Outside Podcast

How did a US congressional candidate and the director of the National Butterfly Center end up in a shoving match on the US border with Mexico? When contractors showed up in Mission, Texas to break ground on President Trump’s border wall, they didn’t think there would be much resistance. But when people found out the wall would go straight through critical butterfly habitat, everything changed.

Was Homero’s death an accident? Or murder? And who would want Homero dead? Reporters Michael May and Zach Goldbaum head to Mexico to investigate the death of conservationist Homero Gomez Gonzalez, who was supposedly killed for defending the butterflies. But new information complicates the official story, leaving them with even more questions. The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

Monarchs are considered the king of the butterflies. In Michoacan, Mexico conservationist Homero Gomez Gonzalez was considered the king of the Monarchs. Until one day in 2020, when he disappeared without a trace. In this series, reporters Zach Goldbaum and Michael May examine the intersection of conservation, politics, power, and crime at the world's most popular butterfly reserve. The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

The world's most interesting video game designer just hid a treasure in the woods. What's he up to? Jason Rohrer has been pushing the limits of game design for 20 years, but his latest creation takes players into the forests of New England in search of a sculpture made of solid gold. The catch? He says there isn't one. But people familiar with his past work aren't so sure. The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

When Ada Limon, America’s first Latina poet laureate, was tasked with bringing poetry to people who otherwise might not be exposed to it, she knew just where to put it: National Parks. The celebrated poet talks to Outside about her inspirations for the You Are Here project, and how nature and poetry can help us rethink wild places, and our place in them. You can find a list of National Parks for the You Are Here project at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/literature/poetryinparks.htm The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

A quarter of the money at the world’s largest banks goes directly to funding fossil fuel projects. But what if it didn’t? In this episode, reporter Cat Jaffee calls customer service at her bank—one of the world’s largest financial institutions—to ask them if they might consider investing her money differently. It goes about as well as you’d expect. Calculate your banks carbon footprint at www.topofinance.org/calculator Bank FWD Climate Calculator: www.bankfwd.org Find a better bank: https://greenamerica.org/get-a-better-bank Is your retirement savings invested in fossil fuels? www.fossilfreefunds.org The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

Emojis are silly. But sometimes something silly gets lodged in your brain and you can’t stop thinking about it. Recently, reporter Meg Duff noticed that her phone was mis-classifying a handful of animal emojis, and an internet rabbit hole turned into a headphones smiley face. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

What’s stranger than a story about people stuffing ferrets down their pants? How about that story leading the writer to create one of the largest, most successful digital media companies, ever. When Outside published The King of the Ferret Leggers, by Don Katz, more than 30 years ago, it became an instant classic and is now considered the funniest story Outside has ever published. But what people don’t know is that writing the piece began a long, strange journey that ended with Katz founding audio giant Audible. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Since the beginning of women’s sports, a question has loomed: who qualifies as female? Tested follows the unfolding story of elite female runners who have been told they can no longer race as women, because of their biology. As the Olympics approach, they face hard choices: take drugs to lower their natural testosterone levels, give up their sport entirely, or fight. This episode asks: Would you alter your body for the chance to compete for a gold medal? Find the whole series here: https://link.chtbl.com/OutsideMagazine The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

When a technological breakthrough gives some athletes a major advantage, how should we think about the victories, the medals, the world records? Is new technology unfair? Is it cool? Does it matter which sport it affects? In this episode Outside’s running correspondent, Fritz Huber, travels to the Nike Sport Research Lab to try to figure out why some sports embrace new technology, and others ban it. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Some of the most hardcore athletes in the world are elite race walkers. Moving faster than most people can run, their sport pushes the limits of endurance, pain tolerance, and fueling. Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee was looking for any edge he could get when he signed up for an experimental nutrition study in Australia. He immediately became one of the world’s best. But not for the reasons everyone thought. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

A few years ago, after suffering a mental health crisis during a mountaineering expedition, National Geographic photographer Cory Richards walked away from his climbing career. In 2016, after a terrible rafting accident, Outside writer Katie Arnold nearly ended her marriage. This summer, they are both telling their stories in powerful new books. In The Color of Everything, Richards describes using the body to heal the mind. In Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World, Arnold talks about using the mind to heal the body. They spoke with contributing editor Florence Williams at The Outside Festival, in Denver. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

After My Octopus Teacher won the Oscar for Best Documentary, the producers realized they had left an important voice out of their movie—indigenous South Africans who had been silenced and separated from the ocean by apartheid. In the new podcast “Back to the Water,” Pippa Ehrlich and Zolani Mahola explore the relationship between South Africans, their history, and the sea. Listen to the full series here. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Caroline Gleich is a renowned climber and skier, a climate activist, and now the Utah democratic party’s candidate for US Senate. But what would she actually do in Washington? And does she have a chance of getting elected? Gleich joined author and conservationist Luis Benitez onstage at the Outside Festival in Denver in early June to talk about how life in the mountains has prepared her for life in the political jungle. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

What does a professional kayaker do when he realizes he’s in the twilight of his career? He releases a rap album, of course. Producer Paddy O’Connell sits down with pro kayaker and musician Rush Sturges to find out how the many paths in his life have led to the most eclectic rap album you’ve ever heard. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Three days in total blackout darkness doesn’t sound that hard, until you hear this story about someone who tried to do it. Following in the footsteps of a famous quarterback who made headlines for his dark cave retreat, Outside writer Tim Neville went underground looking for nothing. And wow did he find it. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

If your family dog ran off on its first camping trip, how far would you go to get them back? Scott and Shelby Prue had to ask themselves this question repeatedly on a trip to West Virginia when Holly, their Labrador mix, took off into the forest. Things quickly got weird, then they got scary. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Is the Aurora Borealis magic, science, or something in between? For photographer Hugo Sanchez, the Aurora is an obsession he discovered when he picked up a camera to photograph a meteor shower. He was hooked. And then tragedy struck. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

When the British Empire finally put boots on top of the world on May 29, 1953, the news was entrusted to a young man named Ten Tsewang Sherpa, who ran 200 miles to Kathmandu. Likely the last piece of world news sent by runner, he delivered the message and died. And his story was lost until now. See pictures and videos from the original article here. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Athletes train for years to overcome pain, exhaustion, and fatigue. But some people take it too far and are never the same again. In this episode from 2019, Outside contributor Meaghan Brown started looking into this strange phenomenon, and found a bunch of frustrated athletes, and confused doctors. Read Meaghan's original story on Overtraining Syndrome. The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus