It wasn't just any piece of rock. Portable may be the world's most famous boulder. Parlor trick, mascot, right of passage -- call it what you want, but this toaster-size piece of granite nestled in the lush forest of Squamish is a beloved fixture of the Canadian climbing scene. Then it went missing. When Portable turned up in the California desert, professional climber Ethan Salvo knew he had to get Portable home. He just didn't know what he'd be up against. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Da...
Apr 17, 2026•1 hr 12 min
Years of dedication to conservation biology and an enduring love for animals led SJ Joslin to their dream job running the Big Wall Bats program in Yosemite National Park. But after hanging a flag on the side of El Capitan, they were fired, upending their life and sending them on a journey to better understand their rights and their duty to their community. And SJ must decide how far they would go to stand by their right to free speech. Support comes from Darn Tough Free shipping on any order w...
Apr 10, 2026•46 min
When immigration enforcement raids came to Los Angeles, Vanessa Herrera was packing her two kids into the car to head out on a rafting trip on the Klamath River. On their trip, Vanessa ponders the duality of being a Latina river rat and wonders how she can ensure her boys feel at home in their country’s wild places. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diarie...
Mar 27, 2026•19 min
From a very young age, Nate George learned that if he wanted anything in this world, it was easier to just build it from scratch. In 2016, Nate opened a climbing gym in an old potato shed, financing it with revenue from his computer export business. Nate's return on investment was fostering a stoked climbing community in the flattest area of the United Kingdom. Support comes from Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Oboz Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIE...
Mar 20, 2026•35 min
On a flyfishing adventure to explore the High Sierra’s most remote valley, Rebecca Ramirez is the first to admit that, fifteen years ago, she’d have easily been voted “least likely to be here.” When she decides to cut the hooks off her flies and explore a new way to connect with trout, her dedication to conservation and commitment to mastery come full circle. Much of the music in today’s episode is from Rebecca’s band Par Avion Support comes from Oboz Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with c...
Mar 06, 2026•34 min
What does it take to create something that lasts? Kathy Karlo is the executive director of No Man’s Land Film Festival , the first film festival by and for women and genderqueer adventurers. Kathy talks to Diaries producer Lauren DeLaunay Miller about staying scrappy, finding hope through community, and securing a vibrator sponsorship. No Man’s Land Film Festival is in Denver Saturday, March 7th. Support comes from Oboz Love Hiking Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka’Chava...
Feb 27, 2026•24 min
Biting cold, freshly fallen snow, frozen lakes– what could be better? Brooke Maushund and Carrick Gambell take us through the joys of winter from the mountains of Patagonia to the forests of New England. Support comes from Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Kuat Racks Oboz Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today ....
Feb 13, 2026•32 min
Saying yes to out of the box ideas can lead to incredible places. Alex Honnold’s live solo of the Taipei 101 tower seemed to spring out of nowhere, but it was the culmination of more than a decade of effort to make the moment happen. Today, we sit down for a debrief. Support comes from Oboz Darn Tough (through early July) Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering t...
Feb 06, 2026•33 min
Gazing out at the magnificent coastline of Big Sur, Justin Krompier realized his day job wasn't going to cut it. Following a decades long battle with drug addiction, Justin decided to take a leap of faith, leaving the stability of a 9-5 for a life of adventure on the road with his camera. Support comes from Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Kuat Racks Oboz Ka’Chava New customers get $20 off an order of 2 bags or more at https://kachava.com Diaries+ Members-- Their support...
Jan 23, 2026•43 min
In August of 2025, professional adventure cyclist Sarah Swallow spent over a month bikepacking from the Pacific Ocean to the Eastern slopes of the Rockies. Her goal? To scout a new formal bikepacking route developed by the Adventure Cycling Association which stretches from the Mississippi River to Oregon: The Golden Gravel Trail . Sarah breaks down the highs and lows of her mostly solo bikepacking trip. Support comes from Oboz Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka’Chava New ...
Jan 16, 2026•34 min
Andy Cochrane hails from a Park Service cabin in Minnesota and has lived the life many dirtbags dream of. He spent years on the road, funding his travel through skillful storytelling and photography. While out on a long trail run, he realized something was missing, and decided to create it. As he brought friends and community members on board, he discovered someone else had the same idea. It quickly starts to look like Andy, Ian MacLellan and Rickey Gates are in a race to complete the 50 Classic...
Jan 09, 2026•39 min
As a high school teacher in Santa Maria, CA, Taylor Mihelic understands the power of a field trip. Whether it’s plant identification hikes through the forests, or habitat restoration projects on the coast, Taylor gets the best out of her students when there’s adventure in the air. During her summer break this year, Taylor took her own field trip on the tour divide bike race, exploring the edge of her limits and teaching herself a lesson in optimism along the way. Support comes from Kuat Racks Ob...
Dec 26, 2025•42 min
Time spent outside as kids can extend into our adult lives in incredible ways. Jay Inslee’s passion for being outside shaped his path from his three terms as governor of Washington all the way to the national level. His pioneering policy work is having an impact in Washington state and proving that change is possible if we bring our determination to the world’s biggest problems. Support comes from Oboz Through Dec 19th, nominate your favorite trail org for a chance to win $1000 donation from Ob...
Dec 19, 2025•45 min
Loss can create an emotional cocktail when something or someone is unceremoniously ripped from our life. Amie Renaud and Joanna Henry invite us along through their circuitous roads through grief. After the sudden end of a relationship, Amie embarks on a grand bikepacking trip. Right as she’s finally settling in, she finds herself picking up the pieces again. Joanna hadn’t reconciled the loss of her brother. But a visit from an uninvited, and surprisingly tenacious, guest, forces her to reckon wi...
Dec 12, 2025•34 min
Shane Schieffer just swam the entire length of Lake Powell self-supported in 11 days. He also just turned 50 years old and had no previous experience in long distance swimming. Shane talks about following through on personal challenges, no matter how far-fetched they seem at the moment. Check out Shane's Instagram for his videos that documented his swim. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Through Dec 19th, nominate your favorite trail org for a chance to win $1000 donation from Oboz Ka’Chava G...
Nov 28, 2025•47 min
What do we want and what do we need? Sara Holzknecht started skiing every month of the year as a way to shake off the unexpected upheavals of life and the pandemic. Then her kids wanted in. Gabby Markel was living a dirtbag dream, but something was missing. She confronts the less glamorous aspects of vanlife and grapples with feeling untethered from community. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Washington Discover Pass : Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and...
Nov 21, 2025•32 min
Mount Bachelor, one of America’s largest and beloved ski resorts, was put up for sale in August of 2024 after two decades of contentious corporate ownership. Sensing a sliver of opportunity, a high school teacher, a housing appraiser and local home builder launched a community campaign to put this ski hill back in the hands of locals. What started as a Facebook thread, snowballed into a legitimate would-be buyer with $100 million in local backing that collided into Wall Street players, the spect...
Nov 14, 2025•51 min
Mount Bachelor, one of America’s largest and beloved ski resorts, was put up for sale in August of 2024 after two decades of contentious corporate ownership. Sensing a sliver of opportunity, a high school teacher, a housing appraiser and local home builder launched a community campaign to put this ski hill back in the hands of locals. What started as a Facebook thread, snowballed into a legitimate would-be buyer with $100 million in local backing that collided into Wall Street players, the spect...
Oct 31, 2025•51 min
We seek solitude. We find that place a little further out to camp, a couple of extra miles down trail. Sometimes curiosity pulls us farther off the beaten path. Maybe the late afternoon feels just a little more perfect in an isolated basin. But what happens when the darkness closes in, leaving us with only a bubble of tepid light from a headlamp? Welcome to our annual Tales of Terror. Support comes from Oboz Kuat Racks Washington Discover Pass : Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Ka’Chava Go...
Oct 24, 2025•33 min
Some people look at ranges and imagine lines. Kílian Jornet looks at continents. Last week, Kílian completed a truly incredible adventure that was hiding in plain sight. Over the course of 31 days, the renowned mountain athlete climbed 72 fourteeners in the lower, 48 connecting them all by bike. Before he left Washington, we had a chance to sit down and talk about how he approaches projects like States of Elevation . Want to write a Short for the Diaries? We’re accepting submissions through Nov ...
Oct 10, 2025•48 min
The bonds we forge during mountain adventures and shared experiences, especially with family, can profoundly shape us. Explorer and author Mark Jenkins reflects on learning to rock climb in Vedauwoo from his swim Coach, and how those lessons permeated his life and eventually into teaching his own daughters how to climb. Oak Jones's childhood was defined by keeping pace with his two older brothers. Though their paths have diverged, Oak organized a raft trip, because, he writes, “Relationships, li...
Sep 26, 2025•30 min
The Mississippi River. The Big Muddy. The Great River. When musician JW Francis left the river’s source in northern Minnesota and started heading for the sea, he’d had about two hours in canoeing to his name and little idea of what to expect. What he learned and the people he met left a mark on his creativity and perspective. Support comes from Oboz Washington Discover Pass : Get your Pass at discoverpass.wa.gov Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order....
Sep 12, 2025•42 min
Five days, 231.82 miles, 85,967 vertical feet, nearly 94 hours of moving time - this is the White Mountain Direttissima as experienced by ultra-athlete Andrew Drummond. A rugged DIY run that connects all 48 of the White Mountains’ 4,000ft peaks in New Hampshire, the Direttissima has developed a lore of its own. Andrew shares his multi-year journey through the spectrum of microclimates, peaks, valleys, and stages of exhaustion. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Washington Discover Pass : Get you...
Sep 05, 2025•39 min
When big transitional moments occur in our lives, the way we navigate them and what helps shift our perspective can often come from unexpected places. After graduation and a summer of feeling melancholy, Carol Doyle challenged herself to a 50 mile bike ride hoping it would remove the figurative goggles that obscured the world around her. Heartbroken and seeking solitude at his family’s cabin, Ben Burke is unexpectedly joined by his dad. Submit your Tale of Terror HERE by Sept 30th Support comes ...
Aug 22, 2025•28 min
Growing up as identical twins in England, Poppy and Thea Wardley were practically attached at the hip. Their lives finally diverged when Poppy enrolled in medical school and Thea attended university a few hours away. After a few years of burnout from the unrelenting pace of school, Poppy pitches Thea on a bold adventure thousands of miles away to reconnect their twinship– hiking the PCT . Support comes from Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Washington Discover Pass : G...
Aug 15, 2025•47 min
For Sam Webster, public lands have been interwoven with life from the earliest age. He followed a path into public service with the Park and Forest Service, choosing stability and the ability to contribute to the great good. Until Feb 14th changed that course forever. What happens when the foundation you've built a life on begins to crumble? Support comes from Oboz Kuat Racks Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank...
Aug 08, 2025•1 hr 6 min
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 RAGBRAI journey, 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. s. Thanks to our sponsors Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava...
Jul 25, 2025•37 min
Runner, writer, illustrator and all around human Brendan Leonard made a career of doing what he loves. Yes it’s passion and wild creativity, but it’s also the unheralded traits of persistence, thoughtful compromise and perspective that keeps him doing what he loves. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today . Our book, States of Adventure , 30 stories adapted f...
Jul 18, 2025•35 min
Growth happens outside your comfort zone. Sometimes this comes by choice, like committing to guiding rafts on a new river and trading out your nimble kayak for the biggest barge in the fleet as Jessie Longe did. Sometimes you step out not even knowing it, like Lili Mitchell did when she showed up to a trailhead to an unexpected surprise. Either way, you must push through the rough waters ahead to walk away wiser. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your firs...
Jul 11, 2025•32 min
To escape record breaking crowds in Zion National Park, Marco Siler-Gonzales decides to take his girlfriend, Lena Ohlson, on an unmarked and seldom hiked trail. Heading back towards the car, Marco leads Lena around a wrong turn, leaving them in a dangerous situation. Years later he struggles to come to terms with his actions. Support comes from Oboz Terns Use code DIRTBAG to save 25% off your first order Ka’Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries...
Jun 27, 2025•33 min
