Opening Episode: “The Worst Black Bear Attack in History: Part 1”
Matt Pycroft, a filmmaker specializing in documenting remote and hostile outer locations, delivers interviews with guests who share his thirst for exploration. The definition of adventure can vary dramatically, and this is reflected in the wide range of topics here. Many episodes focus on mountaineering, polar expeditions and base jumping, but there are also options closer to home, such as cold water swimming and mudslinging, the tradition of hunting for hidden treasures on the banks of the River Thames in London. Interspersed with the inspiring interviews are tips like the recent mini-season ‘Explore: How To Plan An Expedition’.
Opening Episode: “Mark Agnew, An Adventurous Mind”
Outside magazine has been a go-to source for sophisticated adventure travel writing for more than four decades, and its podcast expands on that tradition, using sound effects and first-person narration to tell immersive, compelling stories of endurance in nature. The podcast, launched in 2016, chronicles stories of wilderness survival against extraordinary odds. there’s an episode that covers just about any scary scenario you can imagine – what it’s like to be buried alive in an avalanche or paralyzed by a scorpion in the Grand Canyon. In recent years the series has expanded its horizons, offering interviews with public figures about their extreme sports of choice – cave diving for actor Viggo Mortensen, ultramarathons for musician Ben Gibbard – as well as scientific deep dives into the best training plans and nutrition for athletes.
Opening Episode: “Way, Way Too Close to a Whale”
This NPR staple explores stories about the natural world and our interactions with it, hosted by Nate Hegyi, a reporter for New Hampshire Public Radio. One of the show’s regular segments, “This, That, or the Other Thing,” focuses on ways to make more sustainable choices when it comes to eating out, buying clothes, and even planning funerals. Other episodes use a pop culture hook, such as last summer’s “Oppenheimer”-related installment. After the atomic bomb test at Los Alamos in the summer of 1945, the rural town of Carrizozo was covered in radioactive fallout, rendering its water undrinkable and soil infertile and accelerating rates of radiogenic cancer. Hegyi’s on-the-spot interviews with these “wreckers” about their fight for government compensation make for disturbing listening, exemplifying the kind of reporting “Outside/Inside” does best.
Opening Episode: “What’s the Most Successful Species on Earth?”
Hosted by two longtime friends, this cozy show for “passive outdoorsmen” delves into stories when things go very, very wrong in the country’s most scenic locations. In each episode of “National Park After Dark,” Danielle LaRock and Cassandra Yahnian detail a dramatic incident in national parks across the country (and beyond), discussing the history of the location as well as its dangers. Some are well-known cautionary tales, like that of Timothy Treadwell, the bear lover who lived among grizzlies for 13 years before being killed by one, while others are purely true crime, like the still-unsolved Crater Lake murders. The warm relationship between the hosts, balanced by inspiring stories of survival, makes this an enjoyable listen no matter how dark the subject matter.
Opening Episode: “A Lightning Strike Rescue, Yosemite National Park”
