The Dirtbag Diaries
By fitz cahall
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Podcast Description
Rock climbing, skiing and outdoors writer Fitz Cahall delivers stories and thoughts from the mountain world in this biweekly podcast. Whether you're a weekend warrior or currently living out of the back of your truck you'll enjoy these sordid, unfiltered tales of bigwall free climbing, monoboarding landlords and monkey-wrenching idealists.
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ExplicitLive From 5 Point Vol. 4 | Welcome to the second half of our 2012 Live From 5 Point show. This week we continue the show from Steve's Guitars in downtown Carbondale, CO. Photographer Ben Moon presents his story about overcoming cancer, the community that rose up to support him and his thoughts on fear. Veteran alpine climber Mark Richey recounts the incident that almost took his climbing partner's life during their ascent of Sasser Kangri II. Colorful language included. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitLive From 5Point Vol. 3 | 5Point Film Festival invited us back for another live Dirtbag Diaries. And of course, we said, "Yes!" We invited four people up on stage to to talk about a moment in their lives when it all seemed to go wrong. And where those moments have led them, as the effects have rippled through their lives. Today we present the first two stories. At 23, free skier Josh Dueck overshot the landing of a jump and fell 100 feet out of the air. He returned to skiing the following winter in a sit ski. And he rips! You owe it to yourself to watch The Freedom Chair and Josh hucking a backflip. Kayaker Chris Korbulic was nearing the end of a 7 week trip through central Africa with Ben Stookesberry and Hendri Coetzee. After paddling the difficult stretch of the Lacuga River, a crocodile pulled Hendri underwater. The film Kadoma (full version available on iTunes) tells the story of their trip. Chris has continued to return to Africa pursuing the rivers that brought him together with Hendri. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/7/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts-Pedal Your Turns | Our local ski hill is a two hour drive away. Getting out the door some mornings is a process, but always worth it for schussing downhill. But could I pedal there? Sure, maybe. Would I? Umm, I'll take the 5th. Fred Sproat knows he would. Last spring, Fred and his friend Sam pedaled 630 miles from Eugene, OR to the heart of the Sierra. Their mission was to ski couloirs by truly earning their turns and challenging the status quo of how we feed our backcountry addictions. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 4/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts-Post-Emphatic Wilderness Disorder | "When you’re in a crowded movie theater or stadium, do you nervously fidget and plot an escape route? Does setting foot in Costco or Wal-Mart cause you to blackout and crash into discount clothing racks?" asks Dean Fleming. If so, you may be suffering from Post-Emphatic Wilderness Disorder. Never heard of it? Dean walks you through the symptoms and three steps to help you cope with this recently diagnosed disorder. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 3/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanOrigins | The Dirtbag Diaries turns five. This also happens to be our 100th episode. To celebrate the occasion, we reached out to our collaborators, our contributors and our friends and asked for ideas. I pitched them a bunch of ideas. They shook their heads. Their response was resounding. "We want to hear your story, the story of the Diaries," they said. Our intern, Austin Siadak, stepped forward to do the interview and relay the story. The tables were turned. By nature, we like our creation stories simple. An idea appears in the void. A light bulb goes off. The apple hits Sir Isaac Newton on the head. In reality, creation stories are messier, more complicated and more interesting than abbreviated elevator pitches. They are a sum of parts. So here goes. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 3/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Shorts--The Mobil | "I am a connoisseur of convenience stores," writes Brendan Leonard. On road trips, he always stops to check out the t-shirt rack, bumper stickers or display of trinkets unique to the area. And every stop is a chance to find the best, ever. But he hadn't quite found it. Until friends told him of a magical place huddled in the shadow of the Sierra. Instead of hot dogs endlessly spinning under heat lamps, steaks sizzled. People gathered and celebrated. Circus troops careened through the skies above. Indeed, this was a magical place, but could it exceed his checklist of expectations? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 2/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFrozen Lemonade | When will it snow? It's the question on the lips of ski town locals throughout the West as fluttering flakes have been late to arrive. Sill, the winter provides opportunity. Tacky mountain bike trails usually buried under feet of snow. Ice climbing on routes normally inaccessible. And ice skating on remote alpine lakes. John Dittli says the skating has been epic in the high Sierra. While others have bemoaned the lack of snow, John has seized the extended window to ice skate on multiple lakes; many more than a typical year allows. He may even secretly hope that the snow remains at bay for a little longer. In the spirit of making the most out of a situation. we present the Year of Big Ideas- goals from friends, pros and creative thinkers. And no matter what 2012 brings, we'll make sure there's more lemonade in all we do. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 1/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--By Any Means Necessary | Growing up in Ireland, writer Lisa McGonigle wasn't immersed in snow and mountains. But a trip to the Pyrenees when she was 19 to try snowboarding realigned her priorities. Lisa scrimped her savings and made due with periodic trips until she graduated and set her sights on fulfilling her dream of ski bumming in British Columbia. While little rivals fresh lines on a powder day, she discovered the fine line between passionate and obsessed can be difficult to distinguish. What fuels your decisions? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 12/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTransitions--Efficiency Manifesto | No one skins uphill to put together a splitboard efficiently. They do it to shred down. Making a transition at a belay is part of the process, not the main event. Transitions may not be sexy, but they make or break us. They are the difference between a cold night spent shivering on a ledge and walking out in perfect evening light. Almost five years after I wrote the Monoboard and started The Diaries, I find myself in a metaphorical transition. My passions run from the mountains to the Seattle music scene and I've become adept at moving between them. My life is about to change. My passions won't. It's time to refine the transition. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 11/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanLifestyle Tips for the Committed | What have you given up for dirtbaggery? Regular car maintanence? Cable TV? Your favorite craft brew? Dean Fleming writes, " Like most rock climbers, I’m a control freak and I’m cheap. So I’ll share one lifestyle tip for the committed to put extra cash in your pocket." DIY haircuts. Dean lays out 3 simple steps to keeping the dirtbag dream alive. How committed are you? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 11/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitTales of Terror Vol. 2 | What frightful things get your heart racing? Ghosts? Unidentifiable sounds in the middle of the night? Or the person you might meet out in the woods? It can be difficult to separate an initial seed of fear from the growing tangle of possibility that can quickly emerge in your head, but sometimes that sprouting seed is very tangible. Today, we bring you stories from Sara Porterfield and Jeremy Allyn. They'll make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You'll try to shudder them off. But the seed- the seed will remain. And isn't that what scary stories are all about? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 10/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--Wheels | The weekend ritual of loading up a car with gear, picking a destination, and watching out the window as the landscapes passes by is familiar to most of us. Whether it's two days or a month long, there is a method to organizing and assessing. Kelly Wilder writes, "We need the car; it's our ticket out of wherever we are in the world." Yet when you're trying to live by the ethos of local and low carbon, a car "saddles us with guilt." We may have a love-hate relationship with our vehicles, but they are able to take us to the places that help clear our heads and restore our souls. Is that rationalization enough? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 10/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Way of the Underdog | The Underdog is the most potent myth in America. It pervades film, pop culture, music and sports. Politicians use it to frame their campaigns. Professional sports teams use it to psyche themselves up before big games. In theory, we've always liked the long shot. Is this special type of hero just a myth or is the underdog real? Contributor Brendan Leonard thinks it's real because he's seen it in person. Jayson Sime was a small town Iowa kid from the tough part of town. He was told he wouldn't amount to much by his teachers and hazed by his peers. The greatest successes require the most difficult obstacles. From north of nowhere to a career in politics to Mount Shasta's summit, Jayson has overcome. Maybe heroes are real. To be in their presence is a powerful thing. Can you learn how to emulate the underdog by watching one? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--Drifting to a Fork in the River | "Each trip I return from is like a seed for the next one. I imagine finding solace through solitude and bliss in the backcountry," writes Fred Sproat. "At the same time that I think about endless wilderness pursuits I think about retuning home...to her." While in school, Fred successfully balanced his time between guiding and love. Guiding takes a commitment to dealing with Mother Nature's spontaneous eruptions- rainstorms, mosquitos, relentless winds- and the tenacity to keep clients happy. But you are able to pursue you passion, even if it means leaving somethings- or someone- behind. With new opportunities on the horizon, could he maintain the status quo? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Dirtbag's Playlist Volume 6 | Aaah, August. A time to get outside and forget about computer screens. We hope you've been out there enjoying the summer. We certainly have. But don't worry, even though we took a break from publishing, we're still working away to bring you more stories this fall. This has been an amazing year at The Diaries- we hit one million downloads and we've continued to expand our circle of collaborators. We've been busy with other projects as well- The Season 2, Fringe Elements and The Love Letter- but we remain committed to bringing you stories from the community told for the community. Until then, here are some of our favorite songs that we used on episodes in the last year. Pack the car, open the windowns and crank the cuts. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN "You Never Know Who You're Gonna Meet" by Publish the Quest from "Then What!?" Buy at iTunes Withered Hand "New Dawn" (mp3) from "Good News" (Absolutely Kosher) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album The Heavenly States "Model Son" (mp3) from "Oui Camera Oui" (Hippies Are Dead Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album Gold Panda "You" (mp3) from "Lucky Shiner" (Ghostly International) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album IAME "Felt So Real (ft. Toni Hill)" (mp3) from "Lame" (Taxidermy Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album Breathe Owl Breathe "Own Stunts" (mp3) from "Magic Central" (Hometapes) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album Chikita Violenta "All I Need's a Little More" (mp3) from "TRE3S" (Arts & Crafts) Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album Zola Jesus "Poor Animal" (mp3) from "Valusia - EP" (Sacred Bones Records) Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album "Chapel Song" by We Are Augustines from "Rise Ye Sunken Ships" Buy at iTunes | 8/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 16 | CleanVideoThe Season 2 is Alive | After a year of hard work, Bryan Smith and I present The Season 2, five stories from a whole new set of athletes. This 22-episode web TV series following five athletes through the course of a year is available first at arcteryx.com and then as a download from iTunes. Visit theseasontv.com to subscribe and find information about the songs and download the cuts. The series begins in earnest Tuesday, September 6th. Those are the nuts and bolts. A release is always a crazy moment in my life. I dread them up until the moment they happen. There are so many details to be worked out that it can be difficult to sleep, remember to turn the stove off or keep track of what day of the week it is. It is consuming. The reward is obvious. You -- the community -- makes this all worthwhile. Your feedback, both good and bad (but always thoughtful), is deeply appreciated. When Bryan and I started out on round 2, we had you in mind. How do we make The Season better? The answer was clear- feed off the energy you all put into the first installment. So we invested time and money. And committed to spending more time with each athlete and more time in the field. We feel we've achieved our goals. I hope you are pleased with our efforts. Rise up. Become legend. Welcome to The Season 2. | 8/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitYou Are Not Alone | How do you start to see the complex relationships that make up a community? The first time I sat around a climber's campfire at 19, I could sense that though our lives were superficially different with jobs and responsibilities, something greater connected those gathered around the fire. It was the first time I felt a sense of belonging. Since then, my community has grown, and encompasses just about anyone who understands dawn light and type three fun. But getting into the spider-webbing network can be difficult even if you know it's there. Today, we present two stories from women- one a climber and one a creator- about the moment when the random became connected at a time when it mattered most. Gather round. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 7/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--Conquering Sherman | We are a community that likes to push ourselves. Whether we set a goal of miles or grades or just getting out there, we prepare for our feats. When David King set out to ride his bike across the US, he had read the books, bought the right gear and trained tirelessly on hills back home. But biking day in and day out started to wear on him mentally, as well as physically. As he cranked up a steep pass early in the trip, David wondered whether he had the mental tenacity to complete the ride. A lot of road lay beyond Sherman Pass. Was he really cut out for this? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 7/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Shorts--Penance | Do as I say, not as I've done. It's the central paradox of many father-son relationships. We strive to learn from our mistakes and grow throughout our lives. We want to see our hard earned wisdom reflected to others. After road racing bicycles for seven years, and pushing his youthful limits of bravery and luck, Gary Visser settled into life in South Carolina. He discovered a new passion in the salt water marshes, raised a family, and taught his son, Garrett, to fly fish. As Garrett prepares to leave for college, Gary appreciates that letting go, much like his parents did more than 30 years ago, is harder than one might think. Happy Father's Day. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 6/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitLive From 5Point Volume II | Our long held dream of creating a live performance of The Dirtbag Diaries came true this spring at the 5Point Film Festival. We interviewed filmmakers and people who were in films and let the conversation flow as though we were sitting on the truck tailgate. If you haven't listened to the previous episode, check out the stories from Baybe Champ and Frank Smethhurst. Today we present the stories of the folks behind the camera. A surf photographer who created a viral video sensation that simultaneously radiates sadness and joy. And a young filmmaker draws a connecting line between skiing and art. The audience has settled into their seats and the mics are on. Mickey Smith and Nick Waggoner join us on stage. Welcome to the 5Point Film Festival. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 6/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitLive from 5Point Volume 1 | For years, Becca and I have wanted to create a live performance of The Dirtbag Diaries. But with little extra time and money, the idea sat, waiting for its moment. When 5Point Film Festival gurus Julie Kennedy and Beda Calhoun approached me earlier this year about creating a onstage storytelling hour at the festival, I immediately said yes. We interviewed filmmakers and people who were in films featured at 5Point and let the conversation flow as though we were sitting on the truck tailgate. Today we present two of these stories. An old soul living in a 22 year-olds body who set out to change his own life and has started a movement in his community. And an angler, who gave away a secret in order to protect a place. The audience has settled in their seats and we're set-up to record. Baybe Champ and Frank Smethhurst join us on stage. Welcome to the 5Point Film Festival. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--Dispatch from the Middle | Would you be satisfied pursuing your outdoor activity for only a few weeks of every year? Geography can be heartless. Climbers find themselves in the heartland. Skiers in the South East's warmer climate. For surfer Wade Grocott, his local break is thousands of kilometers away. The weeks he's not surfing, he's surrounded by the prairies of Saskatchewan, reading surf magazines, swimming to stay in paddling shape, and scheming for vacation time to warmer, wavier climates. Answering the questions of his fellow and understandably curious Saskatchewanians is just part of the process. Surfing? Saskatchewan? Really? You're probably asking those very same questions right now. Wade has got the answers. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanDitch Logic | In 2005, Gregg Bleakney was on the rise. He was crushing his job as a software executive. At 30, he owned a beautiful home complete with white picket fence in North Seattle. He had a serious girlfriend. He drove a fast car. His sofa was black Italian leather. He had all the trappings of a successful life, but Gregg also had a secret. Something he wasn't sharing with his boss, his family or friends, even his longtime girl friend. It was an idea that was about to change his life. Today, we present Ditch Logic. Evolving as a person isn't always pretty. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 4/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 24 | CleanVideoThe Love Letter Out April 12th | Can the wilderness save a soul? In the clutter of the modern world, how do we define success? These two questions keep coming up over and over again in Diaries. Whether it is Aimee Brown's walking away from a dream job to be closer to people and places she loves or Christian Beamish's search for peace off the coast of Baja, these are the questions we've been chasing. These are the questions that you come to us with. When Becca and I set out on our Sierra adventure last year, our reasons for doing so were numerous. One thing was clear -- it wasn't a vacation. It was life. It was about reconnecting with a place we love, with our passions. It was about sharing an adventure with one another and a few friends along the way. From the start, we also knew that it was about telling stories. In short, we wanted to write a love letter, to each other, to the Sierra, to the spirit of our community. We wanted to create a short film that got right to the center of those questions. This moved beyond simple travelogue story telling. If we were were going to succeed, I had to stack the deck. We recruited the very talented photographer and bad-ass climber Mikey Schaefer to create our vision. He's one of the few people on the planet who can climb a 2,000 foot 5.10 in tennis shoes, while pausing to film. Climbing extraordinaire Kate Rutherford did much of the rigging and heavy lifting while we were in the backcountry. Tim Loubier, our artistic video editor, shaped the footage into a coherent, sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical 12-minute film. One of our favorite bands, We Are Augustines, provided the soundtrack. Anya Miller Berg lent her graphic design prowess to the movie, supporting materials and beyond. I put some of the best talent in our community in a creative space and let them have at it. After months of work, next Tuesday, our film The Love Letter goes live at Outdoor Research and Osprey's Websites. Two weeks later, it makes its big screen premiere at the incredible 5 Point Film Festival in Carbondale, Co. I'm going to admit -- I'm nervous as hell. Today, we are sending out the first of two trailers that we hope capture the mood of what we were chasing. On the trip, we brought along a pillow case backdrop and snapped portraits of one another everyday. Could you see the impact of the Sierra in our faces? In our eyes? Would the joy translate even as strain ate away at our bodies? Ultimately, you will decide whether The Love Letter successfully tackles those recurring questions, makes you laugh and, hopefully, leaves you inspired, but I know this. Creatively, physically and financially, I gave everything I had to this project. Becca would say the same. Next Tuesday, if this movie speaks to you, if we succeed, shout it out. Please let others know about it through Facebook or over campfires. We have come this far together. You, our ardent listeners, have made the Diaries happen through your stories, kind words, criticism and passion. If we succeed, go and take credit for it. Let's keep telling our stories. Thanks for all your help. Fitz P.S. And in the final movie, there is brief nudity. Maybe not family viewing on the first round. | 4/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--The Pee Tree | How do you choose the stories to retell when you get back from a trip? Finding those perfect moments that capture your travels, the scenery and the action, can make you feel as picky as Goldilocks. What to say? Shane Robinson writes, "At first, I tried to recount every amazing detail of my travels, only to watch my unsuspecting friends' eyes gloss over in bordom." He switched to the quick hit replies, "Soooo amazing! Can't wait to go back." A little too big, a little too small. And then the memory came tumbling out, "I miss the pee tree!" The stories we share are gateways beyond the mechanics of a trip, but dig into how we appreciate spending times away from our daily routines. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 3/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitSodade | Our sports transcend languages. Ever seen two climbers mime the sequence to a boulder problem? Smiles between skiers on a powder day? Our passions become a vehicle to explore a world outside of our own. Jacob Bain has traveled to SE Asia, Cuba, and Africa. And though he sometimes has climbing gear, he always has a guitar. Through music, Jacob has jammed with locals, incorporating the new sounds and experiences into his music. In the summer of 2010, Johnny Fernandes invited Jacob and his band Publish the Quest to Cape Verde to partake in a musical experience as part of his goal to preserve the local music. Can a hook, a horn line and a new take on a traditional song overcome culture and language barriers? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT | 3/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--Sitting In Silence | Mike Colpo went to guide school in search of a different life. His rugged instructor, Cody, taught him the basics of guiding climbers, but also pushed Mike and the other students towards something bigger. After spending many years in the outdoors, Cody had a wisdom beyond guiding that he wanted to convey to the young climbers. He spoke of the wilderness within, and encouraged the young guides to explore this frontier. What did it mean? Some bits of wisdom we accept easily, and others take years to truly understand. Mike found himself facing a fear greater than physical risk. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 2/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanWhat Is Hardcore? | Our sports have long heralded rating systems that let us know just how we're doing. We may bicker over their ratings, but we return to them again and again. They help us set goals, and push ourselves harder. But what happens when we go beyond the limits of these systems? How do you measure fatigue, thirst and mental reselience? When these elements merge together, we begin to enter the mythical realm of hardcore. Today, Brendan Leonard dives in with some simple ideas on who and what are hard core. How do you measure up? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT | 2/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--How She Got There | Christine McMahon read Ranger Rick, stole her brother's Boy Scouts Manual to learn survival tricks and was driving by age 9. She grew up relatively carefree surrounded by friends and family who made sure she feared nothing. Until the day circled in red on her calendar arrived. The day when she would try to walk again. In the rare moments when the self we imagined collides with reality the intensity can be terrifying. Yet that moment can also propel us along a path that we've dreamed about for our entire lives. It was time for Christine to take the first steps to leaving the crutches and wheelchairs behind and embrace the possible on her own. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 1/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBuckle Down | James Q Martin has an incredible, carefree life. For the last five years he's traveled the world, often to warm locals to photograph beautiful athletes in stunning places. It would be hard to let go of that kind of job, but two years ago, James stumbled upon a blog post about the impending damming of the Rio Baker in Chile's Asyen region. It set off a powerful reaction. A decade earlier, James had traveled through the Asyen region, and the great wilderness left a lasting impression. Now, with the massive hydro-electric project impending, James came up with an idea. What if you took a naturalist, a writer, a photographer, a filmmaker and a conservationist on a source to sea descent to document the last days of a wild river? Could that act even help save? In 2010, James launched Rios Libres and made his dream happen. Completing his dream, would mean giving up the perfect lifestyle. With that, we present our 2011 Year of Big Ideas show. Professional athletes, passionate weekend warriors and Dirtbag Diaries contributors come together to present what they are working on in the coming year. Get inspired and then buckle down. When you are done listening check out Rios Libres website and learn how you can help. Also, check out Caleb Simpson's new energy bar company Adventure Naturals on Kickstarter. They are almost to their goal. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 1/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanWhat We Had | Mark Rutherford and John Merritt grew up sharing the same sand box. As they grew up, they each followed separate paths. John had a successful career in the Chicago financial world. Mark moved to Alaska and raised a family in tiny cabin he built with his own hands. Twenty years ago, Mark began a successful adventure fly fishing guide service in the Bristol Bay region. An avid fisherman, John got in touch with Mark and scheduled a trip. On that first trip, John revealed that he had been diagnosed with M.S. Ten years prior, doctors told him he had seven years to live. That first trip marked the beginning of decade of trips, each more adventurous than the last. Today, we are headed up stream to the confluence of several lives. Friendships are a bit like rivers -- when they converge, they swell into something greater. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 12/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts-Cardboard Canadian | If you've ever stuck your thumb out to catch a ride, you understand the highs and lows of hitchhiking. Passing cars, sandy highway shoulders, cardboard signs, and a belief that mental telepathy can lure cars to slow down are tools of the trade. After hitchhiking in Canada and Arizona, Graham Waugh thought he'd easily catch a ride from Needles to Joshua Tree. He didn't account for the nearly deserted 100 odd miles on California's highway 95. He scrawled "Canadian" on his last piece of cardboard, and only then did he discovered something wonderful. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 12/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanUnseen But Felt | This last fall, Becca and I embarked on a trip of a lifetime. We began on foot in Sequoia National Park and hiked north through Yosemite. Along the way, we would climb as many routes as our rations, our bodies and the weather would allow. It was a slightly inefficient approach to a climbing trip that begged an explanation. To those who asked, I offered a slew of reasons. My heroes, John Muir and David Brower, had taken the same route. I wanted to prove we are capable of world class adventure in our backyard ranges. Those closest to me knew better. I was trying to save myself. At its core, The Diaries has always been about the joy of wild places and our community's profound optimism, but at times contributors have stepped forward to provide stories about personal struggle, sorrow and depression. The Diaries has embraced both the light and the dark, because ultimately The Diaries are a reflection of me. Today, I present my own story. It may be hard to believe, but it happened. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 11/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--The Lost Art | Surfer. Waves. Design. Surfboard. In 25 years of surfing, Will Ranken never thought much about how those four elements interrelated to one another. When he needed a new board, he would buy one off the racks, hand over the cash, and soon he was paddling into the line up again. That was the status quo, until he read an article about making and shaping wooden surfboards. He writes, "Buying a new board suddenly seemed so boring. Like I was missing out on the really important part, like I was only pretending to be a surfer." Will designed and cut and sanded a board. He worked on it tirelessly. Flew back and forth the country to attend workshops until the day finally arrived. It was time to paddle out. Was it love at first surf? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 11/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitTales of Terror | It's that time of year. Leaves line the sidewalks. Darkness tugs at the soul. A cold wind blows. Today, we present Tales of Terror, two stories from the most terrifying moments of our contributor's lives. This year's contest winners reminded me why I love working on the Diaries. Sometimes the stories are serious. Sometimes they're funny. They come from all over the world. Our first story was recorded in the field somewhere in Afghanistan. The second comes from my old stomping ground -- Tahoe. Despite the differences, both stories are the result of passion, imagination and creativity. Today's contributors reached these terrifying moments because they have chosen to live both the width and length of their lives. Thanks to everyone who participated. We had great submissions this year. Becca and I really appreciate it. Happy Halloween! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 10/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Packing | Whether you're going to the crag for the day or embarking on a long adventure overseas, packing is a fact of life. Some of us make lists, others calculate every ounce, and still others throw every possible thing that might be needed into the back of the truck. Best to be prepared after all. When writer and biker Dean Campbell packs he "always forgets one thing and always brings too much to read." Can your packing style influence how you experience a new place? After traveling by bike for four months through Africa, Dean understands that what we bring dictates what we take home from our distant travels. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 10/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitEmbrace This | I love bikes. I like riding them through the woods. I like working on them. I even like riding bikes on roads, but I've never been a road biker. To me road biking has always seemed a bit like raw oysters. I take one look at it and I think, "I don't want to try it." Despite their slimy demeanor, I really like oysters. Once I got over their looks, they taste pretty damn good. Maybe road biking would be like that for me. This summer I decided to not only try road biking, I decided to embrace it in all its spandex glory. My climbing could suffer. The mountain bike could collect cobwebs in the garage. Along the way, I discovered the joy of riding through my city. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Shorts -- Zones of Subduction | Growing up, inheritance and parenthood – these themes have quietly woven their way into the Diaries’ Fabric. Whether it’s Brendan Leonard’s Go West or Steve Bohrer’s Balance, we’ve explored how parents introduce their children to the natural world. Today, Bob Nydam presents a story about the sometimes painful process of watching a child grow up. It’s a little like geologic processes at hyper-speed. Moments of calm serenity are punctuated by violent upheaval. Even when seemingly, we are in the midst of movement. We are climbers, adventurers and dreamers because these pursuits ask us to step beyond ourselves. Certainly, the same can be said for parenting. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 39 | CleanVideoTracing the Edge | On Thursday August 26th, my new project with Bryan Smith launches on Patagonia's website. Tracing the Edge is a 10-part series following three of world's best outdoor athletes -- alpine climbing phenom Colin Haley, ultra-runner Krissy Moehl and surfing legend Gerry Lopez. What made them who they are today? Look for new episodes every Thursday. You can also find new episodes on our supporting sponsors Sportiva and Vasque. If you are interested in getting HD files for download, leave a comment and let us know. I hope you enjoy the show. | 8/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Dirtbag's Playlist Volume 5 | August has arrived and that means a little break for the Dirtbag Diaries, but that doesn't mean rest. Becca and I are working ahead. There will be new episodes in September, and we are really excited to announce that we are going to embark on one of my long time dreams -- a six week climbing trip through the Sierra. All backcountry. A lot of walking. A lot of climbing. Most of all, some time to think and some time to check back in with one of the places and friends that have helped make me who I am. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ZLOX "Song of Night" (mp3) from "eXpo" (Undercover Culture Music) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album Mux Mool "Skulltaste" (mp3) from "Skulltaste" (Ghostly International/Moodgadget Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album Geographer "Kites" (mp3) from "Animal Shapes - EP" (Tricycle Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album Magic Bullets "Lying Around" (mp3) from "Magic Bullets" (Mon Amie Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album yU "Fine" (mp3) from "Before Taxes" (Mello Music Group) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album We Were Promised Jetpacks "Ships With Holes Will Sink" (mp3) from "These Four Walls" (Fat Cat Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody More On This Album Also on this show.... our main man Ken Christianson. And Wolf Parade. you can get this cut here on sub pop's site. | 8/9/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitGo West | "There aren't so many real cowboys left in America, just a lot of folks who dress like them," writes Brendan Leonard. Maybe the cowboy is gone, but the tradition of going West to reinvent oneself has remained a part of our culture. Where does that desire come from? Is it a part the American Psyche? In Brendan's case, it came from his father's passion for the West. In small town Iowa, the only way Brendan and his dad, Joe, could foster the dream of red rock and sage was by watching westerns. Lots of westerns. Today, Brendan presents a story about mountain people and the dreams parents instill in their children. Go West. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 7/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Dirtbag Resume | The M.O. was familiar -- work hard at a series of bizarre jobs, make money and then hit the road to travel. During his twenties, writer and Diaries contributor Ryan Nickum went around the world and drifted across the Pacific Northwest. When it came time to settle down after returning from a Peace Corps stint, the economy tanked. Once Ryan finally wanted a steady job, it seemed impossible to get one. He authored standard resume after standard resume. The results were disheartening. Ryan pieced together whatever work he could -- data entry, process server and ditch digging. He began to question whether his youthful wanderlust now impeded a more adult life. In a moment of frustration, Ryan decided to create his curriculum vitae on his own terms -- Nickum style. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 7/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Accidental Journalist | As a child, Freddie Wilkinson was fascinated by K2 and the adventure narratives from 8,000 meter peaks. It led to an incredible career as an alpinist seeking out difficult routes on obscure peaks across the globe, but his interest in climbing the trophy peaks waned. In August 2008, 11 climbers lost their lives on K2. The ensuing media frenzy was just that -- a frenzy. Facts were hazy and right from the start people began making broad generalizations even though the details had yet to emerge. Something about it p****d Freddie off and stirred his curiosity. What really happened up there? Freddie started asking questions and in the process he found himself chasing an incredible story. You don't need a journalism degree or a press pass to be a reporter. All it takes is a little New England "Can Do Spirit" and curiosity that won't rest. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 6/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Yosemite's Next Top Idol | Yosemite has always been a crucible of hard climbing and big egos. Every year the sport's stars, die-hard dirtbags and hungry youngsters flock here to throw themselves at the big stone. Only the great will become legend. There is Surfer Bob, Mr. Magoo and Platinum Rob. James Lucas had dreams of rock stardom. He wanted to cast a shadow longer than El Cap. He wanted to live forever in camp fire conversation. He wanted to be Yosemite's Next Top Idol. What would it take? He would have to chisel his body into a granite monolith, learn to suffer through storms and develop swagger. He turned to the legends for advice and they welcomed him with open arms. Turns out nobody can resist sandbagging a young hungry climber. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 6/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Pugilist | "Fantasies happen from a safe distance. It's one thing to say you want something, even convince yourself of it. It's another thing all together to stand under a 3,500-foot nightmare you've feared for 15 years and try to actually climb it," writes climber and writer Kelly Cordes. At a quick consideration boxing and alpinism have little in common. Ponder if for a second and you might see the similarities. After years in the ring and even longer in the vertical life, Kelly certainly does. Each challenges its practitioner to accept fear. A boxer's opponent can deal out pain and defeat and when you put it in that light, a mountain isn't all that different. Today Kelly presents a story about the biggest fight of his life and embracing the mythic choss pile that has haunted him since his early days of climbing. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts-Scars | "There is a wonderment in scars, the remnant of a body able to heal itself," writes Becca Cahall. "I love that my skin has chosen to retain memories that I might have otherwise have forgotten." We've all got them. War wounds. Battle scars. We get them from crashing bikes in the woods, surgeon's scalpels and cheese grating falls on granite. If you look back at each scar, each of them tells an incredible story, tales to share around campfires and over beers. The real incredible thing is that we chose to see what we want in our wounds and in others. We look past them to the emotion and memory behind them. The become the physical diary of our lives. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 4/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanA Successful Life | Success. What is it? How does each of us define it in our lives? It’s a question that has hovered over many of the stories we’ve told in the last three years. Aimee Brown has been many things in her life – a snowboarder, a hydrologist, a pastry chef, a goat farmer and a writer. Always a writer. Being a wordsmith and making a living as one are two different things. Last year, Aimee got the opportunity of a lifetime a job writing for National Geographic. Excited, she packed her Subaru, threw in her cowboy boots and moved east from her beloved Oregon towards an incredible career. After a few weeks of living in D.C. a nagging feeling set in. Were days looking out an office window, lonely treadmill runs and sun salutations without the sun success? Could you ever define it as such? It took six thousand miles of driving for her to answer that question. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN The Dirtbag Diaries is part of the Steady Drip. Click on the image below to see other creative content across the Internet | 4/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts--Upward Mobility | Throughout the course of the Diaries, I'd hazard to guess that hundreds of you have written in about the struggle many of us -- me included -- experience between work and our passions. Even if work is one of your passions, the mountains, rivers, all the tiny places in this great wide world can seem impossibly far away. We are put in positions where we have to decide between pragmatism and passion. Harini Ayer's story epitomized this struggle. She came to the States from Southern India almost a decade ago and fell in love with this country, her research and climbing. Her ability to stay here has always been tied to her visa. Her work was a form of upward mobility. But there was a catch. If Harini switched jobs, or took a break from her research, she lost her ability to stay here. Climbing took a back seat, until eventually Harini made a stand for herself, her style of life and took an incredible risk. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 3/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Adventures of Beansprout | Ryan Nickum was a 20-year-old college athlete with a passion for brutal tackles and body checks. He had yet to grow out of the angst and rebelliousness of his teenage years. Socializing involved cases of Coors, rehashing high school exploits and running from the cops. He wasn't exactly prime recruitment material for Earth First. Spring break of his sophomore year, Nickum and his best friend Woodchuck were too broke for Cancun's party scene and opted instead to join a band of radical environmentalist organizing a tree sit in Southern Oregon. There are many ways to stumble into activism. Maybe some people just shouldn't read the Monkey Wrench Gang. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN To download Walker's boardgame version of the Adventures of Beansprout click here. | 2/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Trekker's Blues | More people reach the top of Mount Everest than hike the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail. It asks a lot of the human body. When writer Alissa Bohling and her longtime boyfriend Paul set out of the trail, they thought a trip of that significance would leave a mark on their relationship. They didn't foresee that it would leave Paul hobbling and struggling to get healthy years after they reached the Canadian border. In today's Short, Alissa puts pen to paper and imagines a pain-free life for Paul. If we write it down does it become true? I hope so. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 2/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitFueled By Strawberry Jam | Ski filmmaker Nick Waggoner knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a skier of the diehard variety. There were two obvious hurdles. First, he lived in New York City. Second, he was 11 years old. He found a way to make it work and before he was legally behind the wheel of a car, he was squeezing adventure out of skiing. In the last decade, his passion for skiing evolved into a passion for making films about skiing, but his approach has remained the same. Today, we bring you another Year of Big Ideas -- a time to turn daydreams into concrete goals. Professional athletes, weekend warriors, and full time dreamers present their goals for 2010. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 1/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 52 | CleanVideoHappy New Year! This is what I've been working on | For the last year and change, when I haven't been finding stories for the Diaries I've been working on a new project -- one that I've kept pretty quiet about. Yesterday, The Season kicked off. It's a 22-episode web television series shot in HD. It begins in earnest the last week of January. The idea, or maybe the question, behind the series is this: Could we take compelling stories from our community, combine it with tightly crafted footage and create small installments that reveal a bigger story? I teamed up with Bryan Smith, who you may remember from the New Conservationists, and we set off with this goal in mind. We followed five athletes -- men and women a lot like you -- through the course of a single season in the Northwest. These athletes aren't setting out on their seasons goals because there is monetary reward or they expect to get famous. They chased these goals because they are deeply passionate about their pursuits. I'm thrilled to introduce them to you. The Season won't replace the Diaries; we've got great season of episodes planned for you. The Season is merely a sister to what you have helped me create here. In April, the Season will run its course. The Diaries will continue. In the meantime, I hope you like what you see and that you continue to support independent media by subscribing, telling your friends about The Season (if you like it) and spreading the words. You are and have been my greatest allies in trying to bring stories back to outdoor media. I hope you enjoy. | 12/31/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanForty Miles A Poem | 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Whether you swing a hammer or hammer on the keyboard, we all find ways to stay sane during the workweek. Maybe it’s a particularly good post-work bouldering session or an hour of yoga, which has been the case for me lately. When Scott Harvey’s poem “40 Miles of Inspiration” showed up in my Inbox, it was a like a breath of fresh air. It’s hard not to smile at this refreshing cure for the mid-week blues. Farm dogs. Wayward bats. Coyotes. All in a day’s commute. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 12/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFun Divided By Three | As outdoor types, we love rating systems. We'll rate anything. Rapids. Climbs. Ski runs. Now, we've gone and tried to rate the unrateable -- fun. Fun divided by three -- it's this concept that has been floating around campfires for years. It dictates that there are three types of fun. There is type one fun and type two fun, but today, we are going to explore type three fun. This is the epic. The suffer fest. This is collarbone breaking, giardia-getting, soaked-to-the-bone, carnage. If it sounds horrible, that's because it probably is. What does type three fun entail? Why do some people seem particularly drawn to these types of adventures and what could possibly motivate us to embrace type three fun? Today, we bring you answers. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 12/7/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Friends In High Places | 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Climber and Diaries contributor Kelly Cordes is what you would call an early adopter. Kelly may live in a shack at 8,000 feet, but the guy is no cretin. He’s had an email account for four years now. He knows how to program a VCR. He’s even considered buying one of those new-fangled Blueberry phones. What can I say? Kelly is a mover and a shaker. The guy’s approach to new technology is as cutting edge as his alpine endeavors, but even seasoned pros have the occasional misstep. Two and a half years, Kelly signed up for a Facebook account, promptly forgot the password and found out that negotiating social media can be every bit as difficult as picking a path through gaping crevasses, rotten ice and snow-covered rock. It’s certainly just as time consuming. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 11/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe New Conservationists | Our sports, our passions provide a special opportunity to visit the natural world's wildest places. This tradition began with climber, writer and godfather of conservation John Muir. He was a dirtbag before he was an icon. Now, there are members of our community -- boaters, skiers and photographers -- who are following in Muir's footsteps. They don't necessarily come from traditional activist roots, but have chosen to take stand for little places and big ideas. Today, we present three stories. A city girl sheds caution to start a farm. A kayaker becomes a journalist. An adventure photographer forgoes a career traveling the globe to run for office back at home. I am John Muir. You are John Muir. We all have a Yosemite. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 10/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Underwriting Adventure | 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Can you insure adventure? Last summer, climber and writer Majka Burhardt embarked on an adventure two years in the making. In the last moments before leaving, Burhardt decided to purchase travel insurance. Her trip to Namibia was an insurance underwriter’s nightmare. It turns out that climbing is blacklisted. On top of that, while abroad Burhardt couldn’t partake in sleigh rides, play American Football or Zorb. She didn’t even know what Zorbing was, but suddenly she wanted to try it. After all the work to make her trip happen, she wanted more than insurance. Burhardt wanted assurance that her adventure would be a success. The thing is – you can’t plan adventure. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitSeeds | 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} It was a tough summer in the climbing community. We lost heroes, friends, mentors, legends, sons and parents. We celebrate their lives with stories and memorials, but after the glasses are raised and the happy times recounted, those closest to the deceased are left in the vacuum their lives once inhabited. The living confront hard questions and dark emotions. This year, 22-year-old Evan Piche’s world turned upside down. He discovered, that even in the worst moments there are seeds of growth. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/16/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitMusic From Dirtbag Diaries Vol 4 | I hope everyone is out on vacation. At the moment, I'm running around gathering stories and trying to keep up with my tomato plants. This fall we will have some familiar voices and some new ones. There will be some laughter and one very serious story. There will be tales from afar and ones a little closer to home. I'm excited. I've also been working on a new project -- one that will compliment what I've been trying to do with the Diaries. It will go live in January, but you can grab a sneak peak here. In the meantime, here are some cuts to close the summer with. Tracks are listed below. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN Bands: Publish the Quest -- the new project from long time collaborator Jacob Bain. The Secret Life of Sophia -- This Brooklyn-based band created a concept album centered around the hopes and stories of alpinist. CunninLynguists "Don't Leave (When Winter Comes) [feat. Slug]" (mp3) from "Strange Journey Volume One" (QN5, Inc.) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Blind Pilot "Go On, Say It" (mp3) from "IODA SXSW Opening Day Bash Sampler 2009" (ioda) Buy at Rhapsody Stream from Rhapsody Matt & Kim "Yea Yeah" (mp3) from "Self Titled" (iheartcomix) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Frightened Rabbit "Head Rolls Off" (mp3) from "The Midnight Organ Fight" (Fat Cat Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Deer Tick "Easy" (mp3) from "Born on Flag Day" (Partisan Records) Buy at Rhapsody Stream from Rhapsody Rae & Christian "Play On (feat. The Jungle Brothers)" (mp3) from "Raiding The Vaults" (RAC) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Faunts "Feel.Love.Thinking.Of." (mp3) from "Feel.Love.Thinking.Of." (Friendly Fire Recordings) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody | 8/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Knees and Weather Permitting | Some of us were lucky enough to hoist a bulging pack onto our shoulders, stumble into the mountains and return changed at a young age. Some of us heard the mountains’ calling later in life. That doesn’t mean the passion burns any less bright. When writer Sarah Wroot took her first hike through Scottland’s craggy hills, she was overwhelmed with a surprising notion. “If I had a pack and a tent, I could keep going. I could be free to go wherever I want,” she thought. The idea took hold. Today, Sarah takes us all the way the Scottish Highlands and a journey that changed her life. Enjoy the rest of the summer. We’ll be back this fall with a whole new season of stories. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 7/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThree Eighths to Eternity | “The planks of my boat are three eighths of an inch thick. Three eighths – this is the distance between myself and the depths,” writes surfer and adventurer Christian Beamish. Two years ago, Beamish crafted an 18-foot-long sailboat in his San Clemente garage. His obsession with sailboat-assisted surfing began with small week-long voyages and evolved into preposterous idea – sail the entire length of Baja looking for waves. It would be a solo mission. The proposed trip left his friends questioning his mental state and his mother in tears. It would require big, open-water crossings in rough seas, and in the end it would leave Beamish changed. How far would you go to find the physical and mental limits of human endurance? How raw does your soul have to get before you find peace? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 7/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Summer Invocation | Up in the Northwest, we say that summer doesn’t actually start until July 4th. Right now, we’re experiencing our annual June gloom. So I thought it was time to invoke blue skies and warmer temps. A season’s worth of summits, single track and lounging on the riverbank is just around the corner. It’s time for me to do my part in the changing of the seasons. Happy summer. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 6/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Dreamers | “I had convinced myself at that point that my goal was so important it was worth dying for,” says alpine master Steve House about his 15-year-old dream of climbing the Rupal Face. Big Dreams require big commitment. We may not all dream on the same scale and commitment levels, but we all share dreams. They pull us through our lives on solid ground. Today writer and climber Sarah Garlick presents: The Dreamers — reflections from four generations of the world’s best climbers: Steve House, Henry Barber, Steve Schneider, and Colin Haley. In the process Sarah found out a little bit about herself. Do you have a life long dream? What if you completed it? What if you never realized it? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 6/18/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitSixty Meters to Anywhere | “Is there a statute of limitations on finding something you’re passionate about? Is there a certain age when learning something new becomes too much to take on, or we become to afraid to fail or afraid to let others see us fail?” writes Brendan Leonard. A few Christmases back, Brendan received a rather strange gift from his brother - an old rope. Brendan wasn’t a climber. He had no intention of becoming of climber. Sometimes though gifts can change our lives. It turns out that 60-meters of climbing rope has taken him farther than he could have ever dreamed. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/26/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Shorts -- Great White Book | “Life isn’t a bolted sport route,” says writer Scotty Kennedy. “The gear is sketchy and the route is difficult to read.” In 2001, Scott and his wife Sophie were living in the States. Scott was interning at a magazine. Sophie was dirtbagging it in Camp Four. On weekends, they would meet up to climb in Yosemite’s high country, Tuolumne. Sometimes small choices reverberate through our lives. Something as simple as the day’s route can carve the bedrock of our personalities. On the Great White Book, Scott was offered a chance to look inside. What he saw was too difficult to share even with those closest to him. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/8/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Cowboy and the Maiden | In September 2008, Chad Kellogg and climbing partner Dylan Johnson stood atop 6250-meter Siguniang in Western China after completing the 10,000-foot-long SW Ridge. It was a mind-bending ascent through a massive big wall, a razor edge ridge and high altitude ice climbing. The two friends endured days without water and several sleepless nights. Dylan lost 30 pounds over the course of their ascent. If that sounds epic, it pales in comparison to what Kellogg went through to even return to the mountain that had filled his thoughts for years. During a prior trip, Chad was called home after his wife Lara died in Alaska’s Ruth Gorge. Four months later, he was diagnosed with cancer. Summits fade, routes disappear into alpinists’ memory, but occasionally mountains extend back into life on level ground. Sometimes we don’t just want to climb a mountain. We need to. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 4/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Outdoor Parent | Today, The Dirtbag Diaries launches a new companion site – The Outdoor Parent. Our goal: provide stoke. Stoke to get you out of bed before dawn for a long run through the woods or a solid surf session at a favorite break. Stoke to rally the kids out for a weekend of camping beneath dark, starry skies or just around the corner to the edges of your local park. We celebrate skinned knees, hand-me-down jeans and big smiles. We believe in unchecked imagination and learning by doing. Already, we’ve got some posts up and running. Please have a look around. Leave a comment and let us know what you think. The Outdoor Parent is looking for contributors so if you’re interested or know someone who might be, please drop us a line. Here is what you can expect from us. * Perspective from climbers, skiers, surfers and modern explorers who have embarked on the ultimate adventure — parenthood. * Interviews with athletes who prove that chasing the dream and instilling a love of the natural world in kids are one and the same. * Creative tips for turning the natural world into an outdoor classroom. * Thoughtful discussion on topics that concern you — balancing personal goals with raising a family, risk, the environment. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN Music from the show The American Analog Set "Make It Take It" (mp3) from "Hard to Find: Singles and Unreleased 2000-2005" (Hometown Fantasy) More On This Album | 4/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBeginner's Mind | “As beginners, the foreign language of awkward body movements communicates a commonality and leaves an ego naked. In this fragile moment, we are able to lay a foundation, a connection,” writes Becca. It’s hard to forget the first time you wedged fingers into a granite crack or careened wildly out of control down a ski slope. I bet you remember who was alongside of you. In the outdoor world, as we age, we can become picky. We are able to discern choss from splitter granite or hard packed moguls from Utah’s finest snow. Opportunities to return to that beginner’s wonder can be rare. Sometimes it is as simple as trading two planks for one. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 3/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Adventurer's Parable | Today’s episode has it all. Steep descents. A battle to save South America’s pristine rivers. Backyard adventure. Eye candy. Photographers and activists Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson present stories and photos from wild ski terrain and their struggle to become a piece of the conservation puzzle rather than a cog in the problem. If adventure is the reflection of the human spirit, do we need to travel half a world away to find it in distant ranges, wild rivers and unpaved roads? And if the very act of traveling harms the places you hold dear, is going justifiable? The answers to those head jarring questions don’t always come easy. CLICK HERE TO WATCH WITH PHOTOS For audio only, click here. | 3/12/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Explicit731 Days Later... | Two years ago, I was staring fruitlessly at a computer screen. In between half-hearted stabs at the keyboard, I thought about going back to grad school even though I had sworn that when I finished my undergrad at UW, I wouldn’t be back. I wanted to simultaneously feel alive and afraid atop a 1,500-foot ribbon of Tahoe snow. I wished I was shaking my way through fragile hook placements on El Cap’s flanks. I wanted to be a malnourished and under-washed 22-year-old again, whose only appointment was watching the sunlight move across Western Australia. The grass was greener. The skies above were gray. I was looking back and stumbling forward, while the present slipped by. I was sick of daydreaming. I dropped the commissioned piece I was working on that day and started writing, guided by the same intuition that leads seasoned alpinists through hazardous terrain or pulls long-distance runners through the dark streets of cities. I wanted to explore, to grow, to learn. If the computer was going to be the vehicle – so be it. The keyboard clicked like chattering teeth. I pulled out a mic left over from my days of playing in bands. Audio cords coiled around desk legs like creeping vines. I duct taped the mic to the battered stand (I used to rock pretty hard) and without having any idea of where it might lead, I hit the big red record button, stood up, cleared my throat and decided it was time to find my voice. Two years later, I’m still a struggling outdoor writer. What’s the difference then? I’m a happy, struggling outdoor writer. The Diaries have swelled to encompass a variety of voices and viewpoints. They have become larger than one man broadcasting from a coat closet. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Today, we present The Monoboard Revisited. Here’s to another two years of dreaming, tinkering and coming up with ways to get into trouble. Click Here To Listen PS It also happens to be my brother, Walker's, birthday. Happy Birthday dude. | 2/25/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanInto the Dark | "Climbing -- this one act saves me," says Portland rock climber Bob Grunau. Throughout his life, Grunau has struggled with the lingering clouds of depression. Until he discovered climbing, the only way to weather the darker cycles was to retreat inward into his mind. That approach worked until he became a part of a family. Grunau had to be present. In those hard moments, he turned to climbing. High, lonesome places can provide respite and joy. We can love them deeply, but ice and rock will not love us back. Ultimately, our tenuous connections with the vertical life are not nearly as delicate as our relationships with those we love. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 2/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMister Smart Goes Big | Rangi Smart was riding a small spur of his favorite single-track trail when he stumbled upon a perfectly designed mountain bike jump. A platform of two by fours and plywood launched a rider outward and 20-feet down the steep hillside. It was the kind of thing Rangi had only seen pro riders stomp on mountain bike videos. The 33-year-old math teacher thought to himself, “What kind of nut-job rides off something like that?” Then Rangi imagined that he was that nut-job. We can bide our time, wait patiently for our chance to shine, but more often than not, the moment chooses us. It’s our job to answer. Here’s to another year of big ideas, another year of slaying giants, bearing down, not giving up, chasing daylight, paddling in and fostering change. We bring you the hopes, dreams and goals of professional athletes, regular joes, parents, soldiers and students. Here’s to the dirtbags. Here’s to Mr. Smart. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 1/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Peach | Taco Bell. Pizza Hut. Climber and writer, Kelly Cordes had one hell of resume by the time he applied for a position baking bread. The work was simple, came with food and the early starts would teach Cordes to like the dreaded 3 a.m. starts demanded of cutting edge alpinism. It was an ideal job for a dirtbag who lived and breathed climbing, and once resided in a 77-square-foot shack. Then Cordes ran into Bosszilla. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 1/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitNew Year Goals and Music | "Give the people what they want," my little brother told me. For the last couple weeks there have been calls for another edition of the Year of Big Ideas. Little brother had a point. They grow up so fast. In the next week I'll be collecting goals and dreams from friends, weekend warrior and professionals alike. This year though, I wanted to include the Dirtbag Nation. If you got something to say, drop us a line via email. I'm not big on resolutions -- to me the word sounds like a limp-wristed Congressional process or a marketing point for an Hi-Def TV. I want honest to goodness goals. In the meantime, here is a little New Years treat....Volume Three of the Dirtbag's Playlist. In Order Delta Spirit "Trashcan" (mp3) from "Ode to Sunshine" (Rounder Records) More On This Album School of Seven Bells "Half Asleep" (mp3) from "Alpinisms" (Ghostly International) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Windmill "Tokyo Moon" (mp3) from "Puddle City Racing Lights" (Friendly Fire Recordings) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Feral Children "Billionaires vs. Millionaires" (mp3) from "Second to the Last Frontier" (Sarathan Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Frightened Rabbit "Old Old Fashioned" (mp3) from "Liver! Lung! FR!" (Fat Cat Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Elliott Brood "Oh, Alberta" (mp3) from "Tin Type" (Weewerk) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Alias "Well Water Black (feat. Yoni Wolf of WHY?)" (mp3) from "Resurgam" (anticon) Buy at Rhapsody Stream from Rhapsody More On This Album Marching Band "Gorgeous Behavior" (mp3) from "Spark Large" (U & L Records, Inc.) Buy at iTunes Music Store | 12/31/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitBedtime Stories for Wanderers | If stories are the currency of travel, then writer Ryan Nickum is a very wealthy man. By the time he turned 30, Nickum's passport was chock full of the brightly colored patchwork of entry and exit stamps from dozens of distant countries. He was consumed by a desire to travel and haunted by the inability to sit still. The gaps in his resume developed into oceans between jobs. Cynicism grew. The overwhelming urge to quit the job and pack a bag sprang up every six months like a song that would not leave his ears. With his career stalling and idealism flat lining, Nickum looked into his past to search for the seed of the travel affliction. There was only one person to blame -- his father. What makes the traveler's feet restless? Is it nature or nurture? Writer Ryan Nickum presents Bedtime Stories for Wanderers. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 12/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitO Tannenbaum | Warning: This episode contains radio nudity and Christmas carols. Christmas trees are a massive business. Americans spent $2.5 billion on Christmas trees in 2007. For the last five years, I have been stingier than Scrooge when it comes to a Yule Tree. In 2008, I’m a changed man. Armed with a handsaw and empowered by a National Forest permit, I wandered out into the Cascades to search for the perfect Christmas tree. Sometimes in the darkest days of winter, a little light isn’t a bad thing. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 12/12/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Friendship is a Used Bicycle | “’You should get a bike. It will change your life,’ my friend Nick said. I heard this over and over again like a nagging brake pad rubbing on the one wobbly spot on a dented wheel,” writes Colorado-based writer Brendan Leonard. Leonard wasn’t a believer until his friend showed up his doorstep with a gift – a 1989 red Trek bicycle. As he began riding, Leonard found his life falling into the smooth order of a finely tuned bike. To find a center, some people practice Yoga. Others meditate. All Leonard needs is a dark road and no particular destination. As he says, “There is rhythm and with the rhythm comes a clear line of thought.” CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 11/14/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitFear Squared | What scares dirtbags? Global warming? Nine to five? Johnny Law? The unequivocal answer – bears. After sifting through the entries for the “Night of the Living Dirtbag”, it became clear – bears scare the daylights out of you all. To celebrate Halloween, we bring you two tales of terror. Contest winner Chris Peters explains why it pays to listen to the safety talk and a very special guest remembers a family vacation to the Alaskan wilderness gone wrong. Fear is a funny thing. Whether the threat is real or imagined, the emotion of fear – heart-pumping terror – is just as powerful. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 10/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Balance | The Bohrer clan isn’t your average Idaho Falls family. “Our neighbors have trampolines to break neighborhood children’s ankles and wrists. We’ve installed a slack line for that purpose,” writes father of five, Steve Bohrer. Juggling goals in the mountain with parenting is no simple task. Sometimes balancing competing passions requires combining them into a lifestyle. After all, whether you’re old or young, everyone likes to play hooky if there is snow on the hill. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 10/13/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitNo Car No Problem | A 1,200-foot rock wall in a wilderness area – that’s standard summer fare. In a day and back before dinner? Sounds easy. Without a car? That’s when my climbing partners stopped returning my phone calls. Even with growing environmental pressures and climbing gas prices, we’ll drive hundreds of miles to exist in landscapes devoid of gridlock and angry horns. The irony can be hard to ignore. Recreating without a car might seem impossible, but this summer I set out to test the preconceived notion. What happens when you find yourself trapped in the Urban Jungle? You blaze your way out. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/29/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts: The Simple Joy of Moving Upward | If you plan on calling Craig DeMartino inspirational, he would prefer you wait to see if he can even drag his butt off the ground. After loosing his leg in a climbing accident, DeMartino had to retrain his body and learn his craft all over again. He hoped one day he would compete against the able-bodied, but taking on Chris Sharma in a World Cup? That was beyond dreams. Craig DeMartino takes us to Vail and the Teva Mountain Games. Behind the bright lights, big names and massive crowds, climbing’s everyman gets his moment in the sun. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 9/5/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Dirtbag Playlist Vol. 2 | August has arrived and it's time for me to get out and enjoy some of the summer weather before gray skies return to Seattle. That means hitting the road to record some stories. I'll be back on the air with a whole new season of stories the first week of September, but in the meantime I wanted to leave you with a little tide me over....The Dirtbag Playlist Vol. 2 -- my favorite music from the last six months' episodes. Enjoy. Tracks 1. Music for 18 Musicians - GVSU New Music Ensemble 2. Martha Ann - David Karsten Daniels 3. Video Tapez -- AmpLive 4. In the Hole -- Ken Christianson 5. Friends Like These -- Mobius Band 6. Golden Soldiers -- Golden Shoulders 7. I'm Gone - Bradley Carter 8. L.E.S. Artistes - Santogold 9. Pack Up Remix -- Latyrx | 7/29/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Shorts -- The Pig | A mythical, semi-secret, surf spot on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast – that’s as descriptive Australian Duncan McNee would get. This secret break, a quick bike ride from McNee’s day job as a high school teacher, requires the perfect synchronicity of swell, tide and windless days. On average, the variables come together once every two years. Sometimes the world shines on us. The wind dies. The tide drops. School lets out early. It’s up to us to catch the wave of a lifetime. At long last, we bring you a surfing story. Amen. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 7/3/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Crusade | True or False? Standard pushing is for the pros. If you want to shape skiing or climbing, you have to ditch the job, move into the car and find a deep-pocketed sponsor. The tiny window afforded to weekend warriors couldn’t possibly be enough time with which to make an impact. Right? Today, we bring you the Crusade, the story of two stockbrokers, an engineer and a nuclear physicist who, with a little help from the Internet, helped shaped American ski mountaineering without ever leaving their backyard. There will be no helicopters. No corporate expeditions. No photo shoots. Just a decade-long odyssey from the ambitious imagination of youth across the Cascades' steepest faces all the way to the unsettled wisdom of adulthood. It turns out weekend warriors are just as capable. The photo and video enhanced version will be out shortly. Click Here to Listen For more background info: Cascade Classics Cascade Crusades Ski Sickness | 6/20/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts: Year of Big Ideas Reprieve | In the Year of Big Ideas, my childhood friend Brad laid it out – he was going to climb El Cap in 2008. Never mind that he had minimal climbing experience or had never even been to Yosemite. We schemed and scheduled “vacation.” We planned and tried to convince others to join us, but in the end, Brad and I were on our own to wrestle with one very big – arguably bad – idea. We had four days to pull it off. We would have to climb faster than we could manufacture excuses. A third of the way through 2008, where are you in your year of big ideas? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment and a little inspiration. What have you ticked off the list? What’s left? CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/23/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Human Mule | Life was good. The approaches were short. The routes straightforward. The work wonderfully mindless. After a long dry-spell of writing, a job as a climbing guide at Smith Rock was like a vacation from life. I was 22 again, not a failing writer struggling to pay the rent. It was too good to last. Through the years, I’ve tried to escape words and journalism, but the writing life always has a funny way of creeping back into my world. This time it came in the form of a 230-pound cameraman with a fear of heights, a fast talking New York producer and a 30-year-old broadcaster trying to return to her childhood. It turns out you have to earn your 15 seconds of fame. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 5/9/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Earth Throne | What defines you? Is it your past? How you look? I doubt it. It’s the course we chart from dawn to dusk that makes us who we are. Seventeen years ago, Sean O’Neill – artist athlete and big brother to pro climber Timmy O’Neill – lost the use of his legs after jumping from a bridge into the Mississippi River. After the accident, Timmy dreamed about helping his older brother climb El Capitan. In 2005, the brothers decided it was time to act. Reporter and podcaster James Mills brings us a story about two brothers, one very big cliff face and a 17-year-old dream. Sometimes climbs don’t end with summits. They can extend on into our lives. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 4/23/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Shorts -- Indiana Powder Day | Great outdoor writing lacks ego. When listener Andy Guinigundo’s email appeared in the inbox on a rainy spring day, I read through it, read it again and thought “Damn, I wish I could have been there.? That’s because no matter where you ski, whether it’s the Alaskan steeps or a local hill in Southeast Indiana, a powder day is a magical thing. That’s the great thing about skiing, climbing or mountain biking – you don’t have to be a professional playing beneath stadium lights to understand the crowning achievements of our sports. Andy has been skiing for decades. During the gray and often rainy Midwest winters he works ski patrol at Perfect North Slopes, a small resort across the Indiana border from his home in Ohio. Until a March blizzard, a powder day was something he had only heard about. I’d been wanting to create some smaller shorts between feature episodes, so Andy joined us in the Dirtbag Diaries Midwest Studios, a.k.a. his walk-in closet, and gave us his own farewell to an unforgettable winter season. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN | 4/14/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Golden Hour | In spring of 1991, Tom Broxson survived a 200-foot fall – a full rope length -- off the top of Yosemite Valley’s Washington Column. To this day, Tom, his climbing partner Pat and the rescuers who saved his life aren’t exactly sure what happened. There are guesses and conjectures, but the exact moment that changed Tom’s life will always remain a mystery. Dr. R. Adams Cowley, the physician who pioneered our modern Emergency Medicine System, once said, “There is a golden hour between life and death.? His theory that a patient who survives a grave trauma has 60 minutes to reach the operating table was the guiding axiom in emergency medicine for decades. In these precarious, defining minutes between life and death, patients fight to live, rescuers put themselves in harm’s way and decisions are made in an instant. Sometimes rescues don’t go all that smoothly. Today, with the help of Yosemite’s first responders, we bring you Tom Broxson’s story of survival, recovery and will. It turns out an hour can last a lifetime. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_window = 'new'; | 3/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanAll These Things | The Weather Channel’s Local on the 8’s. NOAA. Surf cams. We’ve all been there – staring at the places we would like to be through a computer or television screen. We shut our eyes at our desks and try to imagine the feel of cutting through powder or climbing on a sun drenched cliff. Success in the high country requires early starts and leaps of faith. The same can be said of careers, school and family. Our dreams in the flatlands take nurturing. They require our love and time, and when our personal goals grate against the pursuit of summits, glassy waves and powder days, our heads can fill with a feedback loop of tough questions about where we’ve been and where we’re headed. Today, I’m proud to present a new voice. Becca Cahall brings us All These Things – a story about getting older and skiing faster. We’re headed for British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains – an incredible range of open alpine faces, perfect tree skiing and tight chutes that every backcountry skier dreams of visiting. When the life’s pressing questions mount, the only antidote is the inner calm found in cold wind, burning lungs and the hiss of skis sliding across snow. Enjoy. Click here to Listen | 3/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanDuct Tape Marketing | Today marks the first anniversary of the Dirtbag Diaries. Along the way, hundreds of you have written in offering words of encouragement, story ideas and suggestions for improvement. Some of you have even offered to donate money, which is so very kind, but totally unnecessary. That said I have a way for you to help us grow and improve. While the Google machine is powerful, it can’t tell us everything. So in an attempt to pigeon hole you and get your feedback, we’re going to have to do this with a series of highly scientific questions presented in an audio file. Our crack team of marketing and statistic analysis experts -- namely my wife Becca --have informed me that we will need at least 100 responses to get a sufficient sample. I think we can do it. So if you want to help ensure the future of this podcast, go ahead, open your email account and address a message to our email. Click on the "Listen Now" button below and get ready to write. This isn’t an NPR pledge drive. There won’t be any tote bags or Dirtbag Diaries travel mugs. The only reward you will receive is pride in supporting something that you care about. This is what independent media is all about. Thanks for your time and effort. --Fitz Cahall | 2/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanDatos Insuficientes | In the summer of 2007, kayaker and blogger Shane Robinson found himself paddling down Peru’s isolated Apurimac River, one of the Amazon’s five major tributaries. Ahead of him lay the Abysmo – a deep, daunting gash in the earth. Thousand foot cliffs rose from the river bottom. Once inside, bailing would be next to impossible. Shane and his partners, Andrew Oberhardt and Bryan Smith, knew two things about the stretch of river that they were paddling into. First, the Abysmo was going to be big. There would be miles and miles of massive slot canyons and fifth class white water. Second, the end of their journey would come in the form of a big, ugly, orange bridge named Puente Pasaje. Everything between was unknown water. They had no map, no aerial photos and enough food for five days. Fifteen years of kayaking had led to this moment. Click Here to Listen digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_window = 'new'; | 2/15/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Year of Big Ideas | “You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things -- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals." -- Sir Edmund Hillary There is nothing more fulfilling than grabbing an idea out of the air, giving it shape and realizing it. Our dreams, hopes and goals give shape to the year’s course and ultimately our lives. Today we bring you the “Year of Big Ideas? – a show all about goals, some big, some small. We’ve interviewed friends, professional athletes, random people on chairlifts, anyone we could rope into contributing. Climb harder. Ski faster. Push deeper into the mountains than ever before. Here’s to dreaming big and going bigger in the New Year. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_window = 'new'; | 1/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitA Lifeline Home | There was nothing exceptional about how Ryan Utz and Micah Helser became friends. After nodding at each other in the office hallways for weeks, they happened to discover that they shared an interest in sustainable building. They got to talking and pretty soon found that they both shared a love for climbing and the great outdoors. While the beginnings of their friendship sound average, the circumstances were anything but. Micah and Ryan were members of Charlie Company, a medevac unit serving the Baghdad area. Together, they were responsible for shepherding the wounded and the dead from the Iraq’s battlefields to the hospital in a Blackhawk helicopter. They cared for fellow soldiers, Iraqi police and the civilians who got caught in the midst of the violence. In the process of saving others, they dodged bullets and mortar rounds. In the long empty hours between shifts and missions, they needed to find a way to escape back to the things the loved the most. So in a flat, arid country plagued by violence, they set out to do the one thing that might seem impossible – to go climbing. Today, we bring you the tale of two friends -- both climbers, both soldiers -- and their quest to create a lifeline back from the frontlines to the things that matter the most – friends, family and that freedom found only in open spaces. We are headed to the world’s most improbable climbing wall. This is Camp Taji. Welcome to Iraq. Click Here To Listen Digg Us digg_skin = 'compact'; digg_window = 'new'; | 12/5/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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ExplicitThe Reckoning | Every aspiring photographer dreams of capturing an iconic image. It’s the same kind of motivation that draws young skiers to intimidating lines in foreboding ranges and pulls ambitious climbers to Yosemite. We imagine these moments a thousand times in advance, but when we finally arrive, we are often surprised and humbled. Epiphanies require stumbling. In 2005, photographer, writer and avid cyclist Blake Gordon set out to take the trip of a lifetime. With camera in hand, he joined brothers Mike and John Logsdon as part of their Spinning Southward Team. The Logsdon brothers were in the midst of pedaling 15,000 miles and raising money for the National Brain Tumor Foundation. Blake would join them to ride the final leg through Patagonia. For Blake, it was almost like a math equation. Plug 2,500 miles worth of pedaling through a raw and lonesome landscape, add a couple of close friends and Blake was bound to get an image that flawlessly conveyed the essence of the Logsdon’s journey. Even before his flight touched down in Santiago, Chile, he could already visualized that image. He already knew what this trip would be about. Today, we present The Reckoning – a story plucked from the pages of a young photographer’s notebook. You can ride your bike to the edge of a continent, but when the road ends it doesn’t always lead to neat resolutions. Click Here to Listen and Watch | 11/17/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanHelp Wanted | There’s no such thing as a perfect job. There’s always a catch – nagging bosses, gossiping co-workers, crummy benefits. That’s why we get paid to work. But what if there was a magical place where you could get paid to climb? At the center of this kingdom is a mountain, and all you have to do is climb it. The job pays well and during your four hours of paid break you have the run of the place because your boss is too busy moonlighting as a talking duck to discipline you. It also comes with some sweet perks. The employee lounge is actually a secret lair atop the peak, and you’re allowed to cut the line to ride the roller coaster. What happens when a bunch of climbers are left unsupervised with the keys to the Magic Kingdom? Find out. Some jobs are perfect, even if Tinkerbell is out to get you. Click Here To Listen | 9/29/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPrayer for a Friend | How do people remember the dead? Some people stuff wrinkled snapshots into wallets. Others build ornate mausoleums. Others ensure their friends’ memories by creating goals that can never fully be realized. In 2003, my friend John Bombard lost his battle to cancer. On the day of his passing, I stumbled across an unclimbed route on Washington’s famed Prusik Peak. It was so beautiful, challenging and improbable that I would probably never complete it, yet my youthful enthusiasm and commitment were unflagging. This would be my own awkward offering to my friend. Today on the Dirtbag Diaries, we’re traveling from the halls of a New England boarding school where two boys forged an unlikely friendship to the wind-swept wilderness deep inside the Cascade Mountains, where a trio of climbers have been hard at work solving one of the Northwest’s greatest free climbing projects. Some prayers can never be whole. For the photo enhanced version click here. | 9/7/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPart Five | Part Five: Snowboarding can't change a life. Snow melts, but life doesn't get any easier. Deep seeded change can only come from within. Today, we're headed all the way from New York City's notorious Bushwick neighborhood to Whistler Blackcomb's ski slopes to discover how snowboarding helped transform a young woman headed for trouble. Stephanie McLawrence, a self-described bookworm from Brooklyn, brings us a story about finding a second chance in a first time. | 7/26/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPart Four | Part Four: In the last decade, Steve House has pulled off some incredible ascents in the Canadian Rockies, Alaska and the Himalaya. Today, we're going to look back through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy. House tells us about the day his pursuit of high places began and very nearly ended. | 7/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPart Three | Part Three: For listener Erin Shea, February 14th will always be linked to cold, darkness and the sound of falling ice. Now that's our kind of love affair. We bring you the story of a lonely M.I.T. undergrad who has a very special Valentine's Day. | 7/24/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPart Two | Part Two: Pro kayaker Tanya Shuman tells us about her search for the perfect wave. It's a journey that took her around the globe before leading her back to the place where it all began -- Skookumchuck Narrows. | 7/23/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPart One | Part One: A 22-year-old Coast Guard ensign finds his inner child in the Alaskan mountains and barely escapes. | 7/22/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanNo Big Deal | In 1996, photographer John Burcham and three friends completed the first foot traverse of the 650-mile long Alaska Range. Together, they forded streams, chased off curious grizzlies and crossed crevassed glaciers. After 75 days, they had become a single unit. After delays mounted, Burcham decided to leave the group at the very end of the trip in order to make it to his sister's wedding. He said goodbye and parted ways. He was alone in the continent's last great wilderness with a sobering realization -- crevasses, hungry wildlife and hypothermia can kill you, but loneliness can drive you crazy. Click here to watch the enhanced version with photos from John Burcham. Check out the comment page to find out more about the music from the episode. | 6/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanAnatomy of an Accident | In May of 2007, I made a mistake that should have cost me my life when I slipped high on a Central Oregon volcano. I fell between 250-300 feet, over a cliff, through rock bands before grabbing a rock out cropping and stopping my fall. I'm still not sure how I stopped myself. Amazingly, I walked away with a sprained thumb. This week the Dirtbag Diaries presents the Anatomy of an Accident. What do you take away from a near-death experience? Is there meaning in it? If so, what does it say about our relationships with these mountains, these rivers and these oceans. | 6/1/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanA Brief Moment in a Beautiful Place | There is a fine line between a life-lasting memory and disaster. Whatever the discipline -- alpinism, big wave surfing, foreign travel -- we calculate risk, formulate plans and sometimes we have the spunk to see them through. This week we're headed for Laos to recount the story of two friends and one spectacularly bad idea. Join us as we follow Jacob Bain, Colin Brynn and a bamboo raft down a river at the edge of the world. Sometimes bad ideas work out for the better...sometimes. For the photo-enhanced version, click here. | 5/14/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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106 |
CleanA Thousand Words | There is no textbook on adventure journalism, but if there were one, it would contain one single, steadfast rule -- you can't photograph adventure from a safe distance. There are no sidelines in wilderness. El Capitan doesn't have a press booth. Even for the most safety-conscious, danger can come in many forms -- falling rock, toxic jellyfish, even a bad case of the Itch. This week, adventure photographer Corey Rich gives us photos and the untold stories behind them. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Which words? Find out. To stream the enhanced version click here. | 4/30/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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107 |
Explicitthe Great Big Garage in the Sky | Episode 3 -- Many of us associate our vehicles with freedom, independence and youth. Even as we come to terms with the fact that automobiles may be an unnecessary evil, it's hard not to think back to that first surf or climbing trip and day dream about open windows, loud music and a best friend riding shotgun. Can a hunk of metal have a soul? What happens when the motor finally stops running? This week we bring you the sometimes-true tale of a 1974 Mitsubishi Sigma, a boy on the cusp of adulthood and a life changing journey across Australia. My Odeo Channel (odeo/8219bb1ebcf3cd36) | 4/12/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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108 |
Cleanthe brotherhood | In this week's episode, we are headed for a remote cliff in northern Arizona where we join rock climbers Albert Newman and James Q Martin as they attempt the first free ascent of Tooth Rock. It's been a three and half year odyssey for the duo. They have suffered through life-threatening rock fall and severe dehydration with the hopes of creating one of the finest routes in the desert. Join us as we follow along on the first free ascent of More Sand than Stone V 5.11 and explore the fine line between determination and stupidity. | 3/21/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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109 |
ExplicitThe Monoboard | Gaper. Touron. Weekend warrior. As mountain people, we can be a cold, hard lot adhering to an "Us and Them" mentality, but at the root, what makes a dirtbag a dirtbag? Is it a look? The clothes we wear or the skis we ride? Or is there something deeper to out culture? Can anyone be a dirtbag? This week, Fitz Cahall finds a kindred spirit in his monoboarding landlord. Welcome to the Dirtbag Diaries. LISTEN TO EPISODE 1 | 2/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 109 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Not your average outdoor podcast
I listen to several outdoor podcasts, but like the Dirtbag Diaries the best. What do I like about it? I like the outdoor stories and I like the new music. But, what I like the best is the writing. This is not just another outdoor "how-to" or another gear review. To me, its like a brand new Jon Krakauer short story every time I open up Itunes. The Dirtbag Diaries examine what pulls folks like us to the tops of mountains, down rivers, or into the unknown which awaits us just past the next trail switchback. It pulls at those spiritual strings that keep tugging our generation more and more into the magestic outdoors. As we grow older, it gets easier and easier to make excuses not to get out. The Dirtbag Diaries will help keep you inspired and motivated to stay young and make excuses to get out.
'This American Life' of outdoor adventure
Great podcast, with the style of Ira Glass' This American Life, and a focus on outdoor adventure stories. There are a lot of adventure stories out there and Cahall seems to have a talent for finding the ones that take entertaining and unexpected twists and turns. He also takes the stories past the usual punchline of a close call or impressive accomplishment to find something deeper and more thought provoking. Highly recommended.
puts feelings into words
love chalking up and putting your hands on cold rock? love being the first to carve lines on a run in the morning? love the feeling of working harder on your "vacation days" then you actually do at your job? then the dirtbag diaries is for you. puts into words the feeling of drinking cold beers with chalked up, pumped out hands, eating leftover pizza heated up over last nights campfire. live what you love, love what you live.
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