The Dirtbag Diaries
Episodes
The Shorts– Joy is Resistance
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Kla...
Nate George: Ground Up
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Myth of Tehipite
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ha...
Kathy Karlo: No Man's Land
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
The Shorts– Winter Dreaming
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Biting cold, freshly fallen snow, frozen lakes– what could be better? Brooke Maushund and Carrick Gambell take us through the joys of winter from th...
Good Good Bad: Taipei 101
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Justin Krompier: Just Passin' Through
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 wi...
Good Good Bad: Golden Gravel Trail
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In August of 2025, professional adventure cyclist Sarah Swallow spent over a month bikepacking from the Pacific Ocean to the Eastern slopes of the ...
Running 50 Classics
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 trav...
Field Trip
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a high school teacher in Santa Maria, CA, Taylor Mihelic understands the power of a field trip. Whether it’s plant identification hikes throug...
The Governor vs Climate Change
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Shorts– Almost Wild
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Loss can create an emotional cocktail when something or someone is unceremoniously ripped from our life. Amie Renaud and Joanna Henry invite us along ...
Good Good Bad: Swimming Lake Powell
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Shorts – A Frames & Vans
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
A Snowball's Chance Part 2
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
A Snowball's Chance Part 1
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
Tales of Terror Vol. 16
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 be...
Good Good Bad: Kílian Jornet
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some people look at ranges and imagine lines. Kílian Jornet looks at continents. Last week, Kílian completed a truly incredible adventure that was h...
The Shorts – Family Ties
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The bonds we forge during mountain adventures and shared experiences, especially with family, can profoundly shape us. Explorer and author Mark Jenkin...
Magic River
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Mississippi River. The Big Muddy. The Great River. When musician JW Francis left the river’s source in northern Minnesota and started heading f...
Good Good Bad: White Mountain Direttissima
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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-athlet...
The Shorts-- The Clearing
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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....
Seeing You Through
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up as identical twins in England, Poppy and Thea Wardley were practically attached at the hip. Their lives finally diverged when Poppy enro...
Endangered Spaces: The Ranger
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Three Wheelin'
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
How To Do What You Love
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
The Shorts -- Meet Marge and Mansfield
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Green Pit Of Death
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To escape record breaking crowds in Zion National Park, Marco Siler-Gonzales decides to take his girlfriend, Lena Ohlson, on an unmarked and seldom hi...
Good Good Bad: Emily Ford and the Iditarod
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In March of 2025, Emily Ford lined up at the starting line of one of the world’s most difficult races – The Iditarod. To race this iconic event ha...
The Shorts-- On The Other Side
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Finding out what we’re capable of takes trial and error and a whole lot of trust. For Meg Morris and Emmye Vernet, they each had a guide who helped ...
Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the fall of 2015, photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko embarked on a journey to rally support to protect one of our most awe-inspirin...
Rob Pope: Superhuman
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1994, Forrest Gump took the box-office by storm and became a staple of cable TV reruns in the following decades. Its feel good message about a simp...
Mr. H's Pivot
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mild-mannered, elementary school teacher Jason Hardrath may be a superhero. After competing in college as a cross country athlete, he turned to triath...
See You Next Week
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last few years, students at Utah State University built a weekly ritual at their school gym to grow the climbing community on campus. When Ut...
Good Good Bad: Bike To Board
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shifting paradigms is hard work, but sometimes it can be a whole heap of Type II Fun as well. In 2019, Stratton Matteson sought to find out if he coul...
The Shorts– Arise
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to run an ultramarathon? Or top out a boulder that makes you stretch what you think you're capable of? Tenacity. From our seat, we s...
Running Past History
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just 10 years ago, the director of the Barkley Marathons declared that the race was too tough for any woman to complete it. Meanwhile, Jasmin Paris, a...
Back To The Boundary Waters
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Erik Grams has been taking trips to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota for over 30 years. It's his favorite place in the world. But last year, a fatal a...
Mountain Reinvention
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After his personal life takes a surprise turn, Luis Alonzo dares to reinvent himself by trying something far outside his comfort zone– climbing Mt. ...
The Shorts— Without You
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Loss. Grief. Healing. It’s part of being human. The emotions that almost tear us apart have the power to bring us together. Today, we bring you two ...
Good, Good, Bad: The Never Ender
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It started so harmlessly. Four years ago, professional skier Brody Leven embarked on a simple challenge – exercise outdoors everyday. In a complicat...
The Diagnosis
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Martin and his fiancé, Hannah, were just starting out on their shared life, when a breast cancer diagnosis rewrote the script they’d imagined ...
Growing Home
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Raised in the hollers of West Virginia, coal ran deep in Corey Lilly’s family, but it was the local ski hill with 600 feet of vertical that sparked ...
Good, Good, Bad: Baja Cape Loop
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Good Good Bad, our series kickstarted by our Diaries+ Members. Every adventure has its good parts, even better bits and its difficult momen...
Local: Alastair Humphreys
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate a new year and new ideas, we bring you a conversation with Alastair Humphreys, adventurer, writer, and connoisseur of the microadventure....
The Shorts— In Focus
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the year comes to a close, two beautiful stories about stepping back, reflecting and moving forward from Phil Herbert and N.S. David. “I had one ...
Live From Duluth
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In late October, Fitz headed to Duluth, MN for a live Dirtbag Diaries in front of a packed house. Joined by professional skier and Lakota activist Con...
Bridging Oceans
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2020, partners Niki Choo and Jared Gentz started dreaming of an epic canoeing adventure. Two years later, they started paddling on the Pacific Ocea...
The Shorts— Holding On By Letting Go
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“I didn’t expect to get to the top, let alone send. I merely wanted to push the limits of what I believed was capable for myself,” writes Shara ...
Tales of Terror Vol. 15
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our annual Tales of Terror, we bring you three terrifying tales. Disembodied voices. Eyes in the alder. An enchanted clearing in the forest. Grab a...
Endangered Spaces: Cochamó, Chile
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tucked away in a corner of Chilean Patagonia, Valle Cochamó wasn’t going to stay hidden forever. The soaring unclimbed granite walls instilled drea...
Winter Vacation
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While most people curled up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa, Emily Ford set out in the frigid winter to thru-hike Wisconsin’s 1200 mile Ice Age...
Pattie Gonia: Naturally Iconic
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wyn Wiley, often better known as Pattie Gonia, went out on a backpacking trip with an inkling of an idea and emerged walking a path. Today, Pattie Gon...
How To Make Your Vote Count
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Graham Zimmerman knows how to make decisions under pressure. As a professional mountain athlete, his life depends on it. Nearly a decade ago, Protect ...
Mr Hodges
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the most powerful learning can happen outside the classroom. In the summer of 1975, public school teacher Mr. Hodges took 22 of his students o...
Testing The Waters
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Luke, Job, and Jonah have been best friends since childhood, and with the end of high school looming, they set out on their biggest adventure yet. Dur...
Meet Your Heroes
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Donini has been a climber for over 50 years– since well before Tad McCrea was born. As the two developed an unlikely intergenerational friendshi...
The Shorts— Lookin' For Love
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Love is a journey full of twists and turns. RC Shaw and Scott Johnson each found this out on their romps in the wild. Both barely made it, and their s...
The Underdog
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the last few years, Alexandera Houchin has become a force in the world of ultra endurance mountain bike racing. As a Native kid growing up in Wisco...
The Shorts— Going The Distance
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When their lives felt out of their control, both Cindy Hong and Dierdre Wolownick turned to running for solace. Each of their stories is a reminder of...
Heed The Call
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two people step outside their comfort zones to take action on the things that matter to them in the hopes of making their communities, and the world, ...
Outside/In: 'Til The Landslide Brings It Down
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're sharing an episode from our friends at Outside/In. Their team of reporters combine solid reporting and long-form narrative storytelling that sit...
Beth Rodden: A Light Through The Cracks
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Beth Rodden first started climbing in 1995, and it wasn’t long before she radically changed the sport. Within three years, she’d become the first ...
States of Adventure book Pre-order
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We made a book! For the last year, Fitz and Becca have been working on adapting 30 episodes into essays and pairing them with incredible imagery. And ...
Live From 5Point Vol. 10
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thirteen years ago Fitz got talked into doing our first live Dirtbag Diaries at 5Point Film Festival. So, we were thrilled to to return again for the ...
The Shorts— Everybody Loves Lyle
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“With no roads to this wave, we had hiked in a dozen or so miles along the beach from the nearest town as a huge swell raged next to us,” writes T...
Querencia (Español)
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Creciendo en Michigan, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada no creía que el esquí era cosa de ella, y no fue hasta que se mudo a Wyoming que descubrió la ale...
Homecoming (English)
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up undocumented in Michigan, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada didn't think skiing was for her, and it wasn't until she moved to Wyoming that she fou...
The Only Way Out Is Through
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Natalie Brechtel joined the U.S. Antarctic Program at the South Pole for a supposed dream gig, but instead it was the start of a year marked by harass...
The Shorts-- Chasing A Vision
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At different points in their lives, both Brice Ruiz and Ashley Lose found themselves at a crossroads. Brice wanted to run his first ultramarathon, but...
Race Day
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Winter Rangers
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 lov...
The Shorts-- The Wilderness Within
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Both Julia Hoer and Josie McKee suffered traumatic experiences that forced them to reckon with their identities and priorities. But through time in th...
The FIFTY
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 Descent...
Grand Traverse
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, frostbi...
The Shorts--The Myth of Stars
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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....
Right Place, Right Time Rivalry
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 wi...
DBD+ Preview: A Fine Line with Graham Zimmerman
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alpinist and labradoodle devotee Graham Zimmerman has poured his heart into climate change activism after witnessing its effects in the world's great ...
Paso a Paso (English)
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Arlene Gonzalez started running eleven years ago, she quickly discovered its ability to mend a broken heart, inspire confidence, and bring people...
Paso a Paso (Español)
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cuando Arlene Gonzalez empezó a correr hace once años, descubrió cómo el deporte puede reparar un corazón roto, inspirar confianza, y crear comun...
Tales of Terror Vol. 14
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our annual Tales of Terror episode, we’ve got dark caves, unsettling landscapes, and unexplainable figures in the night. Mua ha ha. Support comes...
The Shorts--Seeking Caribou
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Diaries+ Preview: Right Place, Right Time Rivalry
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 wi...
Endangered Spaces--Castner Range
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 wor...
Diaries+ Preview: Yes To Never
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Dir...
The Shorts -- Walking Tall
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
Mayor of Eldo
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Diaries+ Preview: Ask Me Anything
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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? Want...
The Shorts -- Suddenly Solo
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 jo...
Diaries+ Preview: Will To Wild with Shelby Stanger
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Talking to people makes Shelby Stanger sparkle. As the host of the podcast, Wild Ideas Worth Living, Shelby dives into her guests motivations for maki...
Endangered Spaces: Eastern Sierra
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
California’s legacy of gold mining goes back generations, but as the world of mining has evolved, so too have our ideas about public lands. Today’...
Diaries+Preview: Forbidden Ring
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer Andrew Burton brings us the story of his wild hunt for a wedding ring he lost while climbing Forbidden Peak. And, we have our first Ask Me An...
The Shorts—One Paddle At A Time
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Jayme Vance and her husband set out on a packrafting honeymoon deep in Denali National Park, her worries about the trip were exacerbated by her f...
Diaries+ Preview: Bonk! Listener Edition
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We put out a call for your best bonk stories, and you answered. Stories from listeners who miscalculated just how many calories they needed to get thr...
Take The Wheel
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Drew and Sarah embark on a once-in-a-lifetime roadtrip across the country to see the places they’ve always dreamed of seeing. In doing so, they pave...
Thin Green Line
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chandra Brown, a veteran river guide, led a five day writers retreat for a group of authors along the U.S Mexico border. While canoeing the Rio Grande...
Diaries+ Preview: Bonk!
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've all been down that odd, potentially hallucinogenic path of calorie miscalculation. A campfire conversation about the moments when we bonked. Go...
The Shorts--In My Heart All Along
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After years of turning to nature for relief from his inner turmoil, Andrew Shults finally reached his breaking point and faced it head-on. This decisi...
Alpine Classroom
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A young man hungry to learn how to recreate in the mountains, and a veteran guide leading the NOLS course in the Waddington Range of British Columbia....
Diaries+ Preview: Beyond The Wall
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How has being an adaptive athlete changed and evolved over the years? Fitz talks with climber Craig DeMartino, a leader not just in the adaptive sport...