still connected to the tree, after he ran out of the woods; it's the only time he's done that, in decades of hunting encounters with other large and potentially dangerous animals. We talk about the landscape that shapes hunters, what real fear in the woods feels like, why credible people stay quiet about encounters, and make plans for all of us to go back and stand in “their living room” again. 

For more episodes, original art and show notes, check out TheCampFiresEdge.com.  You can support the show by giving us a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can find more of our work on Patreon.com/TheHungryForest 

https://thecampfiresedge.com/

https://www.patreon.com/TheHungryForest

Dr. Peggy Smith Epig (environmental historian, longtime ranger, and Goucher professor) joins us to talk about how stories shape land ethics, from St. Hubert and St. Cuthbert to fieldwork in West Virginia where a small chapel’s stag icon sparks a conversation about hunting, stewardship, and community norms.

We trace the hagiography of “holy gamekeepers,” a pilgrim’s encounter with an Iberian wolf on the Camino, and the local work of river care and urban stream monitoring—asking how lived experience (and occasional high strangeness) changes how we act on the ground.

Dr. Epig's Pilgrimage Substack is here: https://peppig.substack.com/

Her nature journal substack is here: https://peggysmitheppig.substack.com/

Her Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Wo_fg9XF0NU8aRq4oq0mw

Find original episode art and more episodes at TheCampfiresEdge.com. And if you would like to support the show and get exclusive publications related to the topics we discuss, check out Patreon.com/TheHungryForest.

In this episode, Matt and Sarah talk to Conner Habib, novelist and host of the podcast Against Everyone With Conner Habib.

Conner's debut novel, Hawk Mountain (July, 2022 ), pairs instances of human violence, and animal violence throughout the book, inviting comparison. We talk about that, and also discuss whether the natural history emphasis in the book makes this novel "nature writing".

You can find Conner's work at ConnerHabib.com. For episode art and show notes, visit TheCampFiresEdge.com. For Sarah's artwork vist SarahDangerwood.com. And Matt's on Substack at Therianthrope.

Sarah and Matt give updates on their projects before diving into a conversation about Sarah's experience operating trail cameras, as a artist and graduate student in Mexican Gray Wolf country. She also expands on her experiences with our trail cameras in North Carolina's Haw River watershed and we talk about our favorite captures. Sarah shares insight from our trail cam experiments and gives tips if you are looking get more wildlife on film. 

You can find Matt's Therianthrope Substack here. 

The Bartram 250 Celebration and art Symposium is here. 

Sarah's Artist page is here. 

Original episode art, show notes and library at TheCampfiresEdge.com.

Outro is a demo song from dad-duo, Matt on guitar and Josh Lane on drums aka. Castle Goat . 

Dr. Robert Michael Pyle is a naturalist and the author of 28 books, including Chasing Monarchs, Where Bigfoot Walks, Wintergreen, Nature Matrix, Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest, the novel Magdalena Mountain, and four collections of poetry. In this episode, we talk about his 2022 bigfoot sighting, what it's like playing in a band with Nirvana's Krist Novoselic, and his experience as a naturalist and scientist writing about sasquatch. For more episodes and original art, go to TheCampfiresEdge.com.

In this episode, our friend Jason describes his experiences growing up in Ohio with fairy phenomenon, ghost trains, UFO dreams and his practice of chaos magic. Be sure to check out TheCampFiresEdge.com for original show art and other episodes.

Nature writer Lyanda Fern Lynn Haupt joins us to talk about bird synchronicities, the communion of saints, and love for Earthsea, etymology and corvid culture. Lyanda is the author of six incredible books, including most recently, Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature and Spirit. You can find all of Lyanda's books here. You can find episode art and extras at TheCampfiresEdge.com.

In this Episode, we visit Little Tennessee River guides Brent Martin and Angela Faye Martin of Alarka Expeditions in Cowee, North Carolina. Brent is the Director of the William Bartram Trail Conservancy and Angela is a musician. They share stories about supernatural incidents that occured in and around their old house on in the mountainside, and offer some perspective on how this place's layered history weighs on the atmosphere and mindset of the people who live and experience this area. Then we interview Brent and Angela's friend Dallas, who witnessed a light in the sky and experienced four hours of missing time. You can see original art and show notes at TheCampfiresEdge.com and if you're interested in Brent and Angela's work be sure to check out Alarka Expeditions.

Season Two of The Campfire's Edge podcast. Sarah and I review our whitetail deer hunting season and our relationship with the Piedmont forest. You can find bonus material and original episode art at TheCampFiresEdge.com.