The Human Mule

FromThe Dirtbag Diaries

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The Human Mule

FromThe Dirtbag Diaries

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Length:

19 minutes

Released:

May 9, 2008

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Through the years, I’ve tried to escape words and journalism, but the writing life always has a funny way of creeping back into my world. This time it came in the form of a 230-pound cameraman with a fear of heights, a fast talking New York producer and a 30-year-old broadcaster trying to return to her childhood. It turns out you have to earn your 15 seconds of fame.

Released:

May 9, 2008

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

This is what adventure sounds like. Climb. Ski. Hike. Bike. Paddle. Run. Travel. Whatever your passion, we are all dirtbags. Outdoor writer Fitz Cahall and the Duct Tape Then Beer team present stories about the dreamers, athletes and wanderers.

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The Shorts: The Simple Joy of Moving Upward: After loosing his leg in a climbing accident, Craig DeMartino had to retrain his body and learn his craft all over again. DeMartino takes us to Vail and the Teva Mountain Games. Behind the bright lights, big names and massive crowds, climbing’s everyman gets his moment in the sun. by The Dirtbag Diaries
8 min listen
The Year of Big Ideas: Today we bring you the “Year of Big Ideas? – a show all about goals, some big, some small. We’ve interviewed friends, professional athletes, random people on chairlifts, anyone we could rope into contributing. Here’s to dreaming big and going bigger in the New Year. by The Dirtbag Diaries
15 min listen
No Big Deal: In 1996, photographer John Burcham and three friends completed the first foot traverse of the 650-mile long Alaska Range. Burcham decided to leave the group at the very end of the trip in order to make it to his sister's wedding. He was alone in the continent's last great wilderness with a sobering realization -- crevasses, hungry wildlife and hypothermia can kill you, but loneliness can drive you crazy. by The Dirtbag Diaries
22 min listen
The Monoboard: Gaper. Touron. Weekend warrior. As mountain people, we can be a cold, hard lot adhering to an "Us and Them" mentality, but at the root, what makes a dirtbag a dirtbag? Is it a look? The clothes we wear or the skis we ride? Or is there something deeper to out culture? Can anyone be a dirtbag? by The Dirtbag Diaries
10 min listen
Help Wanted: There’s no such thing as a perfect job. What if there was a magical place where you could get paid to climb? At the center of this kingdom is a mountain, and all you have to do is climb it. Find out what happens when a bunch of climbers are left unsupervised with the keys to the Magic Kingdom. by The Dirtbag Diaries
25 min listen
The Reckoning: In 2005, photographer, writer and avid cyclist Blake Gordon joined the Logsdon brothers in the midst of pedaling 15,000 miles and raising money for the National Brain Tumor Foundation. Today, we present The Reckoning – a story plucked from the pages of a young photographer’s notebook. You can ride your bike to the edge of a continent, but when the road ends it doesn’t always lead to neat resolutions. by The Dirtbag Diaries
27 min listen
The Shorts -- Friendship is a Used Bicycle: “’You should get a bike. It will change your life,’ my friend Nick said. I heard this over and over again like a nagging brake pad rubbing on the one wobbly spot on a dented wheel,” writes Colorado-based writer Brendan Leonard. Leonard wasn’t a believer until his friend showed up his doorstep with a gift – a 1989 red Trek bicycle. As he began riding, Leonard found his life falling into the smooth order of a finely tuned bike. by The Dirtbag Diaries
9 min listen
The Shorts -- Balance: The Bohrer clan isn’t your average Idaho Falls family. Juggling goals in the mountain with parenting is no simple task. Sometimes balancing competing passions requires combining them into a lifestyle. After all, whether you’re old or young, everyone likes to play hooky if there is snow on the hill. by The Dirtbag Diaries
7 min listen
Anatomy of an Accident: This week the Dirtbag Diaries presents the Anatomy of an Accident. What do you take away from a near-death experience? Is there meaning in it? If so, what does it say about our relationships with these mountains, these rivers and these oceans. by The Dirtbag Diaries
17 min listen
A Lifeline Home: Today, we bring you the tale of Ryan Utz and Micah Helser -- both climbers, both soldiers -- and their quest to create a lifeline back from the frontlines to the things that matter the most – friends, family and that freedom found only in open spaces. We are headed to the world’s most improbable climbing wall. This is Camp Taji. Welcome to Iraq. by The Dirtbag Diaries
27 min listen
The Human Mule: Through the years, I’ve tried to escape words and journalism, but the writing life always has a funny way of creeping back into my world. This time it came in the form of a 230-pound cameraman with a fear of heights, a fast talking New York producer and a 30-year-old broadcaster trying to return to her childhood. It turns out you have to earn your 15 seconds of fame. by The Dirtbag Diaries
19 min listen
Prayer for a Friend: Today on the Dirtbag Diaries, we’re traveling from the halls of a New England boarding school where two boys forged an unlikely friendship to the wind-swept wilderness deep inside the Cascade Mountains, where a trio of climbers have been hard at work solving one of the Northwest’s greatest free climbing projects. by The Dirtbag Diaries
20 min listen
The Crusade: Today, we bring you the Crusade, the story of two stockbrokers, an engineer and a nuclear physicist who, with a little help from the Internet, helped shaped American ski mountaineering without ever leaving their backyard. by The Dirtbag Diaries
35 min listen
The Brotherhood: On a remote cliff in northern Arizona, we join rock climbers Albert Newman and James Q Martin as they attempt the first free ascent of Tooth Rock. by The Dirtbag Diaries
21 min listen
Datos Insuficientes: In the summer of 2007, kayaker and blogger Shane Robinson found himself paddling down Peru’s isolated Apurimac River with Andrew Oberhardt and Bryan Smith. They had no map, no aerial photos and enough food for five days. Fifteen years of kayaking had led to this moment. by The Dirtbag Diaries
26 min listen
The Shorts -- The Pig: A mythical, semi-secret, surf spot on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast – that’s as descriptive as Australian Duncan McNee would get. This secret break, a quick bike ride from McNee’s day job as a high school teacher, requires the perfect synchronicity of swell, tide and windless days. On average, the variables come together once every two years. At long last, we bring you a surfing story. by The Dirtbag Diaries
8 min listen
Fun Divided By Three: There is type one fun and type two fun, but today, we are going to explore type three fun. This is the epic. The suffer fest. What does type three fun entail? Why do some people seem particularly drawn to these types of adventures and what could possibly motivate us to embrace type three fun? Today, we bring you answers. by The Dirtbag Diaries
36 min listen
The Golden Hour: In spring of 1991, Tom Broxson survived a 200-foot fall off the top of Yosemite Valley’s Washington Column. To this day, Tom, his climbing partner Pat and the rescuers who saved his life aren’t exactly sure what happened. Today we bring you Tom’s story of survival, recovery and will. by The Dirtbag Diaries
27 min listen
All These Things: Today, Becca Cahall brings us All These Things – a story about getting older and skiing faster. We’re headed for British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains – an incredible range of open alpine faces, perfect tree skiing and tight chutes that every backcountry skier dreams of visiting. by The Dirtbag Diaries
22 min listen
The Earth Throne: Seventeen years ago, Sean O’Neill – artist athlete and big brother to pro climber Timmy O’Neill – lost the use of his legs. After the accident, Timmy dreamed about helping his older brother climb El Capitan. In 2005, the brothers decided it was time to act. James Mills brings us a story about two brothers, one very big cliff face and a 17-year-old dream. by The Dirtbag Diaries
24 min listen
A Brief Moment in a Beautiful Place: This week we're headed for Laos to recount the story of two friends and one spectacularly bad idea. Join us as we follow Jacob Bain, Colin Brynn and a bamboo raft down a river at the edge of the world. by The Dirtbag Diaries
24 min listen
The Shorts -- Great White Book: In 2001, Scott Kennedy and his wife Sophie were living in the States. On weekends, they would meet up to climb in Yosemite’s high country, Tuolumne. On the Great White Book, Scott was offered a chance to look inside. What he saw was too difficult to share even with those closest to him. by The Dirtbag Diaries
11 min listen
The Shorts -- Indiana Powder Day: When listener Andy Guinigundo’s email appeared in the inbox on a rainy spring day, I read through it, read it again and thought “Damn, I wish I could have been there.? That’s because no matter where you ski, a powder day is a magical thing. I’d been wanting to create some smaller shorts between feature episodes, so Andy joined us in the Dirtbag Diaries Midwest Studios and gave us his own farewell to an unforgettable winter season. by The Dirtbag Diaries
7 min listen
731 Days Later...: Two years ago, I was staring fruitlessly at a computer screen. I was sick of daydreaming. I dropped the commissioned piece I was working on that day and started writing. I pulled out a mic, hit the big red record button and decided it was time to find my voice. Today, we present The Monoboard Revisited. Here’s to another two years of dreaming, tinkering and coming up with ways to get into trouble. by The Dirtbag Diaries
11 min listen
The Shorts -- Trekker's Blues: When writer Alissa Bohling and her longtime boyfriend Paul set out on the Pacific Crest Trail, they thought a trip of that significance would leave a mark on their relationship. They didn't foresee that it would leave Paul hobbling and struggling to get healthy years after they reached the Canadian border. In today's Short, Alissa puts pen to paper and imagines a pain-free life for Paul. by The Dirtbag Diaries
12 min listen
The Adventurer's Parable: Photographers and activists Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson present stories and photos from wild ski terrain and their struggle to become a piece of the conservation puzzle rather than a cog in the problem. by The Dirtbag Diaries
28 min listen
A Thousand Words: There is no textbook on adventure journalism, but if there were one, it would contain one single, steadfast rule -- you can't photograph adventure from a safe distance. This week, adventure photographer Corey Rich gives us photos and the untold stories behind them. by The Dirtbag Diaries
26 min listen
No Car No Problem: Recreating without a car might seem impossible, but this summer I set out to test the preconceived notion. What happens when you find yourself trapped in the Urban Jungle? You blaze your way out. by The Dirtbag Diaries
24 min listen
The Shorts: Year of Big Ideas Reprieve: In the Year of Big Ideas, my childhood friend Brad laid it out – he was going to climb El Cap in 2008. We planned and tried to convince others to join us, but in the end, Brad and I were on our own to wrestle with one very big – arguably bad – idea. A third of the way through 2008, where are you in your year of big ideas? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment and a little inspiration. What have you ticked off the list? What’s left? by The Dirtbag Diaries
7 min listen
The Peach: Taco Bell. Pizza Hut. Climber and writer, Kelly Cordes had one hell of resume by the time he applied for a position baking bread. It was an ideal job for a dirtbag who lived and breathed climbing, and once resided in a 77-square-foot shack. Then Cordes ran into Bosszilla. by The Dirtbag Diaries
9 min listen

More Episodes from The Dirtbag Diaries

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The Shorts— Everybody Loves Lyle: A weekend of surfing with buddies turns epic when everyone’s favorite pup, Lyle, goes missing. by The Dirtbag Diaries
18 min listen
Homecoming (English): Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada sets out to ski the tallest mountain in Mexico with a twist: her parents would join her at basecamp. by The Dirtbag Diaries
42 min listen
Querencia (Español): Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada se propone esquiar el pico más alto de México, con un reto especial: que sus papás la acompañarán en el campamento base. by The Dirtbag Diaries
45 min listen
The Only Way Out Is Through: Natalie Brechtel leads a month-long traverse to the South Pole and redefines what it means to trust herself and feel safe in one of the world’s harshest environments. by The Dirtbag Diaries
45 min listen
The Shorts-- Chasing A Vision: Brice Ruiz and Ashley Lose tackle uncertainty and demonstrate wild resilience in creating the lives they want to lead. by The Dirtbag Diaries
36 min listen
Race Day: The magic of race day, from the perspective of a race director and race day volunteers. by The Dirtbag Diaries
37 min listen
The Winter Rangers: Rob and Laura Pilewski recount tales from their thirteen snowy seasons as the Tuolumne Winter Rangers. by The Dirtbag Diaries
43 min listen
The Shorts-- The Wilderness Within: Julia Hoer and Josie McKee grapple with life-changing experiences and learn that everything they need is already within them. by The Dirtbag Diaries
34 min listen
The FIFTY: How did Cody Townsend decide to attempt to ski the 50 classic ski descents of North America, and more importantly, why? by The Dirtbag Diaries
51 min listen
Grand Traverse: In 1997, Pat O’Neill signed up for the very first Grand Traverse, a 40-mile ski race that connects two iconic Colorado mountain towns, 25 years later he reflects on how the race has shaped him. by The Dirtbag Diaries
41 min listen
The Shorts--The Myth of Stars: Lauren DeLaunay Miller fulfills a lifelong dream to see a shooting star and appreciate glittering lights in all their forms. by The Dirtbag Diaries
12 min listen
Right Place, Right Time Rivalry: Armed with facts, waxing poetic prose, and a touch of emotional heat, our staff goes toe to toe to determine which region has the best season. by The Dirtbag Diaries
54 min listen
DBD+ Preview: A Fine Line with Graham Zimmerman: Alpinist and labradoodle devotee Graham Zimmerman joined Fitz for a live Q&A. by The Dirtbag Diaries
8 min listen
Paso a Paso (English): Arlene Gonzalez’s love for running inspired her to create a space for Latinas to find community in the outdoors. by The Dirtbag Diaries
34 min listen
Paso a Paso (Español): El amor por el correr inspiró a Arlene Gonzalez a crear espacio y comunidad para las Latinas en el deporte. by The Dirtbag Diaries
36 min listen
Tales of Terror Vol. 14: In our annual Tales of Terror episode, we’ve got dark caves, unsettling landscapes, and unexplainable figures in the night. Mua ha ha. by The Dirtbag Diaries
35 min listen
The Shorts--Seeking Caribou: During a summer in the Arctic searching for caribou, Tim Irvin found a harsh landscape full of struggle– and immense beauty. by The Dirtbag Diaries
28 min listen
Diaries+ Preview: Right Place, Right Time Rivalry: What region has the best season? by The Dirtbag Diaries
8 min listen
Endangered Spaces--Castner Range: Gabaccia Moreno talks with some of the people who helped The Castner Range become a national monument. by The Dirtbag Diaries
34 min listen
Diaries+ Preview: Yes To Never: A Campfire Chat about the silly things we've done and that we would never do again. by The Dirtbag Diaries
5 min listen
The Shorts -- Walking Tall: Lance Garland and Eileen Hall embrace who they are at sea and on the trail. by The Dirtbag Diaries
27 min listen
Mayor of Eldo: When Aubrey Runyon faced a big challenge of visiting her childhood home as an adult, she leaned on Eldorado Canyon for strength by way of a big goal– to reach 10,000 pitches in the park. by The Dirtbag Diaries
36 min listen
Diaries+ Preview: Ask Me Anything: You ask, we answer with anecdotes, stories and advice. by The Dirtbag Diaries
2 min listen
The Shorts -- Suddenly Solo: Laura Buchan heads out on a 1500-mile bikepacking trip along the West Coast after her partner bails last minute and learns that she has everything she needs within her. by The Dirtbag Diaries
14 min listen
Diaries+ Preview: Will To Wild with Shelby Stanger: Shelby stopped by to talk about the leaps she's made in her own life and her motivations for writing her new book, Will to Wild. by The Dirtbag Diaries
9 min listen
Endangered Spaces: Eastern Sierra: Emily Markstein uses a 200-mile bike tour to reconnect with the landscape of the Eastern Sierra before three potential gold mining projects begin. by The Dirtbag Diaries
41 min listen
Diaries+Preview: Forbidden Ring: A wild hunt for a lost wedding ring and our first AMA. by The Dirtbag Diaries
9 min listen
The Shorts—One Paddle At A Time: Jayme Vance’s packrafting honeymoon in Alaska marks a turning point as she welcomes her marriage and prepares to say goodbye to her father. by The Dirtbag Diaries
17 min listen
Diaries+ Preview: Bonk! Listener Edition: Stories from listeners who miscalculated just how many calories they needed to get through the day. by The Dirtbag Diaries
3 min listen
Take The Wheel: On a whirlwind 5000-mile roadtrip, Drew and Sarah create the life they want to live and forge a path for others who haven’t seen themselves represented in the outdoors. by The Dirtbag Diaries
27 min listen

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The Human Mule

The Human Mule

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from The Dirtbag Diaries

Related podcast episodes