As summer wanes, we’re reaching into the archives for a story about a classic summer activity: a leisurely river float. At least, that’s what it was supposed to be. But when they lost their guide, a group of tourists got more than they bargained for. (more…)
Aug 26, 2020•16 min
While we work on new stories for this fall, here’s a summer favorite from 2019. Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho paddled thousands of miles in a canoe from Minneapolis to the shores of the Hudson Bay. The journey tested their physical strength – and the strength of their friendship. (more…)
Aug 05, 2020•21 min
South Africans Chris Diedericks and Anna Calitz wanted to go on a romantic getaway, but their adventure broke down before it even began. (more…)
Jul 08, 2020•22 min•Season 5Ep. 81
Juan Martinez grew up in South Central L.A. in the early nineties. He was struggling to find his way until he traded detention for a pack of jalapeño seeds. Those led him all the way to the stars. (more…)
Jun 24, 2020•10 min•Season 5Ep. 80
Boyd Varty lives on a game reserve in South Africa near Kruger National Park. After his family began returning the land to its wild state, it awakened something wild in him, too. (more…)
Jun 10, 2020•20 min•Season 5Ep. 79
After cycling across America, Taylor Thibodeau had a lifetime of adventures ahead of him…until a mysterious illness cut that short. Then he decided to adventure anyway. (more…)
May 21, 2020•17 min•Season 5Ep. 78
Morley Nelson delighted in watching raptors in aerial combat as they fought over nesting sites. And he made it his life’s mission to protect the part of Idaho’s Snake River with the highest nesting density of birds of prey in North America. This time, we’re bringing you a story from the new podcast Common Land to tell the story of how the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area was created. (more…)...
May 06, 2020•31 min•Season 5Ep. 77
It’s springtime and Earth Day! Animals are on the move, and sometimes their paths cross with people. Here are five stories to help you get outside while you’re stuck at home. (more…)
Apr 22, 2020•27 min•Season 5Ep. 76
Michael Benanav studies nomadic people as a writer and photographer. So when he was invited to accompany the Van Gujjar of northern India on their annual migration with their water buffalo, he jumped at the chance. Turned out, they wanted a journalist along that year for reasons he hadn’t expected. (more…)
Apr 08, 2020•29 min•Season 5Ep. 75
When Tarik Moore became an Outdoor Afro leader, the first hike he planned wasn’t a traditional one. He took his group down city streets to commemorate Philadelphia’s Osage Avenue bombing. (more…)
Mar 25, 2020•7 min
Cindy Ross wanted to keep pursuing her long-distance hiking passion after she had kids. But she didn’t know how to make that happen. Then a chance encounter with a llama breeder opened the path to the Continental Divide Trail. (more…)
Mar 11, 2020•10 min•Season 5Ep. 74
Brandon Kuehn survived the Iraq War. But after he got home, he struggled with nightmares and addiction. Then he found trail running…and the Pacific Crest Trail. If you like HumaNature , help us tell more stories! Support us at https://donate.nprstations.org/wpr/humanature . You can also follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/HumaNaturePod , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/humanaturepodcast , and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HumaNaturePodcast . (more…)...
Feb 26, 2020•18 min•Season 5Ep. 73
Christopher McDougall is famous for starting the barefoot running craze with his book ‘Born to Run.’ And now he has an unusual new running partner—a donkey named Sherman. If you like HumaNature , help us tell more stories! Support us at https://donate.nprstations.org/wpr/humanature . You can also follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/HumaNaturePod , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/humanaturepodcast , and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HumaNaturePodcast . (more…)...
Feb 12, 2020•29 min•Season 5Ep. 72
We have a snazzy new t-shirt design for you . But it isn’t without a little controversy. Support This Podcast If you like HumaNature , help us tell more stories! Support us at https://donate.nprstations.org/wpr/humanature . You can also follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/HumaNaturePod , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/humanaturepodcast , and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HumaNaturePodcast . (more…)...
Feb 05, 2020•5 min
Tarik Moore always enjoyed nature. So when he found an outdoorsy community , it led to new adventures—like becoming a member of the first all-Black American team to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. (more…)
Jan 29, 2020•20 min•Season 5Ep. 71
When Wendy Hellowell’s son Oliver was born, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. She realized the two of them would face enormous challenges. But they got help from a little faith and a camera . (more…)
Jan 15, 2020•17 min•Season 5Ep. 70
We’re taking a little break for the holidays, so we have a special treat for you from down under. The Australian podcast Brain on Nature tells the story of how going into nature helped a woman recover from a traumatic brain injury. We hope you love the show as much as we do! (more…)
Dec 11, 2019•49 min•Season 5Ep. 69
As you feast on podcasts during the holidays, here’s a second helping of an old favorite. Aubrey Bertram traveled to East Asia to help animals that had been abused by humans. But a harrowing experience taught her that good intentions might not be enough. (more…)
Nov 27, 2019•20 min
Fisher Neal was a struggling actor in New York City. So he turned to his old hunting skills for a side job extremely off-Broadway. (more…)
Nov 13, 2019•15 min•Season 5Ep. 68
A burned-bare house. A pervy spirit. The ghost of Schafer Meadows. A haunted woman. It’s our annual Halloween episode—keep your friends close and your lights on as we find the place that’s not quite human or all the way natural. (more…)
Oct 30, 2019•37 min•Season 5Ep. 67
Jeff Osgood and his friend Anthony just wanted to go on a winter hiking trip in the Adirondack Wilderness in upstate New York. But after a series of mishaps, their adventure took a strange turn with the discovery of a mysterious VHS cassette tape. (more…)
Oct 09, 2019•22 min•Season 5Ep. 66
Josh Patterson loved taking photographs of rare finds in the Mojave Desert. But on one trip, things didn’t go as planned. (more…)
Sep 25, 2019•17 min•Season 5Ep. 65
Caroline Van Hemert and her husband Pat were nearly finished with the most ambitious trip of their lives, a 4000-mile trek across the Yukon and Alaska following animal migrations. But bad weather and a missed food drop put their lives in jeopardy. (more…)
Sep 11, 2019•27 min•Season 5Ep. 64
HumaNature returns on September 11 with a new season of stories where humans and our habitat meet. (more…)
Sep 04, 2019•2 min
All across the Arctic, frozen soil is thawing out. A lot of stuff is buried there – plants and animals that lived more than 10,000 years ago. This episode from Threshold asks what happens when a Paleolithic bison bone starts to decompose for the first time? And what does that have to do with climate change? (more…)
Aug 21, 2019•27 min
For her final episode as the host of HumaNature , Caroline has chosen an old favorite. Brian Corliss just wanted to quench his thirst. But on a snowmobile outing, he grabbed the wrong bottle. *Disclaimer: The actions taken in this story do not constitute medical advice. In the case of poisoning, call Poison Control at (800) 222-1222. (more…)
Aug 07, 2019•21 min
Curt Meyer was looking for adventure, so he took a job aboard a Japanese fishing trawler on the Bering Sea. But when a storm hit, the lack of a shared language kept him in the dark as things turned deadly. (more…)
Jul 24, 2019•17 min•Season 4Ep. 62
Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho paddled thousands of miles in a canoe from Minneapolis to the shores of the Hudson Bay. The journey tested their physical strength – and the strength of their friendship. (more…)
Jul 10, 2019•21 min•Season 4Ep. 61
An encore presentation of our 2019 PMJA Best Station Podcast award-winner. Felicia Friesema and Steve Julian had a “miracle relationship.” They carved out an oasis in the middle of Los Angeles. But then they found themselves facing one of the most fundamental aspects of nature: death. (more…)
Jun 18, 2019•52 min
Manasseh Franklin wanted to make the melting of glaciers more real to people through her writing. So on an Alaskan rafting trip, she followed water to its source. (more…)
Jun 05, 2019•24 min•Season 4Ep. 60