Best of Out There
New to Out There? Here are some award-winning episodes that will sweep you into nature and invite you to think big.
You can also listen to the full playlist on Spotify.
Indoor Kid
I thought the only way out of depression was to become a different person
After attending a wilderness therapy program, Sarah Dealy decided she wanted to become a rugged outdoorswoman. But following through wasn’t so simple. On this award-winning episode, Sarah explores what happens when the person you want to be doesn’t mesh with who you are.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify
America’s Best Idea?
I thought I knew what a national park was
National Parks are often referred to as “America’s best idea.” But they have a complicated history — a history of broken promises, displacement of indigenous people, and genocide. This episode, which has won several awards, explores how we could start using national parks to right the wrongs of the past and create a better future.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify
A Series of Unlikely Events
What if a fairytale romance could actually work out?
This award-winning love story about a kayaker and a rock climber will have you smiling from ear to ear. The episode won a silver medal for best independent podcast from the Public Media Journalists Association.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify
The Ultimate Outdoorswoman
How Harriet Tubman could change your perspective on who belongs outdoors
Harriet Tubman was a lot more than a conductor on the Underground Railroad. She was a daughter, wife, entrepreneur — and a talented outdoorswoman. On this episode, we explore Tubman’s relationship with nature, and unpack how that history shapes the way Black Americans engage with the outdoors today.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify
Failure in Success
How doing something you love can make you miserable
This award-winning story is about a 70-mile mountain bike race, about trying to prove yourself, and about learning when to say no.
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In the Name of Fairness
Why some of the best athletes are excluded, just for being themselves
Fairness is a surprisingly complicated concept. On this award-winning episode, we bring you the story of two athletes — a “ghost runner” from the U.K. and a phenom from Uganda — and we explore how rules meant to ensure fairness can end up excluding some of the best athletes from competitions.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify
The Instinct to Kill
What makes a person a hunter?
This story won a gold medal from Public Radio News Directors Inc. in 2017. It’s about one man’s first time hunting, and it explores whether we all have it in us to pull the trigger.
High on Failure
How falling short of your goals can change your life for the better
Winner of a 2016 national award, this story is about one of the toughest trail running races in existence — and about why failure can actually be a good thing.
Outskating Your Demons
How a skateboard trip redefined one woman’s relationship with mental illness
This story, which won an award for mental health reporting, follows a woman on a long-distance skateboard trip — from Maine to New Jersey — after she gets sober. It explores how you figure out who you are, after giving up something that has defined you for years.
Listen on Apple Podcasts / Listen on Spotify
Selfless Acts
What prompts people to be overly generous?
On this award-winning episode, we spend a day with a year-round trail angel and delve into an unexpected source of altruism.
