Tales of Terror Vol. 7
Tales of Terror Vol. 7
This is our seventh annual Tales of Terror episode. Over the past seven years, we’ve read a lot of stories about scary things that happen out in the woods. We’ve discovered that there are all kinds of frightening things that can happen out there, but there are two ingredients that, mixed together, seem to lead to a terrifying experience more often than anything else:
- Going out alone
- Trying to go to sleep
Today, we bring you three stories of what happens when you try to go to sleep alone in the woods. First, we’ll hear from Ryan Taylor, then from Jason Prinster and then from Duct Tape Then Beer’s very own Isaiah Branch-Boyle. Happy Halloween, everyone. Maybe go camping with a buddy.
Music: Time Travel is Possible by Schemawound • If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • paranoiaIII by The F***ed up Beat • Original Score by Amy Stolzenbach • Falling Into You by Little Glass Men • paranoiaX by The F***ed up Beat • paranoiaXII by The F***ed up Beat • If You Can’t Be the Sun, Be the Sun by Schemawound • Live @ Bazillus by Aidan Baker • All too human. by Coin Locker Kid • Remedy for Melancholy by Kai Engel • Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain by Schemawound • Oneiri by Kai Engel • Candy Cyanide by Apache Tomcat
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive and with permission from the artists.
Mileposts — Greater than the Sum of its Parts
Greater than the Sum of its Parts
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/287587694?secret_token=s-UGmoe” params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]In the fall of 2015, photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko embarked on a journey to rally support to protect one of our most awe-inspiring national treasures: the Grand Canyon. Their method? A 700+ mile sectional thru-hike of the wilderness that lies between the rim and the river. They knew the trek would challenge them, but they had no idea how quickly and completely the canyon would leave them demoralized and physically destroyed.
The two of them were contemplating giving up, when, as Kevin puts it, ‘A miracle happened’.
Today, a story about three people who have dedicated the better part of their lives to developing a unique skill–and a project so complicated and important that it required their cumulative experience to pull it off. It’s also a story about friendship, and how friends working together for a common goal can lead to something greater than the sum of its parts.
You can find Pete’s photography and film at: www.petemcbride.com/
To hear more from Kevin, pick up a copy of his book The Emerald Mile or listen to his first Diaries episode, “The Threshold Moment.”
To learn more about Pete and Kevin’s journey, pick up a copy of the September issue of National Geographic, or check out these two articles: “6 Painful Lessons I Learned by Hiking the Grand Canyon” & “Are We Losing the Grand Canyon?”
To learn more about the current threats to the Grand Canyon and what you can do to help, visit: savetheconfluence.com
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Eclosion by Salmo • Sunset by Kai Engel • Cowgirls by Ken Christianson • Something by Kai Engel • The Return by nisei23 • Snowmen by Kai Engel • Firediary5 by Ken Christianson • Night Without Sleep by David Mumford • Done With Dallas by Bradley Carter
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Shorts — The Dirtbag Ministry Co-Op
The Dirtbag Ministry Co-Op
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“The days and months on the road had unspooled before us and we’d simply followed the thread. But the bobbin was empty now,” writes Dave McAllister. “Fine Jade would be the last cumulative “now” we shared, the final adventure we’d have as a group. At least on this trip. Maybe ever.”
Last spring, Dave and his band of dirtbag travelers celebrated their last moments together and helped their friends get hitched in style–atop a desert tower. Today, we bring you a story of gumby ingenuity, spring in the desert, feather boas and a little taste of ‘dirtbag theology’ in motion.
You can find more of Dave’s writing at: Thundercling.com
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Original Score by Amy Stolzenbach • Sick and Tired by Publish the Quest
Tracks provided by the artists, themselves.
Paul’s Boots — An Update from the Trail
An Update from the Trail
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/283118272?secret_token=s-7ffw2″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”300″ height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Last winter, we received an email from M’Lynn. Her late husband, Paul, had a dream to hike the Appalachian Trail. He never made it to the AT–but, M’Lynn thought, maybe his boots could?
Maybe they could serve as a reminder for all of us to live our dreams while we can. Maybe they could go one step further and pull someone off the couch and onto the trail.
We asked you, our community, to help us make that dream a reality. More than 400 emails poured in, from seasoned thru-hikers to first-time backpackers. We heard a resounding, ‘Let me know how I can help’. We knew we were part of an incredible community, but damn. We were floored.
Today, we bring you an update on the journey the boots have made over the past nine months, introduce you to some of the hikers who carried Paul’s boots and hear M’Lynn’s reaction.
Listen to the first Paul’s Boots episode. Learn more about the Paul’s Boots Project.
None of this would have been possible without the help of our friends at REI.
Music: Original Scores by Amy Stolzenbach • Wake Me Up by Publish the Quest
Tracks provided with permission from the artists.
Mothers Have it Hardest — Kyle Dempster Tribute
Mothers Have it Hardest — Kyle Dempster Tribute
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On August 22nd, 2016, our friend Kyle Dempster and his climbing partner Scott Adamson went missing on Pakistan’s Ogre II. After days of bad weather, friends and family, with incredible help from the Pakistani government, were able to conduct a search, but found no trace of the two climbers.
Our hearts go out to Terry and to all of Kyle’s friends and loved ones. We know that he understood the risks involved in the activities he did, and we know that still doesn’t make the hole he’s left in the lives of the people close to him any easier to live with. Kyle was one in a billion.
We originally aired a version of this episode in 2014–a story from Kyle and his mother, Terry, about the struggle of loving an adventurer. The struggle between loving them so much that you don’t want to see them hurt, and loving them so much that you want to support them in pursuing their dreams and doing the things that make them tick.
Last year, we reworked the piece to submit to Third Coast Audio Festival. We have never aired this version publicly before. It seemed like the right moment.
Music: Original Scores by Amy Stolzenbach • Shadowlark by The King in Yellow • Last Chance for Love by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club • Around the Bend by woodrowgerber • Yucca by Dokapi • Pay My Dues by Battery Life • Hard Right by Drop Top Lincoln
Tracks provided by Amy Stolzenbach and Mevio’s Music Alley.