The Dirtbag Diaries

Create and make new again. After his Great Uncle Jack passed away, Noah Manke took a pair of his Uncle’s old jeans, complete with holes, oil stains and paint, and turned them into something new. It was a way to create, share and carry on the memory of someone special in his life. Now, the spirit of Uncle Jack accompanies Noah and his friends on their climbing adventures.  Give used. Give back. Give knowledge. Get inspired at Patagonia.

Better than new. Pass along cherished gear, surprise a loved one with the gift of repair and keep a good story going. Shanon Castle received a rad bike as a gift from her parents when she was 13, but it wasn’t life changing at the time, it was just a bike she remembers riding around sometimes. Fast forward 10 years. Shanon was a concert dancer, searching for a change. Something about riding her bike to work sounded dreamy. Since she couldn’t afford a bike, she asked her parents if they still had her old one. Give used. Give back. Give knowledge. Get inspired at Patagonia.

Consider gifts that keep giving. Marta Bills fell in love with backpacking on a sixth grade class trip to the Sierra Nevada. And her love of getting away for days at a time with a heavy pack in the mountains stayed with her up until she had kids. The busyness of family life coupled with complicated logistics kept her away from her favorite activity for decades. On her 60th birthday, her daughter surprised her by proposing a path to reunite Marta with her love of backpacking.  Give used. Give back. Give knowledge. Get inspired at Patagonia.

Teach them what you know, or take them somewhere special. On a three week trip to Japan, Chris Lock wanted his sons, ages 10 and 12, to connect with their Japanese heritage while creating lifelong memories. He found an off-the-beaten-path adventure on the Kumano Kodō trail, complete with long day hikes and rustic lodges to sleep in. As the trip unfolded, Chris realized the gift was truly his: shared time with his sons and unparalleled memories that he will cherish forever.  Give used. Give back. Give knowledge. Get inspired at Patagonia.

Susan Greenwood’s family adventures were anything but typical. Led by her father’s wild spirit, their escapades took them up snowy mountains, meandering bike rides, and alpine lakes-- all without a map or a plan. When Susan began to take athletics a little too seriously as an adult, she challenged herself to reconnect with her father’s playful spirit of adventure.

When Cam Fields returned from a deployment in Afghanistan, violent dreams filled his nights. Diagnosed with PTSD, Cam tried therapy, but still felt himself spiralling. Then, he got a phone call that would change his course in life. Front Country Foundation

Today, we bring you two shorts about the power of currents. As Keith Wagner struggled with PTSD after a career in the Air Force, the thought of wearing a PFD never crossed his mind. But one fateful day on the Brazos River in Texas, a close encounter with death finally taught him the value of his own life. And for Chandra Brown, the Grand Canyon provided a backdrop to see the tensions of time passing both on and off the river. 

In our annual Tales of Terror, we bring you three terrifying tales. Shadows in the doorway. Disembodied footprints. Dark figures approaching through the woods. Snuggle up with a friend or your favorite stuffed animal-- and get ready to get spooky. Happy Halloween everyone.

The most memorable gifts often aren’t purchased online. Sometimes, it’s as simple as the time we give to one another. A favorite recipe. An old bike that needs a new set of legs to pedal it. The gifts can be grand or small.  For the upcoming holiday season, we’re looking for stories about gifts that weren’t purchased for a special mini series with our friends at Patagonia.

Every July, nearly 20,000 cyclists from around the world swarm the roads of Iowa for one week to ride across the state. It’s hot. It’s humid. And it’s not as flat as one may think. Iowa resident Caleb Smith shares his personal journey of RAGBRAI, complete with a buffet of midwestern charm: homemade pies, barn parties, sunsets over fields of corn. But he doesn’t ride a bike, he inline skates.

Today, we bring you two Shorts about love on the trail. Lauren DeLaunay Miller reflects on the bond she forged with her Chevy Astro van. Chuck Radis wades into a hiking trip with his wife of 40 years. For both Lauren and Chuck, the outdoors helped them find, and renew, their loving relationships.

The first time Ken Jarvela picked up a sketchpad in the backcountry in the 1980’s, he decided he wanted to become a landscape painter. In his early 20’s, he packed three months of food, a tarp, and a set of watercolors into the Trinity Wilderness and, over the next 54 days, taught himself how to paint. This trip would mark the first in many that would define his career as a landscape painter.

After Patrick McGunagle graduated from college, he told himself he’d get a “real job” after a summer on a fire crew in Montana. But the adventure, camaraderie, and purpose that came with fighting fire made it hard to trade the woods in for a cubicle. Seven years later, Pat now has a job more "real" than anything he could have imagined: a smokejumper. That’s someone who jumps out of planes to fight wildfires. Have questions? So did we.

After Euan Fraser lost his dad in a mysterious accident, he spent decades of his life wondering what had happened. When he finally learned the truth, Euan began searching for new ways to get to know his father through adventures in the outdoors.

We just hit our 300th episode! Whether you’ve been a listener from the mic-in-a-closet days, or you just joined us, it’s you-- our community-- that keeps us going. In honor of our listeners, we have a story about four women taking an idea introduced in one of our stories, adding their own creative spin and running with it. Happy summer!

Oak Flat, Arizona: a site sacred to the San Carlos Apache, a beloved climbing area, a rare riparian zone in the desert. The catch? It’s slated to become the largest copper mine in the history of North America. Days before the land was set to transfer to the mining company, a group of Native high school students ran 188 miles to Oak Flat-- joining a cry of protest loud enough to reach the ears of the White House. We dive into the fight to possess and protect a place with incredible spiritual and economic power.

Cycling intervals, homework assignments, planner items: Emily Schaldach raced through her life checking off her list. When Emily’s grandmother invited her to a silent meditation retreat in the woods of Colorado, she reluctantly accepted. Compelled to sit still for a few days, Emily saw herself in a way she hadn’t yet envisioned.

Michelle Baker and her husband John both fell in love with mountains before they fell in love with each other. As they started a family of their own, they hoped to pass down their passion for outdoor adventure and a respect for the dangers that go with it. While climbing the Grand Teton with their 12 year old son, a lightning storm soon had Michelle questioning whether she’d pushed too far.

Two mountains, one in California and one in Nevada, named after the president of the Confederate States decades ago. How can a name be changed? Producer Fil Corbitt takes us through the wonky and lengthy process involved in renaming a place. A version of this episode first appeared on The Wind Podcast.

“The dread was there, strong and palpable. I just hoped my will was stronger,” writes Luke Hinz. After losing both his father and his brother in the month of May, Luke always had a feeling that something bad would befall him as well. When he set out to ski an ambitious line in Utah’s Wasatch Range on May 2nd, 2019, he had to face that fear in the mountains.