Chances are at some point you’ve signed up for an organized race or event. Maybe you’ve participated in a local turkey trot or maybe you’ve run Western States. You register, pay the entry fee, train, show up and try hard. Race day can almost feel like magic. This is a story about the people behind the scenes making all that magic happen.

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Race Day

During their twelve winters as winter rangers in Yosemite National Park, Rob and Laura Pilewski have learned a thing or two about what it means to love a place– and a person. 

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The Winter Rangers

Both Julia Hoer and Josie McKee suffered traumatic experiences that forced them to reckon with their identities and priorities. But through time in the mountains, each learned that they had within them everything they needed. 

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The Shorts-- The Wilderness Within

This year to celebrate the new year, Fitz sat down with professional skier Cody Townsend about his goal of skiing all of the Fifty Classic Ski Descents in North America. We might just have to call this episode the Many Years of a Big Audacious Idea.

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The FIFTY

The Grand Traverse is a ski race like no other: skiers begin at midnight and navigate 40 miles through the dark and they often face blizzards, frostbite, and gear failures. The race follows old postal routes through Colorado’s high mountains connecting the iconic ski towns of Crested Butte and Aspen– racers trudge over mountain passes topping out at over 12,000 feet. Needless to say, the event is reserved for hearty and adventurous folks – like Pat O’Neill. Pat is the only person who has participated in the race every year since it began in 1997, and he’s come to realize the race is about more than finishing fast— it’s about the adventure, his ski partners, and the memories. 

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Grand Traverse

As a kid, Lauren DeLaunay Miller desperately wanted to see a shooting star. Years later, in the vastness of the Utah desert, she finally got her wish. 

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The Shorts--The Myth of Stars

A crisp sunny morning with tacky stone. The spring flush of desert sun and good dirt. Long summer days that tangle with night. What’s best?
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. It’s tournament time!

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Right Place, Right Time Rivalry

Alpinist and labradoodle devotee Graham Zimmerman has poured his heart into climate change activism after witnessing its effects in the world's great ranges. His new book, "A Fine Line" reflects on his incredible climbing career. In the sometimes overly macho, deeply risky pursuit of alpine climbing, his book offers a welcomed counterpoint to the narrative we often hear. Fitz sat down with Graham for a live Q&A at The Mountaineers in Seattle earlier this month.

Read A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains
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DBD+ Preview: A Fine Line with Graham Zimmerman

When Arlene Gonzalez started running eleven years ago, she quickly discovered its ability to mend a broken heart, inspire confidence, and bring people together. Today, she finds her passion in uniting a binational community across the U.S.-Mexico border around a shared love of movement.
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Paso a Paso (English)

Cuando Arlene Gonzalez empezó a correr hace once años, descubrió cómo el deporte puede reparar un corazón roto, inspirar confianza, y crear comunidad. Hoy, Arlene encuentra pasión en unir la comunidad binacional entre EE.UU. y México a través de un amor compartido por correr. 

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Paso a Paso (Español)

In our annual Tales of Terror episode, we’ve got dark caves, unsettling landscapes, and unexplainable figures in the night. Mua ha ha.
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Tales of Terror Vol. 14

Fifteen years ago, Tim Irvin went on a solo trip to the Arctic with the hope of seeing the annual caribou migration. Despite mobs of blackflies and an unpleasant encounter with poop, Tim soon found his stride and connected with the natural world in a new way. 

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The Shorts--Seeking Caribou

A crisp sunny morning with tacky stone. The spring flush of desert sun and good dirt. Long summer days that tangle with night. What's best?
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. It's tournament time!

Got a favorite season in a region to share? Call us at 206-705-3006. You just might hear your voice on a future episode.
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Diaries+ Preview: Right Place, Right Time Rivalry

Gabaccia Moreno is our guide to one of our newest National Monuments– The Castner Range in El Paso, Texas. She talks with some of the people who worked over decades to make the designation a reality, gives us a window into the biological and cultural significance of the area, and describes a coalition that can be a model for 21st century conservation.  

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Frontera Land Alliance

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Endangered Spaces--Castner Range

A Campfire Chat about the silly things we've done and that we would never do again. (Well, almost never.)

Got a story you want to share? Call the Dirtbag Hotline at 206- 705-3006
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Diaries+ Preview: Yes To Never

Lance Garland and Eileen Hall grappled with their identities in different ways and at different stages of their lives. In this episode, we hear how they started to how to walk tall and embrace who they are at sea and on the trail. 

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The Shorts -- Walking Tall

When Aubrey Runyon first climbed in Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon State Park, it was for fun. When she returned several years later, Aubrey was needing a place to call home. Over the years, her relationship with Eldo has weaved between recreation and survival, and eventually healing and love. When Aubrey faced a new big challenge, she leaned on Eldo for strength by way of a big goal– to reach 10,000 pitches in the park. 
American Alpine Club’s Climbing Grief Fund

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Mayor of Eldo

You ask, we answer with anecdotes, stories and advice. Today's Q-- If you could be part of any historical expedition, which would it be and why?

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Diaries+ Preview: Ask Me Anything

When Laura Buchan’s cycling partner bails a month before their bikepacking trip along the West Coast, she decides to go anyway. In that 1500-mile journey, she learns that she has everything she needs within her. 

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The Shorts -- Suddenly Solo

Talking to people makes Shelby Stanger sparkle. As the host of the podcast, Wild Ideas Worth Living, Shelby dives into her guests motivations for making and taking the leap to try something unexpected. She stopped by to talk about the leaps she's made in her own life and that she shares in her new book, Will to Wild.

﻿Will To Wild — Shelby Stanger
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