Out Alive from Backpacker

In 1982, Mountain Rescue volunteer Joe Lentini’s life took a profound turn during a daring rescue mission gone wrong. Decades later, the impact of that fateful day continues to echo, not just in Joe’s life, but in lives of everyone involved.

While every SAR unit faces different circumstances based on terrain, weather, and how they work with their local law enforcement, it’s the unseen obstacles like time away from family, paperwork, and the emotional toll that underpin SAR operations across the country. Go behind the scenes with SAR workers to truly understand what it takes to answer the call when we’re in trouble.

In the world of backcountry search and rescue, some environments require proficiency beyond the standard tactics. Yosemite Valley, where rock climbers come to test their mettle against the park’s towering granite walls, is one of those places. For many search and rescue workers, operating in Yosemite is a career-long goal. It’s because the men and women who make up YoSAR are superstars of technical rescues, and for those who require their help, that’s an awfully good thing. And one of those people was Tim Watts.

As one of the busiest and most elite Search and Rescue units in the country, Rocky Mountain Rescue operates amidst the rugged terrain of Colorado’s Front Range and the Rockies. What does it take to join such an exclusive squad? Hear firsthand why these volunteers commit countless hours to saving others.

In this episode of Out Alive Survival Shorts, we discuss the crucial role of signal fires in emergency situations, using a real case story to highlight important dos and don'ts. Former Air Force SERE instructor Jessie Krebs offers expert analysis and practical tips on site selection, fuel choice, smoke color, and other factors critical for survival. Take a few minutes to tell us what you want from Out Alive!

We've written about the Spearhead Traverse before as The Best Worst Ski Trip Ever. But in this story, we explore the challenges of neurological illness in the backcountry. Backpacker Magazine’s former Editor-in-Chief Dennis Lewon, shares his personal journey battling a rare brain disease while backcountry skiing on a glacier in British Columbia. From navigating double vision on a treacherous ski trail to overcoming a neurological condition in the wilderness, this episode is a testament to the power of determination and "there's nothing going slow can't fix". You can see a transcript of this story here.

A climber in the right place at the right time leads a daring rescue of a BASE jumper stranded high on a cliff.

When Charlie Finlayson was just 13 and alone with his dad David deep in the backcountry, his father suffered a horrific injury. But Charlie, despite being forced to make decisions way beyond his age and experience, never doubted that his father could survive and that he could help him. Thanks to unwavering faith, Charlie and David pulled off the impossible.

A pair of hunters wearing camouflage become lost for six days in Alaska. Help is tantalizingly close but just out of reach, as rescuers are unable to see them.

Jeremy Evans takes us through a first-hand account of the catastrophic injuries he sustained after being mauled by a grizzly bear three times while deep in the Canadian backcountry.

When Svati Narula agreed to spend a season as part of a communications team at Mt. Everest basecamp she thought there would be a buffer between hers and the perils of Everest’s high slopes. But she would find there was no safe distance from the worst disaster in Mt. Everest’s history.

Peter Agricola was mountain biking near his home in Norfolk, Massachusetts when he went over the handlebars on a downhill and landed chest-first on a fallen log. As he sat up he saw that he was bleeding profusely, soaking his shirt. He had impaled himself in the chest by a branch.

When a rafter was stung by a scorpion, she assumed she’d be fine. Then she lost her ability to see or speak clearly. It was the beginning of a nightmare that nobody in her group of experienced adventurers saw coming. After all, there aren’t supposed to be deadly scorpions in the United States. But as her condition grew more frightening, they began to believe they had a serious emergency on their hands. In this episode, a collaboration with the Outside podcast, we investigate how a standard backcountry incident turned into a medical and scientific mystery.

Will Toor and Mariella Colvin were on a summer climb in Rocky Mountain National Park. While their outdoor pursuits on a typical day would earn them respect from outdoor enthusiasts half their age, this past July, they had to find out exactly how strong they actually are.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, there are about 10 unprovoked alligator attacks on humans every year. That puts your chances of being attacked by an alligator at one in 3.2 million. It may seem that alligators are easily enough avoided. But if, like Jeffrey Heim, your work is outside on the slow rivers of Florida, encountering an alligator is just another day at the office.

A firsthand account of a free-solo accident in the Sierra Nevada.

For more than two weeks in 2018, the entire world was gripped by nonstop news coverage of the effort to rescue 12 boys and their coach from deep inside Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Northern Thailand where they were trapped by rising flood water. In this special episode of Out Alive, we'll hear in-depth from two of the most influential divers from this unprecedented rescue, and how their pursuit of an unusual and dangerous hobby made them some of the only people anywhere who would have a chance to save the lives of the boys and their coach. This season of Out Alive is brought to you by Stillhouse, the official spirit of adventure. Stillhouse makes award-winning bourbon, vodka, and whiskeys that come in unbreakable 100% stainless steel cans… because the good times go where glass can’t follow. Learn more at stillhouse.com

We've learned a lot since we first started Out Alive, and the lessons have surprised us. Certainly, we've been indoctrinated to always tell someone where we're going and when to expect us, and as editors of Backpacker, we know all about the ten essentials. But the lesson we keep coming back to is that sharing--storytelling--is healing. Dr. Alison Roy is a licensed clinical psychologist and trauma expert--she knows a thing or two about long-term mental recovery from a professional standpoint. But after she and her family encountered a traumatic event while on a hike in January of 2020, they got a whole new perspective on healing. This season of Out Alive is brought to you by Stillhouse, the official spirit of adventure. Stillhouse makes award-winning bourbon, vodka, and whiskeys that come in unbreakable 100% stainless steel cans… because the good times go where glass can’t follow. Learn more at stillhouse.com

To a lone hiker, the woods teem with threats. There are wild animals, of course, and exposure to the elements. There are the looming risks of dehydration, starvation, and the terror that comes with the fall of darkness. But for some, worse than the fear of the woods themselves are the ruthless fabrications of one's own mind, especially in stressful situations. Inner demons can be as powerful as a stroke of lightning or a sudden blizzard. In this story, we explore what happens when the biggest obstacle to survival, and only hope, is oneself.  This season of Out Alive is brought to you by Stillhouse, the official spirit of adventure. Stillhouse makes award-winning bourbon, vodka, and whiskeys that come in unbreakable 100% stainless steel cans… because the good times go where glass can’t follow. Learn more at stillhouse.com

Part 2: In every story we tell on this show, there is an element of the miraculous, someone who defies the odds and lives through a seemingly impossible situation in the wild, but we don't all see miracles the same way. For some, a miracle is falling off a cliff and being lucky enough to get caught by the branches of a welcoming tree. Or, running from a raging forest fire when, just in time, a rainstorm saves the day. But for others, miracles, aren't about luck or random natural occurrences. They are acts of divine providence. For Mary Grimm, coming so close to death in the mountains and making it back was exactly that.  This season of Out Alive is brought to you by Stillhouse, the official spirit of adventure. Stillhouse makes award-winning bourbon, vodka, and whiskeys that come in unbreakable 100% stainless steel cans… because the good times go where glass can’t follow. Learn more at stillhouse.com