https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/life-or-death-survivor-stories--7194395
I focus on the moment ordinary life turns into a fight to stay alive. I tell you how people respond under pressure and what helps them keep going when the outcome is uncertain. My approach keeps the story close to the human experience so you can understand the choices behind survival.

I publish new episodes every day so you can return to another story where endurance is tested in a different way. Each episode gives you a new reason to listen closely to how people adapt when there is little room for error.

Survival is easy to understand after someone makes it through. The harder part is knowing which decision mattered most when nothing was guaranteed, and that is the answer I leave for you to uncover with me.]]>enDocumentary© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1d87885c1f58c2965b5d3d66e51d2ed1.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/life-or-death-survivor-stories--7194395Mon, 05 Oct 2026 23:02:08 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comWhat do you do when survival becomes the only thing that matters? In Life or Death: Survivor Stories, I bring you true accounts of people facing extreme situations where every decision can change what happens next. I focus on the moment ordinary life...
I focus on the moment ordinary life turns into a fight to stay alive. I tell you how people respond under pressure and what helps them keep going when the outcome is uncertain. My approach keeps the story close to the human experience so you can understand the choices behind survival.

I publish new episodes every day so you can return to another story where endurance is tested in a different way. Each episode gives you a new reason to listen closely to how people adapt when there is little room for error.

Survival is easy to understand after someone makes it through. The harder part is knowing which decision mattered most when nothing was guaranteed, and that is the answer I leave for you to uncover with me.]]>falsea8efe306-1599-51f8-b92e-a00609c3fa29episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-rode-past-a-barricade-survived-six-days-off-map--73108010
She rode past an official Larimer County barricade and kept going, sixty-one miles into a ninety-four-mile solo ride-then vanished into terrain that ran seventeen degrees off the route she knew. A cracked orange-and-white county road sawhorse turned up eight-tenths of a mile from the nearest road and became the only clue that pointed searchers into eleven miles of open country-how did she survive six days with no road, no signal, and nearly empty water supplies?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to disappearance and the clues that narrowed the search, following the evidence that led rescuers to look where no one expected; what choices and gear kept her alive and what finally revealed her location?

Person: Jessica McCarthy
Date: August 15, 2017
Location: Tecolote Pass / upper Cobbler Creek drainage, Larimer County, Colorado
Age: 62
Equipment: Specialized Tarmac, Garmin Edge, two 700 ml water bottles, space blanket, Clif bars

- Departure time from Fort Tipton: approximately 6:00 AM on August 15, 2017.
- Barricade encountered: posted August 14, marked Larimer County Public Works, passed at ~9:45 AM.
- Summit recorded on Garmin Edge: crossed Tecolote summit at 10:17 AM.
- Distance followed wrong drainage: approximately six miles before realizing the route was incorrect.
- Sawhorse discovery: cracked orange-and-white county road sawhorse found 0.8 miles from nearest road on the wrong side of a ridgeline.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108010Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Rode Past a Barricade - Survived Six Days Off-Map She rode past an official Larimer County barricade and kept going, sixty-one miles into a ninety-four-mile solo ride-then vanished into terrain that ran seventeen degrees off the route she knew....
She rode past an official Larimer County barricade and kept going, sixty-one miles into a ninety-four-mile solo ride-then vanished into terrain that ran seventeen degrees off the route she knew. A cracked orange-and-white county road sawhorse turned up eight-tenths of a mile from the nearest road and became the only clue that pointed searchers into eleven miles of open country-how did she survive six days with no road, no signal, and nearly empty water supplies?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to disappearance and the clues that narrowed the search, following the evidence that led rescuers to look where no one expected; what choices and gear kept her alive and what finally revealed her location?

Person: Jessica McCarthy
Date: August 15, 2017
Location: Tecolote Pass / upper Cobbler Creek drainage, Larimer County, Colorado
Age: 62
Equipment: Specialized Tarmac, Garmin Edge, two 700 ml water bottles, space blanket, Clif bars

- Departure time from Fort Tipton: approximately 6:00 AM on August 15, 2017.
- Barricade encountered: posted August 14, marked Larimer County Public Works, passed at ~9:45 AM.
- Summit recorded on Garmin Edge: crossed Tecolote summit at 10:17 AM.
- Distance followed wrong drainage: approximately six miles before realizing the route was incorrect.
- Sawhorse discovery: cracked orange-and-white county road sawhorse found 0.8 miles from nearest road on the wrong side of a ridgeline.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1153falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-off-the-ice-one-boot-one-warm-engine-fifty-five-minutes--73108009
Cold, precise survival: a woman sat for fifty‑five minutes on a sinking, still‑running snowmobile whose exhaust kept her alive, then walked off the lake on one barefoot and one improvised child's rubber boot - how did she time and use the engine heat to survive, and why did a single padlock become the only signal that saved her?

In this episode, we tell how Karen moved from a routine run across familiar ice to a near‑fatal slow rescue, how she used the snowmobile's heat and improvised tools to survive, and how the broken padlock and lost boot became crucial pieces of evidence that changed the story.

Person: Karen
Duration on machine: fifty‑five minutes
Air temperature: eleven degrees Fahrenheit
Time since boot found underwater: six months
Weight of survivor: 135 pounds

- The lost boot sat upright on the lake bottom with a wool sock still inside after six months.
- The snowmobile engine ran while the machine settled at an angle with the exhaust pipe clearing the surface by a few inches.
- Karen timed the exhaust and used engine heat as a buffer to survive for fifty‑five minutes.
- One boot slipped off unnoticed; she later cut a child's rubber rain boot to fit and walked off the ice.
- She broke a padlock with four strikes of a rock and left it in the middle of the road as a signal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108009Mon, 05 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Off the Ice-One Boot, One Warm Engine, Fifty‑Five Minutes Cold, precise survival: a woman sat for fifty‑five minutes on a sinking, still‑running snowmobile whose exhaust kept her alive, then walked off the lake on one barefoot and one...
Cold, precise survival: a woman sat for fifty‑five minutes on a sinking, still‑running snowmobile whose exhaust kept her alive, then walked off the lake on one barefoot and one improvised child's rubber boot - how did she time and use the engine heat to survive, and why did a single padlock become the only signal that saved her?

In this episode, we tell how Karen moved from a routine run across familiar ice to a near‑fatal slow rescue, how she used the snowmobile's heat and improvised tools to survive, and how the broken padlock and lost boot became crucial pieces of evidence that changed the story.

Person: Karen
Duration on machine: fifty‑five minutes
Air temperature: eleven degrees Fahrenheit
Time since boot found underwater: six months
Weight of survivor: 135 pounds

- The lost boot sat upright on the lake bottom with a wool sock still inside after six months.
- The snowmobile engine ran while the machine settled at an angle with the exhaust pipe clearing the surface by a few inches.
- Karen timed the exhaust and used engine heat as a buffer to survive for fifty‑five minutes.
- One boot slipped off unnoticed; she later cut a child's rubber rain boot to fit and walked off the ice.
- She broke a padlock with four strikes of a rock and left it in the middle of the road as a signal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>820falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-missed-one-footnote-trapped-on-the-flats-as-the-tide-turned--73108007
A rising tide, bone-dry lens cap, and one tiny footnote turned a routine sunrise shoot into a fight for dry ground: a coastal channel floods about forty minutes earlier than the main flat, fog drops visibility under ten meters, and an experienced photographer with a compass finds herself mispositioned-how did she get so wrong so fast?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that left Sandra Fisher stranded on Kellerton Flats despite her training and preparation, and trace the single overlooked line in the tide tables that changed everything; could a small line of small print really decide whether she reached the dune line or the sea?

Person: Sandra Fisher
Age: 47
Location: Kellerton Flats / Pelican Spit
Date: June 21, 2019
Item: Brass lens cap used as map weight

- Sandra checked the tide tables the night before and planned to be on the flat before low tide at 5:53 a.m.
- The southern secondary channel floods about forty minutes earlier than the main flat, according to a footnote on the Kellerton County tide chart.
- Fog rolled in from the southwest at 6:22 a.m., reducing visibility to under ten meters in less than five minutes.
- Sandra walked for twenty minutes with a compass steady in her hand before putting her left foot into rising water at the secondary channel.
- She left her phone in her pocket and had no signal on the flat because the dunes block cell coverage from the east.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108007Sun, 04 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Missed One Footnote - Trapped on the Flats as the Tide Turned A rising tide, bone-dry lens cap, and one tiny footnote turned a routine sunrise shoot into a fight for dry ground: a coastal channel floods about forty minutes earlier than the main...
A rising tide, bone-dry lens cap, and one tiny footnote turned a routine sunrise shoot into a fight for dry ground: a coastal channel floods about forty minutes earlier than the main flat, fog drops visibility under ten meters, and an experienced photographer with a compass finds herself mispositioned-how did she get so wrong so fast?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that left Sandra Fisher stranded on Kellerton Flats despite her training and preparation, and trace the single overlooked line in the tide tables that changed everything; could a small line of small print really decide whether she reached the dune line or the sea?

Person: Sandra Fisher
Age: 47
Location: Kellerton Flats / Pelican Spit
Date: June 21, 2019
Item: Brass lens cap used as map weight

- Sandra checked the tide tables the night before and planned to be on the flat before low tide at 5:53 a.m.
- The southern secondary channel floods about forty minutes earlier than the main flat, according to a footnote on the Kellerton County tide chart.
- Fog rolled in from the southwest at 6:22 a.m., reducing visibility to under ten meters in less than five minutes.
- Sandra walked for twenty minutes with a compass steady in her hand before putting her left foot into rising water at the secondary channel.
- She left her phone in her pocket and had no signal on the flat because the dunes block cell coverage from the east.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>978falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/alone-with-a-broken-leg-72-hours-to-survive-widow-cairn--73108006
Cold terror and quiet competence collide at twelve thousand four hundred feet: a solo climber broke her fibula, survived a night in low teens without a tent, and walked out two days later - but why did she leave her boots standing at the trailhead? Discover the split-second choices and precise preparations that turned a near-death into a rescue question.

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the trailhead register to the rock overhang and the three days that followed, tracing every documented decision and outcome to understand how survival unfolded and what it teaches about planning under pressure.

Person: Sherry Fitzgerald
Date: May 9, 2019
Location: Widow Cairn, Crestwall Range
Elevation: 12,400 feet
Status: Rescued after 72 hours

- She was 32 years old at the time of the incident.
- She summited Widow Cairn at 11:40 AM on May 7 and ate half a peanut butter sandwich.
- The storm she judged two to three hours out arrived in ninety minutes.
- Her gear included a 15-degree sleeping bag, two energy bars, a wind-resistant lighter, an emergency space blanket, elastic bandage, athletic tape, trekking poles, and a small first-aid kit.
- She reached a rock overhang by 9:00 PM with nighttime temperatures dropping toward the low teens Fahrenheit.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108006Sat, 03 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaAlone with a Broken Leg: 72 Hours to Survive Widow Cairn Cold terror and quiet competence collide at twelve thousand four hundred feet: a solo climber broke her fibula, survived a night in low teens without a tent, and walked out two days later -...
Cold terror and quiet competence collide at twelve thousand four hundred feet: a solo climber broke her fibula, survived a night in low teens without a tent, and walked out two days later - but why did she leave her boots standing at the trailhead? Discover the split-second choices and precise preparations that turned a near-death into a rescue question.

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the trailhead register to the rock overhang and the three days that followed, tracing every documented decision and outcome to understand how survival unfolded and what it teaches about planning under pressure.

Person: Sherry Fitzgerald
Date: May 9, 2019
Location: Widow Cairn, Crestwall Range
Elevation: 12,400 feet
Status: Rescued after 72 hours

- She was 32 years old at the time of the incident.
- She summited Widow Cairn at 11:40 AM on May 7 and ate half a peanut butter sandwich.
- The storm she judged two to three hours out arrived in ninety minutes.
- Her gear included a 15-degree sleeping bag, two energy bars, a wind-resistant lighter, an emergency space blanket, elastic bandage, athletic tape, trekking poles, and a small first-aid kit.
- She reached a rock overhang by 9:00 PM with nighttime temperatures dropping toward the low teens Fahrenheit.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>938falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/alone-cold-and-tethered-how-one-lighter-outsmarted-the-river--73108004
Cold and alone on a rising river, a single Bic lighter and thirty-two feet of parachute cord turned into the thin margin between staying awake and being claimed by hypothermia - but how did a laminated map found by a dog become the starting point for a frantic search? What exactly did a man who had paddled the Sable River twice do to survive when his dry bag vanished downstream?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning Biscuit the dog found a map at seven forty-one on April 14, 2009, to the decisions Michael Dempsey made after capsizing at the Elbow on April 11; we describe his improvised survival techniques and the route he chose as the river rose - and ask whether those choices saved his life.

Person: Michael Dempsey
Date: April 11-14, 2009
Location: Sable River, Southern Oregon
Event: Canoe capsize at the Elbow and subsequent survival walk upstream
Item found: Laminated topographic map with "M. DEMPSEY" in the margin

- The map was found by a dog at 7:41 AM on April 14, 2009, wedged in a fir root mass at the river's edge.
- Dempsey capsized at the Elbow in water measuring 46 degrees Fahrenheit and was under for four seconds.
- His dry bag with compass, satellite messenger, redundant fire kit, and map was lost downstream; his remaining gear included a Bic lighter and 32 feet of parachute cord.
- He built fires under a rock overhang and threaded the parachute cord through his life jacket loops, tying one end to his wrist and anchoring the other to wake him if his arm fell.
- Dempsey walked roughly seven miles upstream on the first day toward Kessler Bridge, using stones arranged in arrow shapes beside campfires.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108004Fri, 02 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaAlone, Cold, and Tethered: How One Lighter Outsmarted the River Cold and alone on a rising river, a single Bic lighter and thirty-two feet of parachute cord turned into the thin margin between staying awake and being claimed by hypothermia - but...
Cold and alone on a rising river, a single Bic lighter and thirty-two feet of parachute cord turned into the thin margin between staying awake and being claimed by hypothermia - but how did a laminated map found by a dog become the starting point for a frantic search? What exactly did a man who had paddled the Sable River twice do to survive when his dry bag vanished downstream?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning Biscuit the dog found a map at seven forty-one on April 14, 2009, to the decisions Michael Dempsey made after capsizing at the Elbow on April 11; we describe his improvised survival techniques and the route he chose as the river rose - and ask whether those choices saved his life.

Person: Michael Dempsey
Date: April 11-14, 2009
Location: Sable River, Southern Oregon
Event: Canoe capsize at the Elbow and subsequent survival walk upstream
Item found: Laminated topographic map with "M. DEMPSEY" in the margin

- The map was found by a dog at 7:41 AM on April 14, 2009, wedged in a fir root mass at the river's edge.
- Dempsey capsized at the Elbow in water measuring 46 degrees Fahrenheit and was under for four seconds.
- His dry bag with compass, satellite messenger, redundant fire kit, and map was lost downstream; his remaining gear included a Bic lighter and 32 feet of parachute cord.
- He built fires under a rock overhang and threaded the parachute cord through his life jacket loops, tying one end to his wrist and anchoring the other to wake him if his arm fell.
- Dempsey walked roughly seven miles upstream on the first day toward Kessler Bridge, using stones arranged in arrow shapes beside campfires.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1018falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-alive-in-62-feet-of-grain-how-he-stayed-calm--73108002
Fear of being swallowed alive - and surviving it - hits the gut: a man buried to his chest under 62 feet of compacted sorghum kept a half-bottle of water, a cracked pair of ribs, and a plan that let him live through 37 hours and 40 minutes underground. A pair of gloves with "G. HENDERSON" washed up in a ditch more than an hour before anyone reported him missing - how did that clue sit unused while he stayed alive inside a silo?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events at the Kellerman agricultural complex and trace the decisions, missed signals, and procedures that mattered after Gregory Henderson disappeared from radio contact. What exactly happened in the ninety seconds after an auger test fractured the compaction crust, and why did routine assumptions nearly bury the truth?

Person: Gregory Henderson
Date: March 5, 2017 (incident began March 4 afternoon; discovered timeline spans into March 5)
Location: Silo four, Kellerman agricultural complex, Harmon Flats, Kansas
Status: Buried to the chest in grain sorghum; survived 37 hours and 40 minutes
Event: Auger low-speed test fractured compaction crust; grain rose in pulses over ~90 seconds

- Gregory was 44 years old and had 19 years' experience commissioning grain-handling systems.
- He was buried to the chest inside 62 feet (silo roof hatch height) of compacted sorghum and remained underground for 37 hours and 40 minutes.
- He left a routine 6:30 p.m. check-in call with Susan Petty every evening; the missed call on March 4 signaled something was wrong.
- An inspection port, four inches wide and at chest height about 18 inches from his face, remained unbolted during the alignment check.
- A woman found insulated leather work gloves marked "G. HENDERSON" in an irrigation ditch at 6:30 a.m. March 5 and deposited them at the Kellerman office around 8:00 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108002Thu, 01 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Alive in 62 Feet of Grain: How He Stayed Calm Fear of being swallowed alive - and surviving it - hits the gut: a man buried to his chest under 62 feet of compacted sorghum kept a half-bottle of water, a cracked pair of ribs, and a plan that...
Fear of being swallowed alive - and surviving it - hits the gut: a man buried to his chest under 62 feet of compacted sorghum kept a half-bottle of water, a cracked pair of ribs, and a plan that let him live through 37 hours and 40 minutes underground. A pair of gloves with "G. HENDERSON" washed up in a ditch more than an hour before anyone reported him missing - how did that clue sit unused while he stayed alive inside a silo?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events at the Kellerman agricultural complex and trace the decisions, missed signals, and procedures that mattered after Gregory Henderson disappeared from radio contact. What exactly happened in the ninety seconds after an auger test fractured the compaction crust, and why did routine assumptions nearly bury the truth?

Person: Gregory Henderson
Date: March 5, 2017 (incident began March 4 afternoon; discovered timeline spans into March 5)
Location: Silo four, Kellerman agricultural complex, Harmon Flats, Kansas
Status: Buried to the chest in grain sorghum; survived 37 hours and 40 minutes
Event: Auger low-speed test fractured compaction crust; grain rose in pulses over ~90 seconds

- Gregory was 44 years old and had 19 years' experience commissioning grain-handling systems.
- He was buried to the chest inside 62 feet (silo roof hatch height) of compacted sorghum and remained underground for 37 hours and 40 minutes.
- He left a routine 6:30 p.m. check-in call with Susan Petty every evening; the missed call on March 4 signaled something was wrong.
- An inspection port, four inches wide and at chest height about 18 inches from his face, remained unbolted during the alignment check.
- A woman found insulated leather work gloves marked "G. HENDERSON" in an irrigation ditch at 6:30 a.m. March 5 and deposited them at the Kellerman office around 8:00 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1056falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-should-ve-died-how-lisa-survived-48-hours-on-wither-flat--73108001
Cold, isolated, and still alive against every expectation: a thermos three-quarters full sat untouched in -14°F for 48 hours while a seasoned paraglider with broken ribs waited nearby. How did Lisa Ford survive two days on Wither Flat with a 17% phone battery and no radio?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Lisa's launch on February 9, 2019 through the wing collapse, her decision to conserve battery, and the search that went to the wrong place for 19 hours. What single choice in the first minutes after impact changed everything?

Person: Lisa Ford
Date: February 9, 2019
Location: Wither Flat / Roaring Fork Valley
Age: 28
Status: Survived after 48 hours

- Temperature at scene: -14 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
- Thermos state: three-quarters full and untouched for 48 hours, sitting on a rock tilted at 30 degrees.
- Launch altitude at collapse: 12,000 feet above the valley floor; wing collapsed at 11:45 AM.
- Injuries: two broken ribs on her left side from impact at 11:52 AM.
- Phone battery: 17% when she landed; left a voicemail at 12:08 PM, then turned phone off; later recorded as 13%.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108001Wed, 30 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Should've Died: How Lisa Survived 48 Hours on Wither Flat Cold, isolated, and still alive against every expectation: a thermos three-quarters full sat untouched in -14°F for 48 hours while a seasoned paraglider with broken ribs waited nearby....
Cold, isolated, and still alive against every expectation: a thermos three-quarters full sat untouched in -14°F for 48 hours while a seasoned paraglider with broken ribs waited nearby. How did Lisa Ford survive two days on Wither Flat with a 17% phone battery and no radio?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Lisa's launch on February 9, 2019 through the wing collapse, her decision to conserve battery, and the search that went to the wrong place for 19 hours. What single choice in the first minutes after impact changed everything?

Person: Lisa Ford
Date: February 9, 2019
Location: Wither Flat / Roaring Fork Valley
Age: 28
Status: Survived after 48 hours

- Temperature at scene: -14 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
- Thermos state: three-quarters full and untouched for 48 hours, sitting on a rock tilted at 30 degrees.
- Launch altitude at collapse: 12,000 feet above the valley floor; wing collapsed at 11:45 AM.
- Injuries: two broken ribs on her left side from impact at 11:52 AM.
- Phone battery: 17% when she landed; left a voicemail at 12:08 PM, then turned phone off; later recorded as 13%.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1042falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-threaded-her-knife-through-iron-and-walked-three-miles-alive--73108000
Cold, alone, and running out of breath, a fifty-four-year-old freediver swam 80 meters in eleven minutes and later threaded a dive knife bar by bar through a corroded iron grate three miles from the coast - but why did she keep moving when her body was already failing? Discover how a late-start freediver with professional knowledge of human physiology turned methodical choices into a nineteen-hour survival sequence that still leaves one exact question: how did she navigate the three-mile gap with a dead GPS?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a January eighth freedive off Cordova Landing to the moment a man found a knife in a parking lot the next morning, tracing equipment failures, environmental conditions, and the diver’s decisions that shaped every stage of her survival. What choices and training carried her through when instruments and luck failed?

Person: Debra West
Age: 54
Location: Cordova Landing / Texas Gulf Coast
Date: January 8-9
Event: Freediving disappearance and nineteen-hour survival sequence

- She launched at 7:45 AM and paddled four miles to the dive site in just under 90 minutes.
- She made two dives to 25 meters or shallower, then followed a ray and descended to 38-40 meters on a single breath.
- The float line marking her kayak was cut by a passing boat; her kayak drifted 80 meters away while she was at the surface.
- She swam 80 meters in eleven minutes to reach the kayak, then paddled northwest toward shore until the GPS battery died at the waterline on Rattlesnake Flat.
- At 6:40 AM on January 9, Keith Hall found a dive knife threaded through a corroded iron drain grate three miles from the nearest coastline.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73108000Tue, 29 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Threaded Her Knife Through Iron and Walked Three Miles Alive Cold, alone, and running out of breath, a fifty-four-year-old freediver swam 80 meters in eleven minutes and later threaded a dive knife bar by bar through a corroded iron grate three...
Cold, alone, and running out of breath, a fifty-four-year-old freediver swam 80 meters in eleven minutes and later threaded a dive knife bar by bar through a corroded iron grate three miles from the coast - but why did she keep moving when her body was already failing? Discover how a late-start freediver with professional knowledge of human physiology turned methodical choices into a nineteen-hour survival sequence that still leaves one exact question: how did she navigate the three-mile gap with a dead GPS?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a January eighth freedive off Cordova Landing to the moment a man found a knife in a parking lot the next morning, tracing equipment failures, environmental conditions, and the diver’s decisions that shaped every stage of her survival. What choices and training carried her through when instruments and luck failed?

Person: Debra West
Age: 54
Location: Cordova Landing / Texas Gulf Coast
Date: January 8-9
Event: Freediving disappearance and nineteen-hour survival sequence

- She launched at 7:45 AM and paddled four miles to the dive site in just under 90 minutes.
- She made two dives to 25 meters or shallower, then followed a ray and descended to 38-40 meters on a single breath.
- The float line marking her kayak was cut by a passing boat; her kayak drifted 80 meters away while she was at the surface.
- She swam 80 meters in eleven minutes to reach the kayak, then paddled northwest toward shore until the GPS battery died at the waterline on Rattlesnake Flat.
- At 6:40 AM on January 9, Keith Hall found a dive knife threaded through a corroded iron drain grate three miles from the nearest coastline.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1024falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-fell-through-ice-at-31-f-built-a-bark-coat-to-survive--73107999
Cold so extreme it steals fingers in minutes: Crystal Parker fell through thin creek ice, spent up to fifty hours alive in sub‑31°F temperatures, and fashioned a coat from tree bark with numb hands and her teeth-how did she turn forest debris into a life‑saving shelter?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Crystal’s training run to the moment Frances Simmons found her in a bark coat, and we detail the steps she took to survive those fifty hours in freezing temperatures and wind‑broken birch stands-what exactly did she build and how long did each action buy her?

Person: Crystal Parker
Age: 22
Date: December 7-9
Location: Linden Creek area, Portsmith, Minnesota
Finder: Frances Simmons

- Crystal fell through creek ice at approximately 7:51 a.m, on December 7, about 80 meters upstream of a footbridge.
- She had been missing for roughly fifty hours before Frances found her at 9:44 a.m, on December 9.
- Temperatures dropped below -31°F and windchill reached below -40 during her exposure.
- Investigators documented branches broken between one and two meters high about 60 meters from the creek bank.
- Crystal carried two water bottles and a space blanket in her pack and had been soaking wet from chest to boot after exiting the creek.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107999Mon, 28 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Fell Through Ice at -31°F - Built a Bark Coat to Survive Cold so extreme it steals fingers in minutes: Crystal Parker fell through thin creek ice, spent up to fifty hours alive in sub‑31°F temperatures, and fashioned a coat from tree bark with...
Cold so extreme it steals fingers in minutes: Crystal Parker fell through thin creek ice, spent up to fifty hours alive in sub‑31°F temperatures, and fashioned a coat from tree bark with numb hands and her teeth-how did she turn forest debris into a life‑saving shelter?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Crystal’s training run to the moment Frances Simmons found her in a bark coat, and we detail the steps she took to survive those fifty hours in freezing temperatures and wind‑broken birch stands-what exactly did she build and how long did each action buy her?

Person: Crystal Parker
Age: 22
Date: December 7-9
Location: Linden Creek area, Portsmith, Minnesota
Finder: Frances Simmons

- Crystal fell through creek ice at approximately 7:51 a.m, on December 7, about 80 meters upstream of a footbridge.
- She had been missing for roughly fifty hours before Frances found her at 9:44 a.m, on December 9.
- Temperatures dropped below -31°F and windchill reached below -40 during her exposure.
- Investigators documented branches broken between one and two meters high about 60 meters from the creek bank.
- Crystal carried two water bottles and a space blanket in her pack and had been soaking wet from chest to boot after exiting the creek.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1118falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-carried-a-rock-five-miles-left-a-logbook-as-his-ticket--73107998
Fear and a strange, deliberate breadcrumb: a soaked Forest Service log book held open by a fist-sized basalt rock led to a nine-day mystery on Garnet Peak - how did a man survive alone when the road he relied on burned away beneath him? Could a single log entry and a carried rock be the only trail back to a man who thought he might not make it?

In this episode, we recount the sequence of events discovered in the log book and on the mountain, tracing what Charles Bailey recorded, what the road damage meant for his escape, and why no one realized he was missing until a fourteen-year-old found the book; what did Bailey write before he left the tower?

Person: Charles Bailey
Date: November 14, 2019
Location: Garnet Peak trailhead and tower
Age: 38
Supervisor: Ray Stroud

- The log book was found deliberately open and weighted with a fist-sized chunk of basalt.
- The parking lot at the Garnet Peak trailhead was empty when the book was discovered.
- Bailey made his last radio call and log entry at 6:14 AM on November 5, noting an odd smell and rattling at the door.
- On the night of November 6 Bailey wrote in the log two words: "Road gone," after roughly two miles of the access road burned.
- The log book was found soaking wet on November 14 after the tower had been decommissioned weeks earlier.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107998Sun, 27 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Carried a Rock Five Miles - Left a Logbook as His Ticket Fear and a strange, deliberate breadcrumb: a soaked Forest Service log book held open by a fist-sized basalt rock led to a nine-day mystery on Garnet Peak - how did a man survive alone...
Fear and a strange, deliberate breadcrumb: a soaked Forest Service log book held open by a fist-sized basalt rock led to a nine-day mystery on Garnet Peak - how did a man survive alone when the road he relied on burned away beneath him? Could a single log entry and a carried rock be the only trail back to a man who thought he might not make it?

In this episode, we recount the sequence of events discovered in the log book and on the mountain, tracing what Charles Bailey recorded, what the road damage meant for his escape, and why no one realized he was missing until a fourteen-year-old found the book; what did Bailey write before he left the tower?

Person: Charles Bailey
Date: November 14, 2019
Location: Garnet Peak trailhead and tower
Age: 38
Supervisor: Ray Stroud

- The log book was found deliberately open and weighted with a fist-sized chunk of basalt.
- The parking lot at the Garnet Peak trailhead was empty when the book was discovered.
- Bailey made his last radio call and log entry at 6:14 AM on November 5, noting an odd smell and rattling at the door.
- On the night of November 6 Bailey wrote in the log two words: "Road gone," after roughly two miles of the access road burned.
- The log book was found soaking wet on November 14 after the tower had been decommissioned weeks earlier.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1162falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-hung-his-own-suit-21-hours-frozen-beacon-wrong-by-2-3-miles--73107996
Cold, alone, and with hands that stopped working in ten minutes, a 62-year-old kayaker hung his neon orange dry suit eight feet off the ground-dry, slightly warm, and with no footprints beneath it. The emergency beacon confirmed a position that sent rescuers 2.3 miles away; how did he manage to rig that suit in a gorge he’d never paddled before, without functional fingers?

In this episode, we follow the twenty-one hours in the Coldwater gorge after Donald Casey flipped in Notch Chute and activated his beacon, the failed downstream gauge, and the search teams that went two point three miles from his actual location-could a trained paddler survive forty-one-degree water long enough to save himself?

Person: Donald Casey
Age: 62
Location: Coldwater gorge, Notch Chute
Water temperature: 41 degrees Fahrenheit
Beacon error distance: 2.3 miles

- Casey launched at 2:30 PM from the Birch Hollow Road gravel bar the Monday before the suit was found.
- The beacon signal left the gorge at approximately 4:40 PM and arrived at Varick County Sheriff’s office at 4:51 PM.
- The downstream gauge was displaying a flat line while the Coldwater arm was running at roughly twice its posted volume.
- Casey used about nine minutes to reach a granite shelf and three minutes to activate his emergency beacon after wet exiting.
- The suit was found hung eight feet off the ground, inside out, neon orange, dry, and slightly warm on a Tuesday morning at 7:14 AM with no footprints beneath it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107996Sat, 26 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Hung His Own Suit: 21 Hours Frozen, Beacon Wrong by 2.3 Miles Cold, alone, and with hands that stopped working in ten minutes, a 62-year-old kayaker hung his neon orange dry suit eight feet off the ground-dry, slightly warm, and with no...
Cold, alone, and with hands that stopped working in ten minutes, a 62-year-old kayaker hung his neon orange dry suit eight feet off the ground-dry, slightly warm, and with no footprints beneath it. The emergency beacon confirmed a position that sent rescuers 2.3 miles away; how did he manage to rig that suit in a gorge he’d never paddled before, without functional fingers?

In this episode, we follow the twenty-one hours in the Coldwater gorge after Donald Casey flipped in Notch Chute and activated his beacon, the failed downstream gauge, and the search teams that went two point three miles from his actual location-could a trained paddler survive forty-one-degree water long enough to save himself?

Person: Donald Casey
Age: 62
Location: Coldwater gorge, Notch Chute
Water temperature: 41 degrees Fahrenheit
Beacon error distance: 2.3 miles

- Casey launched at 2:30 PM from the Birch Hollow Road gravel bar the Monday before the suit was found.
- The beacon signal left the gorge at approximately 4:40 PM and arrived at Varick County Sheriff’s office at 4:51 PM.
- The downstream gauge was displaying a flat line while the Coldwater arm was running at roughly twice its posted volume.
- Casey used about nine minutes to reach a granite shelf and three minutes to activate his emergency beacon after wet exiting.
- The suit was found hung eight feet off the ground, inside out, neon orange, dry, and slightly warm on a Tuesday morning at 7:14 AM with no footprints beneath it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1039falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/eight-days-two-shoes-how-a-cook-outsmarted-death-in-canyons--73107995
The orange running shoes stood upright on a concrete anchor block at 8,700 feet, one shoe marked by a waterline across the toe - a concrete sign someone had been somewhere dark and wet and then disappeared. How did a 26-year-old prep cook survive eight days alone in a canyon with a broken foot, no fire, and failing weather while searchers looked two miles away?

In this episode, we tell what happened between the Sangre Frio Ridge Run start on September 6, 2014 and the discovery of the shoes on September 14, 2014, following Mark Doyle’s choices, the race director’s forecast, and the searchers’ mistaken grid - and ask how timing, terrain, and small decisions decided survival.

Person: Mark Doyle
Date: September 6, 2014 (race start); September 14, 2014 (shoes seen)
Age: 26
Location: Sangre Frio drainage / canyon near the ridge run course
Event: Sangre Frio Ridge Run

- Mark pinned bib number 44 and started the race at 7:00 AM on September 6, 2014.
- He left the marked course at approximately 10:40 AM after crossing the mile-18 marker.
- The storm arrived near 1:15 PM the same day, about six hours earlier than forecast models predicted.
- Sixty-two searchers, three dogs, and two helicopter crews searched two miles south of where Mark actually was.
- On night one he found water, sheltered under an overhanging rock shelf roughly 12 feet wide and 4 feet deep, and rationed one remaining gel into three portions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107995Fri, 25 Sep 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaEight Days, Two Shoes: How a Cook Outsmarted Death in Canyons The orange running shoes stood upright on a concrete anchor block at 8,700 feet, one shoe marked by a waterline across the toe - a concrete sign someone had been somewhere dark and wet...
The orange running shoes stood upright on a concrete anchor block at 8,700 feet, one shoe marked by a waterline across the toe - a concrete sign someone had been somewhere dark and wet and then disappeared. How did a 26-year-old prep cook survive eight days alone in a canyon with a broken foot, no fire, and failing weather while searchers looked two miles away?

In this episode, we tell what happened between the Sangre Frio Ridge Run start on September 6, 2014 and the discovery of the shoes on September 14, 2014, following Mark Doyle’s choices, the race director’s forecast, and the searchers’ mistaken grid - and ask how timing, terrain, and small decisions decided survival.

Person: Mark Doyle
Date: September 6, 2014 (race start); September 14, 2014 (shoes seen)
Age: 26
Location: Sangre Frio drainage / canyon near the ridge run course
Event: Sangre Frio Ridge Run

- Mark pinned bib number 44 and started the race at 7:00 AM on September 6, 2014.
- He left the marked course at approximately 10:40 AM after crossing the mile-18 marker.
- The storm arrived near 1:15 PM the same day, about six hours earlier than forecast models predicted.
- Sixty-two searchers, three dogs, and two helicopter crews searched two miles south of where Mark actually was.
- On night one he found water, sheltered under an overhanging rock shelf roughly 12 feet wide and 4 feet deep, and rationed one remaining gel into three portions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>988falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-the-boots-that-lured-rescue-teams-wrong-way--73107994
Fear sharpens the mind: two laced boots on a gravel shoulder, a lone trekking pole, no body - and a woman who had already walked out to a hospital while teams searched the wrong ridge. This episode reveals how a frozen GPS, a hidden scramble route, and a 40-hour chain of choices turned deliberate gear into misleading evidence - who set the boots, and why did the trailhead become a staged clue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of a solo traverse that began at Mineral Creek trailhead and the decisions that led rescue teams away from the woman they were trying to find. What small failures and lucky survivals produced the boots on the shoulder and the woman who drove herself to emergency care?

Person: Michelle Davis
Date: August 12-14, 2019
Location: Mineral Creek trailhead, Elkhorn Range, Weston Col
Status: Walked out; treated at Teller Flats ER with two broken ribs and a badly sprained ankle
Topic: Solo traverse of the Monarch Line

- At 9:00 a.m. on August 14, 2019, Curtis Barrett called 9-1-1 after finding two laced boots and a trekking pole at Mineral Creek trailhead.
- Michelle Davis signed the Mineral Creek register and started walking at 5:47 a.m, on August 12, 2019.
- At approximately 8:15 a.m. on August 12, volunteer Terri Huang recorded a solo female stopping at Weston Col for roughly 20 minutes.
- Michelle began climbing an informal ramp up Vernier Face at about 8:45 a.m.; three hundred feet above the col a granite slab shifted and she fell eight feet onto a ledge.
- Michelle descended for six hours on hands and one good leg, then later drove herself to Teller Flats ER, where she was found with two broken ribs and a badly sprained ankle.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107994Thu, 24 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out: The Boots That Lured Rescue Teams Wrong Way Fear sharpens the mind: two laced boots on a gravel shoulder, a lone trekking pole, no body - and a woman who had already walked out to a hospital while teams searched the wrong ridge....
Fear sharpens the mind: two laced boots on a gravel shoulder, a lone trekking pole, no body - and a woman who had already walked out to a hospital while teams searched the wrong ridge. This episode reveals how a frozen GPS, a hidden scramble route, and a 40-hour chain of choices turned deliberate gear into misleading evidence - who set the boots, and why did the trailhead become a staged clue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of a solo traverse that began at Mineral Creek trailhead and the decisions that led rescue teams away from the woman they were trying to find. What small failures and lucky survivals produced the boots on the shoulder and the woman who drove herself to emergency care?

Person: Michelle Davis
Date: August 12-14, 2019
Location: Mineral Creek trailhead, Elkhorn Range, Weston Col
Status: Walked out; treated at Teller Flats ER with two broken ribs and a badly sprained ankle
Topic: Solo traverse of the Monarch Line

- At 9:00 a.m. on August 14, 2019, Curtis Barrett called 9-1-1 after finding two laced boots and a trekking pole at Mineral Creek trailhead.
- Michelle Davis signed the Mineral Creek register and started walking at 5:47 a.m, on August 12, 2019.
- At approximately 8:15 a.m. on August 12, volunteer Terri Huang recorded a solo female stopping at Weston Col for roughly 20 minutes.
- Michelle began climbing an informal ramp up Vernier Face at about 8:45 a.m.; three hundred feet above the col a granite slab shifted and she fell eight feet onto a ledge.
- Michelle descended for six hours on hands and one good leg, then later drove herself to Teller Flats ER, where she was found with two broken ribs and a badly sprained ankle.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>972falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-pink-shoe-that-redirected-a-coast-guard-rescue--73107992
A single dry pink child's sneaker on a soaked marina seawall-double-knotted, silver buckle, talla four-stopped a meter reader who then snapped a photo that rerouted a Coast Guard search that had spent thirty-six hours looking sixty miles in the wrong direction. How did one misplaced shoe and two words in a radio log change the fate of three men at sea?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a July 15 departure through a rapidly intensifying storm called Tropical Storm Celeste, the last logged radio transmission of "Drifting east," and the evidence ashore that altered the rescue. How did routine habits, a broken flashlight, and a single note in a relay book shape the search that saved three lives?

Person: Donald Bell
Date: July 19, 2014
Location: Kessler Marina
Event: Photograph redirected Coast Guard search
Transmission: "Drifting east" logged at 4:51 PM, July 17

- Donald Bell found a child's pink sneaker sitting on the high-water mark, completely dry, on July 19, 2014.
- The marina around the shoe was soaked from two days of storm surge with docks filmed with mud and trailing ropes.
- The Ida Mae departed Kessler Marina at 2:45 PM on July 15 targeting a pargo ground approximately sixty miles southeast.
- By the morning of July 17 the Ida Mae was inside a storm with sustained winds of 60 mph and waves of 12 feet.
- The last clear transmission logged by the Savannah relay station was two words: "Drifting east."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107992Wed, 23 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Pink Shoe That Redirected a Coast Guard Rescue A single dry pink child's sneaker on a soaked marina seawall-double-knotted, silver buckle, talla four-stopped a meter reader who then snapped a photo that rerouted a Coast Guard search that...
A single dry pink child's sneaker on a soaked marina seawall-double-knotted, silver buckle, talla four-stopped a meter reader who then snapped a photo that rerouted a Coast Guard search that had spent thirty-six hours looking sixty miles in the wrong direction. How did one misplaced shoe and two words in a radio log change the fate of three men at sea?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a July 15 departure through a rapidly intensifying storm called Tropical Storm Celeste, the last logged radio transmission of "Drifting east," and the evidence ashore that altered the rescue. How did routine habits, a broken flashlight, and a single note in a relay book shape the search that saved three lives?

Person: Donald Bell
Date: July 19, 2014
Location: Kessler Marina
Event: Photograph redirected Coast Guard search
Transmission: "Drifting east" logged at 4:51 PM, July 17

- Donald Bell found a child's pink sneaker sitting on the high-water mark, completely dry, on July 19, 2014.
- The marina around the shoe was soaked from two days of storm surge with docks filmed with mud and trailing ropes.
- The Ida Mae departed Kessler Marina at 2:45 PM on July 15 targeting a pargo ground approximately sixty miles southeast.
- By the morning of July 17 the Ida Mae was inside a storm with sustained winds of 60 mph and waves of 12 feet.
- The last clear transmission logged by the Savannah relay station was two words: "Drifting east."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1117falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crayon-in-the-desert-mother-child-and-a-wrong-turn--73107991
A sharp burnt sienna crayon lay forty yards from an abandoned minivan in the Chihuahuan Desert, unbroken after a day that hit 94°F before 9 a.m. The abandoned vehicle and a six-year-old asleep inside began a 38-hour ordeal that hinged on a single, deliberate decision - why did Rebecca roll a spare tire into the road and leave a crayon in the dirt?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a three-hour drive that died at 6:51 p.m. to a choice made at 2:00 a.m., mapping what Rebecca Zeller carried, what she left behind, and how a search missed them by looking the wrong way. How did a box of crayons and a wrapped set of lug nuts become the clues that mattered?

Person: Rebecca Zeller
Person: Nora Zeller (age 6)
Date: Sunday, June 12, 2011
Location: Espuela Trace, Chihuahuan Desert, roughly seven miles from the Lordsburg turnoff
Temperature: 94 degrees before 9 a.m.

- The crayon found was burnt sienna, sharp with its paper wrapper unbroken.
- The minivan stopped at approximately 6:51 p.m. when the transmission quit.
- Rebecca carried three bottles of water: one 32-ounce stainless steel and two 16-ounce plastic bottles.
- Rebecca had a box of twelve crayons; ten remained in the box.
- Rebecca had lived in Las Cruces for 19 years and was 51 years old.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107991Tue, 22 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crayon in the Desert: Mother, Child, and a Wrong Turn A sharp burnt sienna crayon lay forty yards from an abandoned minivan in the Chihuahuan Desert, unbroken after a day that hit 94°F before 9 a.m. The abandoned vehicle and a six-year-old...
A sharp burnt sienna crayon lay forty yards from an abandoned minivan in the Chihuahuan Desert, unbroken after a day that hit 94°F before 9 a.m. The abandoned vehicle and a six-year-old asleep inside began a 38-hour ordeal that hinged on a single, deliberate decision - why did Rebecca roll a spare tire into the road and leave a crayon in the dirt?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a three-hour drive that died at 6:51 p.m. to a choice made at 2:00 a.m., mapping what Rebecca Zeller carried, what she left behind, and how a search missed them by looking the wrong way. How did a box of crayons and a wrapped set of lug nuts become the clues that mattered?

Person: Rebecca Zeller
Person: Nora Zeller (age 6)
Date: Sunday, June 12, 2011
Location: Espuela Trace, Chihuahuan Desert, roughly seven miles from the Lordsburg turnoff
Temperature: 94 degrees before 9 a.m.

- The crayon found was burnt sienna, sharp with its paper wrapper unbroken.
- The minivan stopped at approximately 6:51 p.m. when the transmission quit.
- Rebecca carried three bottles of water: one 32-ounce stainless steel and two 16-ounce plastic bottles.
- Rebecca had a box of twelve crayons; ten remained in the box.
- Rebecca had lived in Las Cruces for 19 years and was 51 years old.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1108falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-alive-72-hours-how-a-20-watch-kept-her-breathing--73107988
Breath held between life and snow: a mechanical watch bought for less than $20 kept ticking after seventy-two hours under five and a half feet of compacted avalanche debris, and its second hand became the difference between survival and death. How did a radiology technician use a ticking hardware-store watch and three days of deliberate counting to stay alive in eighteen inches of darkness?

In this episode, we tell the concrete sequence of what happened on Coldwater Creek drainage and how small, precise decisions sustained a life beneath the slab; what did Frances Kowalski hear, count, and rely on while buried that finally led to her rescue?

Date: May 14, 2022
Location: Coldwater Creek drainage, Salida, Colorado
Person: Frances Kowalski
Age: 46
Event: Buried under avalanche for 72 hours

- Watch bought at a hardware store eight years earlier and costing less than $20 was still ticking after 72 hours under the snow.
- Frances was buried under approximately 5.5 feet of dense, wet snow and had an air pocket about 18 inches deep.
- The slab carried her roughly 300 feet down the drainage and her pack came to rest 8 feet uphill from her body with straps still buckled.
- Ted Pryor found a human hand rising through the snow holding the watch and reported the moving second hand to dispatch at 7:53 AM.
- Frances had kept a green trail notebook noting the ridge danger and had read the warning the night before she left.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107988Mon, 21 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Alive 72 Hours: How a $20 Watch Kept Her Breathing Breath held between life and snow: a mechanical watch bought for less than $20 kept ticking after seventy-two hours under five and a half feet of compacted avalanche debris, and its second...
Breath held between life and snow: a mechanical watch bought for less than $20 kept ticking after seventy-two hours under five and a half feet of compacted avalanche debris, and its second hand became the difference between survival and death. How did a radiology technician use a ticking hardware-store watch and three days of deliberate counting to stay alive in eighteen inches of darkness?

In this episode, we tell the concrete sequence of what happened on Coldwater Creek drainage and how small, precise decisions sustained a life beneath the slab; what did Frances Kowalski hear, count, and rely on while buried that finally led to her rescue?

Date: May 14, 2022
Location: Coldwater Creek drainage, Salida, Colorado
Person: Frances Kowalski
Age: 46
Event: Buried under avalanche for 72 hours

- Watch bought at a hardware store eight years earlier and costing less than $20 was still ticking after 72 hours under the snow.
- Frances was buried under approximately 5.5 feet of dense, wet snow and had an air pocket about 18 inches deep.
- The slab carried her roughly 300 feet down the drainage and her pack came to rest 8 feet uphill from her body with straps still buckled.
- Ted Pryor found a human hand rising through the snow holding the watch and reported the moving second hand to dispatch at 7:53 AM.
- Frances had kept a green trail notebook noting the ridge danger and had read the warning the night before she left.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>973falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drew-a-map-in-darkness-survived-31-hours-underground--73107987
Adrenaline and dread meet in a grease-pencil sketch: a dive mask pulled from eight feet of clear water held a hand-drawn map marking tunnels and an “AIR - 3 FT” X - and no one knew if the mapmaker was alive. What led a 28-year-old cave diver with 300+ penetration dives to vanish deep in a flooded limestone maze, and how did that little lens become the only breadcrumb left behind?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a morning entry at Cutter Spring to the moment a fisherman found the mask, laying out the equipment, decisions, and cave features that framed the incident. How did Melissa Vogel’s gear, training, and a high water table change the odds between being lost forever and being rescued?

Person: Melissa Vogel
Age: 28
Date of entry: a Wednesday morning in April 2019 (entered at 7:14 AM)
Equipment: backmount double + stage bottle totaling ~340 cubic feet; primary reel, safety reel, three line arrows; primary light + two backups; grease pencil on mask
Cave feature: main tunnel ~400 feet to low restriction; left branch ~150 feet; Downslope noted at ~240 feet with official survey ending at 80 feet

- Melissa had logged more than 300 penetration dives across 11 cave systems by age 28.
- She earned full cave certification at age 24 and worked as a hydrological technician in San Marcos.
- On March 2019 the region had its wettest month in 11 years, raising the water table to a generation-high.
- She entered Cutter Spring at 7:14 AM and descended the Downslope trailing her primary reel.
- A fisherman, Grant Patterson, pulled the mask from eight feet of water about 31 hours after her entry, finding a yellow-grease-pencil map with “AIR - 3 FT” beside a circled X.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107987Sun, 20 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Drew a Map in Darkness - Survived 31 Hours Underground Adrenaline and dread meet in a grease-pencil sketch: a dive mask pulled from eight feet of clear water held a hand-drawn map marking tunnels and an “AIR - 3 FT” X - and no one knew if the...
Adrenaline and dread meet in a grease-pencil sketch: a dive mask pulled from eight feet of clear water held a hand-drawn map marking tunnels and an “AIR - 3 FT” X - and no one knew if the mapmaker was alive. What led a 28-year-old cave diver with 300+ penetration dives to vanish deep in a flooded limestone maze, and how did that little lens become the only breadcrumb left behind?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a morning entry at Cutter Spring to the moment a fisherman found the mask, laying out the equipment, decisions, and cave features that framed the incident. How did Melissa Vogel’s gear, training, and a high water table change the odds between being lost forever and being rescued?

Person: Melissa Vogel
Age: 28
Date of entry: a Wednesday morning in April 2019 (entered at 7:14 AM)
Equipment: backmount double + stage bottle totaling ~340 cubic feet; primary reel, safety reel, three line arrows; primary light + two backups; grease pencil on mask
Cave feature: main tunnel ~400 feet to low restriction; left branch ~150 feet; Downslope noted at ~240 feet with official survey ending at 80 feet

- Melissa had logged more than 300 penetration dives across 11 cave systems by age 28.
- She earned full cave certification at age 24 and worked as a hydrological technician in San Marcos.
- On March 2019 the region had its wettest month in 11 years, raising the water table to a generation-high.
- She entered Cutter Spring at 7:14 AM and descended the Downslope trailing her primary reel.
- A fisherman, Grant Patterson, pulled the mask from eight feet of water about 31 hours after her entry, finding a yellow-grease-pencil map with “AIR - 3 FT” beside a circled X.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>988falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-the-truck-running-how-he-survived-nine-frozen-days-alone--73107986
A cold truck with the engine running, keys in the ignition, and a warm thermos on the seat - found nine days after Michael Stevens disappeared into 21°F Montana winter. Three puzzling clues - warm thermos, folded glasses, and a road sign shifted 18 inches - pointed searchers in different directions; how did he survive thirteen days before being found, and who filled that thermos on March 14th?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries and the search decisions made after Michael Stevens vanished from Belfrey, Montana, on March 5, 2019. You’ll hear what was in the truck, what the map handwriting suggested, and why those details led teams down a misleading trail.

Person: Michael Stevens
Date: March 5, 2019 (last seen); March 14, 2019 (truck found)
Location: Peavey Logging Road, near Belfrey, Montana
Status: Missing person report filed March 5; truck found March 14
Finder: County surveyor Vicki McCarthy

- Michael Stevens was 54 years old and had lived on Cutter Lane in Belfrey, Montana, for most of his life.
- His cell phone last pinged at 6:47 AM on March 5, 2019, then was switched off deliberately.
- Vicki McCarthy found the green 2014 Ford F-250 at roughly 9:15 AM on March 14, 2019, with all four windows down and keys in the ignition.
- A steel thermos on the truck floor was still warm to the touch despite 21°F air, implying it had been filled after 7:00 AM on March 14.
- A road closure notice posted February 20 was displaced 18 inches to the left at the Peavey Road junction, visible in McCarthy’s dashcam.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107986Sat, 19 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft the Truck Running: How He Survived Nine Frozen Days Alone A cold truck with the engine running, keys in the ignition, and a warm thermos on the seat - found nine days after Michael Stevens disappeared into 21°F Montana winter. Three puzzling...
A cold truck with the engine running, keys in the ignition, and a warm thermos on the seat - found nine days after Michael Stevens disappeared into 21°F Montana winter. Three puzzling clues - warm thermos, folded glasses, and a road sign shifted 18 inches - pointed searchers in different directions; how did he survive thirteen days before being found, and who filled that thermos on March 14th?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries and the search decisions made after Michael Stevens vanished from Belfrey, Montana, on March 5, 2019. You’ll hear what was in the truck, what the map handwriting suggested, and why those details led teams down a misleading trail.

Person: Michael Stevens
Date: March 5, 2019 (last seen); March 14, 2019 (truck found)
Location: Peavey Logging Road, near Belfrey, Montana
Status: Missing person report filed March 5; truck found March 14
Finder: County surveyor Vicki McCarthy

- Michael Stevens was 54 years old and had lived on Cutter Lane in Belfrey, Montana, for most of his life.
- His cell phone last pinged at 6:47 AM on March 5, 2019, then was switched off deliberately.
- Vicki McCarthy found the green 2014 Ford F-250 at roughly 9:15 AM on March 14, 2019, with all four windows down and keys in the ignition.
- A steel thermos on the truck floor was still warm to the touch despite 21°F air, implying it had been filled after 7:00 AM on March 14.
- A road closure notice posted February 20 was displaced 18 inches to the left at the Peavey Road junction, visible in McCarthy’s dashcam.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1034falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hidden-sos-under-a-boat-how-he-survived-alone-at-sea--73107984
The thought of being alone, injured, and adrift should ignite panic - but Dean Carter kept breathing and left a secret message painted where almost no one would ever look: CARTER - ALIVE - 33.1 - -77.8 - FEB 3. That cramped, deliberate signal under a cheap hull turned a discarded boat into a nearly invisible SOS; how did he survive three days with a compound forearm fracture and failing communications?

In this episode, we tell what happened aboard the Meridian from departure to discovery, detailing the damage, the missed search area, and the hidden message that finally alerted rescuers - could a single spray can and a steady hand change a search outcome?

Person: Dean Carter
Date: January 28 to February 3, 2019
Location: Approximately 80 miles offshore, south-southeast of Cape Hatteras
Event: Mast failure, compound forearm fracture, drifting vessel
Discovery: February 9, 2019 - painted message found under hull

- Left Oriental on January 28, 2019 and cleared Beaufort Inlet on January 29 at 3:00 PM.
- At 4:17 PM on January 29 he texted "Through the inlet. Looks good. Going to cook dinner and set a watch."
- The port shroud parted the night of January 31 about 80 miles offshore, causing the mast to fall and produce a compound fracture to his left forearm.
- A container ship reported debris on February 2 at approximately 35°14′N, creating a search box roughly 50 nautical miles northeast of Carter’s actual location.
- On February 9, septic contractor Roger Fisher photographed orange block letters under the hull reading "CARTER - ALIVE - 33.1 - -77.8 - FEB 3" and called the sheriff.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107984Fri, 18 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Hidden SOS Under a Boat: How He Survived Alone at Sea The thought of being alone, injured, and adrift should ignite panic - but Dean Carter kept breathing and left a secret message painted where almost no one would ever look: CARTER - ALIVE -...
The thought of being alone, injured, and adrift should ignite panic - but Dean Carter kept breathing and left a secret message painted where almost no one would ever look: CARTER - ALIVE - 33.1 - -77.8 - FEB 3. That cramped, deliberate signal under a cheap hull turned a discarded boat into a nearly invisible SOS; how did he survive three days with a compound forearm fracture and failing communications?

In this episode, we tell what happened aboard the Meridian from departure to discovery, detailing the damage, the missed search area, and the hidden message that finally alerted rescuers - could a single spray can and a steady hand change a search outcome?

Person: Dean Carter
Date: January 28 to February 3, 2019
Location: Approximately 80 miles offshore, south-southeast of Cape Hatteras
Event: Mast failure, compound forearm fracture, drifting vessel
Discovery: February 9, 2019 - painted message found under hull

- Left Oriental on January 28, 2019 and cleared Beaufort Inlet on January 29 at 3:00 PM.
- At 4:17 PM on January 29 he texted "Through the inlet. Looks good. Going to cook dinner and set a watch."
- The port shroud parted the night of January 31 about 80 miles offshore, causing the mast to fall and produce a compound fracture to his left forearm.
- A container ship reported debris on February 2 at approximately 35°14′N, creating a search box roughly 50 nautical miles northeast of Carter’s actual location.
- On February 9, septic contractor Roger Fisher photographed orange block letters under the hull reading "CARTER - ALIVE - 33.1 - -77.8 - FEB 3" and called the sheriff.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>948falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/five-frozen-nights-how-a-fracture-turned-a-hiker-s-plan-inside-out--73107982
Cold, deliberate choices can be the difference between rescue and being overlooked: a folded yellow jacket on a sandstone ledge at 19°F, a laminated map marked with notes, and a man with a fractured fibula stranded forty feet below a rim-how did every sensible precaution still lead Roger Sheridan to spend five freezing nights unseen? What single shortcut erased his safety net and stretched a routine hike into a survival puzzle?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Roger’s precise preparations and the texted route to his solo departure and the search that missed the one place he actually went. We track the injuries, the improvised splint, and the signal fires he made-then ask how standard search assumptions left him off the grid.

Person: Roger Sheridan
Age: 38
Location: Vermejo Canyon, Moab area
Date of incident: January 2 (fall), search launched January 4
Temperature recorded on last night: 19 degrees Fahrenheit

- At 7:14 AM on January 6, Karen Johnson found a yellow jacket folded neatly on a narrow sandstone ledge forty feet below the rim.
- Roger texted his plan to Doug Mast on December 31: drive to Vermejo trailhead, hike through the narrows to Anchor Flat, return by noon January 2.
- The shortcut Roger took was twelve feet of apparently navigable terrain before a fall that fractured his left fibula and tore his right ankle.
- Search and Rescue were called at 7:31 AM and launched searches based on the texted east route and Anchor Flat plan, not the west drainage.
- Roger built a splint from two sticks and his boot lace and made at least one signal fire between noon and 3 PM while stranded on the west drainage ledge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107982Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaFive Frozen Nights: How a Fracture Turned a Hiker's Plan Inside Out Cold, deliberate choices can be the difference between rescue and being overlooked: a folded yellow jacket on a sandstone ledge at 19°F, a laminated map marked with notes, and a...
Cold, deliberate choices can be the difference between rescue and being overlooked: a folded yellow jacket on a sandstone ledge at 19°F, a laminated map marked with notes, and a man with a fractured fibula stranded forty feet below a rim-how did every sensible precaution still lead Roger Sheridan to spend five freezing nights unseen? What single shortcut erased his safety net and stretched a routine hike into a survival puzzle?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Roger’s precise preparations and the texted route to his solo departure and the search that missed the one place he actually went. We track the injuries, the improvised splint, and the signal fires he made-then ask how standard search assumptions left him off the grid.

Person: Roger Sheridan
Age: 38
Location: Vermejo Canyon, Moab area
Date of incident: January 2 (fall), search launched January 4
Temperature recorded on last night: 19 degrees Fahrenheit

- At 7:14 AM on January 6, Karen Johnson found a yellow jacket folded neatly on a narrow sandstone ledge forty feet below the rim.
- Roger texted his plan to Doug Mast on December 31: drive to Vermejo trailhead, hike through the narrows to Anchor Flat, return by noon January 2.
- The shortcut Roger took was twelve feet of apparently navigable terrain before a fall that fractured his left fibula and tore his right ankle.
- Search and Rescue were called at 7:31 AM and launched searches based on the texted east route and Anchor Flat plan, not the west drainage.
- Roger built a splint from two sticks and his boot lace and made at least one signal fire between noon and 3 PM while stranded on the west drainage ledge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1071falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-blood-stiffened-pole-how-a-62-year-old-walked-out-of-winter-s-teeth--73107979
Cold, isolated, and badly injured, a 62-year-old woman walked nearly nine miles through frozen desert and set a blood‑stiffened trekking pole on a stranger’s porch before sitting at a gas station to wait for help - how did she survive a torn quadriceps, an ice shelf collapse, and nearly twenty‑four hours alone? Listen to hear how training, improvised gear and a single deliberate decision kept her moving.

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the race start through the moment she arrived in town, tracing the physical evidence and timelines that explain how she kept going despite catastrophic injury; what choices and gear mattered most in getting her to safety?

Person: Connie Dixon
Age: 62
Event: Sangre Redondo Hundred, December 6-7, 2019
Location: Arroyo Bend / Muela Gap region, near Garver, New Mexico
Distance traveled after injury: roughly 9 miles

- Final GPS ping at 8:24 AM on December 7 recorded a walking gait of approximately 2.2 miles per hour at mile 62.
- Connie arrived at Boca Camp (mile 51) at 4:47 AM, 22 minutes ahead of her pace, and left at 5:03 AM.
- The trekking pole was snapped in two and lashed with a wrist strap plus approximately 14 inches of a wool sock stiff with blood.
- She fell through an ice shelf, tore her right quadriceps (partial tear), and sat for about four minutes before improvising a brace.
- The pole had been carried roughly nine miles from the point of injury to a porch on Millhaven Street where a delivery cyclist photographed it at 6:19 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107979Wed, 16 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Blood‑Stiffened Pole: How a 62‑Year‑Old Walked Out of Winter's Teeth Cold, isolated, and badly injured, a 62-year-old woman walked nearly nine miles through frozen desert and set a blood‑stiffened trekking pole on a stranger’s porch before...
Cold, isolated, and badly injured, a 62-year-old woman walked nearly nine miles through frozen desert and set a blood‑stiffened trekking pole on a stranger’s porch before sitting at a gas station to wait for help - how did she survive a torn quadriceps, an ice shelf collapse, and nearly twenty‑four hours alone? Listen to hear how training, improvised gear and a single deliberate decision kept her moving.

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the race start through the moment she arrived in town, tracing the physical evidence and timelines that explain how she kept going despite catastrophic injury; what choices and gear mattered most in getting her to safety?

Person: Connie Dixon
Age: 62
Event: Sangre Redondo Hundred, December 6-7, 2019
Location: Arroyo Bend / Muela Gap region, near Garver, New Mexico
Distance traveled after injury: roughly 9 miles

- Final GPS ping at 8:24 AM on December 7 recorded a walking gait of approximately 2.2 miles per hour at mile 62.
- Connie arrived at Boca Camp (mile 51) at 4:47 AM, 22 minutes ahead of her pace, and left at 5:03 AM.
- The trekking pole was snapped in two and lashed with a wrist strap plus approximately 14 inches of a wool sock stiff with blood.
- She fell through an ice shelf, tore her right quadriceps (partial tear), and sat for about four minutes before improvising a brace.
- The pole had been carried roughly nine miles from the point of injury to a porch on Millhaven Street where a delivery cyclist photographed it at 6:19 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>932falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/nine-days-on-a-frozen-plateau-how-she-stayed-alive-alone--73107978
Cold, remote, and improvisational: a four-foot inflatable pool at 9,400 feet steaming in 23°F air was the last visible clue in a survival plan gone wrong - and one woman spent nine days alone on a mountain that no one realized she was on. How did a cook with tracking instincts, a 100°F pool, and a failed communication chain keep herself alive when the road out was buried in eleven inches of snow?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that left Cynthia Henderson isolated on Vásquez Plateau, what equipment and decisions the team had at base camp, and the single misstep that turned a logistical extension into a nine-day survival ordeal - what happened after November 10 that nobody accounted for?

Person: Cynthia Henderson
Location: Vásquez Plateau, northwest Colorado
Date: November 2011
Temperature: 23 degrees Fahrenheit
Distance above sea level: 9,400 feet

- An inflatable, sky-blue pool roughly four feet across was found steaming with water measured near 100 degrees.
- Eleven inches of snow fell on Forest Service Road Seven-Alto by 2 a.m, on November 11.
- Cynthia was 26 years old and on a six-week contract cooking for a geology team extending past October 31.
- The team left the eastern bench base camp after Adler drove to Rifle with the van and vehicle chains on November 10.
- Cynthia's last regular check-in calls to her neighbor stopped on November 10; she was not on the satellite-phone decision call.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107978Tue, 15 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaNine Days on a Frozen Plateau: How She Stayed Alive Alone Cold, remote, and improvisational: a four-foot inflatable pool at 9,400 feet steaming in 23°F air was the last visible clue in a survival plan gone wrong - and one woman spent nine days...
Cold, remote, and improvisational: a four-foot inflatable pool at 9,400 feet steaming in 23°F air was the last visible clue in a survival plan gone wrong - and one woman spent nine days alone on a mountain that no one realized she was on. How did a cook with tracking instincts, a 100°F pool, and a failed communication chain keep herself alive when the road out was buried in eleven inches of snow?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that left Cynthia Henderson isolated on Vásquez Plateau, what equipment and decisions the team had at base camp, and the single misstep that turned a logistical extension into a nine-day survival ordeal - what happened after November 10 that nobody accounted for?

Person: Cynthia Henderson
Location: Vásquez Plateau, northwest Colorado
Date: November 2011
Temperature: 23 degrees Fahrenheit
Distance above sea level: 9,400 feet

- An inflatable, sky-blue pool roughly four feet across was found steaming with water measured near 100 degrees.
- Eleven inches of snow fell on Forest Service Road Seven-Alto by 2 a.m, on November 11.
- Cynthia was 26 years old and on a six-week contract cooking for a geology team extending past October 31.
- The team left the eastern bench base camp after Adler drove to Rifle with the van and vehicle chains on November 10.
- Cynthia's last regular check-in calls to her neighbor stopped on November 10; she was not on the satellite-phone decision call.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1030falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/trapped-on-a-stone-shelf-72-hours-above-a-flooded-canyon--73107976
Adrenaline and calm calculation collide: a methodical canyoneer spent three nights on a sandstone ledge fourteen feet above a flooded slot canyon with water that never dropped. How did a man with four days of supplies, technical skill, and precise routines turn a stone shelf into a survival strategy - and what finally let him move again?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the frozen truck found at 7:42 a.m. to the moment Craig Weaver took shelter on the ledge and listened to the canyon carry water for days. We cover his gear, his routine calls, the unexpected upstream storm, and the decision-making that kept him alive - but what choice sealed his fate in those first frantic minutes?

Person: Craig Weaver
Date: October 2019
Location: Vermejo slot canyon
Age: 47
Call routine: Wednesday at 5:45 a.m.

- Truck spotted at 7:42 a.m. on a Tuesday by Gordon Phillips, with frost indicating it had not moved in days.
- Ledge dimensions where Craig sheltered: approximately 14 feet above canyon floor, 4 feet deep, 11 feet long.
- Craig carried four days of supplies, one and a half liters of water, and five days of compressed rations folded into four days of supplies.
- Gear included a 40-meter rope, climbing rack, Leatherman multi-tool, headlamp with a new battery, and one emergency blanket still in its packet.
- Craig had kept one black composition notebook per year with route notes and weather observations and called his daughter Nina every Wednesday at 5:45 a.m.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107976Mon, 14 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaTrapped on a Stone Shelf: 72 Hours Above a Flooded Canyon Adrenaline and calm calculation collide: a methodical canyoneer spent three nights on a sandstone ledge fourteen feet above a flooded slot canyon with water that never dropped. How did a man...
Adrenaline and calm calculation collide: a methodical canyoneer spent three nights on a sandstone ledge fourteen feet above a flooded slot canyon with water that never dropped. How did a man with four days of supplies, technical skill, and precise routines turn a stone shelf into a survival strategy - and what finally let him move again?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the frozen truck found at 7:42 a.m. to the moment Craig Weaver took shelter on the ledge and listened to the canyon carry water for days. We cover his gear, his routine calls, the unexpected upstream storm, and the decision-making that kept him alive - but what choice sealed his fate in those first frantic minutes?

Person: Craig Weaver
Date: October 2019
Location: Vermejo slot canyon
Age: 47
Call routine: Wednesday at 5:45 a.m.

- Truck spotted at 7:42 a.m. on a Tuesday by Gordon Phillips, with frost indicating it had not moved in days.
- Ledge dimensions where Craig sheltered: approximately 14 feet above canyon floor, 4 feet deep, 11 feet long.
- Craig carried four days of supplies, one and a half liters of water, and five days of compressed rations folded into four days of supplies.
- Gear included a 40-meter rope, climbing rack, Leatherman multi-tool, headlamp with a new battery, and one emergency blanket still in its packet.
- Craig had kept one black composition notebook per year with route notes and weather observations and called his daughter Nina every Wednesday at 5:45 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1154falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/smiling-in-the-strait-how-he-gambled-nineteen-hours-to-survive--73107975
Cold, dark water for nineteen hours, a core temperature of 94.2°F, and a smile that the captain had never seen - was that relief or a calculated survival strategy? This episode reveals how a science teacher used training, tide charts and a little-known coastal eddy to turn near-certain hypothermia into a fightable problem - but how did he know to swim laps for four hours in the dark?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment the swimmer entered the Strait to the recovery on deck, describing his preparation, the tidal detail he relied on, and the physical damage he endured; did his deliberate calculations actually save his life?

Person: Kenneth Osborne
Age: 32
Location: Strait of Gibraltar
Duration in water: 19 hours and 4 minutes
Core temperature on rescue: 94.2 degrees Fahrenheit

- Entered water at 11:11 PM on September 8 from the inflatable rigid hull Levante
- Water temperature around 60°F (23°C) when it entered his wetsuit
- Spent last four hours swimming deliberate laps along the Tarifa coastline in the dark
- Suffered tissue destruction equivalent to frostbite across both ears and left hand, with two fingers without sensation for eleven weeks
- Had prepared for Gibraltar for 14 months with twice-weekly 5:30 AM pool sessions and a laminated waterproof training card

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107975Sun, 13 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaSmiling in the Strait: How He Gambled Nineteen Hours to Survive Cold, dark water for nineteen hours, a core temperature of 94.2°F, and a smile that the captain had never seen - was that relief or a calculated survival strategy? This episode reveals...
Cold, dark water for nineteen hours, a core temperature of 94.2°F, and a smile that the captain had never seen - was that relief or a calculated survival strategy? This episode reveals how a science teacher used training, tide charts and a little-known coastal eddy to turn near-certain hypothermia into a fightable problem - but how did he know to swim laps for four hours in the dark?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment the swimmer entered the Strait to the recovery on deck, describing his preparation, the tidal detail he relied on, and the physical damage he endured; did his deliberate calculations actually save his life?

Person: Kenneth Osborne
Age: 32
Location: Strait of Gibraltar
Duration in water: 19 hours and 4 minutes
Core temperature on rescue: 94.2 degrees Fahrenheit

- Entered water at 11:11 PM on September 8 from the inflatable rigid hull Levante
- Water temperature around 60°F (23°C) when it entered his wetsuit
- Spent last four hours swimming deliberate laps along the Tarifa coastline in the dark
- Suffered tissue destruction equivalent to frostbite across both ears and left hand, with two fingers without sensation for eleven weeks
- Had prepared for Gibraltar for 14 months with twice-weekly 5:30 AM pool sessions and a laminated waterproof training card

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1008falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-at-the-mark-cyclist-survives-six-days-below-farrow-pass--73107974
Danger and endurance collide: a competitive cyclist with a cracked helmet and a fractured hip spent six days alone in the Colorado backcountry after crashing below a summit that had been officially closed; how did she survive with two gel packets, a mylar blanket, and a red-bearded instructor’s rule? What choice did she make at an easement marker that left a racing bike propped against a yard and a three-page note in a plastic bag?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from a routine grid walk that found an abandoned bike to the crash, the partial text message, and the survival decisions that followed; how did following a drainage line and a handful of tiny supplies keep her alive?

Person: Teresa Edwards
Date: August 9, 2019 (crash); August 19, 2019 (bike found at 8:14 AM)
Location: Farrow Pass summit and Dunmore Valley; Corver Lane easement marker in Harwick subdivision
Event: Bicycle crash leading to six days alone in the backcountry; abandoned carbon-fiber racing bike found with note
Item: Note marked "WATERSHED" - three pages, front and back, handwriting deteriorating

- The bike was an $8,000 carbon-fiber racing bike with both tires flat and a bent derailleur.
- Teresa sent a partial text at 9:47 AM reading "off road farrow pass came down hurt" before losing signal.
- CDOT had closed a seven-mile segment of Farrow Pass Road on August 5, with closure signage only on the eastern end; the western approach had an orange sawhorse.
- Teresa dragged the unusable bike approximately one mile down the descent before propping it at an easement marker and leaving it.
- The plastic bag zip-tied to the bike frame contained a three-page handwritten note beginning with the block-word "WATERSHED."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107974Sat, 12 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft at the Mark: Cyclist Survives Six Days Below Farrow Pass Danger and endurance collide: a competitive cyclist with a cracked helmet and a fractured hip spent six days alone in the Colorado backcountry after crashing below a summit that had been...
Danger and endurance collide: a competitive cyclist with a cracked helmet and a fractured hip spent six days alone in the Colorado backcountry after crashing below a summit that had been officially closed; how did she survive with two gel packets, a mylar blanket, and a red-bearded instructor’s rule? What choice did she make at an easement marker that left a racing bike propped against a yard and a three-page note in a plastic bag?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from a routine grid walk that found an abandoned bike to the crash, the partial text message, and the survival decisions that followed; how did following a drainage line and a handful of tiny supplies keep her alive?

Person: Teresa Edwards
Date: August 9, 2019 (crash); August 19, 2019 (bike found at 8:14 AM)
Location: Farrow Pass summit and Dunmore Valley; Corver Lane easement marker in Harwick subdivision
Event: Bicycle crash leading to six days alone in the backcountry; abandoned carbon-fiber racing bike found with note
Item: Note marked "WATERSHED" - three pages, front and back, handwriting deteriorating

- The bike was an $8,000 carbon-fiber racing bike with both tires flat and a bent derailleur.
- Teresa sent a partial text at 9:47 AM reading "off road farrow pass came down hurt" before losing signal.
- CDOT had closed a seven-mile segment of Farrow Pass Road on August 5, with closure signage only on the eastern end; the western approach had an orange sawhorse.
- Teresa dragged the unusable bike approximately one mile down the descent before propping it at an easement marker and leaving it.
- The plastic bag zip-tied to the bike frame contained a three-page handwritten note beginning with the block-word "WATERSHED."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1137falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-chose-not-to-die-how-beverly-outwitted-forty-one-degree-water--73107967
She survived ninety-two minutes in forty-one-degree water in July, wrapped a Mylar blanket around her wrist as a signal, and left her gloves dry on a rock - actions that contradict every expectation about hypothermia. What deliberate choices kept Beverly Hicks alive when the ice failed at 6:22 a.m. on July 17, 2019, and what does the evidence reveal about the search that followed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and material evidence from the moment the Polaris snowmobile broke through the ice to the minutes and decisions that followed, asking whether the actions found at the scene were the product of deliberate survival planning or something else.

Person: Beverly Hicks
Date: July 17, 2019
Location: north pasture inlet of Talbot Lake
Temperature: 41 degrees Fahrenheit (water), 38 degrees Fahrenheit (air)
Property size: 1,200 acres

- Time machine entered water: 6:22 a.m.
- Time when a church volunteer drove past: 92 minutes later
- Age of Beverly Hicks at the time: 44 years old
- Distance walked toward county road after rescue: approximately two miles
- Items carried in shoulder pack: Mylar blanket, lighter, paracord, folding saw, plus granola bars and a knife

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107967Fri, 11 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Chose Not To Die: How Beverly Outwitted Forty-One Degree Water She survived ninety-two minutes in forty-one-degree water in July, wrapped a Mylar blanket around her wrist as a signal, and left her gloves dry on a rock - actions that contradict...
She survived ninety-two minutes in forty-one-degree water in July, wrapped a Mylar blanket around her wrist as a signal, and left her gloves dry on a rock - actions that contradict every expectation about hypothermia. What deliberate choices kept Beverly Hicks alive when the ice failed at 6:22 a.m. on July 17, 2019, and what does the evidence reveal about the search that followed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and material evidence from the moment the Polaris snowmobile broke through the ice to the minutes and decisions that followed, asking whether the actions found at the scene were the product of deliberate survival planning or something else.

Person: Beverly Hicks
Date: July 17, 2019
Location: north pasture inlet of Talbot Lake
Temperature: 41 degrees Fahrenheit (water), 38 degrees Fahrenheit (air)
Property size: 1,200 acres

- Time machine entered water: 6:22 a.m.
- Time when a church volunteer drove past: 92 minutes later
- Age of Beverly Hicks at the time: 44 years old
- Distance walked toward county road after rescue: approximately two miles
- Items carried in shoulder pack: Mylar blanket, lighter, paracord, folding saw, plus granola bars and a knife

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>862falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-was-found-upright-in-mud-nine-hours-against-the-tide--73107849
A dead-white camera bag sat perfectly upright, fourteen inches below the surface of a tidal channel on the Oregon coast - a waterproof bag that should have floated but did not. Inside were two camera bodies, four lenses, a spare battery and a tide chart with 6:30 circled twice; how did the owner vanish while her gear stayed motionless in the mud?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning of June 10, 2019 through the first searches and discoveries on Callow Flats, laying out the physical clues found on scene and the questions they raised about where she went and why. Could the tide, the mud, and a single circled time be the only traces of what happened?

Date: June 10, 2019
Location: Callow Flats, Oregon coast
Person: Tracy Thorpe
Car: 2012 Subaru, white, broken right rear taillight
Equipment value: roughly $4,000

- The bag was found upright and still, fourteen inches below the surface of a tidal channel.
- Inside the waterproof olive-green bag were two camera bodies, four lenses, a spare battery and a tide chart.
- The tide chart had the time 6:30 written and circled twice.
- Tracy had been on the flats alone since roughly 4:30 a.m.; low tide that day was about 2:17 a.m.
- At 9:40 a.m., her white 2012 Subaru with a broken right rear taillight was found at the Callow Flats access road with the engine cold.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107849Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Was Found Upright in Mud: Nine Hours Against the Tide A dead-white camera bag sat perfectly upright, fourteen inches below the surface of a tidal channel on the Oregon coast - a waterproof bag that should have floated but did not. Inside were...
A dead-white camera bag sat perfectly upright, fourteen inches below the surface of a tidal channel on the Oregon coast - a waterproof bag that should have floated but did not. Inside were two camera bodies, four lenses, a spare battery and a tide chart with 6:30 circled twice; how did the owner vanish while her gear stayed motionless in the mud?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning of June 10, 2019 through the first searches and discoveries on Callow Flats, laying out the physical clues found on scene and the questions they raised about where she went and why. Could the tide, the mud, and a single circled time be the only traces of what happened?

Date: June 10, 2019
Location: Callow Flats, Oregon coast
Person: Tracy Thorpe
Car: 2012 Subaru, white, broken right rear taillight
Equipment value: roughly $4,000

- The bag was found upright and still, fourteen inches below the surface of a tidal channel.
- Inside the waterproof olive-green bag were two camera bodies, four lenses, a spare battery and a tide chart.
- The tide chart had the time 6:30 written and circled twice.
- Tracy had been on the flats alone since roughly 4:30 a.m.; low tide that day was about 2:17 a.m.
- At 9:40 a.m., her white 2012 Subaru with a broken right rear taillight was found at the Callow Flats access road with the engine cold.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>931falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-boot-on-the-rock-55-hours-alone-one-fractured-ankle--73107848
Fear and focus collide in the thin air: a lone mountaineering boot stands upright on dry granite twelve feet above a creek, laces neatly tied and not a single scuff on the upper - while fifty-four-year-old Kelly Bishop is moving through timber on one foot with a fractured ankle, alone for nearly fifty hours. How did a boot travel farther than anyone expected, and why was no one looking where she actually was?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning Philip Wallace found a boot on Forest Service Road Seven to the fifty-five hours Kelly Bishop spent alone after fracturing her lateral malleolus, and we map how a permit that listed the wrong camp shifted the entire search-and-rescue effort. What errors and invisible channels led rescuers away from the place she needed them most?

Person: Philip Wallace
Person: Kelly Bishop
Date: May 8, 2019
Location: Sennett Range / Calder Creek / Forest Service Road Seven
Event: Left boot found upright on rock; solo climber with fractured ankle

- Boot location: twelve feet above the waterline on dry stone with no mud on the sole and no scuff marks.
- Victim age and experience: Kelly Bishop, 54 years old, climbing since age 26 (nearly 28 years).
- Summit and route details: Sennett Range elevation 11,200 feet; Notch Flat camp at ~10,100 feet; standard return trail six miles with two creek crossings.
- Injury specifics: fracture of the lateral malleolus (outer ankle) heard as a crack; swelling visible within an hour.
- Timeline: permit filed May 8, 2019 listing Talbot Meadow Camp (~8,000 ft) but Kelly ascended to summit by 11:47 AM and changed plans without updating permit, leading to a 55-hour solo ordeal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107848Wed, 09 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Boot on the Rock: 55 Hours Alone, One Fractured Ankle Fear and focus collide in the thin air: a lone mountaineering boot stands upright on dry granite twelve feet above a creek, laces neatly tied and not a single scuff on the upper - while...
Fear and focus collide in the thin air: a lone mountaineering boot stands upright on dry granite twelve feet above a creek, laces neatly tied and not a single scuff on the upper - while fifty-four-year-old Kelly Bishop is moving through timber on one foot with a fractured ankle, alone for nearly fifty hours. How did a boot travel farther than anyone expected, and why was no one looking where she actually was?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning Philip Wallace found a boot on Forest Service Road Seven to the fifty-five hours Kelly Bishop spent alone after fracturing her lateral malleolus, and we map how a permit that listed the wrong camp shifted the entire search-and-rescue effort. What errors and invisible channels led rescuers away from the place she needed them most?

Person: Philip Wallace
Person: Kelly Bishop
Date: May 8, 2019
Location: Sennett Range / Calder Creek / Forest Service Road Seven
Event: Left boot found upright on rock; solo climber with fractured ankle

- Boot location: twelve feet above the waterline on dry stone with no mud on the sole and no scuff marks.
- Victim age and experience: Kelly Bishop, 54 years old, climbing since age 26 (nearly 28 years).
- Summit and route details: Sennett Range elevation 11,200 feet; Notch Flat camp at ~10,100 feet; standard return trail six miles with two creek crossings.
- Injury specifics: fracture of the lateral malleolus (outer ankle) heard as a crack; swelling visible within an hour.
- Timeline: permit filed May 8, 2019 listing Talbot Meadow Camp (~8,000 ft) but Kelly ascended to summit by 11:47 AM and changed plans without updating permit, leading to a 55-hour solo ordeal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1064falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-survived-six-days-but-whose-river-knew-him-better--73107847
Cold and calm, the river kept him alive and betrayed the search: after six days in fifty-two degree water Randy Keller’s strike-anywhere matches were bone dry and he sat eating watercress under a limestone overhang - how did the river both preserve him and hide him? Which part of the floodplain’s logic explained dry matches and a six-day delay by a trained search team?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and choices that shaped Randy Keller’s six days alone on Cullen Fork and consider the river conditions, equipment list, and search response that left key questions open: how did his gear survive yet his map and paddle vanish, and why did it take six days to find a 22-year-old college student three miles from a county road?

Person: Randy Keller
Date: April 8-15, 2014
Location: Cullen Fork, Tillson Access ramp to Grainger Road bridge
Status: Rescued after six days; lost right ring fingertip to infection
Topic: Solo canoe capsize and survival in cold spring floodplain

- River gauge rose from 4.8 feet on April 8 to 6.1 feet by the evening of April 9.
- Randy was 22 years old and a junior at Marten College, studying environmental science.
- He carried a mesh bag with a notebook, knife, three ibuprofen, and eleven matches in a ziplock; the matches were dry when found.
- He lost eleven pounds during six days and had a core temperature of 95.4°F at the hospital.
- The canoe was found with the mesh bag still clipped to the bow and the paddle, dry bag, and laminated map missing.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107847Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Survived Six Days - But Whose River Knew Him Better? Cold and calm, the river kept him alive and betrayed the search: after six days in fifty-two degree water Randy Keller’s strike-anywhere matches were bone dry and he sat eating watercress...
Cold and calm, the river kept him alive and betrayed the search: after six days in fifty-two degree water Randy Keller’s strike-anywhere matches were bone dry and he sat eating watercress under a limestone overhang - how did the river both preserve him and hide him? Which part of the floodplain’s logic explained dry matches and a six-day delay by a trained search team?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and choices that shaped Randy Keller’s six days alone on Cullen Fork and consider the river conditions, equipment list, and search response that left key questions open: how did his gear survive yet his map and paddle vanish, and why did it take six days to find a 22-year-old college student three miles from a county road?

Person: Randy Keller
Date: April 8-15, 2014
Location: Cullen Fork, Tillson Access ramp to Grainger Road bridge
Status: Rescued after six days; lost right ring fingertip to infection
Topic: Solo canoe capsize and survival in cold spring floodplain

- River gauge rose from 4.8 feet on April 8 to 6.1 feet by the evening of April 9.
- Randy was 22 years old and a junior at Marten College, studying environmental science.
- He carried a mesh bag with a notebook, knife, three ibuprofen, and eleven matches in a ziplock; the matches were dry when found.
- He lost eleven pounds during six days and had a core temperature of 95.4°F at the hospital.
- The canoe was found with the mesh bag still clipped to the bow and the paddle, dry bag, and laminated map missing.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1135falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-bolted-her-watch-trapped-alive-in-a-grain-bin-for-14-hours--73107844
Fear tightens like grain: a seasoned grain-storage pro bolted her watch to the bin wall at 6:18 AM and was buried mid-thigh twelve minutes later, conscious and calm for nearly fourteen hours-how did a missing four-inch plug and a series of assumptions let her stay undiscovered less than a quarter mile from her truck?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of that morning and the facts that framed it, from the watch bolted at chest height to the moment she was pulled out at 7:22 PM, asking how experience and routine intersected with a cascade of small oversights that left her trapped so long.

Person: Connie Vickers
Date: March 7, 2011
Location: Ostergaard family grain bin, Renner County, Kansas
Duration: approximately 13 hours 50 minutes trapped
Finder: Neil Coleman

- At 6:18 AM Connie bolted her watch to the corrugated steel wall through the center link with a quarter-inch hex bolt.
- Twelve minutes after bolting the watch, a four-foot-wide collapse in the northwest quadrant let her drop mid-thigh into compacted wheat described as "concrete that hadn't hardened yet."
- The horizontal auger shaft she grabbed was about twenty feet long and four inches in diameter, and its outer wall end was missing a plug.
- Two employees arrived: Troy Ables at 7:03 AM saw Connie's truck and assumed she was at the farmhouse, and Ken Briggs had previously logged the missing wall-end plug as non-critical.
- Connie was extracted at 7:22 PM, and the bolted watch was still running with its crystal fogged from the inside when Neil Coleman found it the next morning.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107844Mon, 07 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Bolted Her Watch - Trapped Alive in a Grain Bin for 14 Hours Fear tightens like grain: a seasoned grain-storage pro bolted her watch to the bin wall at 6:18 AM and was buried mid-thigh twelve minutes later, conscious and calm for nearly...
Fear tightens like grain: a seasoned grain-storage pro bolted her watch to the bin wall at 6:18 AM and was buried mid-thigh twelve minutes later, conscious and calm for nearly fourteen hours-how did a missing four-inch plug and a series of assumptions let her stay undiscovered less than a quarter mile from her truck?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of that morning and the facts that framed it, from the watch bolted at chest height to the moment she was pulled out at 7:22 PM, asking how experience and routine intersected with a cascade of small oversights that left her trapped so long.

Person: Connie Vickers
Date: March 7, 2011
Location: Ostergaard family grain bin, Renner County, Kansas
Duration: approximately 13 hours 50 minutes trapped
Finder: Neil Coleman

- At 6:18 AM Connie bolted her watch to the corrugated steel wall through the center link with a quarter-inch hex bolt.
- Twelve minutes after bolting the watch, a four-foot-wide collapse in the northwest quadrant let her drop mid-thigh into compacted wheat described as "concrete that hadn't hardened yet."
- The horizontal auger shaft she grabbed was about twenty feet long and four inches in diameter, and its outer wall end was missing a plug.
- Two employees arrived: Troy Ables at 7:03 AM saw Connie's truck and assumed she was at the farmhouse, and Ken Briggs had previously logged the missing wall-end plug as non-critical.
- Connie was extracted at 7:22 PM, and the bolted watch was still running with its crystal fogged from the inside when Neil Coleman found it the next morning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>906falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-launched-into-a-trap-how-a-missing-beacon-almost-killed-her--73107843
Danger hung in cold wind and a missed piece of gear: a satellite communicator left charging eight miles away turned a routine paragliding flight into a 72-hour fight for survival on a limestone plateau. How did a single orange harness, a stranger with binoculars, and a helicopter that almost turned back decide whether she would disappear forever?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on February 8-11, 2019 that left Erin Gardner stranded, describe her skills, preparations, and the mistakes that mattered, and ask what saved her despite the odds.

Person: Erin Gardner
Date: February 8-11, 2019
Location: Creston Shelf, Sawthorn Highlands, central Idaho
Hours flying: more than 2,000
Injury: swollen left ankle inside boot after landing

- Erin launched from the north rim of Creston Shelf at 4:20 PM on February 8, 2019.
- The satellite communicator was left plugged in and charging in her car, eight miles away.
- Her planned landing at Millhaven was 23 miles southwest of the launch site.
- She had 19 years of paragliding experience and logged flights in a notebook.
- Gordon Miller spotted and photographed an orange shape on the upper plateau at 7:15 AM on February 11, 2019, while looking for birds.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107843Sun, 06 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Launched Into a Trap: How a Missing Beacon Almost Killed Her Danger hung in cold wind and a missed piece of gear: a satellite communicator left charging eight miles away turned a routine paragliding flight into a 72-hour fight for survival on a...
Danger hung in cold wind and a missed piece of gear: a satellite communicator left charging eight miles away turned a routine paragliding flight into a 72-hour fight for survival on a limestone plateau. How did a single orange harness, a stranger with binoculars, and a helicopter that almost turned back decide whether she would disappear forever?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on February 8-11, 2019 that left Erin Gardner stranded, describe her skills, preparations, and the mistakes that mattered, and ask what saved her despite the odds.

Person: Erin Gardner
Date: February 8-11, 2019
Location: Creston Shelf, Sawthorn Highlands, central Idaho
Hours flying: more than 2,000
Injury: swollen left ankle inside boot after landing

- Erin launched from the north rim of Creston Shelf at 4:20 PM on February 8, 2019.
- The satellite communicator was left plugged in and charging in her car, eight miles away.
- Her planned landing at Millhaven was 23 miles southwest of the launch site.
- She had 19 years of paragliding experience and logged flights in a notebook.
- Gordon Miller spotted and photographed an orange shape on the upper plateau at 7:15 AM on February 11, 2019, while looking for birds.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>929falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yellow-fin-that-saved-him-alone-hypothermic-40-meters-down--73107841
Fear tightened with every line: a bright yellow swim fin stood upright in open water for nearly four hours, 60 yards off a dock, marking a missing diver lost three nautical miles away - how did one fin become the single clue that saved a man’s life?

In this episode, we follow the dive and the moments before and after the incident to show what happened that morning and why a single propeller strike on a three-millimeter tether changed everything; what exactly severed the line and how did it leave Dennis breathing through the impossible hours that followed?

Person: Dennis Hoffman
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Gulf of Mexico, north ledge near Meridian Shoals
Age: 26
Visibility/Water temperature: Visibility excellent; water 68°F

- At 06:10, a 14-year-old named Linda Long spotted a yellow swim fin standing vertical 60 yards offshore.
- Dennis entered the water from Meridian Shoals ramp at 05:18 with target depth recorded as 38 meters.
- His tether was a 3 mm braided line, 10 meters long, attached to a 6-liter blaze-orange dive float.
- An unidentified vessel estimated 18-24 feet and traveling 20-30 knots severed the tether by propeller, according to marine equipment specialist Doug Paige.
- Dennis’s personal best freedive was 44 meters and he had logged the morning’s conditions as “visibility excellent, one atmosphere calm.”

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107841Sat, 05 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Yellow Fin That Saved Him: Alone, Hypothermic, 40 Meters Down Fear tightened with every line: a bright yellow swim fin stood upright in open water for nearly four hours, 60 yards off a dock, marking a missing diver lost three nautical miles...
Fear tightened with every line: a bright yellow swim fin stood upright in open water for nearly four hours, 60 yards off a dock, marking a missing diver lost three nautical miles away - how did one fin become the single clue that saved a man’s life?

In this episode, we follow the dive and the moments before and after the incident to show what happened that morning and why a single propeller strike on a three-millimeter tether changed everything; what exactly severed the line and how did it leave Dennis breathing through the impossible hours that followed?

Person: Dennis Hoffman
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Gulf of Mexico, north ledge near Meridian Shoals
Age: 26
Visibility/Water temperature: Visibility excellent; water 68°F

- At 06:10, a 14-year-old named Linda Long spotted a yellow swim fin standing vertical 60 yards offshore.
- Dennis entered the water from Meridian Shoals ramp at 05:18 with target depth recorded as 38 meters.
- His tether was a 3 mm braided line, 10 meters long, attached to a 6-liter blaze-orange dive float.
- An unidentified vessel estimated 18-24 feet and traveling 20-30 knots severed the tether by propeller, according to marine equipment specialist Doug Paige.
- Dennis’s personal best freedive was 44 meters and he had logged the morning’s conditions as “visibility excellent, one atmosphere calm.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>970falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-of-minus-22-wearing-birch-bark-and-nothing-else--73107840
Cold so absolute it should have killed her: thirty below air, ninety seconds in icy water, and forty-eight-year-old Crystal Sawyer walked out of the Pembrook State Forest wearing strips of birch bark as clothing - but how did she survive fifty-five hours alone with a broken leg and no gear?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment Ruth Slater saw a woman at the tree line to Crystal’s hospital arrival with a core temperature of 94.1°F, reconstructing what Crystal did in the critical hour after falling through the ice and asking whether this was improvised survival or something she already knew how to do.

Person: Crystal Sawyer
Date: December 4, 2019
Age: 48
Air temperature: -22 °F
Core temperature at hospital: 94.1 °F

- Crystal was alone in the forest for 55 hours and walked the last 2 miles on a broken leg.
- She fell through the frozen Pembrook River and was in the water for less than 90 seconds.
- She left her green hatchback at Pembrook State Fuel Stop after driving 1.25 miles in, then skied from the shoulder of the road.
- Her ski boots cracked from the cold, poles were lost, and she had no radio, map, or emergency beacon.
- Her improvised clothing included overlapping strips of birch bark, cattail fiber stuffing, cedar-bark bindings, dead grass wrapped from knee to ankle, and bark mittens laced with pine needles.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107840Fri, 04 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out of Minus-22 Wearing Birch Bark and Nothing Else Cold so absolute it should have killed her: thirty below air, ninety seconds in icy water, and forty-eight-year-old Crystal Sawyer walked out of the Pembrook State Forest wearing strips...
Cold so absolute it should have killed her: thirty below air, ninety seconds in icy water, and forty-eight-year-old Crystal Sawyer walked out of the Pembrook State Forest wearing strips of birch bark as clothing - but how did she survive fifty-five hours alone with a broken leg and no gear?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment Ruth Slater saw a woman at the tree line to Crystal’s hospital arrival with a core temperature of 94.1°F, reconstructing what Crystal did in the critical hour after falling through the ice and asking whether this was improvised survival or something she already knew how to do.

Person: Crystal Sawyer
Date: December 4, 2019
Age: 48
Air temperature: -22 °F
Core temperature at hospital: 94.1 °F

- Crystal was alone in the forest for 55 hours and walked the last 2 miles on a broken leg.
- She fell through the frozen Pembrook River and was in the water for less than 90 seconds.
- She left her green hatchback at Pembrook State Fuel Stop after driving 1.25 miles in, then skied from the shoulder of the road.
- Her ski boots cracked from the cold, poles were lost, and she had no radio, map, or emergency beacon.
- Her improvised clothing included overlapping strips of birch bark, cattail fiber stuffing, cedar-bark bindings, dead grass wrapped from knee to ankle, and bark mittens laced with pine needles.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1054falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/trapped-22-days-how-a-clear-jar-and-a-torn-logbook-saved-him--73107838
The fear of being cut off with no help is immediate: a spotless two-piece canning jar on a charred railing held a folded torn logbook page that began, "if you are reading this and I am not here, start with page forty-one." How did a clean jar and a damaged notebook become the only link between a man trapped at 6,400 feet and the outside world, and who almost never found him?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that left a look‑out isolated for twenty‑two days after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed the only access road, and we follow the clues that led rescuers to him. What choices, equipment limits, and near-misses shaped his survival and eventual discovery?

Person: Terry Walker
Date: October 28, 2014 (arrival) - November 19, 2014 (discovery)
Location: Station Nine, Arroyo Bench, Merna River drainage, central Nevada
Status: Found alive in cab after 22 days
Event: Arroyo Bench Fire caused road loss and tower isolation

- The jar was photographed at 7:52 AM on November 19, 2014 before anyone touched it.
- Terry arrived at Station Nine just before noon on October 28, 2014 and planned to leave by 4:00 PM the same day.
- Fire winds reached sustained 22 mph with gusts to 38 mph, and the fire started about three miles south of the station.
- He drove his truck roughly 60 yards north of the tower base to use it as a partial radiant heat shield during the fire.
- The emergency cache contained approximately six gallons of water and four days of emergency rations.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107838Thu, 03 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaTrapped 22 Days: How a Clear Jar and a Torn Logbook Saved Him The fear of being cut off with no help is immediate: a spotless two-piece canning jar on a charred railing held a folded torn logbook page that began, "if you are reading this and I am...
The fear of being cut off with no help is immediate: a spotless two-piece canning jar on a charred railing held a folded torn logbook page that began, "if you are reading this and I am not here, start with page forty-one." How did a clean jar and a damaged notebook become the only link between a man trapped at 6,400 feet and the outside world, and who almost never found him?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that left a look‑out isolated for twenty‑two days after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed the only access road, and we follow the clues that led rescuers to him. What choices, equipment limits, and near-misses shaped his survival and eventual discovery?

Person: Terry Walker
Date: October 28, 2014 (arrival) - November 19, 2014 (discovery)
Location: Station Nine, Arroyo Bench, Merna River drainage, central Nevada
Status: Found alive in cab after 22 days
Event: Arroyo Bench Fire caused road loss and tower isolation

- The jar was photographed at 7:52 AM on November 19, 2014 before anyone touched it.
- Terry arrived at Station Nine just before noon on October 28, 2014 and planned to leave by 4:00 PM the same day.
- Fire winds reached sustained 22 mph with gusts to 38 mph, and the fire started about three miles south of the station.
- He drove his truck roughly 60 yards north of the tower base to use it as a partial radiant heat shield during the fire.
- The emergency cache contained approximately six gallons of water and four days of emergency rations.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>995falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/six-minutes-one-hand-how-she-vanished-without-a-trace--73107836
Cold water survival boiled down to a six-minute window: in forty-degree water, hand function fails after ten to fifteen minutes, and Erin Whitley lost coordination in her left hand at minute six. A burnt-orange dry bag was later found clipped to her PFD on a granite ledge twelve feet above the waterline with a charged VHF radio, a laminated topo map circled at Fen Hollow, and a single damp left glove-so who climbed out and left it behind?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from Erin Whitley’s solo run on October 5, 2017 through the four-day search that followed, following the clues she left and the choices she made in freezing water-could her training and a single glove explain how she vanished without a trace?

Person: Erin Whitley
Date: October 5, 2017
Location: Acheron drainage, Frost Notch access point
Event: Solo kayak run, dry bag found four days later
Item: Dry bag contents - VHF radio (on, fully charged), laminated topo map (Fen Hollow circled), single wool left glove (size small, damp)

- The dry bag was found upright on a granite ledge twelve feet above the waterline.
- The VHF radio inside the dry bag was switched on and fully charged.
- The laminated topo map in the bag had Fen Hollow circled in marker.
- Erin had been in the water about sixty seconds before releasing her kayak and swimming to the right bank.
- Erin’s left hand began to lose coordination at the six-minute mark in forty-degree water.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107836Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaSix Minutes, One Hand: How She Vanished Without a Trace Cold water survival boiled down to a six-minute window: in forty-degree water, hand function fails after ten to fifteen minutes, and Erin Whitley lost coordination in her left hand at minute...
Cold water survival boiled down to a six-minute window: in forty-degree water, hand function fails after ten to fifteen minutes, and Erin Whitley lost coordination in her left hand at minute six. A burnt-orange dry bag was later found clipped to her PFD on a granite ledge twelve feet above the waterline with a charged VHF radio, a laminated topo map circled at Fen Hollow, and a single damp left glove-so who climbed out and left it behind?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from Erin Whitley’s solo run on October 5, 2017 through the four-day search that followed, following the clues she left and the choices she made in freezing water-could her training and a single glove explain how she vanished without a trace?

Person: Erin Whitley
Date: October 5, 2017
Location: Acheron drainage, Frost Notch access point
Event: Solo kayak run, dry bag found four days later
Item: Dry bag contents - VHF radio (on, fully charged), laminated topo map (Fen Hollow circled), single wool left glove (size small, damp)

- The dry bag was found upright on a granite ledge twelve feet above the waterline.
- The VHF radio inside the dry bag was switched on and fully charged.
- The laminated topo map in the bag had Fen Hollow circled in marker.
- Erin had been in the water about sixty seconds before releasing her kayak and swimming to the right bank.
- Erin’s left hand began to lose coordination at the six-minute mark in forty-degree water.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>909falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-a-shoe-in-a-water-meter-found-alive-nine-days-later--73107835
Fear of being alone and lost collides with methodical preparedness: a size 8 trail runner was found sitting upright in a twelve-inch water meter housing, laced and pointing north-yet the runner had been home three days earlier. How did a meticulous 44-year-old, experienced marathoner and ultrarunner survive nine days below a ridgeline with a fractured foot and leave a shoe in a meter a dozen days after the race?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine meter read to the race-day wrong turn, the search-and-rescue decisions that sent teams the other way, and the improvised survival steps taken on the slope; what ultimately revealed her location and how did the cairn, the race bib strip, and one removed shoe factor into being found?

Person: Tammy Moore
Date: September 7, 2019 (race start) and September 19, 2019 (meter discovery)
Location: Kellum Canyon area, near mile eighteen and Sector W-7; Farrow Road meter housing
Status: Found alive after nine days; left shoe placed in water meter twelve days after race
Event: Kellum Canyon Ultra race

- The shoe found by meter reader Donald Cook was a size eight trail runner, laced and upright in a twelve-inch steel housing.
- The race started twelve days before the shoe was found; the Kellum Canyon Ultra began six miles north of the meter.
- Tammy Moore was forty-four years old and had completed eleven marathons by 2019.
- Search-and-rescue was activated at 4:15 PM the day she went missing, with primary teams deployed east based on witness reports.
- On day two she built a cairn of three stones in Sector W-7 and tucked an orange strip torn from her race bib beneath the base.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107835Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left a Shoe in a Water Meter - Found Alive Nine Days Later Fear of being alone and lost collides with methodical preparedness: a size 8 trail runner was found sitting upright in a twelve-inch water meter housing, laced and pointing north-yet...
Fear of being alone and lost collides with methodical preparedness: a size 8 trail runner was found sitting upright in a twelve-inch water meter housing, laced and pointing north-yet the runner had been home three days earlier. How did a meticulous 44-year-old, experienced marathoner and ultrarunner survive nine days below a ridgeline with a fractured foot and leave a shoe in a meter a dozen days after the race?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine meter read to the race-day wrong turn, the search-and-rescue decisions that sent teams the other way, and the improvised survival steps taken on the slope; what ultimately revealed her location and how did the cairn, the race bib strip, and one removed shoe factor into being found?

Person: Tammy Moore
Date: September 7, 2019 (race start) and September 19, 2019 (meter discovery)
Location: Kellum Canyon area, near mile eighteen and Sector W-7; Farrow Road meter housing
Status: Found alive after nine days; left shoe placed in water meter twelve days after race
Event: Kellum Canyon Ultra race

- The shoe found by meter reader Donald Cook was a size eight trail runner, laced and upright in a twelve-inch steel housing.
- The race started twelve days before the shoe was found; the Kellum Canyon Ultra began six miles north of the meter.
- Tammy Moore was forty-four years old and had completed eleven marathons by 2019.
- Search-and-rescue was activated at 4:15 PM the day she went missing, with primary teams deployed east based on witness reports.
- On day two she built a cairn of three stones in Sector W-7 and tucked an orange strip torn from her race bib beneath the base.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>942falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-climbed-down-900-feet-with-a-broken-leg-how-he-survived--73107834
Fear and focus collide: a climber descended 900 feet of vertical granite alone with a broken fibula, leaving his tent anchored 900 feet above where he would be found - how did he navigate two hours of decisions and fourteen hours of misdirected search-and-rescue? What choice kept him alive when every option seemed impossible?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a lone tent spotted on NV-228 to the discovery that the climber had already descended the wall on a broken leg, and we trace the decisions, gear, and precise notes he kept that matter most to his survival. How did planning, notebooks, and a single decision about a tent change everything?

Person: Scott Barnes
Date: August 19-20, 2017
Location: Prentice Dome, Notch mile marker 41 on NV-228
Event: Solo descent after fall causing broken left fibula
Status: Tent found empty; search misdirected for 14 hours

- 900 feet: height of the tent above the canyon floor where Barnes bivied on the Cradle.
- 1,100 feet: total height above the canyon floor when the granite flake fractured in the Collar.
- 12 feet: distance of Barnes's fall before his protection caught.
- 2 hours: time he hung and deliberated before starting his descent.
- 14 hours: length of time the search-and-rescue was misdirected toward the tent location.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107834Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Climbed Down 900 Feet With a Broken Leg - How He Survived Fear and focus collide: a climber descended 900 feet of vertical granite alone with a broken fibula, leaving his tent anchored 900 feet above where he would be found - how did he navigate...
Fear and focus collide: a climber descended 900 feet of vertical granite alone with a broken fibula, leaving his tent anchored 900 feet above where he would be found - how did he navigate two hours of decisions and fourteen hours of misdirected search-and-rescue? What choice kept him alive when every option seemed impossible?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a lone tent spotted on NV-228 to the discovery that the climber had already descended the wall on a broken leg, and we trace the decisions, gear, and precise notes he kept that matter most to his survival. How did planning, notebooks, and a single decision about a tent change everything?

Person: Scott Barnes
Date: August 19-20, 2017
Location: Prentice Dome, Notch mile marker 41 on NV-228
Event: Solo descent after fall causing broken left fibula
Status: Tent found empty; search misdirected for 14 hours

- 900 feet: height of the tent above the canyon floor where Barnes bivied on the Cradle.
- 1,100 feet: total height above the canyon floor when the granite flake fractured in the Collar.
- 12 feet: distance of Barnes's fall before his protection caught.
- 2 hours: time he hung and deliberated before starting his descent.
- 14 hours: length of time the search-and-rescue was misdirected toward the tent location.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>986falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/found-alive-in-a-sea-cave-nine-days-trapped-one-survivor--73107832
Fear tightens when you learn a life can be mistaken for a discarded orange suit on a basalt ledge - and that misreading almost ended rescue before it began. A woman with a compound broken leg survived nine days without rescue in a tide-accessible sea cave after her boat sank hundreds of miles offshore; how did she hold on long enough to be found alive, and why was she the only survivor linked to the EPIRB signal picked up miles at sea?

In this episode, we tell the events as recorded: the departure of the Marta J., the EPIRB activation, the suspended search, and the discovery at Calder Point that raised more questions than answers. We follow the timeline from the last radio check-ins to the moment a walker found an orange suit on a ledge and wonder how a single survivor could have made it ashore.

Person: Gina Dempsey
Date: July 9-19, 2022
Location: Calder Point, Oregon coast
Vessel: Marta J., 62-foot combination crabber and trawler
Status: EPIRB activated; four crew presumed dead; one survivor found alive

- At 8:22 AM on July 19, 2022, Larry Henderson called 9-1-1 after his dog stopped at a basalt ledge where an orange suit lay flat with stones on each wrist.
- Gina Dempsey, age 53, triggered the EPIRB at 2:19 AM on July 11, 2022, registering a position approximately 41 miles offshore.
- The initial search covered roughly 230 square miles with four aircraft and two vessels over two days before being suspended on July 12, 2022.
- The Marta J. left Glennis Bay on July 9, 2022, in four-to-six-foot seas with an 18-knot northwest wind; last radio call was at 6:47 PM on July 10, 2022.
- Dempsey spent approximately four hours in the water after the Marta J. went down before reaching a sea cave at Calder Point with a compound fracture of the left fibula.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107832Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaFound Alive in a Sea Cave: Nine Days Trapped, One Survivor Fear tightens when you learn a life can be mistaken for a discarded orange suit on a basalt ledge - and that misreading almost ended rescue before it began. A woman with a compound broken...
Fear tightens when you learn a life can be mistaken for a discarded orange suit on a basalt ledge - and that misreading almost ended rescue before it began. A woman with a compound broken leg survived nine days without rescue in a tide-accessible sea cave after her boat sank hundreds of miles offshore; how did she hold on long enough to be found alive, and why was she the only survivor linked to the EPIRB signal picked up miles at sea?

In this episode, we tell the events as recorded: the departure of the Marta J., the EPIRB activation, the suspended search, and the discovery at Calder Point that raised more questions than answers. We follow the timeline from the last radio check-ins to the moment a walker found an orange suit on a ledge and wonder how a single survivor could have made it ashore.

Person: Gina Dempsey
Date: July 9-19, 2022
Location: Calder Point, Oregon coast
Vessel: Marta J., 62-foot combination crabber and trawler
Status: EPIRB activated; four crew presumed dead; one survivor found alive

- At 8:22 AM on July 19, 2022, Larry Henderson called 9-1-1 after his dog stopped at a basalt ledge where an orange suit lay flat with stones on each wrist.
- Gina Dempsey, age 53, triggered the EPIRB at 2:19 AM on July 11, 2022, registering a position approximately 41 miles offshore.
- The initial search covered roughly 230 square miles with four aircraft and two vessels over two days before being suspended on July 12, 2022.
- The Marta J. left Glennis Bay on July 9, 2022, in four-to-six-foot seas with an 18-knot northwest wind; last radio call was at 6:47 PM on July 10, 2022.
- Dempsey spent approximately four hours in the water after the Marta J. went down before reaching a sea cave at Calder Point with a compound fracture of the left fibula.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>850falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/locked-gate-dying-jeep-one-crayon-drawing-that-saved-them--73107831
A twenty-three-year-old and a six-year-old were stranded in high-desert heat with a dead Jeep, shrinking water, and no signal - and a single crayon drawing and a sheet of paper would end a forty-hour search. The locked forest road gate had a suspended ranger checkpoint no one told them about; how did a dry piece of paper survive eighteen inches of floodwater to point rescuers to their location?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline from the morning the Jeep died through the two days that followed, the small decisions that kept them alive, and the accidental clue that closed the search. What choices and chances mattered most when every hour could have been the last?

Person: Gail Turner
Person: Petra
Location: Salado Slough gravel bar
Date: June 14 (paper found), June 11 (trip began)
Event: Engine failure at mile 13 of northern forest road

- The paper was found at 5:47 AM on June 14 on the highest crest of a limestone shelf after the gravel bar had been under 18 inches of floodwater the night before.
- Gail Turner was 23 years old and worked as a pharmacy technician in Seco Bluff, a town of about 11,000 people.
- The destination, Painted Arch, was 62 miles northeast of Seco Bluff with the last 14 miles on an unpaved county forest road.
- A locked gate at mile 4 marked a maintenance closure posted since May 28, but the ranger checkpoint that would have enforced it was suspended and not indicated at the trailhead.
- The Jeep’s lower radiator hose failed at mile 13, the engine seized by 10:20 AM, and Gail and Petra walked half a mile back to the trailhead arriving at 11:05 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107831Sat, 29 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLocked Gate, Dying Jeep, One Crayon Drawing That Saved Them A twenty-three-year-old and a six-year-old were stranded in high-desert heat with a dead Jeep, shrinking water, and no signal - and a single crayon drawing and a sheet of paper would end a...
A twenty-three-year-old and a six-year-old were stranded in high-desert heat with a dead Jeep, shrinking water, and no signal - and a single crayon drawing and a sheet of paper would end a forty-hour search. The locked forest road gate had a suspended ranger checkpoint no one told them about; how did a dry piece of paper survive eighteen inches of floodwater to point rescuers to their location?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline from the morning the Jeep died through the two days that followed, the small decisions that kept them alive, and the accidental clue that closed the search. What choices and chances mattered most when every hour could have been the last?

Person: Gail Turner
Person: Petra
Location: Salado Slough gravel bar
Date: June 14 (paper found), June 11 (trip began)
Event: Engine failure at mile 13 of northern forest road

- The paper was found at 5:47 AM on June 14 on the highest crest of a limestone shelf after the gravel bar had been under 18 inches of floodwater the night before.
- Gail Turner was 23 years old and worked as a pharmacy technician in Seco Bluff, a town of about 11,000 people.
- The destination, Painted Arch, was 62 miles northeast of Seco Bluff with the last 14 miles on an unpaved county forest road.
- A locked gate at mile 4 marked a maintenance closure posted since May 28, but the ranger checkpoint that would have enforced it was suspended and not indicated at the trailhead.
- The Jeep’s lower radiator hose failed at mile 13, the engine seized by 10:20 AM, and Gail and Petra walked half a mile back to the trailhead arriving at 11:05 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1076falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-alive-11-days-the-watch-that-hunted-him--73107829
A ticking watch lay face-up on avalanche debris, crystal pointed at the sky, with no footprints or drag marks for fifty meters - a single object that would force a twenty-one-year search coordinator to rethink everything. A man had been buried under eight feet of snow for eleven days; could someone survive long enough, lucid and calm, to leave a deliberate signal on the surface?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a Tuesday morning conversation about radishes to the moment a hiker reports a parked truck, and we trace how a small, overlooked habit and a forgotten topographic map changed the search. How did a watch on the snow tell rescuers where - and whether - a buried man had tried to be found?

Person: Eugene Stroud
Date: May 3-May 14, 2011
Location: Saber Ridge, Coldwell Fork, Mineral County, Montana
Status: Buried under eight feet of snow for eleven days
Coordinator: Lloyd Draper

- Eugene was thirty-eight years old and worked as a soil conservation technician for the Mineral County extension office.
- He was last seen on the morning of May 3 talking to his neighbor, then drove away with a daypack and no route plan.
- A hiker reported his truck at the Saber Creek trailhead on the evening of May 7, four days after he disappeared.
- Search coordinator Lloyd Draper deployed fourteen people and initially searched the eastern aspect of Saber Ridge.
- Three hundred feet of undisturbed snow on the north face hid Eugene for five days before the watch was found on the surface.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107829Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Alive 11 Days: The Watch That Hunted Him A ticking watch lay face-up on avalanche debris, crystal pointed at the sky, with no footprints or drag marks for fifty meters - a single object that would force a twenty-one-year search coordinator...
A ticking watch lay face-up on avalanche debris, crystal pointed at the sky, with no footprints or drag marks for fifty meters - a single object that would force a twenty-one-year search coordinator to rethink everything. A man had been buried under eight feet of snow for eleven days; could someone survive long enough, lucid and calm, to leave a deliberate signal on the surface?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a Tuesday morning conversation about radishes to the moment a hiker reports a parked truck, and we trace how a small, overlooked habit and a forgotten topographic map changed the search. How did a watch on the snow tell rescuers where - and whether - a buried man had tried to be found?

Person: Eugene Stroud
Date: May 3-May 14, 2011
Location: Saber Ridge, Coldwell Fork, Mineral County, Montana
Status: Buried under eight feet of snow for eleven days
Coordinator: Lloyd Draper

- Eugene was thirty-eight years old and worked as a soil conservation technician for the Mineral County extension office.
- He was last seen on the morning of May 3 talking to his neighbor, then drove away with a daypack and no route plan.
- A hiker reported his truck at the Saber Creek trailhead on the evening of May 7, four days after he disappeared.
- Search coordinator Lloyd Draper deployed fourteen people and initially searched the eastern aspect of Saber Ridge.
- Three hundred feet of undisturbed snow on the north face hid Eugene for five days before the watch was found on the surface.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>922falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drew-a-map-in-total-darkness-and-outswam-death--73107828
Fear and survival collide: a sealed zip-lock bag weighted with limestone surfaced in a dry septic tank containing hand-drawn maps traced in total darkness - pages dated April 4-5, 2019, left-hand only, with the instruction to call a sister first. How did a map released into an underground current travel nearly four miles of unmapped passage and surface two days before the diver it described was found alive?

In this episode, we tell the story of Marilyn Sheridan and the sequence of events from her last logged dive entry to the discovery of the maps, laying out how routine procedures, a missing follow-up, and a single overlooked detail shaped the search - and how that map became a clue to where she had been and how she survived.

Person: Marilyn Sheridan
Date: April 4-9, 2019
Location: Dunmore's Cave / Vance Sink, Harwick, Florida
Event: Hand-drawn maps found in a septic tank on Limestone Spur Road
Status: Marilyn found alive two days after maps surfaced

- Map pages were drawn April 4 through April 5, 2019, in pencil and marked "No light. Left hand only."
- The zip-lock freezer bag containing the maps was weighted with a piece of limestone and photographed before being bagged as evidence.
- Marilyn was 62 years old in spring 2019 and had logged more than 600 cave dives with full cave-diver and technical trimix certifications.
- Her last dive log entry, dated March 21, 2019, noted a secondary spool run into a right-hand sump at 340 meters with moving water that "Needs more investigation."
- The maps traveled through nearly four miles of unmapped underground terrain and surfaced in a dry septic tank on Limestone Spur Road two days before Marilyn was found alive.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107828Thu, 27 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Drew a Map in Total Darkness and Outswam Death Fear and survival collide: a sealed zip-lock bag weighted with limestone surfaced in a dry septic tank containing hand-drawn maps traced in total darkness - pages dated April 4-5, 2019, left-hand...
Fear and survival collide: a sealed zip-lock bag weighted with limestone surfaced in a dry septic tank containing hand-drawn maps traced in total darkness - pages dated April 4-5, 2019, left-hand only, with the instruction to call a sister first. How did a map released into an underground current travel nearly four miles of unmapped passage and surface two days before the diver it described was found alive?

In this episode, we tell the story of Marilyn Sheridan and the sequence of events from her last logged dive entry to the discovery of the maps, laying out how routine procedures, a missing follow-up, and a single overlooked detail shaped the search - and how that map became a clue to where she had been and how she survived.

Person: Marilyn Sheridan
Date: April 4-9, 2019
Location: Dunmore's Cave / Vance Sink, Harwick, Florida
Event: Hand-drawn maps found in a septic tank on Limestone Spur Road
Status: Marilyn found alive two days after maps surfaced

- Map pages were drawn April 4 through April 5, 2019, in pencil and marked "No light. Left hand only."
- The zip-lock freezer bag containing the maps was weighted with a piece of limestone and photographed before being bagged as evidence.
- Marilyn was 62 years old in spring 2019 and had logged more than 600 cave dives with full cave-diver and technical trimix certifications.
- Her last dive log entry, dated March 21, 2019, noted a secondary spool run into a right-hand sump at 340 meters with moving water that "Needs more investigation."
- The maps traveled through nearly four miles of unmapped underground terrain and surfaced in a dry septic tank on Limestone Spur Road two days before Marilyn was found alive.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>982falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-truck-moving-watch-how-she-survived-seventy-one-hours--73107827
Cold, precise, and suddenly wrong: a headlamp found a rose-gold wristwatch ticking on a buried truck's mirror after seventy-one hours in a snowfield - the second hand still moving in nineteen-degree weather. Nobody on the official search knew the truck existed two miles away, and one misread assumption sent rescuers the wrong way; how did Michelle Harris keep a running engine, melt snow for water, and make the choice that saved her life?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Michelle's last text at 9:52 AM saying "At the gate. Road looks manageable. Back by noon." through the escalating storms, the search decisions based on a two-wheel-drive assumption, and the three days she rationed fuel and food in a buried cab - what did she do on the third night that brought her home?

Person: Michelle Harris
Age: 26
Date: March 11-14, 2019
Location: Hatchett Mill Road, four point three miles above the gate
Temperature: 19 degrees

- At 7:15 AM on March 14, 2019, a headlamp found a wristwatch hanging from the driver's-side mirror of a buried truck.
- Michelle last texted at 9:52 AM on March 11, 2019: "At the gate. Road looks manageable. Back by noon."
- A storm on March 8-9 dropped eight inches of wet snow; an additional storm added nine inches by March 12.
- The truck stalled at the fifth switchback, 4.3 miles above the gate, with the left rear wheel sunk to the axle.
- The official search team was working two miles south on a grid based on the assumption Michelle had turned back, while she waited in the truck for seventy-one hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107827Wed, 26 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Truck, Moving Watch: How She Survived Seventy-One Hours Cold, precise, and suddenly wrong: a headlamp found a rose-gold wristwatch ticking on a buried truck's mirror after seventy-one hours in a snowfield - the second hand still moving in...
Cold, precise, and suddenly wrong: a headlamp found a rose-gold wristwatch ticking on a buried truck's mirror after seventy-one hours in a snowfield - the second hand still moving in nineteen-degree weather. Nobody on the official search knew the truck existed two miles away, and one misread assumption sent rescuers the wrong way; how did Michelle Harris keep a running engine, melt snow for water, and make the choice that saved her life?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Michelle's last text at 9:52 AM saying "At the gate. Road looks manageable. Back by noon." through the escalating storms, the search decisions based on a two-wheel-drive assumption, and the three days she rationed fuel and food in a buried cab - what did she do on the third night that brought her home?

Person: Michelle Harris
Age: 26
Date: March 11-14, 2019
Location: Hatchett Mill Road, four point three miles above the gate
Temperature: 19 degrees

- At 7:15 AM on March 14, 2019, a headlamp found a wristwatch hanging from the driver's-side mirror of a buried truck.
- Michelle last texted at 9:52 AM on March 11, 2019: "At the gate. Road looks manageable. Back by noon."
- A storm on March 8-9 dropped eight inches of wet snow; an additional storm added nine inches by March 12.
- The truck stalled at the fifth switchback, 4.3 miles above the gate, with the left rear wheel sunk to the axle.
- The official search team was working two miles south on a grid based on the assumption Michelle had turned back, while she waited in the truck for seventy-one hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>931falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/alone-dismasted-43-miles-out-the-mast-that-solved-her-rescue--73107825
Fear and helplessness: a forty-one-foot aluminum mast washed ashore in Gulfmere, Florida while its owner lay alone and bleeding on a dismasted 40-foot sailboat 43 nautical miles out with eleven gallons of diesel and a dying VHF battery - how did that spar travel that far and become the clue that saved her? What missed decisions and a single photograph tied a stranded sailor to a road two days later?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery, tracing the timeline, the failures, and the people who were and were not looking for her; what led Rhonda to give a false position, why the swage fitting mattered, and how the mast’s journey ultimately revealed her location.

Person: Rhonda Hamilton
Vessel: Peregrine, 1987 fiberglass sloop, 40-foot, registration FL-4417
Date: Disappearance began January 26, 2014; mast found February 4, 2014; dismasting occurred night of February 3, 2014
Location: 43 nautical miles west-northwest of Key West in 1,400 feet of water
Status: Coast Guard search active since 01:49 the morning of February 4, 2014

- The mast was a 41-foot aluminum spar that washed across 43 miles of open water and rested on Pelican Dock Road in Gulfmere.
- At 06:14 on February 4, 2014, a sixteen-year-old girl found the mast and photographed it before calling her mother.
- Rhonda had reported a false position from Key West, telling her shore contact she was 40 nautical miles northeast when she was actually two miles offshore.
- The upper swage fitting on the port shroud had shown fatigue in Rhonda’s inspection records and failed during the gale on the night of February 3.
- After the rig failed, Rhonda had eleven gallons of diesel, a VHF strapped to its base transmitting on Channel 16 with the battery nearly dead, and her SSB antenna lost with the mast.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107825Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaAlone, Dismasted, 43 Miles Out: The Mast That Solved Her Rescue Fear and helplessness: a forty-one-foot aluminum mast washed ashore in Gulfmere, Florida while its owner lay alone and bleeding on a dismasted 40-foot sailboat 43 nautical miles out...
Fear and helplessness: a forty-one-foot aluminum mast washed ashore in Gulfmere, Florida while its owner lay alone and bleeding on a dismasted 40-foot sailboat 43 nautical miles out with eleven gallons of diesel and a dying VHF battery - how did that spar travel that far and become the clue that saved her? What missed decisions and a single photograph tied a stranded sailor to a road two days later?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery, tracing the timeline, the failures, and the people who were and were not looking for her; what led Rhonda to give a false position, why the swage fitting mattered, and how the mast’s journey ultimately revealed her location.

Person: Rhonda Hamilton
Vessel: Peregrine, 1987 fiberglass sloop, 40-foot, registration FL-4417
Date: Disappearance began January 26, 2014; mast found February 4, 2014; dismasting occurred night of February 3, 2014
Location: 43 nautical miles west-northwest of Key West in 1,400 feet of water
Status: Coast Guard search active since 01:49 the morning of February 4, 2014

- The mast was a 41-foot aluminum spar that washed across 43 miles of open water and rested on Pelican Dock Road in Gulfmere.
- At 06:14 on February 4, 2014, a sixteen-year-old girl found the mast and photographed it before calling her mother.
- Rhonda had reported a false position from Key West, telling her shore contact she was 40 nautical miles northeast when she was actually two miles offshore.
- The upper swage fitting on the port shroud had shown fatigue in Rhonda’s inspection records and failed during the gale on the night of February 3.
- After the rig failed, Rhonda had eleven gallons of diesel, a VHF strapped to its base transmitting on Channel 16 with the battery nearly dead, and her SSB antenna lost with the mast.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1039falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boot-on-the-road-how-a-hiker-survived-five-days-without-water--73107823
A single purple-grey trail runner, women's size seven, stood upright on State Route 9 at mile marker 31-its sole worn at the ball of the foot and a folded gas receipt tucked inside with four handwritten words. How did that boot end up in the centerline, and where was the person who wore it after five days surviving with almost no water?

In this episode, we follow the account of what happened over five days in Janeiro Canyon and how a series of ordinary decisions led to an extraordinary survival. What choices, missing records, and outdated maps combined to strand a thirty-two-year-old hiker with a sprained ankle and less than one liter of water?

Person: Michelle Taylor
Date: January 3-8, 2019
Location: Piedra del Sol trail, Garnet County (mile marker 31 on State Route 9)
Occupation: GIS mapper, Millhaven land survey firm
Item found: Purple-grey women's trail runner, size 7, with gas receipt folded inside

- At 6:44 AM on January 8, 2019, snowplow operator Shannon Wilson found the upright boot at mile marker 31 on State Route 9.
- The boot was a purple-grey trail runner, women's size seven, with the lace double-knotted and the sole worn at the ball of the foot.
- The folded paper inside the boot was a gas receipt with four words handwritten on the back.
- Michelle Taylor was 32 years old and worked as a GIS mapper who had not downloaded a 2017 gate relocation in her map quadrant.
- Michelle began her hike January 3 with just under one liter of water, a granola bar, no trip plan filed, and a trailhead permit box that had been empty since October.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107823Mon, 24 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoot on the Road: How a Hiker Survived Five Days Without Water A single purple-grey trail runner, women's size seven, stood upright on State Route 9 at mile marker 31-its sole worn at the ball of the foot and a folded gas receipt tucked inside with...
A single purple-grey trail runner, women's size seven, stood upright on State Route 9 at mile marker 31-its sole worn at the ball of the foot and a folded gas receipt tucked inside with four handwritten words. How did that boot end up in the centerline, and where was the person who wore it after five days surviving with almost no water?

In this episode, we follow the account of what happened over five days in Janeiro Canyon and how a series of ordinary decisions led to an extraordinary survival. What choices, missing records, and outdated maps combined to strand a thirty-two-year-old hiker with a sprained ankle and less than one liter of water?

Person: Michelle Taylor
Date: January 3-8, 2019
Location: Piedra del Sol trail, Garnet County (mile marker 31 on State Route 9)
Occupation: GIS mapper, Millhaven land survey firm
Item found: Purple-grey women's trail runner, size 7, with gas receipt folded inside

- At 6:44 AM on January 8, 2019, snowplow operator Shannon Wilson found the upright boot at mile marker 31 on State Route 9.
- The boot was a purple-grey trail runner, women's size seven, with the lace double-knotted and the sole worn at the ball of the foot.
- The folded paper inside the boot was a gas receipt with four words handwritten on the back.
- Michelle Taylor was 32 years old and worked as a GIS mapper who had not downloaded a 2017 gate relocation in her map quadrant.
- Michelle began her hike January 3 with just under one liter of water, a granola bar, no trip plan filed, and a trailhead permit box that had been empty since October.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>940falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-foot-through-ice-how-a-trekking-pole-became-her-lifeline--73107822
Cold, isolated, and eleven degrees Fahrenheit at 6,200 feet - a fourteen-inch carbon-fiber trekking pole driven into the frozen ground was the only sign that something had gone terribly wrong on a hundred-mile course; what can a strip of gray fleece and a broken pole tell rescuers about a missing runner? What unfolded over the next 24 hours would hinge on one improvised decision and a race against time.

In this episode, we follow the events of December 7-9, 2019 at the Kessler Hundred and trace April Hicks’s actions from pace-perfect miles through the moment her right leg plunged through trail crust at mile 62 - and the improvised medical step that kept her alive. How did training, kit, and quick thinking turn a snapped pole into a functioning tourniquet?

Person: April Hicks
Date: December 7-9, 2019
Location: Vance Rim, Kessler Hundred course near Prineville
Temperature: 11 degrees Fahrenheit
Altitude: 6,200 feet

- The race started December 7, 2019 with 31 runners on the Kessler Hundred course.
- At mile 40 April was in 7th place and on her planned pace; she had previously finished the event in 2015 and 2017.
- At mile 62 her right leg broke through a two-inch trail crust and the lower section of her trekking pole snapped off below the grip.
- April cut a gray fleece neck gaiter with a multi-tool, wrapped it above the wound, threaded the remaining pole shaft through as a windlass, and twisted until bleeding stopped.
- Carol Patterson found a 14-inch carbon-fiber trekking pole driven into frozen ground with a surgically tied fleece strip, photographed it before touching it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107822Sun, 23 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Foot Through Ice: How a Trekking Pole Became Her Lifeline Cold, isolated, and eleven degrees Fahrenheit at 6,200 feet - a fourteen-inch carbon-fiber trekking pole driven into the frozen ground was the only sign that something had gone terribly...
Cold, isolated, and eleven degrees Fahrenheit at 6,200 feet - a fourteen-inch carbon-fiber trekking pole driven into the frozen ground was the only sign that something had gone terribly wrong on a hundred-mile course; what can a strip of gray fleece and a broken pole tell rescuers about a missing runner? What unfolded over the next 24 hours would hinge on one improvised decision and a race against time.

In this episode, we follow the events of December 7-9, 2019 at the Kessler Hundred and trace April Hicks’s actions from pace-perfect miles through the moment her right leg plunged through trail crust at mile 62 - and the improvised medical step that kept her alive. How did training, kit, and quick thinking turn a snapped pole into a functioning tourniquet?

Person: April Hicks
Date: December 7-9, 2019
Location: Vance Rim, Kessler Hundred course near Prineville
Temperature: 11 degrees Fahrenheit
Altitude: 6,200 feet

- The race started December 7, 2019 with 31 runners on the Kessler Hundred course.
- At mile 40 April was in 7th place and on her planned pace; she had previously finished the event in 2015 and 2017.
- At mile 62 her right leg broke through a two-inch trail crust and the lower section of her trekking pole snapped off below the grip.
- April cut a gray fleece neck gaiter with a multi-tool, wrapped it above the wound, threaded the remaining pole shaft through as a windlass, and twisted until bleeding stopped.
- Carol Patterson found a 14-inch carbon-fiber trekking pole driven into frozen ground with a surgically tied fleece strip, photographed it before touching it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1128falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-shoe-downstream-how-she-outsmarted-fifteen-days-alone--73107821
Smoke in a closed canyon at 6:47 a.m., a single dry black dress shoe sitting untouched on a mid-channel boulder three miles downstream - and a woman who survived fifteen days alone with dwindling food and a failing knee. How did a field cook with a diabetic cat and no satellite phone turn planning-for-failure into a rescue cue nobody else saw?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events in the Pembrook State Wilderness: the expedition setup, the accident that split the team, the worsening weather and isolation, and the decisions Marie Rogers made that led to the dry shoe signal and eventual discovery. What precise steps did Marie take during those fifteen days that turned ordinary gear and observation into a life-saving message?

Person: Marie Rogers
Age: 44
Location: Pembrook State Wilderness, Talsen Creek drainage
Date of base camp setup: October 28
Date of injury to teammate: November 4

- Marie had been alone for fifteen days after her team left to evacuate an injured member.
- Base camp was at roughly 5,300 feet elevation in a narrow canyon.
- Overnight temperature on November 6 fell to 11 degrees Fahrenheit with eight inches of snow on the ground.
- Marie had sixteen years of field logistics experience and brought two sleeping bags and a cook shelter rain fly.
- The shoe was found dry on a pale mid-channel boulder approximately three miles downstream from camp.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107821Sat, 22 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Shoe Downstream: How She Outsmarted Fifteen Days Alone Smoke in a closed canyon at 6:47 a.m., a single dry black dress shoe sitting untouched on a mid-channel boulder three miles downstream - and a woman who survived fifteen days alone with...
Smoke in a closed canyon at 6:47 a.m., a single dry black dress shoe sitting untouched on a mid-channel boulder three miles downstream - and a woman who survived fifteen days alone with dwindling food and a failing knee. How did a field cook with a diabetic cat and no satellite phone turn planning-for-failure into a rescue cue nobody else saw?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events in the Pembrook State Wilderness: the expedition setup, the accident that split the team, the worsening weather and isolation, and the decisions Marie Rogers made that led to the dry shoe signal and eventual discovery. What precise steps did Marie take during those fifteen days that turned ordinary gear and observation into a life-saving message?

Person: Marie Rogers
Age: 44
Location: Pembrook State Wilderness, Talsen Creek drainage
Date of base camp setup: October 28
Date of injury to teammate: November 4

- Marie had been alone for fifteen days after her team left to evacuate an injured member.
- Base camp was at roughly 5,300 feet elevation in a narrow canyon.
- Overnight temperature on November 6 fell to 11 degrees Fahrenheit with eight inches of snow on the ground.
- Marie had sixteen years of field logistics experience and brought two sleeping bags and a cook shelter rain fly.
- The shoe was found dry on a pale mid-channel boulder approximately three miles downstream from camp.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1061falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-survived-the-flash-flood-why-he-left-the-rope-behind--73107820
Fear tightens around the inevitability of water in a slot canyon: two inches of rain in forty minutes on a distant rim sent a wall of brown water up to a shelf where Frank Farrell sat eight feet above a trapped pool, marking the changing level with deliberate scratches on a sandstone slab. Why did a trained geotechnical technician clutch a scratched piece of rock and not the thirty feet of rope he had brought - and what did those columns of tally marks mean?

In this episode, we tell what happened from the morning Troy Jones found Frank to the moment the flood rose and then held, and we trace Frank’s preparations, his equipment list, and the crucial decisions he made as the water stalled beneath him - leaving the question of survival tied to the meaning of those scratches.

Person: Frank Farrell
Age: 29
Occupation: Geotechnical technician
Entry date: Saturday, October 19
Last voicemail: Thursday, October 17 at 5:47 AM

- Frank had canyoneered for four years and entered fourteen slot canyons in that time.
- He carried thirty feet of six-millimeter cord, a rappelling harness, two carabiners, a 32-ounce water bottle (three-quarters full), two energy bars, a headlamp, a first-aid kit, and a pocketknife.
- He made twelve vertical scratch columns on a sandstone slab, grouping marks in fives, and scratched one vertical mark every fifteen minutes.
- The flood was caused by two inches of rain in forty minutes on the Mogollon Rim feeding Archer Creek into Tin Horn canyon.
- Troy Jones found Frank at 7:20 AM sitting against a chain-link gate with boots on the wrong feet and a uniform deep purple face.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107820Fri, 21 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Survived the Flash Flood - Why He Left the Rope Behind Fear tightens around the inevitability of water in a slot canyon: two inches of rain in forty minutes on a distant rim sent a wall of brown water up to a shelf where Frank Farrell sat eight...
Fear tightens around the inevitability of water in a slot canyon: two inches of rain in forty minutes on a distant rim sent a wall of brown water up to a shelf where Frank Farrell sat eight feet above a trapped pool, marking the changing level with deliberate scratches on a sandstone slab. Why did a trained geotechnical technician clutch a scratched piece of rock and not the thirty feet of rope he had brought - and what did those columns of tally marks mean?

In this episode, we tell what happened from the morning Troy Jones found Frank to the moment the flood rose and then held, and we trace Frank’s preparations, his equipment list, and the crucial decisions he made as the water stalled beneath him - leaving the question of survival tied to the meaning of those scratches.

Person: Frank Farrell
Age: 29
Occupation: Geotechnical technician
Entry date: Saturday, October 19
Last voicemail: Thursday, October 17 at 5:47 AM

- Frank had canyoneered for four years and entered fourteen slot canyons in that time.
- He carried thirty feet of six-millimeter cord, a rappelling harness, two carabiners, a 32-ounce water bottle (three-quarters full), two energy bars, a headlamp, a first-aid kit, and a pocketknife.
- He made twelve vertical scratch columns on a sandstone slab, grouping marks in fives, and scratched one vertical mark every fifteen minutes.
- The flood was caused by two inches of rain in forty minutes on the Mogollon Rim feeding Archer Creek into Tin Horn canyon.
- Troy Jones found Frank at 7:20 AM sitting against a chain-link gate with boots on the wrong feet and a uniform deep purple face.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1065falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fastened-cap-in-a-physically-impossible-location--73107819
The thought of being swept into the open Atlantic and never seen again is immediate and cold: an orange neoprene swim cap with its chin strap still fastened was found wedged against a Moroccan trawler hull fourteen nautical miles east of where its owner should have finished her swim-yet six days after entering the water she was found alive on a flat rock six meters above the waterline. How did three strangers find three separate swim items across two coastlines and unknowingly build a map that led to her survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Lisa Bowers entering the Strait of Gibraltar at 05:49 on September 3, 2021, through the disrupted escort, the uncharted current features, and the small discoveries that unwound the mystery-could a hidden counter-eddy and a subsurface ridge explain how physics placed that cap where charts said it could not be?

Person: Lisa Bowers
Date: September 3, 2021
Location: Strait of Gibraltar / Punta Carnero entry
Event: Found alive six days later on a flat rock six meters above the waterline
Escort pilot: Sergio Fuentes

- Lisa entered the water at 05:49 and began swimming south from Punta Carnero.
- The primary surface current runs west to east at up to 3.5 knots in midsummer; Lisa estimated the primary surface current at approximately 3 knots that morning.
- The Algeciras Star reported a steering failure around 08:50, prompting the escort to move the Cala Norte 200 meters north for under 15 minutes.
- While the escort searched the expected drift area, unseen subsurface refraction behind an uncharted ridge created a zone that shifted Lisa approximately 600 meters east in eleven minutes.
- Three strangers found three items (a cap, a water bottle, a pair of swim goggles) on two coastlines over the six days before Lisa was located, none knowing the others had found anything.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107819Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at Obomediafastened cap in a physically impossible location The thought of being swept into the open Atlantic and never seen again is immediate and cold: an orange neoprene swim cap with its chin strap still fastened was found wedged against a Moroccan...
The thought of being swept into the open Atlantic and never seen again is immediate and cold: an orange neoprene swim cap with its chin strap still fastened was found wedged against a Moroccan trawler hull fourteen nautical miles east of where its owner should have finished her swim-yet six days after entering the water she was found alive on a flat rock six meters above the waterline. How did three strangers find three separate swim items across two coastlines and unknowingly build a map that led to her survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Lisa Bowers entering the Strait of Gibraltar at 05:49 on September 3, 2021, through the disrupted escort, the uncharted current features, and the small discoveries that unwound the mystery-could a hidden counter-eddy and a subsurface ridge explain how physics placed that cap where charts said it could not be?

Person: Lisa Bowers
Date: September 3, 2021
Location: Strait of Gibraltar / Punta Carnero entry
Event: Found alive six days later on a flat rock six meters above the waterline
Escort pilot: Sergio Fuentes

- Lisa entered the water at 05:49 and began swimming south from Punta Carnero.
- The primary surface current runs west to east at up to 3.5 knots in midsummer; Lisa estimated the primary surface current at approximately 3 knots that morning.
- The Algeciras Star reported a steering failure around 08:50, prompting the escort to move the Cala Norte 200 meters north for under 15 minutes.
- While the escort searched the expected drift area, unseen subsurface refraction behind an uncharted ridge created a zone that shifted Lisa approximately 600 meters east in eleven minutes.
- Three strangers found three items (a cap, a water bottle, a pair of swim goggles) on two coastlines over the six days before Lisa was located, none knowing the others had found anything.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1223falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-followed-the-water-four-days-eleven-miles-wrong-wilderness--73107817
Cold fear: eleven miles from the nearest paved surface, a pristine carbon-frame road bike leaned against a tree with its handlebar computer still on reading 4:17 - a number that would not mean what it seemed for four more days. This episode follows a methodical 26-year-old cyclist whose ride turned into four days alone, in road shoes, with no food - how did a careful plan unravel into a wrong wilderness and near failure to survive?

In this episode, we lay out the chain of small, concrete failures that turned a planned loop into an extended survival scenario, from a blown closure sign to a road that existed only on paper - what single piece of knowledge he lacked that made the difference?

Person: Norman Watson
Age: 26
Date: Friday, August 11, 2023 (ride start); Tuesday, August 15, 2023 (bike found)
Location: Calder Wilderness Study Area; nearest paved surface 11 miles away
Coordinator: Debra Meyer

- Bicycle handlebar computer displayed 4 hours and 17 minutes when found.
- Norman left the trailhead kiosk in Gunnison at 5:40 AM on August 11, 2023.
- The storm dropped temperature from 63°F to 41°F in under 20 minutes above 11,000 feet.
- Norman set up camp at 7:15 PM on Friday evening after losing his planned corridor.
- County Road 76 closure notice had blown off its post two days before his ride (closure scheduled Aug 9-~Aug 19).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107817Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Followed the Water - Four Days, Eleven Miles Wrong Wilderness Cold fear: eleven miles from the nearest paved surface, a pristine carbon-frame road bike leaned against a tree with its handlebar computer still on reading 4:17 - a number that would...
Cold fear: eleven miles from the nearest paved surface, a pristine carbon-frame road bike leaned against a tree with its handlebar computer still on reading 4:17 - a number that would not mean what it seemed for four more days. This episode follows a methodical 26-year-old cyclist whose ride turned into four days alone, in road shoes, with no food - how did a careful plan unravel into a wrong wilderness and near failure to survive?

In this episode, we lay out the chain of small, concrete failures that turned a planned loop into an extended survival scenario, from a blown closure sign to a road that existed only on paper - what single piece of knowledge he lacked that made the difference?

Person: Norman Watson
Age: 26
Date: Friday, August 11, 2023 (ride start); Tuesday, August 15, 2023 (bike found)
Location: Calder Wilderness Study Area; nearest paved surface 11 miles away
Coordinator: Debra Meyer

- Bicycle handlebar computer displayed 4 hours and 17 minutes when found.
- Norman left the trailhead kiosk in Gunnison at 5:40 AM on August 11, 2023.
- The storm dropped temperature from 63°F to 41°F in under 20 minutes above 11,000 feet.
- Norman set up camp at 7:15 PM on Friday evening after losing his planned corridor.
- County Road 76 closure notice had blown off its post two days before his ride (closure scheduled Aug 9-~Aug 19).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1000falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boots-on-the-lakebed-why-she-left-a-note-and-matches--73107816
The boots were tied in a double knot and sat eighteen inches below Ansel Lake’s surface, four miles from the nearest road - and one contained a Post-it directing anyone who found them to a lightning-scarred ponderosa. A fisherman saw them through glassy water before seven a.m.; inside the other boot, a single wooden match and a square of emergency blanket. Who left them, and were they left as a trail to rescue or a last message?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of decisions and small preparations that led from a broken snowmobile to a deliberate walk into the northwest woods, and we trace the single notation in a field notebook that may explain why. What did the note mean to its writer, and did those three matches and a root-chambered ponderosa change the outcome?

Person: Crystal Norris
Date: Third week of July 2021
Location: Ansel Lake, northwest shore
Event: Snowmobile broke through shelf ice into eleven-foot water
Item found: Size seven work boots with Post-it, emergency blanket, and one wooden match

- The boots were standing upright eighteen inches below the lake surface and were visible through the water before seven in the morning.
- The boots were size seven, laced in a double knot, and located four miles from the nearest road.
- Inside one boot was a folded square of silver emergency blanket and a single wooden match; inside the other was a Post-it written in blue ballpoint pen reading "NW shore, big pine with the lightning scar, look down."
- Crystal had three waterproof matches on a card and a folded square of silver emergency blanket before the incident; her phone was submerged and inoperable.
- Crystal swam approximately forty feet through fifty-two-degree water, then walked northwest for twenty-two minutes to the ponderosa she had noted three summers earlier.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107816Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoots on the Lakebed: Why She Left a Note and Matches The boots were tied in a double knot and sat eighteen inches below Ansel Lake’s surface, four miles from the nearest road - and one contained a Post-it directing anyone who found them to a...
The boots were tied in a double knot and sat eighteen inches below Ansel Lake’s surface, four miles from the nearest road - and one contained a Post-it directing anyone who found them to a lightning-scarred ponderosa. A fisherman saw them through glassy water before seven a.m.; inside the other boot, a single wooden match and a square of emergency blanket. Who left them, and were they left as a trail to rescue or a last message?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of decisions and small preparations that led from a broken snowmobile to a deliberate walk into the northwest woods, and we trace the single notation in a field notebook that may explain why. What did the note mean to its writer, and did those three matches and a root-chambered ponderosa change the outcome?

Person: Crystal Norris
Date: Third week of July 2021
Location: Ansel Lake, northwest shore
Event: Snowmobile broke through shelf ice into eleven-foot water
Item found: Size seven work boots with Post-it, emergency blanket, and one wooden match

- The boots were standing upright eighteen inches below the lake surface and were visible through the water before seven in the morning.
- The boots were size seven, laced in a double knot, and located four miles from the nearest road.
- Inside one boot was a folded square of silver emergency blanket and a single wooden match; inside the other was a Post-it written in blue ballpoint pen reading "NW shore, big pine with the lightning scar, look down."
- Crystal had three waterproof matches on a card and a folded square of silver emergency blanket before the incident; her phone was submerged and inoperable.
- Crystal swam approximately forty feet through fifty-two-degree water, then walked northwest for twenty-two minutes to the ponderosa she had noted three summers earlier.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1074falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-her-camera-survived-seven-hours-alone-on-tidal-mud--73107815
The thought of being stranded on a tidal flat with fog closing in and the ocean hours away creates a pulse of dread most people avoid - yet a 61-year-old cartographic technician survived seven hours in blackout fog and chose to leave her medium-format camera behind as a deliberate signal. How did training, sound, and a single deliberate action turn a likely tragedy into a rescue that almost failed because only the camera was found?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the night Paula Hoffman walked onto the Harwick Bay tidal flat to the morning Eugene Lawson found the camera, and we explore the single decision that kept her alive and why the search nearly missed her.

Person: Paula Hoffman
Date: June 9, 2011
Location: Harwick Bay tidal flat
Time camera found: 9:47 AM
Finder: Eugene Lawson

- Paula Hoffman was 61 years old and had 27 years of experience as a cartographic technician.
- She arrived at the Sable Flat Road pull-off at approximately 8:15 PM on June 8, 2011 and walked onto the flat at approximately 1:40 AM.
- She set her medium-format Mamiya tripod about 600 meters from the road before the fog arrived.
- Heavy fog came at approximately 3:15 AM, reducing visibility to about 8 meters and creating a “wall” of gray.
- At 9:47 AM on June 9, 2011 Eugene Lawson found a camera on a tripod in 600 meters of tidal mud with the film back deliberately opened.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107815Mon, 17 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left Her Camera - Survived Seven Hours Alone On Tidal Mud The thought of being stranded on a tidal flat with fog closing in and the ocean hours away creates a pulse of dread most people avoid - yet a 61-year-old cartographic technician survived...
The thought of being stranded on a tidal flat with fog closing in and the ocean hours away creates a pulse of dread most people avoid - yet a 61-year-old cartographic technician survived seven hours in blackout fog and chose to leave her medium-format camera behind as a deliberate signal. How did training, sound, and a single deliberate action turn a likely tragedy into a rescue that almost failed because only the camera was found?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the night Paula Hoffman walked onto the Harwick Bay tidal flat to the morning Eugene Lawson found the camera, and we explore the single decision that kept her alive and why the search nearly missed her.

Person: Paula Hoffman
Date: June 9, 2011
Location: Harwick Bay tidal flat
Time camera found: 9:47 AM
Finder: Eugene Lawson

- Paula Hoffman was 61 years old and had 27 years of experience as a cartographic technician.
- She arrived at the Sable Flat Road pull-off at approximately 8:15 PM on June 8, 2011 and walked onto the flat at approximately 1:40 AM.
- She set her medium-format Mamiya tripod about 600 meters from the road before the fog arrived.
- Heavy fog came at approximately 3:15 AM, reducing visibility to about 8 meters and creating a “wall” of gray.
- At 9:47 AM on June 9, 2011 Eugene Lawson found a camera on a tripod in 600 meters of tidal mud with the film back deliberately opened.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>899falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/size-seven-left-foot-gaiter-still-attached-laces-double-knotted--73107814
The sight of a perfectly dry size seven mountaineering boot on a soaked trailhead stopped a truck driver cold and sent Sable County into a tense search-yet the woman tied to it had already walked out of the wilderness two days earlier. How did a trained, well-equipped hydrological survey technician survive a broken ankle, sub‑10°F nights, and shifted cairn lines to make a choice that left her boot behind as the only clue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Monica Schmidt’s planned nine‑mile Calder Ridge route through the fall that fractured her left ankle, the failed radio, and a navigation error caused by a moved cairn line and outdated map. What decision did she make on the mountain that explains the boot at the trailhead and her own return days before anyone suspected?

Person: Monica Schmidt
Age: 26
Event: summit reached at approximately 2:15 PM on May 10, 2009
Injury: left ankle fracture at approximately 4:10 PM on May 10, 2009
Temperature: dropped to 9°F at approximately 3:00 AM

- Boot found dry at a soaked trailhead on the morning of May 14, 2009, reported at 7:22 AM.
- Monica arrived at the trailhead on May 9 at 5:48 AM and signed the register before starting solo.
- Summit reached at ~2:15 PM on May 10, with descent begun thirty minutes later.
- Fall onto a fourteen‑inch concealed drop caused the left ankle fracture at ~4:10 PM on May 10.
- Forest Service reset the Calder Ridge cairn line approximately 200 meters east in March 2009; Monica’s printed map was from November and did not show the change.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107814Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaSize seven, left foot, gaiter still attached, laces double-knotted The sight of a perfectly dry size seven mountaineering boot on a soaked trailhead stopped a truck driver cold and sent Sable County into a tense search-yet the woman tied to it had...
The sight of a perfectly dry size seven mountaineering boot on a soaked trailhead stopped a truck driver cold and sent Sable County into a tense search-yet the woman tied to it had already walked out of the wilderness two days earlier. How did a trained, well-equipped hydrological survey technician survive a broken ankle, sub‑10°F nights, and shifted cairn lines to make a choice that left her boot behind as the only clue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Monica Schmidt’s planned nine‑mile Calder Ridge route through the fall that fractured her left ankle, the failed radio, and a navigation error caused by a moved cairn line and outdated map. What decision did she make on the mountain that explains the boot at the trailhead and her own return days before anyone suspected?

Person: Monica Schmidt
Age: 26
Event: summit reached at approximately 2:15 PM on May 10, 2009
Injury: left ankle fracture at approximately 4:10 PM on May 10, 2009
Temperature: dropped to 9°F at approximately 3:00 AM

- Boot found dry at a soaked trailhead on the morning of May 14, 2009, reported at 7:22 AM.
- Monica arrived at the trailhead on May 9 at 5:48 AM and signed the register before starting solo.
- Summit reached at ~2:15 PM on May 10, with descent begun thirty minutes later.
- Fall onto a fourteen‑inch concealed drop caused the left ankle fracture at ~4:10 PM on May 10.
- Forest Service reset the Calder Ridge cairn line approximately 200 meters east in March 2009; Monica’s printed map was from November and did not show the change.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1052falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-should-have-died-how-a-dry-erase-board-saved-him--73107813
Cold water, no signal, and a dry-erase board that floated four miles overnight with a four-word message: someone was alive - and it said where. The river ran six inches above flood stage, water temperatures sat at 44°F, and Neil Padgett had been missing for two days - so how did a scrap of board become the single clue that changed everything?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Neil Padgett’s April 15, 2011 launch down the Ander River through the moments that forced him to choose between waiting for rescue or navigating a roadless corridor on his own. We cover the river conditions, his actions after the canoe flipped, and the discovery that redirected the search - but how did that board travel four miles and who read its message first?

Person: Neil Padgett
Date: April 15-16, 2011
Location: Ander River, Elbow Reach to Dillard Road corridor
Temperature: Water 44°F, overnight lows near 28°F
Distance floated: Dry-erase board traveled four miles overnight

- Launched from Holt Bridge at 1:15 PM on April 15, 2011.
- Canoe flipped around 3:40 PM at Elbow Reach, four miles below Holt Bridge.
- Padgett built a fire within twenty minutes after exiting the 44°F water.
- Search had run for two days with johnboats and a helicopter before the board was found.
- Padgett was 48 years old and had paddled the Ander every April for nine consecutive years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107813Sat, 15 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Should Have Died: How a Dry-Erase Board Saved Him Cold water, no signal, and a dry-erase board that floated four miles overnight with a four-word message: someone was alive - and it said where. The river ran six inches above flood stage, water...
Cold water, no signal, and a dry-erase board that floated four miles overnight with a four-word message: someone was alive - and it said where. The river ran six inches above flood stage, water temperatures sat at 44°F, and Neil Padgett had been missing for two days - so how did a scrap of board become the single clue that changed everything?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Neil Padgett’s April 15, 2011 launch down the Ander River through the moments that forced him to choose between waiting for rescue or navigating a roadless corridor on his own. We cover the river conditions, his actions after the canoe flipped, and the discovery that redirected the search - but how did that board travel four miles and who read its message first?

Person: Neil Padgett
Date: April 15-16, 2011
Location: Ander River, Elbow Reach to Dillard Road corridor
Temperature: Water 44°F, overnight lows near 28°F
Distance floated: Dry-erase board traveled four miles overnight

- Launched from Holt Bridge at 1:15 PM on April 15, 2011.
- Canoe flipped around 3:40 PM at Elbow Reach, four miles below Holt Bridge.
- Padgett built a fire within twenty minutes after exiting the 44°F water.
- Search had run for two days with johnboats and a helicopter before the board was found.
- Padgett was 48 years old and had paddled the Ander every April for nine consecutive years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1102falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/six-hours-trapped-in-grain-how-a-pipe-kept-him-breathing--73107812
Cold, dark, and buried waist-deep in 400 tons of wheat, a man kept breathing because a six-inch steel pipe-supposedly capped-was actually open and funneling outside air to his face. Rescue coordinators were operating on a mistaken report for ninety minutes while a torn exterior cage lay four feet from the silo foundation; how did that single overlooked detail stretch his survival to six hours and twelve minutes?

In this episode, you will hear what happened from the moment Steven O'Connor entered silo number four to the moment he emerged, and how a teenager, an engineer, and a series of assumptions shaped the timeline. Could one small misreported detail have been the difference between life and death?

Person: Steven O'Connor
Date: March 13, 2012
Location: Petrie Grain Cooperative, Kellen Township, Kansas
Event: Grain entrapment lasting 6 hours and 12 minutes
Structure: Silo number four with 400 tons of winter wheat and 22-foot grain level

- Time of initial incident: approximately 7:00-7:05 AM when grain collapsed beneath him
- Anchor failure: static safety-line anchor bolt sheared under dynamic load sixteen feet below the entry hatch
- Temperature inside silo: approximately 38°F
- Exterior evidence: steel cage sheared from its bolt and found four feet in the mud at 8:15 AM, photographed by Deputy Tina Marsh
- Critical misreporting: site manager Phil Okafor told 9-1-1 at 7:11 AM that the silo auger was sealed, a detail that influenced the rescue plan until drawings were reviewed at 9:05 AM

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107812Fri, 14 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaSix Hours Trapped in Grain: How a Pipe Kept Him Breathing Cold, dark, and buried waist-deep in 400 tons of wheat, a man kept breathing because a six-inch steel pipe-supposedly capped-was actually open and funneling outside air to his face. Rescue...
Cold, dark, and buried waist-deep in 400 tons of wheat, a man kept breathing because a six-inch steel pipe-supposedly capped-was actually open and funneling outside air to his face. Rescue coordinators were operating on a mistaken report for ninety minutes while a torn exterior cage lay four feet from the silo foundation; how did that single overlooked detail stretch his survival to six hours and twelve minutes?

In this episode, you will hear what happened from the moment Steven O'Connor entered silo number four to the moment he emerged, and how a teenager, an engineer, and a series of assumptions shaped the timeline. Could one small misreported detail have been the difference between life and death?

Person: Steven O'Connor
Date: March 13, 2012
Location: Petrie Grain Cooperative, Kellen Township, Kansas
Event: Grain entrapment lasting 6 hours and 12 minutes
Structure: Silo number four with 400 tons of winter wheat and 22-foot grain level

- Time of initial incident: approximately 7:00-7:05 AM when grain collapsed beneath him
- Anchor failure: static safety-line anchor bolt sheared under dynamic load sixteen feet below the entry hatch
- Temperature inside silo: approximately 38°F
- Exterior evidence: steel cage sheared from its bolt and found four feet in the mud at 8:15 AM, photographed by Deputy Tina Marsh
- Critical misreporting: site manager Phil Okafor told 9-1-1 at 7:11 AM that the silo auger was sealed, a detail that influenced the rescue plan until drawings were reviewed at 9:05 AM

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1024falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-at-corvin-flat-how-a-paraglider-appeared-4-000-feet-below--73107810
Fear of the impossible: a paraglider tied with orange surveyor's cord sits intact on a forty-foot ice embankment at 4,200 feet - nearly 4,000 feet below its Corvin Ridge launch. The glider’s GPS log shows a sharp altitude drop from 6,400 to 5,900 feet in under ninety seconds, and the pilot’s whereabouts go silent for forty-four hours. How did a certified, methodical pilot and his undamaged glider end up separated by impossible geometry and a sealed winter plateau?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a Tuesday afternoon launch to a Thursday dawn discovery, laying out the observable data the rescue teams found and the contradictions those facts create. What do the GPS logs, the glider’s condition, and the landscape tell us about what happened during those forty-four hours?

Person: Frank Marshall
Date: February 12-14, 2019
Location: Corvin Ridge / Corvin Flat / Route 7-Alternate
Status: Glider recovered; pilot missing at time of initial discovery
Case: GPS vario log with 41-minute flight and abrupt altitude drop

- Frank Marshall was 53 years old and had logged 412 solo flights before the February trip.
- The glider was yellow and black, neatly bundled with compression straps buckled and tied with orange surveyor's cord not belonging to the club inventory.
- The embankment where the glider was found sits at 4,200 feet and is a forty-foot sheer ice-and-snow face with no trail or road above it.
- Corvin Ridge, the launched ridgeline, is at approximately 8,000 feet - nearly 4,000 feet higher than the embankment where the glider was found.
- The GPS vario unit recorded a 41-minute flight beginning at 2:17 PM on Tuesday, with altitude dropping from 6,400 to 5,900 feet in under 90 seconds and a final lock at Corvin Flat.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107810Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft at Corvin Flat: How a Paraglider Appeared 4,000 Feet Below Fear of the impossible: a paraglider tied with orange surveyor's cord sits intact on a forty-foot ice embankment at 4,200 feet - nearly 4,000 feet below its Corvin Ridge launch. The...
Fear of the impossible: a paraglider tied with orange surveyor's cord sits intact on a forty-foot ice embankment at 4,200 feet - nearly 4,000 feet below its Corvin Ridge launch. The glider’s GPS log shows a sharp altitude drop from 6,400 to 5,900 feet in under ninety seconds, and the pilot’s whereabouts go silent for forty-four hours. How did a certified, methodical pilot and his undamaged glider end up separated by impossible geometry and a sealed winter plateau?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a Tuesday afternoon launch to a Thursday dawn discovery, laying out the observable data the rescue teams found and the contradictions those facts create. What do the GPS logs, the glider’s condition, and the landscape tell us about what happened during those forty-four hours?

Person: Frank Marshall
Date: February 12-14, 2019
Location: Corvin Ridge / Corvin Flat / Route 7-Alternate
Status: Glider recovered; pilot missing at time of initial discovery
Case: GPS vario log with 41-minute flight and abrupt altitude drop

- Frank Marshall was 53 years old and had logged 412 solo flights before the February trip.
- The glider was yellow and black, neatly bundled with compression straps buckled and tied with orange surveyor's cord not belonging to the club inventory.
- The embankment where the glider was found sits at 4,200 feet and is a forty-foot sheer ice-and-snow face with no trail or road above it.
- Corvin Ridge, the launched ridgeline, is at approximately 8,000 feet - nearly 4,000 feet higher than the embankment where the glider was found.
- The GPS vario unit recorded a 41-minute flight beginning at 2:17 PM on Tuesday, with altitude dropping from 6,400 to 5,900 feet in under 90 seconds and a final lock at Corvin Flat.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>966falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buoy-on-a-power-line-how-tammy-survived-15-frozen-hours--73107809
Cold, precise, and impossible: a Day-Glo yellow surface marker buoy labeled TZ-7 was found eleven feet high on a utility pole and a quarter mile from the nearest water the morning after Tammy Zeller dove alone into Kellam Inlet - how did a buoy end up on a power line, and where was the woman it marked?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and facts of Tammy Zeller’s January 15, 2019 dive, the safety system she built over thirty years of solo diving, and the single moment when her tether snapped at forty-one meters - what happened next that forced her to survive alone through a winter night in fifty-five-degree water?

Person: Tammy Zeller
Date: January 15, 2019
Location: Kellam Inlet / Peloro Shelf
Age: 44
Float plan recipient: Irene Cho

- The buoy was Day-Glo yellow, labeled TZ-7 in black permanent marker, and hung eleven feet off the ground on a utility pole crossarm.
- Tammy had been diving alone for roughly thirty years and owned a physical therapy clinic in Calvera, Florida.
- Her safety system included a surface marker buoy tethered to her left wrist by fifteen meters of nylon line, a dive knife on her left calf, and a float plan sent to neighbor Irene Cho before every dive.
- On January 14 she sent a float plan at 5:36 PM with a projected return of 7:15 PM and entered the water at approximately 5:40 PM, aiming for forty meters.
- At about 6:15 PM, at forty-one meters on the Peloro Shelf, the nylon line went taut and then snapped cleanly - cut, not frayed or worn.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107809Wed, 12 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuoy on a Power Line: How Tammy Survived 15 Frozen Hours Cold, precise, and impossible: a Day-Glo yellow surface marker buoy labeled TZ-7 was found eleven feet high on a utility pole and a quarter mile from the nearest water the morning after Tammy...
Cold, precise, and impossible: a Day-Glo yellow surface marker buoy labeled TZ-7 was found eleven feet high on a utility pole and a quarter mile from the nearest water the morning after Tammy Zeller dove alone into Kellam Inlet - how did a buoy end up on a power line, and where was the woman it marked?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and facts of Tammy Zeller’s January 15, 2019 dive, the safety system she built over thirty years of solo diving, and the single moment when her tether snapped at forty-one meters - what happened next that forced her to survive alone through a winter night in fifty-five-degree water?

Person: Tammy Zeller
Date: January 15, 2019
Location: Kellam Inlet / Peloro Shelf
Age: 44
Float plan recipient: Irene Cho

- The buoy was Day-Glo yellow, labeled TZ-7 in black permanent marker, and hung eleven feet off the ground on a utility pole crossarm.
- Tammy had been diving alone for roughly thirty years and owned a physical therapy clinic in Calvera, Florida.
- Her safety system included a surface marker buoy tethered to her left wrist by fifteen meters of nylon line, a dive knife on her left calf, and a float plan sent to neighbor Irene Cho before every dive.
- On January 14 she sent a float plan at 5:36 PM with a projected return of 7:15 PM and entered the water at approximately 5:40 PM, aiming for forty meters.
- At about 6:15 PM, at forty-one meters on the Peloro Shelf, the nylon line went taut and then snapped cleanly - cut, not frayed or worn.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1029falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-of-ice-surviving-24-hours-at-28-f--73107808
Her core temperature hit 89°F after she spent 24 hours and 39 minutes fighting a Minnesota winter that tried to kill her; two cross-country ski boots stood upright in unmarked snow at -29°F beside the Merritt River trail - a deliberate message that forced rescuers to ask: how did she survive a plunge into 31°F water in -28°F air and rebuild herself from the ground up?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a 7:40 a.m. call and a routine training loop to the moment a frozen river broke at 8:43 a.m., and we trace every choice that kept Nicole Doyle alive through a night without shelter or skis. What did she do, minute by minute, that turned a near-immediate hypothermia death into a rescue the next morning?

Person: Nicole Doyle
Date: December 13
Location: Merritt River corridor, northern Minnesota
Core temperature: 89°F
Duration: 24 hours and 39 minutes

- Nicole called her grandmother at 7:40 a.m. from a trail parking lot and said she would call that night.
- The river ice broke at 8:43 a.m.; the water temperature was 31°F and the air temperature was -28°F.
- She got out of the water in under two minutes and started a fire within ten minutes using birch bark, dry spruce branches, and a lighter sealed in a ziplock bag.
- She removed every layer of clothing to dry them over the fire, then insulated herself with dead vegetation and green spruce boughs tied with strips torn from her jacket lining.
- Her emergency beacon was registered and functional but remained in her pack in the bed of her green pickup truck at the trail parking lot.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107808Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out of Ice: Surviving 24 Hours at -28°F Her core temperature hit 89°F after she spent 24 hours and 39 minutes fighting a Minnesota winter that tried to kill her; two cross-country ski boots stood upright in unmarked snow at -29°F beside...
Her core temperature hit 89°F after she spent 24 hours and 39 minutes fighting a Minnesota winter that tried to kill her; two cross-country ski boots stood upright in unmarked snow at -29°F beside the Merritt River trail - a deliberate message that forced rescuers to ask: how did she survive a plunge into 31°F water in -28°F air and rebuild herself from the ground up?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a 7:40 a.m. call and a routine training loop to the moment a frozen river broke at 8:43 a.m., and we trace every choice that kept Nicole Doyle alive through a night without shelter or skis. What did she do, minute by minute, that turned a near-immediate hypothermia death into a rescue the next morning?

Person: Nicole Doyle
Date: December 13
Location: Merritt River corridor, northern Minnesota
Core temperature: 89°F
Duration: 24 hours and 39 minutes

- Nicole called her grandmother at 7:40 a.m. from a trail parking lot and said she would call that night.
- The river ice broke at 8:43 a.m.; the water temperature was 31°F and the air temperature was -28°F.
- She got out of the water in under two minutes and started a fire within ten minutes using birch bark, dry spruce branches, and a lighter sealed in a ziplock bag.
- She removed every layer of clothing to dry them over the fire, then insulated herself with dead vegetation and green spruce boughs tied with strips torn from her jacket lining.
- Her emergency beacon was registered and functional but remained in her pack in the bed of her green pickup truck at the trail parking lot.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>935falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-walked-back-the-mug-that-rewrote-rescue--73107807
A green insulated coffee mug with a name on medical tape sat on a locked gate and redirected every resource in Dellhart district within an hour - but the woman it seemed to belong to had placed it there herself after walking 3.2 miles down a mountain on a fractured leg and back. How did a single mug, a folded note, and one logbook change a sixteen-day search and reveal choices that almost no one would have made?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from November 3 to November 19, 2022, following the Kettle Ridge Fire Lookout Tower, the evacuation, and the discovery that shifted the rescue effort; what happened on the road, in the cab, and in the logbook that rewrote the search?

Person: Darlene Sawyer
Date: November 3-19, 2022
Location: Kettle Ridge Fire Lookout Tower, eastern Oregon
Event: Evacuation during Diablo-pattern wind-driven fire
Distance walked: 3.2 miles down and 3.2 miles back

- The mug found on Forest Service Road 7-Kilo was a green insulated coffee mug with a lid, handle pointing south, and a strip of medical tape labelled "Darlene Sawyer."
- Darlene had been missing for sixteen days before Vernon Porter found the mug on November 19, 2022.
- Kettle Ridge Fire Lookout Tower sits at 6,100 feet and is a fourteen-foot square cab dating from the 1940s.
- On November 3, 2022, Darlene drove 3.2 miles down Road 7-Kilo and encountered a collapsed culvert bridge at Milepost 40 with active fire beyond it.
- Darlene had installed a twelve-volt marine battery in the tower in her third season, which had backed up the tower radio through nine fire seasons without failure.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107807Mon, 10 Aug 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out, Walked Back: The Mug That Rewrote Rescue A green insulated coffee mug with a name on medical tape sat on a locked gate and redirected every resource in Dellhart district within an hour - but the woman it seemed to belong to had...
A green insulated coffee mug with a name on medical tape sat on a locked gate and redirected every resource in Dellhart district within an hour - but the woman it seemed to belong to had placed it there herself after walking 3.2 miles down a mountain on a fractured leg and back. How did a single mug, a folded note, and one logbook change a sixteen-day search and reveal choices that almost no one would have made?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from November 3 to November 19, 2022, following the Kettle Ridge Fire Lookout Tower, the evacuation, and the discovery that shifted the rescue effort; what happened on the road, in the cab, and in the logbook that rewrote the search?

Person: Darlene Sawyer
Date: November 3-19, 2022
Location: Kettle Ridge Fire Lookout Tower, eastern Oregon
Event: Evacuation during Diablo-pattern wind-driven fire
Distance walked: 3.2 miles down and 3.2 miles back

- The mug found on Forest Service Road 7-Kilo was a green insulated coffee mug with a lid, handle pointing south, and a strip of medical tape labelled "Darlene Sawyer."
- Darlene had been missing for sixteen days before Vernon Porter found the mug on November 19, 2022.
- Kettle Ridge Fire Lookout Tower sits at 6,100 feet and is a fourteen-foot square cab dating from the 1940s.
- On November 3, 2022, Darlene drove 3.2 miles down Road 7-Kilo and encountered a collapsed culvert bridge at Milepost 40 with active fire beyond it.
- Darlene had installed a twelve-volt marine battery in the tower in her third season, which had backed up the tower radio through nine fire seasons without failure.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1106falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/alone-in-the-canyon-27-hours-between-fire-and-rescue--73107806
Cold, precise, and dangerously miscalculated: a kayak sits perfectly upright in calm water while its paddler survives alone a mile upstream, feeding a fire stick by stick for 27 hours. How did a technically prepared 22-year-old with seven years of river experience end up stranded in a basalt canyon with time slipping toward a second night?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning of October 13, 1997 through the discovery on October 14, 1997, covering river conditions, equipment, and the actions the paddler took to survive - and ask whether those actions were enough to be found before nightfall.

Person: Lloyd Peterson
Date: October 13-14, 1997
Location: Morrow Fork, Grinder rapid and basalt canyon
Age: 22
Equipment: PFD, encased lighter, whistle, space blanket, half a granola bar

- Launch time: 8:15 AM from Spruce Flat on October 13, 1997.
- Rapid arrival: reached the Grinder at 9:47 AM when the rapid was ~30% heavier than previous runs.
- Water temp: 38°F and air temp: 41°F at time of launch.
- Survival items: carried an encased lighter and built a small fire while stranded one mile upstream.
- Discovery: kayak was seen by Wendy Fisher at 7:42 AM on October 14, 1997; paddle clipped to deck, boat upright in a calm pocket of water.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107806Sun, 09 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaAlone in the Canyon: 27 Hours Between Fire and Rescue Cold, precise, and dangerously miscalculated: a kayak sits perfectly upright in calm water while its paddler survives alone a mile upstream, feeding a fire stick by stick for 27 hours. How did a...
Cold, precise, and dangerously miscalculated: a kayak sits perfectly upright in calm water while its paddler survives alone a mile upstream, feeding a fire stick by stick for 27 hours. How did a technically prepared 22-year-old with seven years of river experience end up stranded in a basalt canyon with time slipping toward a second night?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning of October 13, 1997 through the discovery on October 14, 1997, covering river conditions, equipment, and the actions the paddler took to survive - and ask whether those actions were enough to be found before nightfall.

Person: Lloyd Peterson
Date: October 13-14, 1997
Location: Morrow Fork, Grinder rapid and basalt canyon
Age: 22
Equipment: PFD, encased lighter, whistle, space blanket, half a granola bar

- Launch time: 8:15 AM from Spruce Flat on October 13, 1997.
- Rapid arrival: reached the Grinder at 9:47 AM when the rapid was ~30% heavier than previous runs.
- Water temp: 38°F and air temp: 41°F at time of launch.
- Survival items: carried an encased lighter and built a small fire while stranded one mile upstream.
- Discovery: kayak was seen by Wendy Fisher at 7:42 AM on October 14, 1997; paddle clipped to deck, boat upright in a calm pocket of water.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>911falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-nine-days-how-a-runner-outsmarted-death-on-the-ridgeline--73107805
Fear tightens the chest: a racing bib-number 214-found two thousand feet above the valley floor, dry and deliberately wedged in lodgepole roots after nine days missing. A thirty-eight-year-old marathoner named Gloria Ford walked roughly two miles per hour, one shoe, carrying a stick, about a mile and a half from a paved road when a helicopter spotted her-how did routine and training become a survival plan?

In this episode, we tell what happened to Gloria Ford after she left the Harlow Basin Marathon and climbed into the Cascine ridgeline, describing the choices she made, the terrain she faced, and the signal she left-could a runner's attention to detail be the key to surviving nine days alone?

Person: Gloria Ford
Age: 38
Event: Harlow Basin Marathon, September 5, 2019
Discovery Date: September 14, 2019
Item Found: racing bib number 214 wedged in lodgepole roots

- Gloria started the marathon at 6:47 a.m, with 412 runners in the field.
- She had a personal best marathon time of 3 hours 42 minutes.
- The detour around private land added about 2.33 miles to the official course between miles 20 and 22.
- A debris flow in spring 2018 destroyed a 40-foot culvert, making the fire access road impassable.
- A search helicopter spotted Gloria moving south along a logging spur road about 40 minutes after the bib was found.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107805Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Nine Days: How a Runner Outsmarted Death on the Ridgeline Fear tightens the chest: a racing bib-number 214-found two thousand feet above the valley floor, dry and deliberately wedged in lodgepole roots after nine days missing. A...
Fear tightens the chest: a racing bib-number 214-found two thousand feet above the valley floor, dry and deliberately wedged in lodgepole roots after nine days missing. A thirty-eight-year-old marathoner named Gloria Ford walked roughly two miles per hour, one shoe, carrying a stick, about a mile and a half from a paved road when a helicopter spotted her-how did routine and training become a survival plan?

In this episode, we tell what happened to Gloria Ford after she left the Harlow Basin Marathon and climbed into the Cascine ridgeline, describing the choices she made, the terrain she faced, and the signal she left-could a runner's attention to detail be the key to surviving nine days alone?

Person: Gloria Ford
Age: 38
Event: Harlow Basin Marathon, September 5, 2019
Discovery Date: September 14, 2019
Item Found: racing bib number 214 wedged in lodgepole roots

- Gloria started the marathon at 6:47 a.m, with 412 runners in the field.
- She had a personal best marathon time of 3 hours 42 minutes.
- The detour around private land added about 2.33 miles to the official course between miles 20 and 22.
- A debris flow in spring 2018 destroyed a 40-foot culvert, making the fire access road impassable.
- A search helicopter spotted Gloria moving south along a logging spur road about 40 minutes after the bib was found.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1091falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-cassidy-fork-how-a-solo-climb-became-survival-grace--73107804
A single mountaineering boot with laces tied in a double loop washed up on a gravel bar at 5:47 a.m. on August 14, 2019 - the kind with a rigid steel shank built for vertical granite. Who left it there, and how did one careful climber’s choice turn a likely tragedy into the narrowest thread of survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and decisions that led from a summit shoulder on Mount Ardell to a dark forest gravel bar, and how a journal entry and a changed descent plan shaped the search - could one boot really be the turning point that helped locate Pamela Gardner?

Person: Pamela Gardner
Date: August 12-14, 2019
Location: Mount Ardell north buttress / Cassidy Fork
Age: 62
Occupation: Civil engineer

- At 4:51 a.m. on August 12, 2019, Gardner signed the trailhead register with expected return August 13 evening and emergency contact Janet Pryor.
- Gardner summited at approximately 2:30 p.m. with a swollen left ankle after a turn around pitch seven.
- She spent 11 minutes on the summit shoulder and wrote “West descent. Slower but I control every move.” at about 2:41 p.m.
- Gardner reached the base of the wall at approximately 7:20 p.m. after 4 hours and 40 minutes of downclimbing, with about 90 minutes of light remaining.
- By 2:00 a.m. on August 13 she had walked roughly four miles through untracked forest on a sprained ankle and removed her left boot at the Cassidy Fork gravel bar.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107804Fri, 07 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on Cassidy Fork: How a Solo Climb Became Survival Grace A single mountaineering boot with laces tied in a double loop washed up on a gravel bar at 5:47 a.m. on August 14, 2019 - the kind with a rigid steel shank built for vertical granite....
A single mountaineering boot with laces tied in a double loop washed up on a gravel bar at 5:47 a.m. on August 14, 2019 - the kind with a rigid steel shank built for vertical granite. Who left it there, and how did one careful climber’s choice turn a likely tragedy into the narrowest thread of survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and decisions that led from a summit shoulder on Mount Ardell to a dark forest gravel bar, and how a journal entry and a changed descent plan shaped the search - could one boot really be the turning point that helped locate Pamela Gardner?

Person: Pamela Gardner
Date: August 12-14, 2019
Location: Mount Ardell north buttress / Cassidy Fork
Age: 62
Occupation: Civil engineer

- At 4:51 a.m. on August 12, 2019, Gardner signed the trailhead register with expected return August 13 evening and emergency contact Janet Pryor.
- Gardner summited at approximately 2:30 p.m. with a swollen left ankle after a turn around pitch seven.
- She spent 11 minutes on the summit shoulder and wrote “West descent. Slower but I control every move.” at about 2:41 p.m.
- Gardner reached the base of the wall at approximately 7:20 p.m. after 4 hours and 40 minutes of downclimbing, with about 90 minutes of light remaining.
- By 2:00 a.m. on August 13 she had walked roughly four miles through untracked forest on a sprained ankle and removed her left boot at the Cassidy Fork gravel bar.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>942falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/marked-suit-at-dawn-why-one-flare-pulled-rescue-off-course--73107803
A single bright orange survival suit stood upright between rocks at 7:15 a.m., fully inflated and empty - a commercial-grade neoprene suit found by a witness who called the sheriff at 7:41; yet someone had been burning signal flares in ten-second intervals through a Pacific storm while a fishing vessel slowly filled and drifted north. How did four seconds of audio and one striking visual redirect a multi-day search that otherwise followed every drift model?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Nellie Rae, her four-person crew, and the four days on the Oregon coast when a rescue coordinator had to choose between his models and a recovered voice; will following a brief radio transmission lead to the truth the data missed?

Person: Denise Hughes
Event: Survival suit sighting
Date: Tuesday, July 11 (witness called at 7:41 a.m.)
Vessel: Nellie Rae, 58-foot crabber
Transmission: Channel 16, four seconds, words "Pelican Bar" at 9:22 p.m. (night before)

- At 7:15 a.m. Denise Hughes saw a fully inflated orange commercial survival suit standing between rocks and called the sheriff at 7:41 a.m.
- The Nellie Rae departed Ardmore at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, bound ~40 miles offshore with an estimated return Monday the 11th before dark.
- A wave knocked Luis Bernal overboard around 8:30 p.m. Sunday; the EPIRB activated at 9:17 p.m.
- At 9:22 p.m. the vessel sent a four-second transmission on channel 16 with the two words "Pelican Bar," then silence.
- Harbormaster Carl Jeffries found and reviewed the overnight recording Monday morning and brought it to rescue coordinator Alan Powell at 8:47 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107803Thu, 06 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaMarked Suit at Dawn: Why One Flare Pulled Rescue Off Course A single bright orange survival suit stood upright between rocks at 7:15 a.m., fully inflated and empty - a commercial-grade neoprene suit found by a witness who called the sheriff at...
A single bright orange survival suit stood upright between rocks at 7:15 a.m., fully inflated and empty - a commercial-grade neoprene suit found by a witness who called the sheriff at 7:41; yet someone had been burning signal flares in ten-second intervals through a Pacific storm while a fishing vessel slowly filled and drifted north. How did four seconds of audio and one striking visual redirect a multi-day search that otherwise followed every drift model?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Nellie Rae, her four-person crew, and the four days on the Oregon coast when a rescue coordinator had to choose between his models and a recovered voice; will following a brief radio transmission lead to the truth the data missed?

Person: Denise Hughes
Event: Survival suit sighting
Date: Tuesday, July 11 (witness called at 7:41 a.m.)
Vessel: Nellie Rae, 58-foot crabber
Transmission: Channel 16, four seconds, words "Pelican Bar" at 9:22 p.m. (night before)

- At 7:15 a.m. Denise Hughes saw a fully inflated orange commercial survival suit standing between rocks and called the sheriff at 7:41 a.m.
- The Nellie Rae departed Ardmore at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, bound ~40 miles offshore with an estimated return Monday the 11th before dark.
- A wave knocked Luis Bernal overboard around 8:30 p.m. Sunday; the EPIRB activated at 9:17 p.m.
- At 9:22 p.m. the vessel sent a four-second transmission on channel 16 with the two words "Pelican Bar," then silence.
- Harbormaster Carl Jeffries found and reviewed the overnight recording Monday morning and brought it to rescue coordinator Alan Powell at 8:47 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1070falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-the-jeep-took-the-desert-a-mother-s-22-hour-walk-to-survival--73107802
Heat climbed past 91°F before eight a.m. and a sealed 20-ounce bottle sat untouched on a passenger seat in a Jeep that would reach 131°F - a deliberate-looking scene on a road that averages eight vehicles a day; why did Marilyn leave that water behind and walk into a cellular dead zone with her nine-year-old? What happened in the next 22 hours that turned routine decisions into a survival chain?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of what occurred after Marilyn Barnes' Jeep failed near mile marker 28 on Saguaro Bench Road and the choices she made while walking toward mile marker 31 with her daughter; we follow the moments from the initial breakdown through the 22-hour journey and the questions that search-and-rescue faced afterward.

Person: Marilyn Barnes
Person: Cassie Barnes
Date: June 17, 2009
Location: Saguaro Bench Road, mile marker 28-31
Temperature: 131°F (Jeep interior peak)

- The Jeep was a 2003 Grand Cherokee that failed near mile marker 28 at about 7:50 a.m.
- Cassie Barnes was nine years old and weighed 47 pounds during the walk.
- Marilyn had packed two gallons of water in a tote, a 32-ounce sports bottle, and a 16-ounce bottle in the cooler bag.
- A sealed 20-ounce bottle of water remained unopened on the passenger seat with a clean label and unbroken cap.
- The road’s summer traffic averaged eight vehicles a day and had a cellular dead zone from mile 22 to mile 36.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107802Wed, 05 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft the Jeep, Took the Desert: A Mother's 22-Hour Walk to Survival Heat climbed past 91°F before eight a.m. and a sealed 20-ounce bottle sat untouched on a passenger seat in a Jeep that would reach 131°F - a deliberate-looking scene on a road that...
Heat climbed past 91°F before eight a.m. and a sealed 20-ounce bottle sat untouched on a passenger seat in a Jeep that would reach 131°F - a deliberate-looking scene on a road that averages eight vehicles a day; why did Marilyn leave that water behind and walk into a cellular dead zone with her nine-year-old? What happened in the next 22 hours that turned routine decisions into a survival chain?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of what occurred after Marilyn Barnes' Jeep failed near mile marker 28 on Saguaro Bench Road and the choices she made while walking toward mile marker 31 with her daughter; we follow the moments from the initial breakdown through the 22-hour journey and the questions that search-and-rescue faced afterward.

Person: Marilyn Barnes
Person: Cassie Barnes
Date: June 17, 2009
Location: Saguaro Bench Road, mile marker 28-31
Temperature: 131°F (Jeep interior peak)

- The Jeep was a 2003 Grand Cherokee that failed near mile marker 28 at about 7:50 a.m.
- Cassie Barnes was nine years old and weighed 47 pounds during the walk.
- Marilyn had packed two gallons of water in a tote, a 32-ounce sports bottle, and a 16-ounce bottle in the cooler bag.
- A sealed 20-ounce bottle of water remained unopened on the passenger seat with a clean label and unbroken cap.
- The road’s summer traffic averaged eight vehicles a day and had a cellular dead zone from mile 22 to mile 36.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1113falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-walked-out-of-the-avalanche-how-a-watch-proved-it--73107801
The thought that will lodge in your chest is simple and sharp: a nine-day-old mechanical watch sat face-up on a debris field and was still running to within one minute - but how did its owner walk out of the avalanche that buried him? This episode centers on that puzzle and the single object that changed everything: a 1983 Seiko that kept time while a man fought to breathe under compacted snow. How can a watch prove survival where instruments and search teams could not?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from May 10th and the mountain’s sudden release through the discovery of the watch on May 19th, and trace the decisions, gear, and small habits that turned the outcome from presumed death to an astonishing survival. What did the watch mean in the total silence beneath forty thousand tons of moving snow?

Person: Michael Fleming
Date: May 10, 2014
Location: Sutter Bowl, Calloway Range
Finder: Mark Hansen
Watch: Seiko manual-wind, manufactured 1983

- The avalanche released approximately forty thousand tons of snow that buried Michael Fleming.
- Fleming was buried under approximately 60-70 centimeters of compacted snow.
- The watch had been on the debris field for nine days when Mark Hansen found it.
- When returned to its owner, the watch was accurate to within one minute.
- Michael Fleming was 31 years old and had worked four years as a civil engineer.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107801Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Walked Out of the Avalanche - How a Watch Proved It The thought that will lodge in your chest is simple and sharp: a nine-day-old mechanical watch sat face-up on a debris field and was still running to within one minute - but how did its owner...
The thought that will lodge in your chest is simple and sharp: a nine-day-old mechanical watch sat face-up on a debris field and was still running to within one minute - but how did its owner walk out of the avalanche that buried him? This episode centers on that puzzle and the single object that changed everything: a 1983 Seiko that kept time while a man fought to breathe under compacted snow. How can a watch prove survival where instruments and search teams could not?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from May 10th and the mountain’s sudden release through the discovery of the watch on May 19th, and trace the decisions, gear, and small habits that turned the outcome from presumed death to an astonishing survival. What did the watch mean in the total silence beneath forty thousand tons of moving snow?

Person: Michael Fleming
Date: May 10, 2014
Location: Sutter Bowl, Calloway Range
Finder: Mark Hansen
Watch: Seiko manual-wind, manufactured 1983

- The avalanche released approximately forty thousand tons of snow that buried Michael Fleming.
- Fleming was buried under approximately 60-70 centimeters of compacted snow.
- The watch had been on the debris field for nine days when Mark Hansen found it.
- When returned to its owner, the watch was accurate to within one minute.
- Michael Fleming was 31 years old and had worked four years as a civil engineer.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>969falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-drew-a-map-in-the-dark-alive-after-54-hours-underground--73107800
Fear and awe collide: a 52-year-old cave diver survived 54 hours underground by drawing a map with two ballpoint pens and a strip of wetsuit-how did one man turn a forgotten air pocket into a plan for rescue? What did the map show that made it findable?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment a delivery boy found a neoprene card with a hand-drawn map to how that map connected back to the diver who went missing; we cover the discovery, the cave entry, the chamber he found, and the improvised tools that kept him alive as we ask how that map traveled from dark to surface.

Person: Gordon Wright
Date: April 12, 2019 (dive entry); April 14, 2019 (map found at 5:40 a.m.)
Location: Pitcher Spring, Calloway, Florida
Status: Survived after approximately 54 hours underground
Equipment: twin 12-liter tanks, rescue bottle, three guide reels, primary light and two backups

- A delivery boy named Stanley Owens found the neoprene card under a door handle on April 14, 2019 at 5:40 a.m.
- The map was the size of a large index card and was drawn in ballpoint pen with depth markers and a final chamber marked with a circled letter G traced three times.
- Gordon Wright was 52 years old in spring 2019 and held a full NSS cave penetration certification with over 26 years of cave-diving experience.
- On April 12, 2019, Wright entered Pitcher Spring alone with an F-250 loaded with twin 12-liter tanks and a dry bag containing a waterproof notebook and two ballpoint pens.
- Wright followed an unmapped third passage for 112 meters to a roughly 4-meter-wide chamber with an air pocket about 2 meters from waterline, where he spent about one hour recording dimensions before returning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107800Mon, 03 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Drew a Map in the Dark - Alive After 54 Hours Underground Fear and awe collide: a 52-year-old cave diver survived 54 hours underground by drawing a map with two ballpoint pens and a strip of wetsuit-how did one man turn a forgotten air pocket...
Fear and awe collide: a 52-year-old cave diver survived 54 hours underground by drawing a map with two ballpoint pens and a strip of wetsuit-how did one man turn a forgotten air pocket into a plan for rescue? What did the map show that made it findable?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment a delivery boy found a neoprene card with a hand-drawn map to how that map connected back to the diver who went missing; we cover the discovery, the cave entry, the chamber he found, and the improvised tools that kept him alive as we ask how that map traveled from dark to surface.

Person: Gordon Wright
Date: April 12, 2019 (dive entry); April 14, 2019 (map found at 5:40 a.m.)
Location: Pitcher Spring, Calloway, Florida
Status: Survived after approximately 54 hours underground
Equipment: twin 12-liter tanks, rescue bottle, three guide reels, primary light and two backups

- A delivery boy named Stanley Owens found the neoprene card under a door handle on April 14, 2019 at 5:40 a.m.
- The map was the size of a large index card and was drawn in ballpoint pen with depth markers and a final chamber marked with a circled letter G traced three times.
- Gordon Wright was 52 years old in spring 2019 and held a full NSS cave penetration certification with over 26 years of cave-diving experience.
- On April 12, 2019, Wright entered Pitcher Spring alone with an F-250 loaded with twin 12-liter tanks and a dry bag containing a waterproof notebook and two ballpoint pens.
- Wright followed an unmapped third passage for 112 meters to a roughly 4-meter-wide chamber with an air pocket about 2 meters from waterline, where he spent about one hour recording dimensions before returning.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1181falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-taped-alive-inside-51-hours-trapped-one-wrong-letter--73107799
Cold, isolated, and one reflective strip of foil kept her from being missed - a county snowplow operator found a paper-bag sign reading ALIVE INSIDE after 51 hours in 12-degree weather; how did a hardware-store bag bought 41 miles away and a single wrong letter in a log alter a search that had been on the wrong road?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning of March 9, 2017 through the official after-action review and the physical evidence from the truck, showing what Michelle Gray carried, what decisions she made, and why the search team missed her until a chance sighting; could a single taped foil strip and an accidental bag have been the difference between life and death?

Person: Michelle Gray
Date: March 9, 2017
Location: Decker Creek logging spur above Crestfield
Duration: 51 hours
Temperature: 12 degrees

- Michelle was 44 years old and had lived on Aspen Mill Road in Crestfield for 11 years.
- She was trapped for 51 hours after her truck sank three hundred yards from a turnaround on March 7 and she spent nights running the engine 20 minutes every two hours.
- Her emergency bag contained two foil blankets, two liters of water, a lighter, a candle, and four days of compact food.
- A snowplow operator, Duane Wilson, found a strip of reflective foil and a paper bag sign reading "ALIVE INSIDE" at 6:41 AM on March 9.
- A hardware-store bag of drawer pulls from a town 41 miles in the wrong direction was found in the truck bed and became a key reason Michelle survived.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107799Sun, 02 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Taped "ALIVE INSIDE" - 51 Hours Trapped, One Wrong Letter Cold, isolated, and one reflective strip of foil kept her from being missed - a county snowplow operator found a paper-bag sign reading ALIVE INSIDE after 51 hours in 12-degree weather;...
Cold, isolated, and one reflective strip of foil kept her from being missed - a county snowplow operator found a paper-bag sign reading ALIVE INSIDE after 51 hours in 12-degree weather; how did a hardware-store bag bought 41 miles away and a single wrong letter in a log alter a search that had been on the wrong road?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning of March 9, 2017 through the official after-action review and the physical evidence from the truck, showing what Michelle Gray carried, what decisions she made, and why the search team missed her until a chance sighting; could a single taped foil strip and an accidental bag have been the difference between life and death?

Person: Michelle Gray
Date: March 9, 2017
Location: Decker Creek logging spur above Crestfield
Duration: 51 hours
Temperature: 12 degrees

- Michelle was 44 years old and had lived on Aspen Mill Road in Crestfield for 11 years.
- She was trapped for 51 hours after her truck sank three hundred yards from a turnaround on March 7 and she spent nights running the engine 20 minutes every two hours.
- Her emergency bag contained two foil blankets, two liters of water, a lighter, a candle, and four days of compact food.
- A snowplow operator, Duane Wilson, found a strip of reflective foil and a paper bag sign reading "ALIVE INSIDE" at 6:41 AM on March 9.
- A hardware-store bag of drawer pulls from a town 41 miles in the wrong direction was found in the truck bed and became a key reason Michelle survived.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>960falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-was-found-alive-six-days-on-a-rock-nobody-searched--73107798
Fear of being missed lives in every small coastal town; here, a marine biologist filed a float plan, left at 2:15 p.m. on February 5, and her 27-foot sloop was found upside down forty yards from the breakwater three days later-so how did she survive six days on a rock nobody searched?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the departure at slip fourteen to the discovery of the overturned hull at Pelican Spit Road, and follow how official search modeling and a debris recovery led rescuers away from where Susan Turner actually spent six days; what went wrong with the search?

Person: Susan Turner
Date: February 5-11, 2019
Location: Garnet Cove, Oregon / Pelican Spit Road / mouth of Garnet Cove harbor
Vessel: 27-foot sloop named Patience
Tool: SAROPS drift modeling used by Coast Guard

- Susan filed a float plan and departed at 2:15 p.m, on February 5 from slip fourteen.
- Wendy Vaughn spotted an overturned hull forty yards from the breakwater at 7:41 a.m, on February 9.
- Coast Guard recorded a case number by 9:15 a.m. and identified the hull as Patience by mid-morning.
- SAROPS drift modeling directed searches 15-30 miles offshore, toward the mouth of Tillamook Bay.
- On February 10 a cargo ship, Meridian Star, reported a debris field about 38 miles offshore that included a pristine yellow dry bag with a flare gun, signal mirror, knife, and two energy bars.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107798Sat, 01 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Was Found Alive-Six Days On A Rock Nobody Searched Fear of being missed lives in every small coastal town; here, a marine biologist filed a float plan, left at 2:15 p.m. on February 5, and her 27-foot sloop was found upside down forty yards...
Fear of being missed lives in every small coastal town; here, a marine biologist filed a float plan, left at 2:15 p.m. on February 5, and her 27-foot sloop was found upside down forty yards from the breakwater three days later-so how did she survive six days on a rock nobody searched?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the departure at slip fourteen to the discovery of the overturned hull at Pelican Spit Road, and follow how official search modeling and a debris recovery led rescuers away from where Susan Turner actually spent six days; what went wrong with the search?

Person: Susan Turner
Date: February 5-11, 2019
Location: Garnet Cove, Oregon / Pelican Spit Road / mouth of Garnet Cove harbor
Vessel: 27-foot sloop named Patience
Tool: SAROPS drift modeling used by Coast Guard

- Susan filed a float plan and departed at 2:15 p.m, on February 5 from slip fourteen.
- Wendy Vaughn spotted an overturned hull forty yards from the breakwater at 7:41 a.m, on February 9.
- Coast Guard recorded a case number by 9:15 a.m. and identified the hull as Patience by mid-morning.
- SAROPS drift modeling directed searches 15-30 miles offshore, toward the mouth of Tillamook Bay.
- On February 10 a cargo ship, Meridian Star, reported a debris field about 38 miles offshore that included a pristine yellow dry bag with a flare gun, signal mirror, knife, and two energy bars.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1073falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-vanished-on-familiar-trails-found-alive-days-later--73107797
Fear tightens when familiarity betrays you: a seasoned hiker, thirty-plus outings in the same sandstone canyon, vanishes with a broken ankle, an inaccessible pack and just sixteen ounces of water-yet her missing shoe turns up 2.5 miles away on a staircase days before anyone connects the dots. How did an experienced, prepared woman end up trapped in the wrong drainage, and what single clue finally pointed rescuers to her?

In this episode, we tell the five-day sequence inside Perdido Wash: the choices Gina Simmons made after a broken shoelace, the trail confusion that sent search teams to the wrong side of the canyon, and the evidence that ultimately led to her discovery. What exactly bridged the gap between the place she disappeared and the place she was found?

Person: Gina Simmons
Date: January 11-15, 2019
Location: Perdido Wash canyon, Garnet County
Injury: Broken left ankle
Water: Approximately sixteen ounces

- Gina had hiked Perdido Wash more than thirty times over fifteen years.
- She packed for a four-hour hike and texted neighbor Don Marsh she would be back by noon.
- Around the forty-minute mark she took a use trail, walked roughly one mile with one shoe after removing the damaged trail runner.
- Her pack tumbled about six feet down the slope and rested in the drainage out of reach; it contained a two-liter water bladder and the removed shoe.
- Valerie Dempsey found a size seven New Balance trail runner wedged between the third and fourth stone steps on January 15, two and a half miles from where Gina lay in a shallow overhang.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107797Fri, 31 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Vanished On Familiar Trails - Found Alive Days Later Fear tightens when familiarity betrays you: a seasoned hiker, thirty-plus outings in the same sandstone canyon, vanishes with a broken ankle, an inaccessible pack and just sixteen ounces of...
Fear tightens when familiarity betrays you: a seasoned hiker, thirty-plus outings in the same sandstone canyon, vanishes with a broken ankle, an inaccessible pack and just sixteen ounces of water-yet her missing shoe turns up 2.5 miles away on a staircase days before anyone connects the dots. How did an experienced, prepared woman end up trapped in the wrong drainage, and what single clue finally pointed rescuers to her?

In this episode, we tell the five-day sequence inside Perdido Wash: the choices Gina Simmons made after a broken shoelace, the trail confusion that sent search teams to the wrong side of the canyon, and the evidence that ultimately led to her discovery. What exactly bridged the gap between the place she disappeared and the place she was found?

Person: Gina Simmons
Date: January 11-15, 2019
Location: Perdido Wash canyon, Garnet County
Injury: Broken left ankle
Water: Approximately sixteen ounces

- Gina had hiked Perdido Wash more than thirty times over fifteen years.
- She packed for a four-hour hike and texted neighbor Don Marsh she would be back by noon.
- Around the forty-minute mark she took a use trail, walked roughly one mile with one shoe after removing the damaged trail runner.
- Her pack tumbled about six feet down the slope and rested in the drainage out of reach; it contained a two-liter water bladder and the removed shoe.
- Valerie Dempsey found a size seven New Balance trail runner wedged between the third and fourth stone steps on January 15, two and a half miles from where Gina lay in a shallow overhang.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1050falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-built-her-own-tourniquet-survived-40-miles-alone-bleeding--73107796
A lone ultrarunner fashioned a tourniquet from a snapped trekking pole and paracord, sealed a deep thigh wound, and then walked forty miles through December darkness-could a single handwritten index card and a planted trekking pole be the thin line between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, the gear, and the small decisions that guided a twenty-three-year-old woman through three days alone after a catastrophic injury; what led rescue teams to the wrong location, and how one note and one marker changed everything?

Person: Frances Lane
Date: December 10, 2022 (injury at 2:47 AM)
Location: Eastern traverse above Fenwick Creek, near a cabin on Fenwick Lane
Person: Carol Price (meter reader who called 9-1-1 at 9:14 AM)
Contact: Dana Murch (emergency contact on laminated index card)

- Frances had run sixty-two miles before her left thigh tore at 2:47 AM on Saturday, December 10, 2022.
- She built a tourniquet in four minutes using parachute cord, the wrist webbing pad, and the broken trekking pole as a windlass.
- Carol Price called 9-1-1 at 9:14 AM on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 after finding a trekking pole planted by the cabin.
- Frances turned twenty-three in October 2022 and worked four days a week as a veterinary technician in Ardmore.
- The rented A-frame on Fenwick Lane was intended as a basecamp for a 102-mile Welden Range loop starting and ending at the same gravel turnaround.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107796Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Built Her Own Tourniquet - Survived 40 Miles Alone, Bleeding A lone ultrarunner fashioned a tourniquet from a snapped trekking pole and paracord, sealed a deep thigh wound, and then walked forty miles through December darkness-could a single...
A lone ultrarunner fashioned a tourniquet from a snapped trekking pole and paracord, sealed a deep thigh wound, and then walked forty miles through December darkness-could a single handwritten index card and a planted trekking pole be the thin line between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, the gear, and the small decisions that guided a twenty-three-year-old woman through three days alone after a catastrophic injury; what led rescue teams to the wrong location, and how one note and one marker changed everything?

Person: Frances Lane
Date: December 10, 2022 (injury at 2:47 AM)
Location: Eastern traverse above Fenwick Creek, near a cabin on Fenwick Lane
Person: Carol Price (meter reader who called 9-1-1 at 9:14 AM)
Contact: Dana Murch (emergency contact on laminated index card)

- Frances had run sixty-two miles before her left thigh tore at 2:47 AM on Saturday, December 10, 2022.
- She built a tourniquet in four minutes using parachute cord, the wrist webbing pad, and the broken trekking pole as a windlass.
- Carol Price called 9-1-1 at 9:14 AM on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 after finding a trekking pole planted by the cabin.
- Frances turned twenty-three in October 2022 and worked four days a week as a veterinary technician in Ardmore.
- The rented A-frame on Fenwick Lane was intended as a basecamp for a 102-mile Welden Range loop starting and ending at the same gravel turnaround.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>998falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/warm-earth-in-a-blizzard-how-a-skillet-and-eight-tones-saved-her--73107795
Cold, precise survival choices left a warm twelve-foot patch of earth untouched by sixteen inches of November snow - a tin can with a charred stick and a cast-iron skillet were the only signs; why did an experienced wilderness first-responder with twelve full isobutane canisters choose not to light a fire and instead send eight four-second tones that were logged as equipment noise? What sequence of decisions and failed signals kept her alive but invisible for fifteen days?

In this episode, we tell what happened at a remote base camp amid a storm and trace the decisions Erin Harrison made, the missed radio signals, and the physical clues that led searchers to her; how did a skillet and eight tones become the difference between being found and being lost?

Person: Erin Harrison
Date: November 4-19, 2011
Location: base camp at approximately 5,300 feet on the western face of the range
Event: eight four-second push-to-talk tones transmitted over four days
Status: first physical trace discovered after 15 days (warm earth, tin can, charred stick)

- On the morning of November 19, 2011, Thomas Underwood found a bare patch of earth roughly 12 feet across in 16 inches of undisturbed snow.
- Erin transmitted a four-second push-to-talk tone at exactly 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM for four consecutive days, totaling eight tones.
- Erin had 12 full isobutane canisters stacked near her tent and did not use any of them during the storm.
- The base radio’s antenna housing had a hairline fracture that killed voice transmission but left the tone circuit functional.
- Search aircraft were flying the wrong side of the mountain while Erin’s tent remained invisible inside a topographic bowl at about 5,300 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107795Wed, 29 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWarm Earth in a Blizzard: How a Skillet and Eight Tones Saved Her Cold, precise survival choices left a warm twelve-foot patch of earth untouched by sixteen inches of November snow - a tin can with a charred stick and a cast-iron skillet were the...
Cold, precise survival choices left a warm twelve-foot patch of earth untouched by sixteen inches of November snow - a tin can with a charred stick and a cast-iron skillet were the only signs; why did an experienced wilderness first-responder with twelve full isobutane canisters choose not to light a fire and instead send eight four-second tones that were logged as equipment noise? What sequence of decisions and failed signals kept her alive but invisible for fifteen days?

In this episode, we tell what happened at a remote base camp amid a storm and trace the decisions Erin Harrison made, the missed radio signals, and the physical clues that led searchers to her; how did a skillet and eight tones become the difference between being found and being lost?

Person: Erin Harrison
Date: November 4-19, 2011
Location: base camp at approximately 5,300 feet on the western face of the range
Event: eight four-second push-to-talk tones transmitted over four days
Status: first physical trace discovered after 15 days (warm earth, tin can, charred stick)

- On the morning of November 19, 2011, Thomas Underwood found a bare patch of earth roughly 12 feet across in 16 inches of undisturbed snow.
- Erin transmitted a four-second push-to-talk tone at exactly 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM for four consecutive days, totaling eight tones.
- Erin had 12 full isobutane canisters stacked near her tent and did not use any of them during the storm.
- The base radio’s antenna housing had a hairline fracture that killed voice transmission but left the tone circuit functional.
- Search aircraft were flying the wrong side of the mountain while Erin’s tent remained invisible inside a topographic bowl at about 5,300 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1135falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/thirty-perfect-chisel-marks-how-one-woman-mapped-a-flood-survival-mystery--73107794
A pulse of dread: thirty chisel marks carved in six rows of five, each under a quarter inch apart, glowing fresh against varnished stone inside a sealed canyon with no boot prints - what could have made such a precise record where no one apparently stood? Who left those marks, and why would they map a flood in a place that erased almost every trace?

In this episode, we tell the story of the mark-maker and the missing canyoneer, following the chain of events from a pet’s disappearance through the search that joined a failed distress signal, an impossible flood, and a life of detailed water measurements; how did a retired hydrologist end up recording the canyon’s most exact flood history?

Person: Debra Cooper
Date: October 6-9, 2019
Location: Irongate Canyon area, west of Monticello near Moab
Event: Solo canyoneering descent and flash flood encounter
Item: Cold chisel and Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

- Debra carried a 60-meter, 9.4-mm rope, three anchor devices, a neoprene wetsuit, two-liter water reserve, two energy bars, a folding knife, a headlamp, dry bag with space blanket and lighter, plus a cold chisel.
- She activated her PLB at 3:47 p.m. as the flash flood rose from shins to thighs within ninety seconds, but the signal reached a federal database and did not alert the county coordinator.
- The chisel marks found by Patrice Lund numbered thirty, arranged in six rows of five, each spaced less than 0.25 inch apart, with orange, fresh stone inside each mark.
- Debra had 47 documented slot canyon descents and 23 years of hydrology work at the Utah State Board of Water Resources, retiring in 2016 at age 60.
- Jerry Baker, the county emergency management coordinator, received a photograph of the chisel marks by noon the day the dog went missing and had been searching for Debra for the previous 48 hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107794Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThirty Perfect Chisel Marks: How One Woman Mapped a Flood Survival Mystery A pulse of dread: thirty chisel marks carved in six rows of five, each under a quarter inch apart, glowing fresh against varnished stone inside a sealed canyon with no boot...
A pulse of dread: thirty chisel marks carved in six rows of five, each under a quarter inch apart, glowing fresh against varnished stone inside a sealed canyon with no boot prints - what could have made such a precise record where no one apparently stood? Who left those marks, and why would they map a flood in a place that erased almost every trace?

In this episode, we tell the story of the mark-maker and the missing canyoneer, following the chain of events from a pet’s disappearance through the search that joined a failed distress signal, an impossible flood, and a life of detailed water measurements; how did a retired hydrologist end up recording the canyon’s most exact flood history?

Person: Debra Cooper
Date: October 6-9, 2019
Location: Irongate Canyon area, west of Monticello near Moab
Event: Solo canyoneering descent and flash flood encounter
Item: Cold chisel and Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

- Debra carried a 60-meter, 9.4-mm rope, three anchor devices, a neoprene wetsuit, two-liter water reserve, two energy bars, a folding knife, a headlamp, dry bag with space blanket and lighter, plus a cold chisel.
- She activated her PLB at 3:47 p.m. as the flash flood rose from shins to thighs within ninety seconds, but the signal reached a federal database and did not alert the county coordinator.
- The chisel marks found by Patrice Lund numbered thirty, arranged in six rows of five, each spaced less than 0.25 inch apart, with orange, fresh stone inside each mark.
- Debra had 47 documented slot canyon descents and 23 years of hydrology work at the Utah State Board of Water Resources, retiring in 2016 at age 60.
- Jerry Baker, the county emergency management coordinator, received a photograph of the chisel marks by noon the day the dog went missing and had been searching for Debra for the previous 48 hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1083falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/nineteen-hours-alone-how-a-dry-notebook-saved-a-swimmer--73107792
A fisherman found a yellow notebook three miles southwest of Tarifa with pages completely dry despite floating in the Strait of Gibraltar, and inside was a nineteen-hour, minute-by-minute account of a solo swimmer who navigated one of the planet’s busiest shipping corridors using only his arms, the sun, and a decision made in the dark; how did that notebook become the most precise record of survival?

In this episode, we follow the recorded timeline and team logistics that framed one planned crossing and an unplanned endurance test, and we ask how preparation, local knowledge, and a calm change in technique turned a failed motor and a long drift into survival.

Person: Russell Graham
Date: September 9, 2017
Location: Strait of Gibraltar / Playa de los Lances to Punta Cires route
Support Team: Ignacio Reyes (skipper), Tomás (engine), Beth Colton (feed/first aid), Philip Myers (coordination)
Item Recovered: Yellow notebook found three miles southwest of Tarifa with dry pages documenting nineteen hours

- Russell began the swim at 05:47 on September 9, 2017 from Playa de los Lances.
- The planned route was 14 kilometers from Playa de los Lances (Spain) to Punta Cires (Morocco) with a target time of six hours.
- At roughly six kilometers in (~08:15), the Virgen de Europa’s engine stalled when a plastic bag jammed the cooling intake.
- Russell had trained 18 months specifically for the Strait crossing and had a target pace of about 2 km/h in the early hours.
- The fisherman recovered the notebook three miles southwest of Tarifa; the pages inside were dry and contained a left-leaning, ongoing nineteen-hour account.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107792Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaNineteen Hours Alone: How a Dry Notebook Saved a Swimmer A fisherman found a yellow notebook three miles southwest of Tarifa with pages completely dry despite floating in the Strait of Gibraltar, and inside was a nineteen-hour, minute-by-minute...
A fisherman found a yellow notebook three miles southwest of Tarifa with pages completely dry despite floating in the Strait of Gibraltar, and inside was a nineteen-hour, minute-by-minute account of a solo swimmer who navigated one of the planet’s busiest shipping corridors using only his arms, the sun, and a decision made in the dark; how did that notebook become the most precise record of survival?

In this episode, we follow the recorded timeline and team logistics that framed one planned crossing and an unplanned endurance test, and we ask how preparation, local knowledge, and a calm change in technique turned a failed motor and a long drift into survival.

Person: Russell Graham
Date: September 9, 2017
Location: Strait of Gibraltar / Playa de los Lances to Punta Cires route
Support Team: Ignacio Reyes (skipper), Tomás (engine), Beth Colton (feed/first aid), Philip Myers (coordination)
Item Recovered: Yellow notebook found three miles southwest of Tarifa with dry pages documenting nineteen hours

- Russell began the swim at 05:47 on September 9, 2017 from Playa de los Lances.
- The planned route was 14 kilometers from Playa de los Lances (Spain) to Punta Cires (Morocco) with a target time of six hours.
- At roughly six kilometers in (~08:15), the Virgen de Europa’s engine stalled when a plastic bag jammed the cooling intake.
- Russell had trained 18 months specifically for the Strait crossing and had a target pace of about 2 km/h in the early hours.
- The fisherman recovered the notebook three miles southwest of Tarifa; the pages inside were dry and contained a left-leaning, ongoing nineteen-hour account.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1042falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/his-garmin-kept-counting-6-41-and-a-mountaintop-lie--73107791
The Garmin was still running: its screen glowed six hours and forty-one minutes while Curtis Davis’s bike sat wedged in a culvert, rear wheel spinning in the current. That single number contradicted everything searchers believed and turned a routine mountain ride into a six-day scramble - what did 6:41 actually record, and why did it steer the search so badly?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline that led Curtis into the mountains alone and show how a single GPS readout redirected a search already looking in the wrong place. How did a canceled event, a rockslide, and a lone rider’s choices converge into a vanished man and a baffling device reading?

Person: Curtis Davis
Age: 47
Event: High Basin Challenge (canceled)
Date: Second Saturday of August, 2019
Location: Calloway Divide / Whitmore Basin

- Curtis left the parking area at 5:38 a.m. while the event director canceled the ride at 5:50 a.m.
- Curtis’s phone registered a cell ping at mile marker nine at 5:51 a.m.
- Tim Ogle inspected the rockslide before dawn and had photos showing the road dry the day prior.
- Curtis reached the rockslide around 7:15 a.m. and carried his bike over the debris to continue.
- The Garmin on Curtis’s bike displayed 6 hours and 41 minutes when found in a culvert six days later.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107791Sun, 26 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHis Garmin Kept Counting - 6:41 and a Mountaintop Lie The Garmin was still running: its screen glowed six hours and forty-one minutes while Curtis Davis’s bike sat wedged in a culvert, rear wheel spinning in the current. That single number...
The Garmin was still running: its screen glowed six hours and forty-one minutes while Curtis Davis’s bike sat wedged in a culvert, rear wheel spinning in the current. That single number contradicted everything searchers believed and turned a routine mountain ride into a six-day scramble - what did 6:41 actually record, and why did it steer the search so badly?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline that led Curtis into the mountains alone and show how a single GPS readout redirected a search already looking in the wrong place. How did a canceled event, a rockslide, and a lone rider’s choices converge into a vanished man and a baffling device reading?

Person: Curtis Davis
Age: 47
Event: High Basin Challenge (canceled)
Date: Second Saturday of August, 2019
Location: Calloway Divide / Whitmore Basin

- Curtis left the parking area at 5:38 a.m. while the event director canceled the ride at 5:50 a.m.
- Curtis’s phone registered a cell ping at mile marker nine at 5:51 a.m.
- Tim Ogle inspected the rockslide before dawn and had photos showing the road dry the day prior.
- Curtis reached the rockslide around 7:15 a.m. and carried his bike over the debris to continue.
- The Garmin on Curtis’s bike displayed 6 hours and 41 minutes when found in a culvert six days later.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>987falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/three-hikes-one-fall-alone-for-days-above-holt-lake--73107790
The cold click of a snowmobile engine and a stripped seat on dry ground in July hinted that something had gone disastrously wrong; a man lay on granite above Holt Lake with a fractured right fibula splinted with fence wire, running the engine in timed intervals for days. How did three separate morning departures, one trailer, and a trail camera card become the fragile clues that decided whether he would be found alive?

In this episode, we follow the recorded movements and the scene left behind to describe what happened that Sunday morning and the search that followed, asking how three hikes in one day led to a fall that trapped a man above an alpine lake.

Person: Grant Romano
Age: 32
Location: Holt Lake, Montana high country
Event: Three departures on Sunday morning recorded by trail camera
Equipment: Faded-orange Polaris utility sled with roughly ten-gallon tank

- Trail camera recorded three separate departures from the Romano gate at 5:22, 6:19, and 8:12 AM on Sunday.
- First trip lasted 42 minutes; the truck returned at 6:04 AM confirming the heifer's location.
- Second trip left at 6:19 AM and returned at 7:51 AM after Grant twisted his ankle on talus.
- Third departure at 8:12 AM included a snowmobile trailer and aimed to reach the heifer by riding up the slope.
- Grant broke his right fibula high on the talus, splinted it with fence wire, and ran the snowmobile engine in timed intervals for the better part of three days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107790Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThree Hikes, One Fall: Alone For Days Above Holt Lake The cold click of a snowmobile engine and a stripped seat on dry ground in July hinted that something had gone disastrously wrong; a man lay on granite above Holt Lake with a fractured right...
The cold click of a snowmobile engine and a stripped seat on dry ground in July hinted that something had gone disastrously wrong; a man lay on granite above Holt Lake with a fractured right fibula splinted with fence wire, running the engine in timed intervals for days. How did three separate morning departures, one trailer, and a trail camera card become the fragile clues that decided whether he would be found alive?

In this episode, we follow the recorded movements and the scene left behind to describe what happened that Sunday morning and the search that followed, asking how three hikes in one day led to a fall that trapped a man above an alpine lake.

Person: Grant Romano
Age: 32
Location: Holt Lake, Montana high country
Event: Three departures on Sunday morning recorded by trail camera
Equipment: Faded-orange Polaris utility sled with roughly ten-gallon tank

- Trail camera recorded three separate departures from the Romano gate at 5:22, 6:19, and 8:12 AM on Sunday.
- First trip lasted 42 minutes; the truck returned at 6:04 AM confirming the heifer's location.
- Second trip left at 6:19 AM and returned at 7:51 AM after Grant twisted his ankle on talus.
- Third departure at 8:12 AM included a snowmobile trailer and aimed to reach the heifer by riding up the slope.
- Grant broke his right fibula high on the talus, splinted it with fence wire, and ran the snowmobile engine in timed intervals for the better part of three days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1038falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boots-on-the-mud-how-she-walked-away-from-the-rising-tide--73107789
Fog closed to the width of a body at 6:48 AM on June 14, 2019, and a woman’s boots were found upright and parallel in Crispin Reach tidal mud with no tracks for ten feet - yet a woman was later seen two miles from shore on a fractured leg. How did Nicole Phillips leave her boots and vanish into the white, and what happened during the six hours that followed?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery on the mudflat to the search that unfolded, following the timeline and the clues that shaped every decision. What choices did Nicole make in the fog, and how did routine plans and a handwritten tide chart factor into the search?

Person: Nicole Phillips
Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Crispin Reach tidal flat
Age: 52
Last visible photo timestamp: 6:48 AM

- Two rubber boots were found upright, toes pointing toward the channel, with no tracks for roughly ten feet in every radius.
- Darlene Crawford, age 58, discovered the boots at 7:52 AM while on her morning bird route and called 911.
- Nicole’s last camera image with a visible horizon was timestamped 6:48 AM; subsequent frames were white from fog.
- The tide chart found in Nicole’s CR-V showed a circled low tide window and a note to “move to channel edge by seven forty-five.”
- The Coast Guard helicopter launched from Coos Bay at 9:45 AM and searched south and seaward for nearly two hours before search direction was questioned.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107789Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoots on the Mud: How She Walked Away from the Rising Tide Fog closed to the width of a body at 6:48 AM on June 14, 2019, and a woman’s boots were found upright and parallel in Crispin Reach tidal mud with no tracks for ten feet - yet a woman was...
Fog closed to the width of a body at 6:48 AM on June 14, 2019, and a woman’s boots were found upright and parallel in Crispin Reach tidal mud with no tracks for ten feet - yet a woman was later seen two miles from shore on a fractured leg. How did Nicole Phillips leave her boots and vanish into the white, and what happened during the six hours that followed?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery on the mudflat to the search that unfolded, following the timeline and the clues that shaped every decision. What choices did Nicole make in the fog, and how did routine plans and a handwritten tide chart factor into the search?

Person: Nicole Phillips
Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Crispin Reach tidal flat
Age: 52
Last visible photo timestamp: 6:48 AM

- Two rubber boots were found upright, toes pointing toward the channel, with no tracks for roughly ten feet in every radius.
- Darlene Crawford, age 58, discovered the boots at 7:52 AM while on her morning bird route and called 911.
- Nicole’s last camera image with a visible horizon was timestamped 6:48 AM; subsequent frames were white from fog.
- The tide chart found in Nicole’s CR-V showed a circled low tide window and a note to “move to channel edge by seven forty-five.”
- The Coast Guard helicopter launched from Coos Bay at 9:45 AM and searched south and seaward for nearly two hours before search direction was questioned.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>978falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-road-how-one-detail-saved-a-woman-s-life--73107788
Fear and focus collide: a single size-eight hiking boot, upright on the road at 5:47 a.m., sparked a rescue that climbed 2,600 vertical feet and found a woman who survived more than 50 hours alone on a mountain - surviving on two granola bars and a wilderness medicine memory. How did that boot, and one meticulous decision, turn a search into a rescue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a delivery rider's discovery to the rescue teams in the Sable Range, tracing Connie Hicks's choices, gear, and the exact moment her plan failed. What detail changed everything and led rescuers to her?

Person: Connie Hicks
Age: 44
Location: Sable Range (Sable Range, Sable Creek Road, Dunmore)
Time found boot: 5:47 a.m. on Monday
Duration alone: more than 50 hours

- A delivery rider named Harvey Meyer found a single tan-gray hiking boot, size eight, upright on the centerline of Sable Creek Road at 5:47 a.m.
- The boot's position sent search teams across 2,600 vertical feet of the Sable Range and initially to the wrong location for two hours.
- Connie left a float plan with neighbor Bob Crane and intended to summit Sable Range at 11,200 feet via the North Couloir.
- She reached Sable Range at approximately 6:42 a.m. Saturday and descended when her left foot broke through a snow apron around 5,800 feet.
- Connie survived on two granola bars and a memory of a wilderness medicine course, using 93°F as the critical core temperature threshold in her decisions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107788Thu, 23 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on the Road: How One Detail Saved a Woman's Life Fear and focus collide: a single size-eight hiking boot, upright on the road at 5:47 a.m., sparked a rescue that climbed 2,600 vertical feet and found a woman who survived more than 50 hours...
Fear and focus collide: a single size-eight hiking boot, upright on the road at 5:47 a.m., sparked a rescue that climbed 2,600 vertical feet and found a woman who survived more than 50 hours alone on a mountain - surviving on two granola bars and a wilderness medicine memory. How did that boot, and one meticulous decision, turn a search into a rescue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a delivery rider's discovery to the rescue teams in the Sable Range, tracing Connie Hicks's choices, gear, and the exact moment her plan failed. What detail changed everything and led rescuers to her?

Person: Connie Hicks
Age: 44
Location: Sable Range (Sable Range, Sable Creek Road, Dunmore)
Time found boot: 5:47 a.m. on Monday
Duration alone: more than 50 hours

- A delivery rider named Harvey Meyer found a single tan-gray hiking boot, size eight, upright on the centerline of Sable Creek Road at 5:47 a.m.
- The boot's position sent search teams across 2,600 vertical feet of the Sable Range and initially to the wrong location for two hours.
- Connie left a float plan with neighbor Bob Crane and intended to summit Sable Range at 11,200 feet via the North Couloir.
- She reached Sable Range at approximately 6:42 a.m. Saturday and descended when her left foot broke through a snow apron around 5,800 feet.
- Connie survived on two granola bars and a memory of a wilderness medicine course, using 93°F as the critical core temperature threshold in her decisions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1081falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/impossible-sealed-dry-bag-in-snowfield-question-of-how-and-whose--73107786
A single orange dry-bag appeared in fresh, unbroken snow at 5:40 AM with no footprints, no tire tracks, and no vehicle nearby - as if the bag had grown out of the field overnight. Who lost that bag, how did it arrive in a sealed state, and why did it take four days for the search to catch up to what the evidence already showed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Jessica Wallace’s solo canoe trip to the discovery by snowplow operator Ruth Nelson, laying out the decisions, observations, and missed signals that led search teams away from where she actually walked. How did a torn strap, a waterproof notebook, and a secured canoe become the clues that rewrote the search?

Person: Jessica Wallace
Date: April 14-19, 2017
Location: Suttler River near Heron Flat and Elbow, Aldren County, Oregon
Person: Ruth Nelson
Status: Dry-bag found sealed in unbroken snow at 5:40 AM

- The dry-bag was discovered at 5:40 AM on April 19, 2017 by snowplow operator Ruth Nelson.
- Jessica launched at Heron Flat at approximately 9:00 AM on Friday, April 14, 2017.
- The river rose eight inches overnight between Friday and pre-dawn Saturday; air temperature was 38°F and river water measured 41°F when the canoe flipped.
- The orange dry-bag contained Jessica’s map, navigation notes, emergency beacon, and extra insulation layer and tore at a frayed strap as it entered the current.
- Jessica tied the canoe to a tree above the flood line, took her waterproof notebook, and walked away from the river; the notebook contained observational notes, not a map.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107786Wed, 22 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at Obomediaimpossible sealed dry-bag in snowfield. Question of how and whose A single orange dry-bag appeared in fresh, unbroken snow at 5:40 AM with no footprints, no tire tracks, and no vehicle nearby - as if the bag had grown out of the field overnight....
A single orange dry-bag appeared in fresh, unbroken snow at 5:40 AM with no footprints, no tire tracks, and no vehicle nearby - as if the bag had grown out of the field overnight. Who lost that bag, how did it arrive in a sealed state, and why did it take four days for the search to catch up to what the evidence already showed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Jessica Wallace’s solo canoe trip to the discovery by snowplow operator Ruth Nelson, laying out the decisions, observations, and missed signals that led search teams away from where she actually walked. How did a torn strap, a waterproof notebook, and a secured canoe become the clues that rewrote the search?

Person: Jessica Wallace
Date: April 14-19, 2017
Location: Suttler River near Heron Flat and Elbow, Aldren County, Oregon
Person: Ruth Nelson
Status: Dry-bag found sealed in unbroken snow at 5:40 AM

- The dry-bag was discovered at 5:40 AM on April 19, 2017 by snowplow operator Ruth Nelson.
- Jessica launched at Heron Flat at approximately 9:00 AM on Friday, April 14, 2017.
- The river rose eight inches overnight between Friday and pre-dawn Saturday; air temperature was 38°F and river water measured 41°F when the canoe flipped.
- The orange dry-bag contained Jessica’s map, navigation notes, emergency beacon, and extra insulation layer and tore at a frayed strap as it entered the current.
- Jessica tied the canoe to a tree above the flood line, took her waterproof notebook, and walked away from the river; the notebook contained observational notes, not a map.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>965falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/trapped-in-the-silo-11-days-one-nail-near-impossible-escape--73107785
Cold, dark, and trapped waist-deep in corn that behaves like concrete, Karen Russo survived eleven days with half a bottle of water, a three-inch slate nail, and nothing else to call time with-how did a single unnoticed tool and a scrap of ingenuity keep her alive? What choices bought her the hours she needed to pry open a draft that connected her to the outside?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Karen signing the entry log at 6:47 PM to her eleven-day confinement, the improvised methods she used to survive, and the narrow margins that nearly cost her life-what did she do hour by hour to stretch water, find air, and measure days without a watch?

Person: Karen Russo
Date: February 26, 2011
Location: Delacroix Grain, Silo Number Four, Farrow Flat, Nebraska
Duration: Eleven days and fourteen hours
Tool: three-inch slate nail

- She signed the entry log at 6:47 PM and never signed out.
- The crust formed roughly four feet below the silo surface with a twelve-foot hollow beneath.
- She was buried to her waist with about eighteen inches of air above her face.
- She had half a bottle of water (about eight ounces) and rationed it to less than a teaspoon per hour.
- It took most of a night of prying with the slate nail to break through the auger shaft seam and let air move against her face.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107785Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:56 +0000Creator at ObomediaTrapped in the Silo: 11 Days, One Nail, Near-Impossible Escape Cold, dark, and trapped waist-deep in corn that behaves like concrete, Karen Russo survived eleven days with half a bottle of water, a three-inch slate nail, and nothing else to call...
Cold, dark, and trapped waist-deep in corn that behaves like concrete, Karen Russo survived eleven days with half a bottle of water, a three-inch slate nail, and nothing else to call time with-how did a single unnoticed tool and a scrap of ingenuity keep her alive? What choices bought her the hours she needed to pry open a draft that connected her to the outside?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Karen signing the entry log at 6:47 PM to her eleven-day confinement, the improvised methods she used to survive, and the narrow margins that nearly cost her life-what did she do hour by hour to stretch water, find air, and measure days without a watch?

Person: Karen Russo
Date: February 26, 2011
Location: Delacroix Grain, Silo Number Four, Farrow Flat, Nebraska
Duration: Eleven days and fourteen hours
Tool: three-inch slate nail

- She signed the entry log at 6:47 PM and never signed out.
- The crust formed roughly four feet below the silo surface with a twelve-foot hollow beneath.
- She was buried to her waist with about eighteen inches of air above her face.
- She had half a bottle of water (about eight ounces) and rationed it to less than a teaspoon per hour.
- It took most of a night of prying with the slate nail to break through the auger shaft seam and let air move against her face.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>989falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/trapped-on-a-granite-tooth-how-she-survived-21-frozen-hours--73107782
Cold, wind and 11,200 feet of exposure turned a routine paragliding flight into a life-or-death endurance test; Sarah York survived 21 hours on a granite plateau with a fractured rib, a hyperextended knee, a half-full water bottle and no sleeping bag - how did she turn a paraglider into shelter and stay alive until morning?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of Sarah York’s late-February flight from Copper Saddle and the decisions she made after landing on Dagger Shelf; we cover her injuries, the gear she had, and the improvised shelter she built - could a collapsed wing, paracord and an emergency bivy really be enough to survive a night at nearly 11,200 feet?

Person: Sarah York
Location: Dagger Shelf
Date: late February (Saturday morning start at 9:52)
Altitude: 11,200 feet
Injuries: fractured rib, hyperextended left knee, cut on chin

- Sarah launched from Copper Saddle at 9:52 a.m. and pushed her paraglider south into 11 mph winds.
- Twenty-two minutes after launch a rotor hit her wing and she landed on Dagger Shelf, not falling off the plateau.
- Dagger Shelf sits 400 feet above a permanent snowfield and measured air temperature was 9 degrees Fahrenheit with strong wind chill.
- Her kit included three-quarters of a liter of water, two energy bars, a headlamp, a lighter, an emergency bivy sack, a small first-aid kit, and a phone at 63% battery.
- She spent two hours rigging the collapsed wing with paracord to form a wind barrier, then sheltered in the bivy and rationed food while awaiting rescue until 7:22 the next morning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107782Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaTrapped on a Granite Tooth: How She Survived 21 Frozen Hours Cold, wind and 11,200 feet of exposure turned a routine paragliding flight into a life-or-death endurance test; Sarah York survived 21 hours on a granite plateau with a fractured rib, a...
Cold, wind and 11,200 feet of exposure turned a routine paragliding flight into a life-or-death endurance test; Sarah York survived 21 hours on a granite plateau with a fractured rib, a hyperextended knee, a half-full water bottle and no sleeping bag - how did she turn a paraglider into shelter and stay alive until morning?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of Sarah York’s late-February flight from Copper Saddle and the decisions she made after landing on Dagger Shelf; we cover her injuries, the gear she had, and the improvised shelter she built - could a collapsed wing, paracord and an emergency bivy really be enough to survive a night at nearly 11,200 feet?

Person: Sarah York
Location: Dagger Shelf
Date: late February (Saturday morning start at 9:52)
Altitude: 11,200 feet
Injuries: fractured rib, hyperextended left knee, cut on chin

- Sarah launched from Copper Saddle at 9:52 a.m. and pushed her paraglider south into 11 mph winds.
- Twenty-two minutes after launch a rotor hit her wing and she landed on Dagger Shelf, not falling off the plateau.
- Dagger Shelf sits 400 feet above a permanent snowfield and measured air temperature was 9 degrees Fahrenheit with strong wind chill.
- Her kit included three-quarters of a liter of water, two energy bars, a headlamp, a lighter, an emergency bivy sack, a small first-aid kit, and a phone at 63% battery.
- She spent two hours rigging the collapsed wing with paracord to form a wind barrier, then sheltered in the bivy and rationed food while awaiting rescue until 7:22 the next morning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>991falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-surfaced-alone-the-yellow-flag-the-missing-kayak--73107781
Fear tightened around a single, stark image: a dry yellow dive flag coiled on the hood of a locked car parked for twenty-eight days while its owner vanished four miles offshore. A methodical freediver with a 51-meter personal best surfaced after a 41-meter dive to find her kayak gone and then spent a night on a rusted channel marker - how did she survive, and why did she not return home?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the last confirmed message to weeks of silence, following the actions Sarah Becker took after surfacing and the investigative threads that followed. What choices and small facts-like a prepaid phone and a forty-second voicemail-made the case so difficult to read?

Person: Sarah Becker
Age: 38
Location: Paxton Ledge, four nautical miles southwest of Pelican Spit
Depth: 41 meters (ascent logged 4 minutes 12 seconds at 10:23)
Water temperature: 61 degrees Fahrenheit

- Sarah sent a text at 7:41 saying "Heading out to Paxton Ledge site. Good viz today," which was her last confirmed contact for six days.
- Visibility that morning was roughly 25 meters following a three-day wind event.
- The boat Kestrel Lady's propeller cut Sarah's tether at 41 meters, after which she completed a controlled ascent.
- Sarah's Garmin logged a four-minute, twelve-second ascent ending at 10:23 a.m.
- Her car remained parked in the same spot for 28 days with a dry, coiled yellow dive flag on the hood.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107781Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Surfaced Alone: The Yellow Flag, The Missing Kayak Fear tightened around a single, stark image: a dry yellow dive flag coiled on the hood of a locked car parked for twenty-eight days while its owner vanished four miles offshore. A methodical...
Fear tightened around a single, stark image: a dry yellow dive flag coiled on the hood of a locked car parked for twenty-eight days while its owner vanished four miles offshore. A methodical freediver with a 51-meter personal best surfaced after a 41-meter dive to find her kayak gone and then spent a night on a rusted channel marker - how did she survive, and why did she not return home?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the last confirmed message to weeks of silence, following the actions Sarah Becker took after surfacing and the investigative threads that followed. What choices and small facts-like a prepaid phone and a forty-second voicemail-made the case so difficult to read?

Person: Sarah Becker
Age: 38
Location: Paxton Ledge, four nautical miles southwest of Pelican Spit
Depth: 41 meters (ascent logged 4 minutes 12 seconds at 10:23)
Water temperature: 61 degrees Fahrenheit

- Sarah sent a text at 7:41 saying "Heading out to Paxton Ledge site. Good viz today," which was her last confirmed contact for six days.
- Visibility that morning was roughly 25 meters following a three-day wind event.
- The boat Kestrel Lady's propeller cut Sarah's tether at 41 meters, after which she completed a controlled ascent.
- Sarah's Garmin logged a four-minute, twelve-second ascent ending at 10:23 a.m.
- Her car remained parked in the same spot for 28 days with a dry, coiled yellow dive flag on the hood.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1047falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/two-ski-poles-one-man-surviving-29-f-alone-in-the-oxbow--73107780
The cold bites in the first sentence: at 6:41 AM on December 14, 2019 the temperature was -29°F and two ski poles stood perfectly upright, grips skyward, in an empty trailhead - the only sign someone had been found his way back from 4.5 miles into a frozen corridor. How did a 62-year-old experienced skier end up fighting to be seen at the edge of a deadly oxbow with one ski broken and no tracks returning?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from the Spur Nine trailhead through the Blacktail corridor to the Oxbow, presenting the physical evidence, timelines, and search-and-rescue response that frame the central question: what choices and injuries turned a routine night ski into a desperate bid to be found?

Person: Michael York
Date: December 14, 2019
Location: Spur Nine trailhead / Blacktail corridor / Oxbow
Temperature: -29°F at 6:41 AM
Status: Found with two poles planted; one broken ski and single glove at Oxbow

- Two ski poles were found standing upright, grips pointing skyward, spaced 18 inches apart in the Spur Nine parking lot.
- One set of ski tracks led into the corridor from the trailhead with no tracks returning.
- The corridor follows a groomed snowmobile path for 14 miles, with the Oxbow located roughly 4.5 miles in.
- A broken ski with its binding sheared at the base and one end half-buried was found beside the Oxbow, along with a single glove.
- Deputy Aaron Fitch arrived at 7:18 AM; search-and-rescue coordinator Lori Smith was activated at approximately 8:00 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107780Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaTwo Ski Poles, One Man: Surviving -29°F Alone in the Oxbow The cold bites in the first sentence: at 6:41 AM on December 14, 2019 the temperature was -29°F and two ski poles stood perfectly upright, grips skyward, in an empty trailhead - the only...
The cold bites in the first sentence: at 6:41 AM on December 14, 2019 the temperature was -29°F and two ski poles stood perfectly upright, grips skyward, in an empty trailhead - the only sign someone had been found his way back from 4.5 miles into a frozen corridor. How did a 62-year-old experienced skier end up fighting to be seen at the edge of a deadly oxbow with one ski broken and no tracks returning?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from the Spur Nine trailhead through the Blacktail corridor to the Oxbow, presenting the physical evidence, timelines, and search-and-rescue response that frame the central question: what choices and injuries turned a routine night ski into a desperate bid to be found?

Person: Michael York
Date: December 14, 2019
Location: Spur Nine trailhead / Blacktail corridor / Oxbow
Temperature: -29°F at 6:41 AM
Status: Found with two poles planted; one broken ski and single glove at Oxbow

- Two ski poles were found standing upright, grips pointing skyward, spaced 18 inches apart in the Spur Nine parking lot.
- One set of ski tracks led into the corridor from the trailhead with no tracks returning.
- The corridor follows a groomed snowmobile path for 14 miles, with the Oxbow located roughly 4.5 miles in.
- A broken ski with its binding sheared at the base and one end half-buried was found beside the Oxbow, along with a single glove.
- Deputy Aaron Fitch arrived at 7:18 AM; search-and-rescue coordinator Lori Smith was activated at approximately 8:00 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1031falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-window-11-days-alone-on-the-ridge--73107778
Fear tightens the throat when you realize a single size seven hiking boot, laced and knotted, sat upright in a north-facing window sixty-two feet above a ridgeline for eleven days before anyone noticed - and that one small choice was the signal that saved a life. How did routine failures in a system meant to protect a lookout align so precisely that a woman could be known to be on a tower yet remain effectively invisible for eleven days?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on November 8-19, 2009, that left Paula Foster isolated on Palliser Tower and the moments that finally brought her rescue; what went wrong across equipment, weather and procedures, and what Paula did to survive eleven days at six thousand feet?

Person: Paula Foster
Date: November 8-19, 2009
Location: Palliser Tower, Arrowhead Ridge
Rescuer: Ross Simmons
Observer who reported the boot: Clifford Norris

- The boot was size seven, laced and knotted, placed upright in the north-facing window of a decommissioned steel tower 62 feet above the ridgeline.
- Paula had been isolated for eleven days, from November 8 until a hiker photographed the boot on November 19.
- On November 8 she logged southwest winds 15-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph and relative humidity below 10% before a wind shift cut access that afternoon.
- Her supplies included two five-gallon water jugs, a propane camp stove, and food for roughly four days if rationed carefully.
- A search-and-rescue coordinator, Ross Simmons, reached the tower 37 minutes after Clifford Norris called the non-emergency sheriff's line.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107778Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:44 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot in the Window: 11 Days Alone on the Ridge Fear tightens the throat when you realize a single size seven hiking boot, laced and knotted, sat upright in a north-facing window sixty-two feet above a ridgeline for eleven days before anyone...
Fear tightens the throat when you realize a single size seven hiking boot, laced and knotted, sat upright in a north-facing window sixty-two feet above a ridgeline for eleven days before anyone noticed - and that one small choice was the signal that saved a life. How did routine failures in a system meant to protect a lookout align so precisely that a woman could be known to be on a tower yet remain effectively invisible for eleven days?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on November 8-19, 2009, that left Paula Foster isolated on Palliser Tower and the moments that finally brought her rescue; what went wrong across equipment, weather and procedures, and what Paula did to survive eleven days at six thousand feet?

Person: Paula Foster
Date: November 8-19, 2009
Location: Palliser Tower, Arrowhead Ridge
Rescuer: Ross Simmons
Observer who reported the boot: Clifford Norris

- The boot was size seven, laced and knotted, placed upright in the north-facing window of a decommissioned steel tower 62 feet above the ridgeline.
- Paula had been isolated for eleven days, from November 8 until a hiker photographed the boot on November 19.
- On November 8 she logged southwest winds 15-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph and relative humidity below 10% before a wind shift cut access that afternoon.
- Her supplies included two five-gallon water jugs, a propane camp stove, and food for roughly four days if rationed carefully.
- A search-and-rescue coordinator, Ross Simmons, reached the tower 37 minutes after Clifford Norris called the non-emergency sheriff's line.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1070falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-orange-marker-how-one-odd-object-saved-a-kayaker-s-life--73107777
Cold, precise routine turned into a six-day fight for survival when Marilyn Thompson launched at 7:41 AM on October 9 and vanished; an orange dry-erase marker, found upright in her kayak's cup-holder eleven miles downstream, became the improbable clue that led rescuers to her. How did a marker that did not belong to her end up in the cockpit, and why did one fisherman's minute-long stare change everything?

In this episode, we detail the sequence of events from Marilyn's launch through the discovery of her boat, following every small decision, injury, and environmental change that shaped the search - and ask how a single misplaced object reframed where people looked for her.

Person: Marilyn Thompson
Date: October 9 (launch) and June 14 (boat found)
Time: 7:41 AM (launch)
Location: Vantage Fork; boat found eleven miles past expected search area
Injury: Cleanly fractured fibula

- Marilyn launched at 7:41 AM on October 9 and disappeared for six days.
- Her boat was found on the morning of June 14 with an orange dry-erase marker upright in the cup-holder.
- The kayak was discovered eleven miles past the point where any search team thought to look.
- She encountered a new logjam around mile five that created a hydraulic and recirculated her twice before she drove out upright.
- After her left fibula fractured when her foot was trapped against a sweeper log, she sheltered in a root depression and relied on a foil emergency blanket, lighter, and dry bag.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107777Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:41 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Orange Marker: How One Odd Object Saved a Kayaker's Life Cold, precise routine turned into a six-day fight for survival when Marilyn Thompson launched at 7:41 AM on October 9 and vanished; an orange dry-erase marker, found upright in her...
Cold, precise routine turned into a six-day fight for survival when Marilyn Thompson launched at 7:41 AM on October 9 and vanished; an orange dry-erase marker, found upright in her kayak's cup-holder eleven miles downstream, became the improbable clue that led rescuers to her. How did a marker that did not belong to her end up in the cockpit, and why did one fisherman's minute-long stare change everything?

In this episode, we detail the sequence of events from Marilyn's launch through the discovery of her boat, following every small decision, injury, and environmental change that shaped the search - and ask how a single misplaced object reframed where people looked for her.

Person: Marilyn Thompson
Date: October 9 (launch) and June 14 (boat found)
Time: 7:41 AM (launch)
Location: Vantage Fork; boat found eleven miles past expected search area
Injury: Cleanly fractured fibula

- Marilyn launched at 7:41 AM on October 9 and disappeared for six days.
- Her boat was found on the morning of June 14 with an orange dry-erase marker upright in the cup-holder.
- The kayak was discovered eleven miles past the point where any search team thought to look.
- She encountered a new logjam around mile five that created a hydraulic and recirculated her twice before she drove out upright.
- After her left fibula fractured when her foot was trapped against a sweeper log, she sheltered in a root depression and relied on a foil emergency blanket, lighter, and dry bag.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>953falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-the-trail-seven-days-alone-one-shoe-survival--73107775
A single neon yellow shoe, size eight and laced in a double knot, sat upright on a granite ledge with no mud and no weathering-left as a deliberate marker on day two of a seven-day survival ordeal. How did a seasoned ultrarunner, trained in terrain and wilderness first aid, end up seven days inside Coldwater Gulch with one shattered ankle and no rescue?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the Harmon Ridge Trail Marathon start to the discovery of the shoe forty-one days after Kelly Turner vanished, following the choices she made in the first hours that shaped her chances of survival. What decisions kept her alive when the official search moved on?

Person: Kelly Turner
Event: Harmon Ridge Trail Marathon
Date: September 12
Location: Coldwater Gulch, Harmon Ridge
Discoverer: Marcia Hensley

- Kelly Turner was 32 years old and worked as a laboratory technician at a veterinary diagnostic center.
- The race morning temperature at the 7 a.m. gun was 48 degrees Fahrenheit with a forecasted high of 61 and no rain.
- Of 417 runners entered, all but five would finish or withdraw by choice; Kelly did not check out at a checkpoint after mile 19.
- Kelly left the official course at mile 19, taking a shortcut that saved her exactly three minutes and twenty seconds.
- Sixty yards from where the gulch rejoined the marked trail, a flat rock caused her left ankle’s lateral ligaments to tear, initiating the seven-day ordeal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107775Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:38 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left the Trail: Seven Days Alone, One Shoe, Survival A single neon yellow shoe, size eight and laced in a double knot, sat upright on a granite ledge with no mud and no weathering-left as a deliberate marker on day two of a seven-day survival...
A single neon yellow shoe, size eight and laced in a double knot, sat upright on a granite ledge with no mud and no weathering-left as a deliberate marker on day two of a seven-day survival ordeal. How did a seasoned ultrarunner, trained in terrain and wilderness first aid, end up seven days inside Coldwater Gulch with one shattered ankle and no rescue?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the Harmon Ridge Trail Marathon start to the discovery of the shoe forty-one days after Kelly Turner vanished, following the choices she made in the first hours that shaped her chances of survival. What decisions kept her alive when the official search moved on?

Person: Kelly Turner
Event: Harmon Ridge Trail Marathon
Date: September 12
Location: Coldwater Gulch, Harmon Ridge
Discoverer: Marcia Hensley

- Kelly Turner was 32 years old and worked as a laboratory technician at a veterinary diagnostic center.
- The race morning temperature at the 7 a.m. gun was 48 degrees Fahrenheit with a forecasted high of 61 and no rain.
- Of 417 runners entered, all but five would finish or withdraw by choice; Kelly did not check out at a checkpoint after mile 19.
- Kelly left the official course at mile 19, taking a shortcut that saved her exactly three minutes and twenty seconds.
- Sixty yards from where the gulch rejoined the marked trail, a flat rock caused her left ankle’s lateral ligaments to tear, initiating the seven-day ordeal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>905falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-on-the-fence-how-gloria-climbed-back-alive--73107774
A gut-clenching detail-one twelve-point aluminum crampon hooked on a fence with rust-brown stains and an open bail-marked the last known position of a climber who should have been found. How did a fifty-two-year-old methodical climber survive a fall that broke her wrist, fractured her ankle, and left her stranded on a ledge for days?

In this episode, the story covers Gloria Stein’s solo ascent of Harrow Peak, the moment a bent crampon bail failed, and the sequence of decisions and oversights that followed; how did her unannounced descent route and her experience change the outcome?

Person: Gloria Stein
Date: August 16-19, 2011
Location: Harrow Peak / Crestwall Range
Occupation: Biology teacher at Bridger Preparatory Academy
Age: 52

- At 4:53 AM on August 16, 2011, Gloria’s camera timestamp recorded her leaving the trailhead.
- By approximately 11:40 AM she fell about 12 feet when her left crampon’s heel bail gave way.
- Her injuries included a right wrist broken in two places, a fractured right ankle, and a badly lacerated left knee.
- Megan Tate discovered the crampon hooked on the Callender fence at 7:40 AM on August 19, 2011, and photographed it before calling the sheriff.
- Gloria had been climbing for 17 years and had climbed Harrow Peak’s north face previously in 2008.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107774Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:35 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon on the Fence: How Gloria Climbed Back Alive A gut-clenching detail-one twelve-point aluminum crampon hooked on a fence with rust-brown stains and an open bail-marked the last known position of a climber who should have been found. How...
A gut-clenching detail-one twelve-point aluminum crampon hooked on a fence with rust-brown stains and an open bail-marked the last known position of a climber who should have been found. How did a fifty-two-year-old methodical climber survive a fall that broke her wrist, fractured her ankle, and left her stranded on a ledge for days?

In this episode, the story covers Gloria Stein’s solo ascent of Harrow Peak, the moment a bent crampon bail failed, and the sequence of decisions and oversights that followed; how did her unannounced descent route and her experience change the outcome?

Person: Gloria Stein
Date: August 16-19, 2011
Location: Harrow Peak / Crestwall Range
Occupation: Biology teacher at Bridger Preparatory Academy
Age: 52

- At 4:53 AM on August 16, 2011, Gloria’s camera timestamp recorded her leaving the trailhead.
- By approximately 11:40 AM she fell about 12 feet when her left crampon’s heel bail gave way.
- Her injuries included a right wrist broken in two places, a fractured right ankle, and a badly lacerated left knee.
- Megan Tate discovered the crampon hooked on the Callender fence at 7:40 AM on August 19, 2011, and photographed it before calling the sheriff.
- Gloria had been climbing for 17 years and had climbed Harrow Peak’s north face previously in 2008.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>953falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/alone-anchored-and-alive-how-one-fisherwoman-outsmarted-the-gulf--73107770
Fear tightens the chest when a lone vessel loses power forty-seven miles offshore and a 600-square-mile search returns nothing - yet a single orange-and-white life ring and a blue crab point to one survivor’s choices. How did one woman keep herself and others alive in 83°F Gulf water with a shredded impeller and only one engine left?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to disaster and the decisions made aboard the Callie Sue, reconstructing the equipment failures, the misheard radio transmission, and the improvised survival moves that shaped the search and its outcome. What exactly did she do alone, in the dark, that worked?

Person: Amy Brooks
Date: July 5-8, 2016
Location: 47 nautical miles southwest of Port Crenshaw, Cordero Sound/Tern Shoal area
Vessel: Callie Sue
Search area: 600 square miles

- At 04:00 on July 5, 2016 the Callie Sue backed out of its slip for a 47-nautical-mile run to a grouper bank.
- At 16:17 on July 6 Amy transmitted the last clear position and said they were "heading home."
- The starboard engine failed after the raw-water impeller shredded; Amy shut it down to prevent seizure.
- A burst of static on channel sixteen two hours later included a garbled message transcribed as "stay put," altering search assumptions for 36 hours.
- A life ring stenciled "Callie Sue" with a wire cage holding a live blue crab in four inches of seawater was found floating at the edge of Cordero Sound.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107770Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:31 +0000Creator at ObomediaAlone, Anchored and Alive: How One Fisherwoman Outsmarted the Gulf Fear tightens the chest when a lone vessel loses power forty-seven miles offshore and a 600-square-mile search returns nothing - yet a single orange-and-white life ring and a blue...
Fear tightens the chest when a lone vessel loses power forty-seven miles offshore and a 600-square-mile search returns nothing - yet a single orange-and-white life ring and a blue crab point to one survivor’s choices. How did one woman keep herself and others alive in 83°F Gulf water with a shredded impeller and only one engine left?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to disaster and the decisions made aboard the Callie Sue, reconstructing the equipment failures, the misheard radio transmission, and the improvised survival moves that shaped the search and its outcome. What exactly did she do alone, in the dark, that worked?

Person: Amy Brooks
Date: July 5-8, 2016
Location: 47 nautical miles southwest of Port Crenshaw, Cordero Sound/Tern Shoal area
Vessel: Callie Sue
Search area: 600 square miles

- At 04:00 on July 5, 2016 the Callie Sue backed out of its slip for a 47-nautical-mile run to a grouper bank.
- At 16:17 on July 6 Amy transmitted the last clear position and said they were "heading home."
- The starboard engine failed after the raw-water impeller shredded; Amy shut it down to prevent seizure.
- A burst of static on channel sixteen two hours later included a garbled message transcribed as "stay put," altering search assumptions for 36 hours.
- A life ring stenciled "Callie Sue" with a wire cage holding a live blue crab in four inches of seawater was found floating at the edge of Cordero Sound.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>942falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tire-blew-at-midnight-how-a-daughter-vanished-from-a-visible-truck--73107768
Fear tightens around tiny decisions: a lug wrench borrowed, a fuse that dies, a dropped 911 call - and a six-year-old's sneaker left perfectly upright on the asphalt. A methodical father, a truck that became invisible at 10:55 PM, and a search party that passed the vehicle forty feet away - how did nine miles separate shoe and child, and what finally found them?

In this episode, we tell the events of one night on Mineral Fork Road, describing the timeline from a flat tire at 21:47 through the hazard lights failing at 22:55, the missed 911 connection, and the midnight walk that followed; can a string of small failures explain a disappearance?

Person: Kenneth Quinn
Person: Maya Quinn
Date: June 7, 2011
Location: Mineral Fork Road, near Creston Wells
Event: Hazard light fuse burned at approximately 10:55 PM

- Kenneth was 28 years old and worked as an irrigation technician from Fallon, Nevada.
- Maya was six years old, weighed 38 pounds, and had just finished first grade.
- The truck had 162,000 miles and its battery was changed in March of that year.
- Kenneth called 911 three times; the third call connected long enough to say "Mineral Fork Road, flat tire, mile marker" before dropping.
- Deputy Craig Morse drove Mineral Fork Road at 22:03, logged off at 23:18, and did not see the Silverado after the hazard lights failed at about 22:55.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107768Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:29 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tire Blew at Midnight - How a Daughter Vanished from a Visible Truck Fear tightens around tiny decisions: a lug wrench borrowed, a fuse that dies, a dropped 911 call - and a six-year-old's sneaker left perfectly upright on the asphalt. A...
Fear tightens around tiny decisions: a lug wrench borrowed, a fuse that dies, a dropped 911 call - and a six-year-old's sneaker left perfectly upright on the asphalt. A methodical father, a truck that became invisible at 10:55 PM, and a search party that passed the vehicle forty feet away - how did nine miles separate shoe and child, and what finally found them?

In this episode, we tell the events of one night on Mineral Fork Road, describing the timeline from a flat tire at 21:47 through the hazard lights failing at 22:55, the missed 911 connection, and the midnight walk that followed; can a string of small failures explain a disappearance?

Person: Kenneth Quinn
Person: Maya Quinn
Date: June 7, 2011
Location: Mineral Fork Road, near Creston Wells
Event: Hazard light fuse burned at approximately 10:55 PM

- Kenneth was 28 years old and worked as an irrigation technician from Fallon, Nevada.
- Maya was six years old, weighed 38 pounds, and had just finished first grade.
- The truck had 162,000 miles and its battery was changed in March of that year.
- Kenneth called 911 three times; the third call connected long enough to say "Mineral Fork Road, flat tire, mile marker" before dropping.
- Deputy Craig Morse drove Mineral Fork Road at 22:03, logged off at 23:18, and did not see the Silverado after the hazard lights failed at about 22:55.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>883falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-alive-41-hours-the-trekking-pole-that-kept-time--73107767
Cold, rhythmic danger: a trekking pole strap was oscillating in the snow long after a 41-hour avalanche burial, and the sound of a mechanical watch kept a woman alive inside a grapefruit-sized air pocket. How did a cracked-field watch, a torn-off beacon, and a misplaced itinerary nearly doom the rescue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Ruth Andrews’ May 7th departure to the moment a snowplow operator stopped at 6:14 a.m. on May 9th, covering the decisions, equipment failures, and small signals that directed search teams to the wrong place-so what finally led rescuers to her?

Person: Ruth Andrews
Date: May 7-9, 2011
Location: Sentinel Range, Arrowhead saddle
Event: Avalanche burying Ruth for 41 hours
Item: Mechanical field watch with cracked crystal

- Ruth left the Halcott Creek trailhead at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2011.
- The avalanche swept a secondary lobe roughly 80 meters wide with a fracture half a meter deep.
- Ruth tumbled approximately 40 meters down the south-facing slope before coming to rest.
- Her pack and transmitting beacon came to rest 18 meters from Ruth, outside the beacon detection radius.
- Rebecca Jones encountered the upright trekking pole with a moving wrist strap at 6:14 a.m. on May 9, triggering the rescue.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107767Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Alive 41 Hours: The Trekking Pole That Kept Time Cold, rhythmic danger: a trekking pole strap was oscillating in the snow long after a 41-hour avalanche burial, and the sound of a mechanical watch kept a woman alive inside a grapefruit-sized...
Cold, rhythmic danger: a trekking pole strap was oscillating in the snow long after a 41-hour avalanche burial, and the sound of a mechanical watch kept a woman alive inside a grapefruit-sized air pocket. How did a cracked-field watch, a torn-off beacon, and a misplaced itinerary nearly doom the rescue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Ruth Andrews’ May 7th departure to the moment a snowplow operator stopped at 6:14 a.m. on May 9th, covering the decisions, equipment failures, and small signals that directed search teams to the wrong place-so what finally led rescuers to her?

Person: Ruth Andrews
Date: May 7-9, 2011
Location: Sentinel Range, Arrowhead saddle
Event: Avalanche burying Ruth for 41 hours
Item: Mechanical field watch with cracked crystal

- Ruth left the Halcott Creek trailhead at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2011.
- The avalanche swept a secondary lobe roughly 80 meters wide with a fracture half a meter deep.
- Ruth tumbled approximately 40 meters down the south-facing slope before coming to rest.
- Her pack and transmitting beacon came to rest 18 meters from Ruth, outside the beacon detection radius.
- Rebecca Jones encountered the upright trekking pole with a moving wrist strap at 6:14 a.m. on May 9, triggering the rescue.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>951falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drew-a-map-by-candlelight-survived-63-hours-underground--73107764
Cold, precise, and defiant: a 22-year-old geology student spent 63 hours in 51°F water with one backup torch and a pencil, drawing a map by the light she could spare. Her hand reached out of a sinkhole holding a torn gear label with passage lengths and a north arrow guided by air currents-so accurate cave divers later followed it to the exact branches. How did she manage to measure and not lose hope long enough to leave a usable map?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from a missed Thursday dinner to a search that looked in the wrong place while she survived underground, and we follow how a map drawn by candlelight became the key to finding her. What choices did she make in the dark that kept her alive and led rescuers straight to the passages she marked?

Person: Kelly Lawson
Date: April 14, 2019
Location: Briar Sink / Sutter Hollow State Natural Area
Age: 22
Water temperature: 51 degrees Fahrenheit

- She was underground for 63 hours before an arm emerged holding a folded piece of paper.
- The map was drawn in graphite on the inside of a torn gear label using a rationed torch limited to five-minute intervals.
- Kelly had a single backup torch and a guideline reel anchored at the entrance with 300 feet of line available.
- Her field notebook on the passenger seat showed a last-entry note dated April 10 with the inked instruction "Check tomorrow."
- Search teams walked the eastern trail four times over April 12-13 based on GPS data pointing to Corrigan Spring, two miles east of the actual sinkhole entrance.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107764Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:23 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Drew a Map by Candlelight - Survived 63 Hours Underground Cold, precise, and defiant: a 22-year-old geology student spent 63 hours in 51°F water with one backup torch and a pencil, drawing a map by the light she could spare. Her hand reached...
Cold, precise, and defiant: a 22-year-old geology student spent 63 hours in 51°F water with one backup torch and a pencil, drawing a map by the light she could spare. Her hand reached out of a sinkhole holding a torn gear label with passage lengths and a north arrow guided by air currents-so accurate cave divers later followed it to the exact branches. How did she manage to measure and not lose hope long enough to leave a usable map?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from a missed Thursday dinner to a search that looked in the wrong place while she survived underground, and we follow how a map drawn by candlelight became the key to finding her. What choices did she make in the dark that kept her alive and led rescuers straight to the passages she marked?

Person: Kelly Lawson
Date: April 14, 2019
Location: Briar Sink / Sutter Hollow State Natural Area
Age: 22
Water temperature: 51 degrees Fahrenheit

- She was underground for 63 hours before an arm emerged holding a folded piece of paper.
- The map was drawn in graphite on the inside of a torn gear label using a rationed torch limited to five-minute intervals.
- Kelly had a single backup torch and a guideline reel anchored at the entrance with 300 feet of line available.
- Her field notebook on the passenger seat showed a last-entry note dated April 10 with the inked instruction "Check tomorrow."
- Search teams walked the eastern trail four times over April 12-13 based on GPS data pointing to Corrigan Spring, two miles east of the actual sinkhole entrance.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>928falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-coat-at-the-water-tower-how-a-missing-man-reappeared-alive--73107763
Cold, isolated tension: a folded, dry canvas coat sits at the base of a water tower after a night with 22 mph winds and 22°F air, a find that contradicted physics and sent a search team back into uncertainty. How did a coat stay dry and folded in a storm that dumped 14 inches of snow in six hours, and what did that clue eventually reveal about the missing man?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Debra Chambers discovered the coat to the days Gregory Schultz spent trapped in his truck, laying out what was found, who searched, and the gaps that delayed rescue. Could a misread road name and a frozen truck door explain why Gregory was missing for days?

Person: Gregory Schultz
Date: March 8-11, 2019
Location: Haskell Seven spur, Wayne County, Pennsylvania
Finder: Debra Chambers
Coordinator: Beverly Riley

- Wind sustained at 22 miles per hour from the northwest the morning the coat was found.
- Temperature was 22 degrees Fahrenheit when Debra Chambers discovered the folded canvas coat.
- Storm deposited 14 inches of snow in six hours on March 8, 2019.
- Gregory Schultz drove 11 miles northeast of his home to Haskell Seven before he did not return.
- The search-and-rescue team was sent to Haskell Four, two miles from Schultz’s actual location, for four days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107763Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:20 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Coat at the Water Tower: How a Missing Man Reappeared Alive Cold, isolated tension: a folded, dry canvas coat sits at the base of a water tower after a night with 22 mph winds and 22°F air, a find that contradicted physics and sent a search...
Cold, isolated tension: a folded, dry canvas coat sits at the base of a water tower after a night with 22 mph winds and 22°F air, a find that contradicted physics and sent a search team back into uncertainty. How did a coat stay dry and folded in a storm that dumped 14 inches of snow in six hours, and what did that clue eventually reveal about the missing man?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Debra Chambers discovered the coat to the days Gregory Schultz spent trapped in his truck, laying out what was found, who searched, and the gaps that delayed rescue. Could a misread road name and a frozen truck door explain why Gregory was missing for days?

Person: Gregory Schultz
Date: March 8-11, 2019
Location: Haskell Seven spur, Wayne County, Pennsylvania
Finder: Debra Chambers
Coordinator: Beverly Riley

- Wind sustained at 22 miles per hour from the northwest the morning the coat was found.
- Temperature was 22 degrees Fahrenheit when Debra Chambers discovered the folded canvas coat.
- Storm deposited 14 inches of snow in six hours on March 8, 2019.
- Gregory Schultz drove 11 miles northeast of his home to Haskell Seven before he did not return.
- The search-and-rescue team was sent to Haskell Four, two miles from Schultz’s actual location, for four days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1081falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-chose-silence-surviving-a-night-the-sea-tried-to-kill--73107761
She survived the moment the mast came down and a high-tension forestay sliced through the base of her thumb, yet eight days later the Coast Guard found no debris, no life raft and no beacon signal - despite her emergency beacon being functional the whole time. What would make a seasoned marine surveyor choose not to activate an EPIRB when everything in the water was going wrong?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a six forty a.m. departure off Calloway Pier to a radio contact forty miles south of Panama City, and then to the night the upper port shroud failed and the mast fell. Why did Linda Whitaker, a precise professional with thirty years of marine surveying, decline to use the device built to save her?

Person: Linda Whitaker
Date: January 26, 2023 (departure) - February 3, 2023 (last searched)
Location: Slip 14, Calloway Pier, Biloxi, Mississippi; sixty-mile sector south-southeast of Apalachicola
Event: Mast failure and severe hand laceration from recoiling forestay
Status: EPIRB on board and functional but not activated

- Departure time: 6:40 a.m, on January 26, 2023 from slip 14 at Calloway Pier, Biloxi.
- Float plan: Filed with dockmaster Eddie Soares listing route Biloxi to Key West with a stop in Apalachicola and emergency contact Connie Varela.
- Last radio contact: Approximately midday on January 28, voice heard by Walt Friesen about 40 nautical miles south of Panama City.
- Failure timing and location: Upper port shroud turnbuckle let go between January 29 and 30, estimated around 2:00 a.m., about 55 nautical miles south of Pensacola.
- Search effort: United States Coast Guard searched a roughly 60 nautical mile diamond sector south-southeast of Apalachicola and found no debris, life raft, beacon signal, or fuel slick.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107761Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:17 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Chose Silence: Surviving a Night the Sea Tried to Kill She survived the moment the mast came down and a high-tension forestay sliced through the base of her thumb, yet eight days later the Coast Guard found no debris, no life raft and no beacon...
She survived the moment the mast came down and a high-tension forestay sliced through the base of her thumb, yet eight days later the Coast Guard found no debris, no life raft and no beacon signal - despite her emergency beacon being functional the whole time. What would make a seasoned marine surveyor choose not to activate an EPIRB when everything in the water was going wrong?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a six forty a.m. departure off Calloway Pier to a radio contact forty miles south of Panama City, and then to the night the upper port shroud failed and the mast fell. Why did Linda Whitaker, a precise professional with thirty years of marine surveying, decline to use the device built to save her?

Person: Linda Whitaker
Date: January 26, 2023 (departure) - February 3, 2023 (last searched)
Location: Slip 14, Calloway Pier, Biloxi, Mississippi; sixty-mile sector south-southeast of Apalachicola
Event: Mast failure and severe hand laceration from recoiling forestay
Status: EPIRB on board and functional but not activated

- Departure time: 6:40 a.m, on January 26, 2023 from slip 14 at Calloway Pier, Biloxi.
- Float plan: Filed with dockmaster Eddie Soares listing route Biloxi to Key West with a stop in Apalachicola and emergency contact Connie Varela.
- Last radio contact: Approximately midday on January 28, voice heard by Walt Friesen about 40 nautical miles south of Panama City.
- Failure timing and location: Upper port shroud turnbuckle let go between January 29 and 30, estimated around 2:00 a.m., about 55 nautical miles south of Pensacola.
- Search effort: United States Coast Guard searched a roughly 60 nautical mile diamond sector south-southeast of Apalachicola and found no debris, life raft, beacon signal, or fuel slick.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1049falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-her-boot-five-days-surviving-a-deadly-canyon-night--73107760
Cold and isolated, a 25-year-old field technician spent five nights in a southeastern Utah canyon with one liter of water, a nonfunctional left ankle, and no rope - yet she left a single boot upright on a roadside at 7:42 AM; how did her decisions stitch survival from almost nothing? What did a penciled arrow, an empty sample bottle, and that boot finally reveal about her last choices?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the morning she logged her plan to the moment a passerby found the boot, tracing the gear, the timeline, and the exact choices that kept her alive long enough to be found. What led her off her planned route into Cinder Wash, and why did she remove that boot on a public road?

Person: Wendy Doyle
Age: 25
Date: January 14, 2019 (boot found at 7:42 AM)
Location: Seco Flats Road / Cinder Wash, southeast Utah (Ridgeback Mesa trailhead; 40 miles south of Moab)
Gear: one liter of water, five energy bars, puffy jacket, spare fleece, emergency foil blanket, headlamp, small first aid kit

- She logged a return-by time of 3:00 PM but left on January 7 and was missing for five days.
- The boot was found upright, laces tied, caked in rust-red mud, with no footprints nearby.
- Cinder Wash contains an 80-foot vertical rappel with no climb-out that she free-downclimbed.
- Night temperatures dropped to 17 degrees Fahrenheit the first night she was trapped.
- She carried one liter of water for a winter hike in canyon country with forecasted lows of 17°F.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107760Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left Her Boot: Five Days Surviving a Deadly Canyon Night Cold and isolated, a 25-year-old field technician spent five nights in a southeastern Utah canyon with one liter of water, a nonfunctional left ankle, and no rope - yet she left a single...
Cold and isolated, a 25-year-old field technician spent five nights in a southeastern Utah canyon with one liter of water, a nonfunctional left ankle, and no rope - yet she left a single boot upright on a roadside at 7:42 AM; how did her decisions stitch survival from almost nothing? What did a penciled arrow, an empty sample bottle, and that boot finally reveal about her last choices?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the morning she logged her plan to the moment a passerby found the boot, tracing the gear, the timeline, and the exact choices that kept her alive long enough to be found. What led her off her planned route into Cinder Wash, and why did she remove that boot on a public road?

Person: Wendy Doyle
Age: 25
Date: January 14, 2019 (boot found at 7:42 AM)
Location: Seco Flats Road / Cinder Wash, southeast Utah (Ridgeback Mesa trailhead; 40 miles south of Moab)
Gear: one liter of water, five energy bars, puffy jacket, spare fleece, emergency foil blanket, headlamp, small first aid kit

- She logged a return-by time of 3:00 PM but left on January 7 and was missing for five days.
- The boot was found upright, laces tied, caked in rust-red mud, with no footprints nearby.
- Cinder Wash contains an 80-foot vertical rappel with no climb-out that she free-downclimbed.
- Night temperatures dropped to 17 degrees Fahrenheit the first night she was trapped.
- She carried one liter of water for a winter hike in canyon country with forecasted lows of 17°F.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1007falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-broke-her-wrist-chose-the-wrong-road-survived-33-hours--73107759
Cold and focused, she built a splint from tape and a trekking pole in 22°F and walked toward the highway 40 rough miles away - while search teams were swept the opposite direction. How did a chemistry teacher and veteran ultrarunner survive 33 hours after a displaced distal radius fracture with two trekking poles and a broken wrist?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the fall at mile sixty-two through Diane Price’s improvised field splint and deliberate southeast route choice, and the three missed chances that could have reunited her with rescuers sooner. What combination of planning, training, and split-second decisions kept her moving when the search was going the wrong way?

Person: Diane Price
Age: 47
Event: Fall at mile 62 of the Aldercroft Hundred
Temperature at ground: 22°F
Time missing: 33 hours

- Diane had eleven years of ultrarunning experience and more than a dozen hundred-mile finishes.
- She fell at mile 62 on the Aldercroft Hundred after racing began at 6:00 on December 6.
- Four minutes after the fall she conducted a limb-by-limb inventory and identified a displaced distal radius fracture in her right wrist.
- She fashioned a rigid splint using four rolls of athletic tape and a trekking pole, then moved before midnight.
- Race search teams were deployed north while Diane intentionally headed southeast toward the highway corridor.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107759Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:11 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Broke Her Wrist, Chose the Wrong Road - Survived 33 Hours Cold and focused, she built a splint from tape and a trekking pole in 22°F and walked toward the highway 40 rough miles away - while search teams were swept the opposite direction. How...
Cold and focused, she built a splint from tape and a trekking pole in 22°F and walked toward the highway 40 rough miles away - while search teams were swept the opposite direction. How did a chemistry teacher and veteran ultrarunner survive 33 hours after a displaced distal radius fracture with two trekking poles and a broken wrist?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the fall at mile sixty-two through Diane Price’s improvised field splint and deliberate southeast route choice, and the three missed chances that could have reunited her with rescuers sooner. What combination of planning, training, and split-second decisions kept her moving when the search was going the wrong way?

Person: Diane Price
Age: 47
Event: Fall at mile 62 of the Aldercroft Hundred
Temperature at ground: 22°F
Time missing: 33 hours

- Diane had eleven years of ultrarunning experience and more than a dozen hundred-mile finishes.
- She fell at mile 62 on the Aldercroft Hundred after racing began at 6:00 on December 6.
- Four minutes after the fall she conducted a limb-by-limb inventory and identified a displaced distal radius fracture in her right wrist.
- She fashioned a rigid splint using four rolls of athletic tape and a trekking pole, then moved before midnight.
- Race search teams were deployed north while Diane intentionally headed southeast toward the highway corridor.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>976falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-glasses-one-boot-the-last-hours-of-megan-patterson--73107757
They found a pair of reading glasses, folded and completely dry on a granite ledge above Dunner Creek while everything else was soaked or frozen - and a single deep boot print pointing toward the rocks with no return tracks. How did a methodical 32-year-old, who kept meticulous logs and maintained a satellite communicator that later showed 40% battery, vanish from an 8,200-foot base camp after her device entered a firmware diagnostic loop?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the small, verifiable details from the five days on Dunner Cap that confounded rescuers and rewrote their assumptions. Listen to learn how a failed satellite communicator, a rationed fuel plan, and a lone signal fire fit together - and what the dry glasses and single boot print might ultimately mean.

Person: Megan Patterson
Age: 32
Location: Dunner Cap, Copperhead Wilderness, base camp at roughly 8,200 feet
Date: Incident began October 28-29, 2019; glasses found November 4, 2019
Status: Search and rescue closed active operation two days before glasses discovery

- Temperature on the morning Sarah Wagner found the glasses: 31 degrees
- Base camp team size: four people (Megan Patterson, Carl Ybarra, Iris Sato, Marcus Webb)
- Marcus Webb fever recorded at: 101.3 degrees on October 29
- Satellite communicator battery when recovered: 40 percent
- Base camp established since: October 15, scheduled five-week survey

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107757Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:07 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Glasses, One Boot: The Last Hours of Megan Patterson They found a pair of reading glasses, folded and completely dry on a granite ledge above Dunner Creek while everything else was soaked or frozen - and a single deep boot print pointing toward...
They found a pair of reading glasses, folded and completely dry on a granite ledge above Dunner Creek while everything else was soaked or frozen - and a single deep boot print pointing toward the rocks with no return tracks. How did a methodical 32-year-old, who kept meticulous logs and maintained a satellite communicator that later showed 40% battery, vanish from an 8,200-foot base camp after her device entered a firmware diagnostic loop?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the small, verifiable details from the five days on Dunner Cap that confounded rescuers and rewrote their assumptions. Listen to learn how a failed satellite communicator, a rationed fuel plan, and a lone signal fire fit together - and what the dry glasses and single boot print might ultimately mean.

Person: Megan Patterson
Age: 32
Location: Dunner Cap, Copperhead Wilderness, base camp at roughly 8,200 feet
Date: Incident began October 28-29, 2019; glasses found November 4, 2019
Status: Search and rescue closed active operation two days before glasses discovery

- Temperature on the morning Sarah Wagner found the glasses: 31 degrees
- Base camp team size: four people (Megan Patterson, Carl Ybarra, Iris Sato, Marcus Webb)
- Marcus Webb fever recorded at: 101.3 degrees on October 29
- Satellite communicator battery when recovered: 40 percent
- Base camp established since: October 15, scheduled five-week survey

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1031falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/marks-in-stone-how-she-carved-each-hour-to-survive-narro-canyon--73107755
Fear tightens when you realize a canyon can fill without warning: sixty-one deliberate chisel marks on a north wall turned out to be hour-by-hour survival counting carved by a canyoneer trapped above rising floodwater-how did she survive 61 hours on a two-foot-wide ledge with only a chisel and her planning? What choices kept her alive until help could find her?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events and the exact actions taken during a solo technical descent into Narro Canyon that became a fight to wait out floodwater. The episode covers the descent, the rising pothole, the sheltering on a narrow ledge, and the marks carved into the stone as a record and tool of survival-how did the plan she filed and her routines enable rescue?

Person: Diane Bailey
Location: Narro Canyon, Torrance Plateau, central Arizona
Date: October 3-6, 2019
Item: Two-inch carbide-tip masonry chisel
Duration: Sixty-one hours

- Diane filed her itinerary with the Morrow County Sheriff's non-emergency line before the trip.
- Diane descended into Narro Canyon at 7:42 AM on Friday, October 4, 2019.
- A storm cell discharged two inches of rain per hour over the high basin by 11:00 AM that day.
- The technical section begins with a single 41-foot rappel over an overhanging lip of sandstone.
- Diane carved sixty-one vertical lines grouped in sets of five into the north wall while sheltering on a two-foot-wide, twelve-foot-long ledge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107755Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaMarks in Stone: How She Carved Each Hour to Survive Narro Canyon Fear tightens when you realize a canyon can fill without warning: sixty-one deliberate chisel marks on a north wall turned out to be hour-by-hour survival counting carved by a...
Fear tightens when you realize a canyon can fill without warning: sixty-one deliberate chisel marks on a north wall turned out to be hour-by-hour survival counting carved by a canyoneer trapped above rising floodwater-how did she survive 61 hours on a two-foot-wide ledge with only a chisel and her planning? What choices kept her alive until help could find her?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events and the exact actions taken during a solo technical descent into Narro Canyon that became a fight to wait out floodwater. The episode covers the descent, the rising pothole, the sheltering on a narrow ledge, and the marks carved into the stone as a record and tool of survival-how did the plan she filed and her routines enable rescue?

Person: Diane Bailey
Location: Narro Canyon, Torrance Plateau, central Arizona
Date: October 3-6, 2019
Item: Two-inch carbide-tip masonry chisel
Duration: Sixty-one hours

- Diane filed her itinerary with the Morrow County Sheriff's non-emergency line before the trip.
- Diane descended into Narro Canyon at 7:42 AM on Friday, October 4, 2019.
- A storm cell discharged two inches of rain per hour over the high basin by 11:00 AM that day.
- The technical section begins with a single 41-foot rappel over an overhanging lip of sandstone.
- Diane carved sixty-one vertical lines grouped in sets of five into the north wall while sheltering on a two-foot-wide, twelve-foot-long ledge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>846falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-slate-the-breach-and-19-hours-adrift-in-gibraltar--73107754
Cold, deceptive currents carried a waterproof slate eleven nautical miles away from where rescuers were searching - and a handwritten warning, STAY NORTH, was the only clue left afloat. The Strait of Gibraltar’s layered flows and a 14-degree heading correction on a swimmer’s personal navigation slate turned routine planning into a nineteen-hour survival puzzle; how did a seasoned engineer and solo-channel veteran end up adrift so far from the expected route?

In this episode, we present the known timeline and details of the crossing, the gear choices and pre-cross modeling Rebecca Webb recorded, and the critical moments when the escort line was unclipped and conditions changed - could a single decision and the strait’s complex currents explain how the team lost track of her?

Person: Rebecca Webb
Date: September 13-14, 2019
Location: Strait of Gibraltar, Punta Paloma start
Escort Captain: Tom Elias, 37 years old
Support Kayaker: Dennis Cho, 22 years old

- Slate found on Tarifa marina breakwater on the morning of September 14, 2019, attached to roughly four feet of nylon rope.
- Slate surface included a heading correction of 14 degrees northwest and a time notation reading 14:22, plus block letters: STAY NORTH.
- The slate had traveled eleven nautical miles from the point where Rebecca Webb was last seen alive.
- Rebecca had trained for 14 months for the crossing and completed the English Channel solo in 2015 in 13 hours and 41 minutes.
- At approximately 10:15 a.m. on September 13, 2019, Rebecca requested the tow rope be unclipped because it interfered with her stroke, and the rope was disconnected.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107754Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:32:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Slate, the Breach, and 19 Hours Adrift in Gibraltar Cold, deceptive currents carried a waterproof slate eleven nautical miles away from where rescuers were searching - and a handwritten warning, STAY NORTH, was the only clue left afloat. The...
Cold, deceptive currents carried a waterproof slate eleven nautical miles away from where rescuers were searching - and a handwritten warning, STAY NORTH, was the only clue left afloat. The Strait of Gibraltar’s layered flows and a 14-degree heading correction on a swimmer’s personal navigation slate turned routine planning into a nineteen-hour survival puzzle; how did a seasoned engineer and solo-channel veteran end up adrift so far from the expected route?

In this episode, we present the known timeline and details of the crossing, the gear choices and pre-cross modeling Rebecca Webb recorded, and the critical moments when the escort line was unclipped and conditions changed - could a single decision and the strait’s complex currents explain how the team lost track of her?

Person: Rebecca Webb
Date: September 13-14, 2019
Location: Strait of Gibraltar, Punta Paloma start
Escort Captain: Tom Elias, 37 years old
Support Kayaker: Dennis Cho, 22 years old

- Slate found on Tarifa marina breakwater on the morning of September 14, 2019, attached to roughly four feet of nylon rope.
- Slate surface included a heading correction of 14 degrees northwest and a time notation reading 14:22, plus block letters: STAY NORTH.
- The slate had traveled eleven nautical miles from the point where Rebecca Webb was last seen alive.
- Rebecca had trained for 14 months for the crossing and completed the English Channel solo in 2015 in 13 hours and 41 minutes.
- At approximately 10:15 a.m. on September 13, 2019, Rebecca requested the tow rope be unclipped because it interfered with her stroke, and the rope was disconnected.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1044falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-rode-the-wrong-drainage-lost-six-days-found-alive--73107753
Fear of being alone and out of options: a trained endurance cyclist, 27, left at 5:15 AM and vanished into San Juan peaks for six days after crossing an invisible county line into the "wrong drainage." How did a routine route, a road closure sign, and one missed check turn a known loop into a survival nightmare?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Crystal Thorpe's departure in Durango through the moment she crossed the Crestfall Pass barricade and the six days that followed, asking how rational choices and small oversights can produce life-or-death consequences.

Person: Crystal Thorpe
Date: August 1, 2019
Location: Durango and Crestfall Pass area, San Juan Mountains
Age: 27
Status: Found alive after six days

- Left home at 5:15 AM on August 1, 2019, from Durango, Colorado.
- Trained 400-500 miles per week and raced at 114 pounds on a 5'4" frame.
- Encountered a ROAD CLOSED barricade at ~10:40-11:00 AM, about nine miles east of Silverton at 10,800 feet.
- Fell three miles past the barrier when a rockslide filled the roadbed, sliding eight feet and bending her fork.
- Missed her weekly Wednesday visit to her 81-year-old grandmother, a routine unbroken for three years, which went unnoticed for six days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107753Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:58 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Rode the Wrong Drainage: Lost Six Days, Found Alive Fear of being alone and out of options: a trained endurance cyclist, 27, left at 5:15 AM and vanished into San Juan peaks for six days after crossing an invisible county line into the "wrong...
Fear of being alone and out of options: a trained endurance cyclist, 27, left at 5:15 AM and vanished into San Juan peaks for six days after crossing an invisible county line into the "wrong drainage." How did a routine route, a road closure sign, and one missed check turn a known loop into a survival nightmare?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Crystal Thorpe's departure in Durango through the moment she crossed the Crestfall Pass barricade and the six days that followed, asking how rational choices and small oversights can produce life-or-death consequences.

Person: Crystal Thorpe
Date: August 1, 2019
Location: Durango and Crestfall Pass area, San Juan Mountains
Age: 27
Status: Found alive after six days

- Left home at 5:15 AM on August 1, 2019, from Durango, Colorado.
- Trained 400-500 miles per week and raced at 114 pounds on a 5'4" frame.
- Encountered a ROAD CLOSED barricade at ~10:40-11:00 AM, about nine miles east of Silverton at 10,800 feet.
- Fell three miles past the barrier when a rockslide filled the roadbed, sliding eight feet and bending her fork.
- Missed her weekly Wednesday visit to her 81-year-old grandmother, a routine unbroken for three years, which went unnoticed for six days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1027falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/minutes-of-heat-how-a-rancher-outsmarted-freezing-death--73107752
The cold clock of a submerged engine kept running for fifty-three minutes at the bottom of Garnet Lake, giving a woman trapped on shore a finite, brutal deadline to survive - could a running snowmobile be the difference between life and death? This episode centers on one precise survival decision in the high country that turned a routine morning into a near-miracle.

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events on July 22, 2011, at Garnet Lake and the actions Linda Mills took while stranded after her snowmobile broke through thin summer ice; what could she do with two biscuits, a watch, and the vibration of an engine under twenty-two feet of water?

Person: Linda Mills
Date: July 22, 2011
Location: Garnet Lake, Pinnaker Valley, Talbott County
Event: Snowmobile submerged under 22 feet of water; engine ran 53 minutes
Age: 54

- The snowmobile sat upright on the silt at the bottom of Garnet Lake, engine cold, battery sealed, headlight still burning after 72 hours underwater.
- The engine continued to run for 53 minutes while submerged in 41-degree water at a depth of 22 feet.
- Linda Mills had worked the Garnet Lake parcel for 22 years and ran approximately 80 head of cattle.
- The ice shelf on the lake’s north bank was 2-3 inches thick, extended roughly 8-10 feet from shore and about 40 feet wide, covered in pine debris that disguised open water.
- A call about Linda missing reached Talbott County emergency coordinator Jerry Morris at 12:19 PM after a delivery rider found no activity at the ranch gate at 11:47 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107752Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:55 +0000Creator at ObomediaMinutes of Heat: How a Rancher Outsmarted Freezing Death The cold clock of a submerged engine kept running for fifty-three minutes at the bottom of Garnet Lake, giving a woman trapped on shore a finite, brutal deadline to survive - could a running...
The cold clock of a submerged engine kept running for fifty-three minutes at the bottom of Garnet Lake, giving a woman trapped on shore a finite, brutal deadline to survive - could a running snowmobile be the difference between life and death? This episode centers on one precise survival decision in the high country that turned a routine morning into a near-miracle.

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events on July 22, 2011, at Garnet Lake and the actions Linda Mills took while stranded after her snowmobile broke through thin summer ice; what could she do with two biscuits, a watch, and the vibration of an engine under twenty-two feet of water?

Person: Linda Mills
Date: July 22, 2011
Location: Garnet Lake, Pinnaker Valley, Talbott County
Event: Snowmobile submerged under 22 feet of water; engine ran 53 minutes
Age: 54

- The snowmobile sat upright on the silt at the bottom of Garnet Lake, engine cold, battery sealed, headlight still burning after 72 hours underwater.
- The engine continued to run for 53 minutes while submerged in 41-degree water at a depth of 22 feet.
- Linda Mills had worked the Garnet Lake parcel for 22 years and ran approximately 80 head of cattle.
- The ice shelf on the lake’s north bank was 2-3 inches thick, extended roughly 8-10 feet from shore and about 40 feet wide, covered in pine debris that disguised open water.
- A call about Linda missing reached Talbott County emergency coordinator Jerry Morris at 12:19 PM after a delivery rider found no activity at the ranch gate at 11:47 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>997falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-every-rescuer-went-wrong-how-one-photographer-survived-fog--73107751
Fear and focus collide: a camera bag wrapped in a mylar blanket, no footprints, and a tide coming in - every piece of evidence pointed rescuers two miles the wrong way while a 23-year-old photographer walked alone in zero visibility using a field guide technique. How did a chapter about water, not compasses, become the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the discovery at 6:00 a.m. to the moment Troy used tidal channels to find shore, tracking what the rescue teams did and why the physical evidence misled them. Can simple, correct procedure applied to wrong information explain how trained rescuers all converged in the exact wrong direction?

Person: Troy Armstrong
Date: June 18, 2019
Location: Grinnell Flat, Oregon
Age: 23
Job: Natural history technician

- A bright orange camera bag was found at 6:00 a.m., 60 meters from the western edge of Grinnell Flat.
- Ronald Sawyer called search and rescue at 6:18 a.m. after finding the bag wrapped in a silver mylar emergency blanket.
- Troy set out after low tide at 5:42 a.m., arrived at Kessler Road access just after 5:15 a.m., and was 1.25 miles from shore by 6:00 a.m.
- Visibility dropped to under ten feet within three minutes of fog arriving at about 6:03 a.m.
- Troy walked 1.5 miles with a drainage channel edge kept on his left before reaching the Kessler Road access fence.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107751Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:52 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen Every Rescuer Went Wrong: How One Photographer Survived Fog Fear and focus collide: a camera bag wrapped in a mylar blanket, no footprints, and a tide coming in - every piece of evidence pointed rescuers two miles the wrong way while a...
Fear and focus collide: a camera bag wrapped in a mylar blanket, no footprints, and a tide coming in - every piece of evidence pointed rescuers two miles the wrong way while a 23-year-old photographer walked alone in zero visibility using a field guide technique. How did a chapter about water, not compasses, become the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the discovery at 6:00 a.m. to the moment Troy used tidal channels to find shore, tracking what the rescue teams did and why the physical evidence misled them. Can simple, correct procedure applied to wrong information explain how trained rescuers all converged in the exact wrong direction?

Person: Troy Armstrong
Date: June 18, 2019
Location: Grinnell Flat, Oregon
Age: 23
Job: Natural history technician

- A bright orange camera bag was found at 6:00 a.m., 60 meters from the western edge of Grinnell Flat.
- Ronald Sawyer called search and rescue at 6:18 a.m. after finding the bag wrapped in a silver mylar emergency blanket.
- Troy set out after low tide at 5:42 a.m., arrived at Kessler Road access just after 5:15 a.m., and was 1.25 miles from shore by 6:00 a.m.
- Visibility dropped to under ten feet within three minutes of fog arriving at about 6:03 a.m.
- Troy walked 1.5 miles with a drainage channel edge kept on his left before reaching the Kessler Road access fence.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>887falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-that-stood-up-how-a-ridge-nearly-killed-him--73107750
A single blue-gray boot stood perfectly upright in the snow with no footprints and no body nearby - an image that kicked off a three-day survival story on an 11,140-foot ridge. Which decision on that slope kept a 38-year-old engineer alive long enough to be found unconscious but breathing eighty yards past the boot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine Tuesday breakfast habit to a deliberate choice on a wind-crusted descent, tracing what Charles Hunter packed, planned, and ultimately decided when his right fibula fractured at 9,200 feet. How did a man who checked lists twice turn one split-second calculation into a fight for survival?

Person: Charles Hunter
Date: May 6-9, 2011
Location: Stannard Peak, Stannard Ridge, eastern Oregon
Age: 38
Injury: Displaced right fibula fracture

- A blue-gray boot was standing upright in the snow with no footprints around it when Paul Bennett found it at 8:52 AM on May 9, 2011.
- Charles Hunter signed the trailhead register at 5:44 AM and summited Stannard Peak at 11:47 AM (11,140 feet).
- The wind crust failed at approximately 9,200 feet, causing a break described like "a green branch snapping."
- Hunter had climbed twelve years with eight summits above 10,000 feet and always checked gear lists the night before and at the trailhead.
- Kevin Hunter called the Keldrick County Sheriff's Office at 6:51 PM on May 6 after his brother missed the expected 4:00 PM return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107750Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:49 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot That Stood Up: How a Ridge Nearly Killed Him A single blue-gray boot stood perfectly upright in the snow with no footprints and no body nearby - an image that kicked off a three-day survival story on an 11,140-foot ridge. Which decision on...
A single blue-gray boot stood perfectly upright in the snow with no footprints and no body nearby - an image that kicked off a three-day survival story on an 11,140-foot ridge. Which decision on that slope kept a 38-year-old engineer alive long enough to be found unconscious but breathing eighty yards past the boot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine Tuesday breakfast habit to a deliberate choice on a wind-crusted descent, tracing what Charles Hunter packed, planned, and ultimately decided when his right fibula fractured at 9,200 feet. How did a man who checked lists twice turn one split-second calculation into a fight for survival?

Person: Charles Hunter
Date: May 6-9, 2011
Location: Stannard Peak, Stannard Ridge, eastern Oregon
Age: 38
Injury: Displaced right fibula fracture

- A blue-gray boot was standing upright in the snow with no footprints around it when Paul Bennett found it at 8:52 AM on May 9, 2011.
- Charles Hunter signed the trailhead register at 5:44 AM and summited Stannard Peak at 11:47 AM (11,140 feet).
- The wind crust failed at approximately 9,200 feet, causing a break described like "a green branch snapping."
- Hunter had climbed twelve years with eight summits above 10,000 feet and always checked gear lists the night before and at the trailhead.
- Kevin Hunter called the Keldrick County Sheriff's Office at 6:51 PM on May 6 after his brother missed the expected 4:00 PM return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1048falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/and-stared-at-something-zip-tied-to-a-sycamore-tree--73107748
A runner found a laminated river map zip-tied to a sycamore with a product registration name tied to a man missing nearly three days - and by the time she called, that man was being stitched up in a hospital bed. How did a retired science teacher survive forty-one miles of river terrain alone, in a drysuit, with hypothermia-level water and no tent or sleeping bag - and why was his map left in the wrong place?

In this episode, we tell the two parallel stories that unfolded over sixty-one hours on the Sellen River: the searchers working grids and following signs, and Ross Rafferty, a sixty-two-year-old retired earth and physical science teacher moving alone through cold water and rapids. Which thread explains the mysterious map and who really saved him?

Person: Ross Rafferty
Date: April 6-9, 2019
Location: Sellen River / Catawba Shoals path
Event: Canoe overturn at Pilcher Ledge
Status: Survived with injuries (fourteen stitches to palm)

- Ross Rafferty had taught earth and physical science for twenty-three years and retired in 2015.
- He logged forty-seven overnight river trips in his green notebook over the prior decade and was an eleven-year member of the Kellerton Flatwater and River Society.
- He launched at Garner's Landing with the Sellen gauge reading 5.4 feet and paddled twenty-one miles before hitting Pilcher Ledge at mile 31.
- Ross was immersed for ninety seconds in 41°F water and reached the south bank able to move because he was wearing a drysuit.
- The laminated river map with a product registration code in another man’s name was found zip-tied to a sycamore at 8:15 a.m, on April 9, 2019, by runner Lauren Sheridan.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107748Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:46 +0000Creator at Obomediaand stared at something zip-tied to a sycamore tree A runner found a laminated river map zip-tied to a sycamore with a product registration name tied to a man missing nearly three days - and by the time she called, that man was being stitched up in...
A runner found a laminated river map zip-tied to a sycamore with a product registration name tied to a man missing nearly three days - and by the time she called, that man was being stitched up in a hospital bed. How did a retired science teacher survive forty-one miles of river terrain alone, in a drysuit, with hypothermia-level water and no tent or sleeping bag - and why was his map left in the wrong place?

In this episode, we tell the two parallel stories that unfolded over sixty-one hours on the Sellen River: the searchers working grids and following signs, and Ross Rafferty, a sixty-two-year-old retired earth and physical science teacher moving alone through cold water and rapids. Which thread explains the mysterious map and who really saved him?

Person: Ross Rafferty
Date: April 6-9, 2019
Location: Sellen River / Catawba Shoals path
Event: Canoe overturn at Pilcher Ledge
Status: Survived with injuries (fourteen stitches to palm)

- Ross Rafferty had taught earth and physical science for twenty-three years and retired in 2015.
- He logged forty-seven overnight river trips in his green notebook over the prior decade and was an eleven-year member of the Kellerton Flatwater and River Society.
- He launched at Garner's Landing with the Sellen gauge reading 5.4 feet and paddled twenty-one miles before hitting Pilcher Ledge at mile 31.
- Ross was immersed for ninety seconds in 41°F water and reached the south bank able to move because he was wearing a drysuit.
- The laminated river map with a product registration code in another man’s name was found zip-tied to a sycamore at 8:15 a.m, on April 9, 2019, by runner Lauren Sheridan.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1005falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-alive-in-a-grain-silo-how-julie-counted-hours--73107747
Cold, claustrophobic, and driven by a single glove stuffed with dry grain, this episode starts with an automated sensor ping at 7:42 AM on March 4, 2017 when 400 tons of milo collapsed - sealing a corridor and trapping 26-year-old Julie Stevens with only a four-inch ventilation grate and the feel of air to count hours by. How did rescuers almost miss a faint thermal signature for more than a day, and what role did a diabetic cat play in sparking the search?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Julie signing in at 6:50 AM through the collapse minutes later, the delayed alarm raised by family at 7:40 PM, and the rescue operations that unfolded overnight. The story covers the failed weld, the lone standing auger casing, and the moments that nearly let her remain undiscovered - but how was she finally detected?

Person: Julie Stevens
Date: March 4, 2017
Location: Ketterman grain facility, Mill Siding Road
Duration trapped: 34 hours and 2 minutes
Temperature at scene: 18 degrees Fahrenheit

- An automated sensor ping occurred at 7:42 AM when 400 tons of milo shifted and sealed the corridor.
- Julie arrived at the facility at 6:50 AM and waited approximately two minutes at the sub-level hatch before entering.
- A fatigue crack in the weld seam at the base of the cone, preexisting before Julie's arrival, gave way and caused the collapse.
- A size small work glove, stuffed with dry grain and knotted at the wrist, hung from a bolt inside a sealed steel casing and confused rescuers.
- Julie was not found until rescuers responded after Patricia noted missed insulin doses for Sergeant the cat at 7:40 PM, leading to first units arriving before 9 PM and her being discovered after 34 hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107747Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:42 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Alive in a Grain Silo: How Julie Counted Hours Cold, claustrophobic, and driven by a single glove stuffed with dry grain, this episode starts with an automated sensor ping at 7:42 AM on March 4, 2017 when 400 tons of milo collapsed - sealing...
Cold, claustrophobic, and driven by a single glove stuffed with dry grain, this episode starts with an automated sensor ping at 7:42 AM on March 4, 2017 when 400 tons of milo collapsed - sealing a corridor and trapping 26-year-old Julie Stevens with only a four-inch ventilation grate and the feel of air to count hours by. How did rescuers almost miss a faint thermal signature for more than a day, and what role did a diabetic cat play in sparking the search?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Julie signing in at 6:50 AM through the collapse minutes later, the delayed alarm raised by family at 7:40 PM, and the rescue operations that unfolded overnight. The story covers the failed weld, the lone standing auger casing, and the moments that nearly let her remain undiscovered - but how was she finally detected?

Person: Julie Stevens
Date: March 4, 2017
Location: Ketterman grain facility, Mill Siding Road
Duration trapped: 34 hours and 2 minutes
Temperature at scene: 18 degrees Fahrenheit

- An automated sensor ping occurred at 7:42 AM when 400 tons of milo shifted and sealed the corridor.
- Julie arrived at the facility at 6:50 AM and waited approximately two minutes at the sub-level hatch before entering.
- A fatigue crack in the weld seam at the base of the cone, preexisting before Julie's arrival, gave way and caused the collapse.
- A size small work glove, stuffed with dry grain and knotted at the wrist, hung from a bolt inside a sealed steel casing and confused rescuers.
- Julie was not found until rescuers responded after Patricia noted missed insulin doses for Sergeant the cat at 7:40 PM, leading to first units arriving before 9 PM and her being discovered after 34 hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>910falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/forty-eight-candles-lost-on-a-snow-buried-trailhead--73107746
A pristine vanilla cake with forty-eight candles sat unfrozen on a passenger seat in a locked Subaru amid eight inches of February snow - while its owner was stranded on a six-thousand-foot volcanic plateau with cliff faces up to two hundred feet high. How did a careful, methodical paraglider end up trapped where descent without technical gear was impossible, and why was his birthday cake left untouched four thousand two hundred feet below?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning the cake was left at Caldera Vista trailhead to the moment Marvin Gardner activated his emergency beacon on Ridgeback Table, and we track the search-and-rescue response and the terrain factors that turned a routine flight into a life-or-death scenario. What choices and conditions shaped the hours after his beacon transmission and the cake left in the Subaru?

Person: Marvin Gardner
Date: February 9, 2019
Location: Ridgeback Table / Caldera Vista trailhead
Status: Missing after beacon activation
Event: Emergency beacon signal received by NOAA SARSAT at 12:08

- The trailhead was buried under eight inches of fresh snow the morning Gary Dempsey noticed the cake.
- Petra Gardner left a vanilla cake with forty-eight candles on the Subaru passenger seat around 9:00 AM on February 9.
- Marvin Gardner launched at 10:15 AM from Arrowhead Bench at 5,800 feet and landed at approximately 11:50 AM on Ridgeback Table at roughly 6,000 feet.
- Gardner activated his emergency beacon; the signal reached NOAA SARSAT at 12:08 PM and was relayed to Washington State Emergency Management within minutes.
- Ridgeback Table is an oval plateau bounded on three sides by cliff faces between 60 and 200 feet, with the fourth side a sheet of wind-packed ice too steep to descend without technical climbing equipment.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107746Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:39 +0000Creator at ObomediaForty-Eight Candles, Lost on a Snow-Buried Trailhead A pristine vanilla cake with forty-eight candles sat unfrozen on a passenger seat in a locked Subaru amid eight inches of February snow - while its owner was stranded on a six-thousand-foot...
A pristine vanilla cake with forty-eight candles sat unfrozen on a passenger seat in a locked Subaru amid eight inches of February snow - while its owner was stranded on a six-thousand-foot volcanic plateau with cliff faces up to two hundred feet high. How did a careful, methodical paraglider end up trapped where descent without technical gear was impossible, and why was his birthday cake left untouched four thousand two hundred feet below?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning the cake was left at Caldera Vista trailhead to the moment Marvin Gardner activated his emergency beacon on Ridgeback Table, and we track the search-and-rescue response and the terrain factors that turned a routine flight into a life-or-death scenario. What choices and conditions shaped the hours after his beacon transmission and the cake left in the Subaru?

Person: Marvin Gardner
Date: February 9, 2019
Location: Ridgeback Table / Caldera Vista trailhead
Status: Missing after beacon activation
Event: Emergency beacon signal received by NOAA SARSAT at 12:08

- The trailhead was buried under eight inches of fresh snow the morning Gary Dempsey noticed the cake.
- Petra Gardner left a vanilla cake with forty-eight candles on the Subaru passenger seat around 9:00 AM on February 9.
- Marvin Gardner launched at 10:15 AM from Arrowhead Bench at 5,800 feet and landed at approximately 11:50 AM on Ridgeback Table at roughly 6,000 feet.
- Gardner activated his emergency beacon; the signal reached NOAA SARSAT at 12:08 PM and was relayed to Washington State Emergency Management within minutes.
- Ridgeback Table is an oval plateau bounded on three sides by cliff faces between 60 and 200 feet, with the fourth side a sheet of wind-packed ice too steep to descend without technical climbing equipment.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1020falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bench-above-the-sea-how-a-dive-computer-escaped-the-ocean--73107745
Danger threaded through ordinary routines: a safety-orange Suunto D4i logged a single breath, a 41-meter descent, and three minutes 22 seconds at 10:47 AM - then showed up dry and active on a bench 40 meters above the Pacific, 230 meters from the nearest beach. How did a device that should have been at the bottom end up upright and waiting on a clifftop where no path connects to the sea?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and physical evidence from the Ledge to the Coos Bay trauma bay, tracking the dive profile, the drifting kayak and buoy, and the unanswered movements that placed a powered dive computer on a park bench. What sequence of events could leave a freediver alive, injured, and missing gear that later appears where no one could have brought it?

Person: Marilyn Russo
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Pelican Bluff, Oregon
Device: Suunto D4i (safety-orange)
Depth: 41 meters

- Dive entry logged at 10:47 AM with a single inhalation and a 3 minutes 22 seconds bottom time.
- Bench location: 40 meters above the water and 230 meters from the nearest beach, beside a trail opened 11 days earlier.
- Marilyn had completed 43 documented solo dives at the Ledge and trained as a freediver for four years.
- The water temperature that day was 48°F and the air temperature was 41°F.
- A 12-meter, 6-millimeter static anchor line with a 2-kilogram plate weight had been severed and the surface marker buoy drifted free.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107745Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:35 +0000Creator at ObomediaBench Above the Sea: How a Dive Computer Escaped the Ocean Danger threaded through ordinary routines: a safety-orange Suunto D4i logged a single breath, a 41-meter descent, and three minutes 22 seconds at 10:47 AM - then showed up dry and active on...
Danger threaded through ordinary routines: a safety-orange Suunto D4i logged a single breath, a 41-meter descent, and three minutes 22 seconds at 10:47 AM - then showed up dry and active on a bench 40 meters above the Pacific, 230 meters from the nearest beach. How did a device that should have been at the bottom end up upright and waiting on a clifftop where no path connects to the sea?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and physical evidence from the Ledge to the Coos Bay trauma bay, tracking the dive profile, the drifting kayak and buoy, and the unanswered movements that placed a powered dive computer on a park bench. What sequence of events could leave a freediver alive, injured, and missing gear that later appears where no one could have brought it?

Person: Marilyn Russo
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Pelican Bluff, Oregon
Device: Suunto D4i (safety-orange)
Depth: 41 meters

- Dive entry logged at 10:47 AM with a single inhalation and a 3 minutes 22 seconds bottom time.
- Bench location: 40 meters above the water and 230 meters from the nearest beach, beside a trail opened 11 days earlier.
- Marilyn had completed 43 documented solo dives at the Ledge and trained as a freediver for four years.
- The water temperature that day was 48°F and the air temperature was 41°F.
- A 12-meter, 6-millimeter static anchor line with a 2-kilogram plate weight had been severed and the surface marker buoy drifted free.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1020falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-spruce-how-she-outwalked-death-forty-six-hours--73107743
She was chest-deep in 31°F water at 11:22 AM with air temps near -20°F, skis on, and two minutes from losing hand function - yet she stayed conscious and walked for forty-six hours. The lone clue that stopped rescuers cold was a size eight ski boot stuffed with frozen cattail fluff, wedged four feet up in a spruce; how and why did she put it there?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and decisions that kept Monica Ward alive in the Velder River backcountry and the single object that ultimately redirected the search. What choices did she make between breaking through at a hidden beaver dam and being spotted moving through tamarack on December ninth?

Person: Monica Ward, age 52
Date: December 7-9, 2019
Location: Velder River basin, eastern bank
Event: Ice failure at 11:22 AM due to beaver dam three hundred meters upstream from expected spot
Condition: Outside for 46 hours with lows of -31°F wind-chill and water at 31°F

- Broke through ice at 11:22 AM into chest-deep 31°F water while air temperature was about -20°F.
- Had skis still attached, pack with thermos, two energy bars, map, lighter, first-aid kit, and Mylar blanket.
- Placed a return time of 2:00 PM with colleague and emergency contact Steve Patton before leaving at 8:53 AM.
- Spotted moving by David Hamilton on the morning of December 9, walking at roughly 1 mile per hour and camouflaged by bark and plant fiber.
- A single right-foot ski boot, size eight with ratchet buckle fastened and packed with frozen cattail fluff, was found wedged four feet up in a spruce on the eastern bank.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107743Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:32 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot in the Spruce: How She Outwalked Death Forty-Six Hours She was chest-deep in 31°F water at 11:22 AM with air temps near -20°F, skis on, and two minutes from losing hand function - yet she stayed conscious and walked for forty-six hours....
She was chest-deep in 31°F water at 11:22 AM with air temps near -20°F, skis on, and two minutes from losing hand function - yet she stayed conscious and walked for forty-six hours. The lone clue that stopped rescuers cold was a size eight ski boot stuffed with frozen cattail fluff, wedged four feet up in a spruce; how and why did she put it there?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and decisions that kept Monica Ward alive in the Velder River backcountry and the single object that ultimately redirected the search. What choices did she make between breaking through at a hidden beaver dam and being spotted moving through tamarack on December ninth?

Person: Monica Ward, age 52
Date: December 7-9, 2019
Location: Velder River basin, eastern bank
Event: Ice failure at 11:22 AM due to beaver dam three hundred meters upstream from expected spot
Condition: Outside for 46 hours with lows of -31°F wind-chill and water at 31°F

- Broke through ice at 11:22 AM into chest-deep 31°F water while air temperature was about -20°F.
- Had skis still attached, pack with thermos, two energy bars, map, lighter, first-aid kit, and Mylar blanket.
- Placed a return time of 2:00 PM with colleague and emergency contact Steve Patton before leaving at 8:53 AM.
- Spotted moving by David Hamilton on the morning of December 9, walking at roughly 1 mile per hour and camouflaged by bark and plant fiber.
- A single right-foot ski boot, size eight with ratchet buckle fastened and packed with frozen cattail fluff, was found wedged four feet up in a spruce on the eastern bank.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1095falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-chose-to-stay-13-days-alone-on-a-burning-peak--73107742
Danger is sharp and measured in minutes: a road that "burned out in under forty minutes," four gallons of water stretched into thirteen days, and a trowel left midway on step twenty-five-why did she stop? The key words survival, fire lookout, and Harlan Peak appear in every entry of a logbook that explains a decision only Sarah Allen could make - but what drove her to stay?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events recorded in the logbook and in post-event reports, from the first sighting of the fire to the eventual helicopter response, and we follow the question Sarah answered in ink: why did she choose to stay?

Person: Sarah Allen
Age: 46
Location: Harlan Peak fire tower
Event: Road burned out under forty minutes, evacuation order received at 3:47 PM
Duration: Stayed alone for thirteen days

- Fire first logged at 2:09 PM on October 22 with bearing 198 degrees, five to six miles, active crown behavior visible.
- Evacuation order issued at 3:47 PM; at 4:02 PM Sarah wrote "Road is gone. I am staying with the tower."
- Sarah radioed dispatch at 4:18 PM saying she was sheltering in place and would radio on the hour.
- Communication gap: supervisor Philip Owens did not see the 4:18 PM transmission until after 6:00 PM, and a missing extraction was discovered by 8:45 PM.
- Staircase anomaly: a garden trowel wedged in step 25 with orange flagging tape and burned ground bare for a mile in every direction.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107742Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:29 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Chose to Stay: 13 Days Alone on a Burning Peak Danger is sharp and measured in minutes: a road that "burned out in under forty minutes," four gallons of water stretched into thirteen days, and a trowel left midway on step twenty-five-why did...
Danger is sharp and measured in minutes: a road that "burned out in under forty minutes," four gallons of water stretched into thirteen days, and a trowel left midway on step twenty-five-why did she stop? The key words survival, fire lookout, and Harlan Peak appear in every entry of a logbook that explains a decision only Sarah Allen could make - but what drove her to stay?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events recorded in the logbook and in post-event reports, from the first sighting of the fire to the eventual helicopter response, and we follow the question Sarah answered in ink: why did she choose to stay?

Person: Sarah Allen
Age: 46
Location: Harlan Peak fire tower
Event: Road burned out under forty minutes, evacuation order received at 3:47 PM
Duration: Stayed alone for thirteen days

- Fire first logged at 2:09 PM on October 22 with bearing 198 degrees, five to six miles, active crown behavior visible.
- Evacuation order issued at 3:47 PM; at 4:02 PM Sarah wrote "Road is gone. I am staying with the tower."
- Sarah radioed dispatch at 4:18 PM saying she was sheltering in place and would radio on the hour.
- Communication gap: supervisor Philip Owens did not see the 4:18 PM transmission until after 6:00 PM, and a missing extraction was discovered by 8:45 PM.
- Staircase anomaly: a garden trowel wedged in step 25 with orange flagging tape and burned ground bare for a mile in every direction.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>965falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-swam-the-wrong-way-11-hours-racing-hypothermia-to-survive--73107740
Cold physics met one woman's training: a 29-year-old wilderness instructor flipped in 41°F water, climbed to an eight-foot basalt shelf, and spent more than an hour fighting numbness - but the search teams spent eleven hours looking the wrong way. How did a routine paddle and a deliberately wedged yellow kayak paddle end up starting a race that only a county septic inspector's glance would end?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Lori Brown's morning launch to the search that began when she missed a routine session, following the decisions she made in the first crucial minutes and the delayed response that left her location undiscovered for hours. What choices and small observations kept her alive while rescue efforts went to the wrong bank?

Person: Lori Brown
Age: 29
Date: October 2021 (Wednesday morning, 8:53 AM initial observation)
Location: Halverson Flat, Flint Shelf access, channel with eastern basalt face
Event: Kayak flip into 41°F water; 11-hour search on wrong bank

- Lori had led Wednesday wilderness sessions for 14 months without missing a single one.
- She launched from Flint Shelf access at 8:20 AM on that Wednesday morning.
- A debris raft of three interlocked pine trunks had drifted into position four days earlier, redirecting the current by approximately 15 degrees.
- Lori flipped at 8:47 AM and reached the eastern basalt face about four minutes after immersion.
- Bev Cortland called Lori nine times and by 4:15 PM had contacted search and rescue coordinator Stanley Snyder, initiating a welfare check at 4:40 PM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107740Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Swam the Wrong Way - 11 Hours Racing Hypothermia to Survive Cold physics met one woman's training: a 29-year-old wilderness instructor flipped in 41°F water, climbed to an eight-foot basalt shelf, and spent more than an hour fighting numbness -...
Cold physics met one woman's training: a 29-year-old wilderness instructor flipped in 41°F water, climbed to an eight-foot basalt shelf, and spent more than an hour fighting numbness - but the search teams spent eleven hours looking the wrong way. How did a routine paddle and a deliberately wedged yellow kayak paddle end up starting a race that only a county septic inspector's glance would end?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Lori Brown's morning launch to the search that began when she missed a routine session, following the decisions she made in the first crucial minutes and the delayed response that left her location undiscovered for hours. What choices and small observations kept her alive while rescue efforts went to the wrong bank?

Person: Lori Brown
Age: 29
Date: October 2021 (Wednesday morning, 8:53 AM initial observation)
Location: Halverson Flat, Flint Shelf access, channel with eastern basalt face
Event: Kayak flip into 41°F water; 11-hour search on wrong bank

- Lori had led Wednesday wilderness sessions for 14 months without missing a single one.
- She launched from Flint Shelf access at 8:20 AM on that Wednesday morning.
- A debris raft of three interlocked pine trunks had drifted into position four days earlier, redirecting the current by approximately 15 degrees.
- Lori flipped at 8:47 AM and reached the eastern basalt face about four minutes after immersion.
- Bev Cortland called Lori nine times and by 4:15 PM had contacted search and rescue coordinator Stanley Snyder, initiating a welfare check at 4:40 PM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>846falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-turn-lost-how-one-mile-became-nine-nights-alone--73107739
Fear of being found too late is a tight, cold knot - Rhonda Campbell made a single left turn at mile nineteen and then survived nine nights with two liters of water, four energy gels, a nine-year-old headlamp and a mylar blanket; how did a biology teacher with marathon experience live alone in a high desert drainage until a birdwatcher found a neon-yellow shoe on a rock?

In this episode, we tell what happened on that September morning, what Rhonda carried, how she navigated and improvised, and why a twelve-degree compass error turned three miles of trail into a nine-night ordeal that ended only after a passerby spotted a lone trail runner shoe. Will the details of her decisions and gear explain how she lasted?

Person: Rhonda Campbell
Age: 55
Event: Cascello Ridge Marathon, September 14, 2019
Found item: Neon-yellow trail runner and white insole on a flat rock
Discoverer: Vicki West, birdwatcher

- Rhonda had completed the Cascello Ridge Marathon six times with a best time of 4 hours 51 minutes.
- She left the race at mile nineteen after turning left onto Bender Flat and was off by 12 degrees from her intended bearing.
- She carried two liters of water, four energy gels, a mylar blanket, a headlamp with a folding blade, and a repaired nine-year-old hydration vest.
- She survived nine nights, rationing one gel per day and boiling seep water by striking sparks from her headlamp battery and using the mylar blanket as a reflector.
- On the morning of September 14 at 8:15 a.m., Vicki West found the upright neon-yellow shoe surrounded by standing water with no mud or other gear nearby.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107739Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Turn, Lost: How One Mile Became Nine Nights Alone Fear of being found too late is a tight, cold knot - Rhonda Campbell made a single left turn at mile nineteen and then survived nine nights with two liters of water, four energy gels, a...
Fear of being found too late is a tight, cold knot - Rhonda Campbell made a single left turn at mile nineteen and then survived nine nights with two liters of water, four energy gels, a nine-year-old headlamp and a mylar blanket; how did a biology teacher with marathon experience live alone in a high desert drainage until a birdwatcher found a neon-yellow shoe on a rock?

In this episode, we tell what happened on that September morning, what Rhonda carried, how she navigated and improvised, and why a twelve-degree compass error turned three miles of trail into a nine-night ordeal that ended only after a passerby spotted a lone trail runner shoe. Will the details of her decisions and gear explain how she lasted?

Person: Rhonda Campbell
Age: 55
Event: Cascello Ridge Marathon, September 14, 2019
Found item: Neon-yellow trail runner and white insole on a flat rock
Discoverer: Vicki West, birdwatcher

- Rhonda had completed the Cascello Ridge Marathon six times with a best time of 4 hours 51 minutes.
- She left the race at mile nineteen after turning left onto Bender Flat and was off by 12 degrees from her intended bearing.
- She carried two liters of water, four energy gels, a mylar blanket, a headlamp with a folding blade, and a repaired nine-year-old hydration vest.
- She survived nine nights, rationing one gel per day and boiling seep water by striking sparks from her headlamp battery and using the mylar blanket as a reflector.
- On the morning of September 14 at 8:15 a.m., Vicki West found the upright neon-yellow shoe surrounded by standing water with no mud or other gear nearby.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>921falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-on-the-hood-why-tammy-walked-away-alive--73107738
A bone-dry crampon sat on the hood of Tammy Peterson’s locked car in a dew-soaked lot - its tines clean, the orange binding dry - placed within hours of Erin Mueller’s 6:15 a.m. arrival. An experienced 22-year-old climber went missing for 44 hours, was found alive with a fractured ankle in a hay truck, and investigators later discovered a trekking pole 400 meters up the West Couloir; how did Tammy end up off-route and return to her car with one crampon left on the hood?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Tammy’s Monday permit check and two crampons clipped to her pack through the search-and-rescue response and the odd evidence that shifted the search 60 miles away; what sequence of movements explains the dry crampon, the lost pole, and Tammy’s survival?

Person: Tammy Peterson
Age: 22
Date missing: August 12-14, 2019 (44 hours)
Location: Cascabel Peak region; vehicle at Pryor Mill trailhead lot
Responder: Lisa Cooper (Cascabel County SAR coordinator)

- Tammy’s permit log on Monday noted two crampons clipped to the outside of her pack.
- Erin Mueller found a single crampon dead center on Tammy’s car hood at 6:15 a.m. on Thursday; the crampon was bone dry while surrounding gravel was wet.
- A deputy checked the locked, undamaged vehicle at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday and noted the crampon situation as routine parking-lot clutter.
- Tammy was flagged down with a fractured ankle and was in a hay truck and alive 24 minutes before Erin saw the crampon.
- SAR member Rosa Ibarra found Tammy’s trekking pole jammed into a rock crevice roughly 400 meters up the West Couloir on Friday morning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107738Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:21 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon on the Hood: Why Tammy Walked Away Alive A bone-dry crampon sat on the hood of Tammy Peterson’s locked car in a dew-soaked lot - its tines clean, the orange binding dry - placed within hours of Erin Mueller’s 6:15 a.m. arrival. An...
A bone-dry crampon sat on the hood of Tammy Peterson’s locked car in a dew-soaked lot - its tines clean, the orange binding dry - placed within hours of Erin Mueller’s 6:15 a.m. arrival. An experienced 22-year-old climber went missing for 44 hours, was found alive with a fractured ankle in a hay truck, and investigators later discovered a trekking pole 400 meters up the West Couloir; how did Tammy end up off-route and return to her car with one crampon left on the hood?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Tammy’s Monday permit check and two crampons clipped to her pack through the search-and-rescue response and the odd evidence that shifted the search 60 miles away; what sequence of movements explains the dry crampon, the lost pole, and Tammy’s survival?

Person: Tammy Peterson
Age: 22
Date missing: August 12-14, 2019 (44 hours)
Location: Cascabel Peak region; vehicle at Pryor Mill trailhead lot
Responder: Lisa Cooper (Cascabel County SAR coordinator)

- Tammy’s permit log on Monday noted two crampons clipped to the outside of her pack.
- Erin Mueller found a single crampon dead center on Tammy’s car hood at 6:15 a.m. on Thursday; the crampon was bone dry while surrounding gravel was wet.
- A deputy checked the locked, undamaged vehicle at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday and noted the crampon situation as routine parking-lot clutter.
- Tammy was flagged down with a fractured ankle and was in a hay truck and alive 24 minutes before Erin saw the crampon.
- SAR member Rosa Ibarra found Tammy’s trekking pole jammed into a rock crevice roughly 400 meters up the West Couloir on Friday morning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>932falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/at-six-forty-in-the-morning-on-the-nineteenth-of-july--73107737
The worst kind of wrong information can feel like a life sentence when the ocean is involved: a dry-sided life ring bolted to a commercial vessel washed up on a roadside, half-burned and lying beside an unconscious woman in a survival suit - and the Coast Guard had been searching forty miles away. How did equipment that worked and a transmitted position that sounded precise send rescuers in the wrong direction, and what happened in those three lost days?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from a road grader operator's discovery on County Route 9 to the sinking of the Ariel Grace, laying out the timeline, the recorded transmissions, and the search decisions that left four people adrift while rescue teams searched the wrong ocean. Could a single misreported number change everything?

Person: Amanda Davis
Person: Marilyn Riley
Person: Curtis Nolan
Event: Ariel Grace sinking
Date: July 16

- At 6:40 a.m. on July 19 Amanda Davis found a life ring and an unconscious woman on the shoulder of County Route 9 north of Halverson Flats.
- The life ring was dry on one side while the road shoulder and ditch were soaked from overnight rain.
- Curtis Nolan transmitted that he was "thirty-one miles west-southwest of Cabo Blanco" while the vessel's actual position was closer to fourteen miles offshore.
- The Ariel Grace sank in the early hours of July 16 approximately eleven miles west of the mouth of the Elk River in roughly 200 feet of water.
- The EPIRB activated and every piece of emergency equipment functioned, yet the Coast Guard searched in the wrong corridor for three days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107737Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:17 +0000Creator at ObomediaAt six forty in the morning on the nineteenth of July The worst kind of wrong information can feel like a life sentence when the ocean is involved: a dry-sided life ring bolted to a commercial vessel washed up on a roadside, half-burned and lying...
The worst kind of wrong information can feel like a life sentence when the ocean is involved: a dry-sided life ring bolted to a commercial vessel washed up on a roadside, half-burned and lying beside an unconscious woman in a survival suit - and the Coast Guard had been searching forty miles away. How did equipment that worked and a transmitted position that sounded precise send rescuers in the wrong direction, and what happened in those three lost days?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from a road grader operator's discovery on County Route 9 to the sinking of the Ariel Grace, laying out the timeline, the recorded transmissions, and the search decisions that left four people adrift while rescue teams searched the wrong ocean. Could a single misreported number change everything?

Person: Amanda Davis
Person: Marilyn Riley
Person: Curtis Nolan
Event: Ariel Grace sinking
Date: July 16

- At 6:40 a.m. on July 19 Amanda Davis found a life ring and an unconscious woman on the shoulder of County Route 9 north of Halverson Flats.
- The life ring was dry on one side while the road shoulder and ditch were soaked from overnight rain.
- Curtis Nolan transmitted that he was "thirty-one miles west-southwest of Cabo Blanco" while the vessel's actual position was closer to fourteen miles offshore.
- The Ariel Grace sank in the early hours of July 16 approximately eleven miles west of the mouth of the Elk River in roughly 200 feet of water.
- The EPIRB activated and every piece of emergency equipment functioned, yet the Coast Guard searched in the wrong corridor for three days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1129falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-the-jeep-took-the-tower-road-grandma-s-17-hour-desert-gamble--73107733
A single white canvas shoe, pink velcro size four, propped against a Jeep’s front left wheel in 94°F desert silence started a search that revealed a 62-year-old grandmother and her seven-year-old grandson had survived 17 hours in the Corado Basin. How did a gallon of water, a crayon drawing and one choice to walk toward transmission towers beat every desert survival manual?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning Sharon Young found the abandoned Cherokee to the decisions Darlene Rice made when a tire blew on Broken Spur Access Road, asking whether her choice to go forward toward the towers was a rescue or a gamble.

Person: Darlene Rice
Person: Cooper (grandson)
Date: June 13-15, 2011
Location: Broken Spur Access Road, Corado Basin
Finder: Sharon Young

- At 7:45 AM Sharon Young spotted the abandoned Cherokee at mile 11 and called dispatch.
- The morning temperature was climbing past 94°F when the shoe was found.
- Darlene was 62 years old and had retired 14 months earlier after 27 years at a dental office.
- The printed map understated the road: what appeared as 6 miles to the towers was actually 7.5 miles.
- At 5:45 PM Darlene left a sealed, three-quarters-full gallon of water in the rear cargo tray as a deliberate signal that she had walked away.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107733Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft the Jeep, Took the Tower Road: Grandma's 17-Hour Desert Gamble A single white canvas shoe, pink velcro size four, propped against a Jeep’s front left wheel in 94°F desert silence started a search that revealed a 62-year-old grandmother and her...
A single white canvas shoe, pink velcro size four, propped against a Jeep’s front left wheel in 94°F desert silence started a search that revealed a 62-year-old grandmother and her seven-year-old grandson had survived 17 hours in the Corado Basin. How did a gallon of water, a crayon drawing and one choice to walk toward transmission towers beat every desert survival manual?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning Sharon Young found the abandoned Cherokee to the decisions Darlene Rice made when a tire blew on Broken Spur Access Road, asking whether her choice to go forward toward the towers was a rescue or a gamble.

Person: Darlene Rice
Person: Cooper (grandson)
Date: June 13-15, 2011
Location: Broken Spur Access Road, Corado Basin
Finder: Sharon Young

- At 7:45 AM Sharon Young spotted the abandoned Cherokee at mile 11 and called dispatch.
- The morning temperature was climbing past 94°F when the shoe was found.
- Darlene was 62 years old and had retired 14 months earlier after 27 years at a dental office.
- The printed map understated the road: what appeared as 6 miles to the towers was actually 7.5 miles.
- At 5:45 PM Darlene left a sealed, three-quarters-full gallon of water in the rear cargo tray as a deliberate signal that she had walked away.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>885falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-alive-11-days-how-larry-jenkins-defied-the-avalanche--73107732
A single ski pole stood vertical in eleven-day-old crust - a startling concrete sign that someone might still be alive under nearly four feet of avalanche debris. Larry Jenkins survived buried for eleven days and fourteen hours with no beacon, no food, and a broken arm; how did he keep counting when everything else had gone silent?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Grant Boyd spotted that impossible ski pole to the rescue patterns and decisions that missed Larry for days. We cover the conditions, the search strategy, and the small details that changed an eleven-percent probability into a miraculous survival - what kept him alive while buried and why the model failed?

Person: Larry Jenkins
Date: April 28, 2017
Location: Calver Creek resort backcountry access
Status: Buried for eleven days and fourteen hours; survived with a compound left radius fracture
Team: Garfield County SAR led by Paula Barrett

- Time of discovery cue: Grant Boyd noticed the vertical ski pole at 5:45 AM on May 9, 2017.
- Burial depth and position: Larry was buried at a depth of three feet and eleven inches, forty meters off the primary search axis.
- Avalanche dimensions: The crown line fractured 200 feet wide with an estimated 40,000 cubic feet of debris traveling about a quarter mile.
- Conditions at start: At 7:15 AM on April 28 the temperature was 22°F, winds light, sky clear; avalanche danger for north-facing slopes above 9,000 ft was rated considerable.
- Personal gear and state: Jenkins had no transceiver or airbag, carried skis and poles, and had a luminous analog field watch on his left wrist that he could hear ticking while buried.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107732Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:11 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Alive 11 Days: How Larry Jenkins Defied the Avalanche A single ski pole stood vertical in eleven-day-old crust - a startling concrete sign that someone might still be alive under nearly four feet of avalanche debris. Larry Jenkins survived...
A single ski pole stood vertical in eleven-day-old crust - a startling concrete sign that someone might still be alive under nearly four feet of avalanche debris. Larry Jenkins survived buried for eleven days and fourteen hours with no beacon, no food, and a broken arm; how did he keep counting when everything else had gone silent?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Grant Boyd spotted that impossible ski pole to the rescue patterns and decisions that missed Larry for days. We cover the conditions, the search strategy, and the small details that changed an eleven-percent probability into a miraculous survival - what kept him alive while buried and why the model failed?

Person: Larry Jenkins
Date: April 28, 2017
Location: Calver Creek resort backcountry access
Status: Buried for eleven days and fourteen hours; survived with a compound left radius fracture
Team: Garfield County SAR led by Paula Barrett

- Time of discovery cue: Grant Boyd noticed the vertical ski pole at 5:45 AM on May 9, 2017.
- Burial depth and position: Larry was buried at a depth of three feet and eleven inches, forty meters off the primary search axis.
- Avalanche dimensions: The crown line fractured 200 feet wide with an estimated 40,000 cubic feet of debris traveling about a quarter mile.
- Conditions at start: At 7:15 AM on April 28 the temperature was 22°F, winds light, sky clear; avalanche danger for north-facing slopes above 9,000 ft was rated considerable.
- Personal gear and state: Jenkins had no transceiver or airbag, carried skis and poles, and had a luminous analog field watch on his left wrist that he could hear ticking while buried.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1179falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drew-a-map-in-darkness-14-hours-trapped-underground--73107730
Fear and focus collide: a professional hydrogeologist spent approximately fourteen hours trapped in total darkness at eighty-nine feet below ground, drawing a tactile map on laminated card by pencil and touch alone - a map later measured with accuracy comparable to modern surveys. How did Nancy Berry navigate, survive, and return with evidence that shifted drinking-water policy for thousands?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Nancy's Thursday visit to her aunt through her solo dive on Saturday and the subsequent rescue search, covering the cave conditions, the discovery of an old rope, the collapse of visibility from silt, and the map she produced - but how did one woman’s methodical choices change regional water safety?

Person: Nancy Berry
Age: 48
Date: April 6, 2019
Depth: 89 feet below surface
Duration trapped: approximately 14 hours

- Nancy signed the Albright register at 8:47 a.m, on Saturday with "survey work" as the purpose.
- She found and used an existing gray polypropylene rope measuring 90 feet, anchored with corroding steel bolts.
- The air pocket where she sheltered was approximately four feet high at its tallest point.
- Surveyors compared her tactile map to their measurements three weeks later and found the margin of error better than some maps drawn in full light.
- Three municipal wells in the county had tested above federal thresholds for agricultural runoff before Nancy's dive.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107730Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:08 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Drew a Map in Darkness - 14 Hours Trapped Underground Fear and focus collide: a professional hydrogeologist spent approximately fourteen hours trapped in total darkness at eighty-nine feet below ground, drawing a tactile map on laminated card...
Fear and focus collide: a professional hydrogeologist spent approximately fourteen hours trapped in total darkness at eighty-nine feet below ground, drawing a tactile map on laminated card by pencil and touch alone - a map later measured with accuracy comparable to modern surveys. How did Nancy Berry navigate, survive, and return with evidence that shifted drinking-water policy for thousands?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Nancy's Thursday visit to her aunt through her solo dive on Saturday and the subsequent rescue search, covering the cave conditions, the discovery of an old rope, the collapse of visibility from silt, and the map she produced - but how did one woman’s methodical choices change regional water safety?

Person: Nancy Berry
Age: 48
Date: April 6, 2019
Depth: 89 feet below surface
Duration trapped: approximately 14 hours

- Nancy signed the Albright register at 8:47 a.m, on Saturday with "survey work" as the purpose.
- She found and used an existing gray polypropylene rope measuring 90 feet, anchored with corroding steel bolts.
- The air pocket where she sheltered was approximately four feet high at its tallest point.
- Surveyors compared her tactile map to their measurements three weeks later and found the margin of error better than some maps drawn in full light.
- Three municipal wells in the county had tested above federal thresholds for agricultural runoff before Nancy's dive.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>956falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-window-note-that-sent-rescuers-the-wrong-way--73107727
Cold logic saved and nearly doomed a professional surveyor: a waxy three-line window note, written March 9, explicitly told rescuers “GOING EAST. CREEK.” - but the writer had left her field notebook saying she went west. Which direction did she really take, and why did she misdirect anyone who might follow her?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from March 5 to March 14, track the equipment, decisions, and exact words left in place, and reveal the single overlooked item that changed the search - was the window message a decoy to protect equipment, a signal meant for someone else, or something more deliberate?

Person: Sherry Smith
Date: March 5-14, 2019
Location: Ridgeline / Sutter Creek drainage spur
Status: Missing for six days when truck found on March 14
Item: Field notebook found under insulated vest on passenger seat

- March 5, 2019: Sherry signed out a dark green Colorado from the motor pool and drove north to the Sutter Creek drainage.
- March 7: Fourteen inches of new snow fell overnight, leaving the spur impassable and the truck stuck in a natural bowl.
- March 8: With fuel nearly gone and one functional candle, Sherry wrote on the driver’s window: “MARCH NINE. GOING EAST. CREEK.”
- The truck was found by Jean Patterson on the morning of March 14, buried under eight inches of fresh snow with windows frosted and no footprints around.
- The field notebook containing Sherry’s last entry - stating she was going west - lay under her insulated vest on the passenger seat for five days before being noticed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107727Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Window Note That Sent Rescuers the Wrong Way Cold logic saved and nearly doomed a professional surveyor: a waxy three-line window note, written March 9, explicitly told rescuers “GOING EAST. CREEK.” - but the writer had left her field notebook...
Cold logic saved and nearly doomed a professional surveyor: a waxy three-line window note, written March 9, explicitly told rescuers “GOING EAST. CREEK.” - but the writer had left her field notebook saying she went west. Which direction did she really take, and why did she misdirect anyone who might follow her?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from March 5 to March 14, track the equipment, decisions, and exact words left in place, and reveal the single overlooked item that changed the search - was the window message a decoy to protect equipment, a signal meant for someone else, or something more deliberate?

Person: Sherry Smith
Date: March 5-14, 2019
Location: Ridgeline / Sutter Creek drainage spur
Status: Missing for six days when truck found on March 14
Item: Field notebook found under insulated vest on passenger seat

- March 5, 2019: Sherry signed out a dark green Colorado from the motor pool and drove north to the Sutter Creek drainage.
- March 7: Fourteen inches of new snow fell overnight, leaving the spur impassable and the truck stuck in a natural bowl.
- March 8: With fuel nearly gone and one functional candle, Sherry wrote on the driver’s window: “MARCH NINE. GOING EAST. CREEK.”
- The truck was found by Jean Patterson on the morning of March 14, buried under eight inches of fresh snow with windows frosted and no footprints around.
- The field notebook containing Sherry’s last entry - stating she was going west - lay under her insulated vest on the passenger seat for five days before being noticed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>869falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-sent-her-own-watch-searchers-were-looking-elsewhere--73107724
The first clue was a wool sweater tucked on a basalt ledge eleven feet above the high-tide line, wrapped around a cracked wristwatch and a waterproof notebook marked "Find Valerie." What follows is a survival story where a deliberate choice - not activating a working EPIRB - sent searchers chasing the wrong clues; where a forty-nine-hour window and a sealed fuel tank would shift everything. How did her choices and the ocean's choices combine to hide her where no one thought to look?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery: the sailing plan, the storm that broke her mast, the decision not to activate the EPIRB, and the search that began ninety-six hours after she was last seen. We follow the concrete decisions and moments that explain why searchers spent thirty-one hours looking in the wrong place and what ultimately led to her survival.

Person: Valerie Zimmerman
Age: fifty-one
Vessel: Meridian Clause, thirty-eight-foot sloop
Departure: February 4, cleared breakwater at 7:40 AM
Distance planned: 220 nautical miles to Eureka, California

- The sweater and wristwatch were found on a basalt ledge eleven feet above the ocean's high-tide line.
- Valerie left the marina on February 4 with a navigation plan received by a marina employee at age twenty-two, Derek Holt.
- She spent four years rebuilding the Meridian Clause after buying it at auction for less than the price of a used pickup truck.
- On the evening of February 5, seventy nautical miles southwest of Cape Blanco, the mast was knocked down and later snapped, leaving the boat without rigging.
- By the morning Coast Guard launched on February 8, Valerie had been alone at sea for ninety-six hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107724Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:31:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Sent Her Own Watch; Searchers Were Looking Elsewhere The first clue was a wool sweater tucked on a basalt ledge eleven feet above the high-tide line, wrapped around a cracked wristwatch and a waterproof notebook marked "Find Valerie." What...
The first clue was a wool sweater tucked on a basalt ledge eleven feet above the high-tide line, wrapped around a cracked wristwatch and a waterproof notebook marked "Find Valerie." What follows is a survival story where a deliberate choice - not activating a working EPIRB - sent searchers chasing the wrong clues; where a forty-nine-hour window and a sealed fuel tank would shift everything. How did her choices and the ocean's choices combine to hide her where no one thought to look?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery: the sailing plan, the storm that broke her mast, the decision not to activate the EPIRB, and the search that began ninety-six hours after she was last seen. We follow the concrete decisions and moments that explain why searchers spent thirty-one hours looking in the wrong place and what ultimately led to her survival.

Person: Valerie Zimmerman
Age: fifty-one
Vessel: Meridian Clause, thirty-eight-foot sloop
Departure: February 4, cleared breakwater at 7:40 AM
Distance planned: 220 nautical miles to Eureka, California

- The sweater and wristwatch were found on a basalt ledge eleven feet above the ocean's high-tide line.
- Valerie left the marina on February 4 with a navigation plan received by a marina employee at age twenty-two, Derek Holt.
- She spent four years rebuilding the Meridian Clause after buying it at auction for less than the price of a used pickup truck.
- On the evening of February 5, seventy nautical miles southwest of Cape Blanco, the mast was knocked down and later snapped, leaving the boat without rigging.
- By the morning Coast Guard launched on February 8, Valerie had been alone at sea for ninety-six hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>842falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-current-how-a-river-revealed-her-trail--73107723
Cold, precise, and inexplicable: a teal women's size eight boot stood upright in 18 inches of January current, dry inside, four miles downstream from the last confirmed marker - who put it there and why did Shannon Armstrong vanish for five days with methodical preparations? What the boot, a folded paper map, and a fallen trail sign together reveal about a wilderness that doesn't need a villain to become lethal.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Shannon's last text to the moment a fisherman found the boot, tracing the search efforts, the map discrepancies, and the hidden miles on her odometer to ask whether the route itself, not a person, explains what happened.

Person: Shannon Armstrong
Date: January 14-19, 2017
Location: Calla Verde River / Rim Loop trail area
Status: Missing five days before being found/admitted January 19
Vehicle odometer: 94,312 miles (last recorded 93,850)

- At 6:40 AM on January 19, 2017, fisherman Ruth Fitzgerald found a teal women's size 8 hiking boot sitting upright in 18 inches of moving river current.
- Shannon left a text at 7:52 AM on January 14 specifying "Rim Loop trail, Forest Road 12 trailhead, back by six" and did not return by that evening.
- Search teams covered the Rim Loop in full by Monday, January 16, and found no trace past the mile-four junction.
- A rockfall had closed the original Rim Loop at mile four about 18 months earlier; the temporary reroute sign had been blown face-down and reported down twice.
- The paper map Shannon printed showed the old route; the Forest Service digital map showed the reroute-discrepant by approximately 4 miles and 600 vertical feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107723Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:30:58 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot in the Current: How a River Revealed Her Trail Cold, precise, and inexplicable: a teal women's size eight boot stood upright in 18 inches of January current, dry inside, four miles downstream from the last confirmed marker - who put it...
Cold, precise, and inexplicable: a teal women's size eight boot stood upright in 18 inches of January current, dry inside, four miles downstream from the last confirmed marker - who put it there and why did Shannon Armstrong vanish for five days with methodical preparations? What the boot, a folded paper map, and a fallen trail sign together reveal about a wilderness that doesn't need a villain to become lethal.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Shannon's last text to the moment a fisherman found the boot, tracing the search efforts, the map discrepancies, and the hidden miles on her odometer to ask whether the route itself, not a person, explains what happened.

Person: Shannon Armstrong
Date: January 14-19, 2017
Location: Calla Verde River / Rim Loop trail area
Status: Missing five days before being found/admitted January 19
Vehicle odometer: 94,312 miles (last recorded 93,850)

- At 6:40 AM on January 19, 2017, fisherman Ruth Fitzgerald found a teal women's size 8 hiking boot sitting upright in 18 inches of moving river current.
- Shannon left a text at 7:52 AM on January 14 specifying "Rim Loop trail, Forest Road 12 trailhead, back by six" and did not return by that evening.
- Search teams covered the Rim Loop in full by Monday, January 16, and found no trace past the mile-four junction.
- A rockfall had closed the original Rim Loop at mile four about 18 months earlier; the temporary reroute sign had been blown face-down and reported down twice.
- The paper map Shannon printed showed the old route; the Forest Service digital map showed the reroute-discrepant by approximately 4 miles and 600 vertical feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1030falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/two-thousand-nineteen-when-he-saw-something-that-didn-t-belong-there--73107721
A length of carbon fiber rod wrapped in black athletic tape - pressed into the shape of a forearm with a shoelace looped at one end - lay in a drainage ditch twelve miles from the nearest race checkpoint and had been there thirty-six hours; why had the person who built it already been home while that makeshift splint outlasted the search and the emergency? What choice did a twenty-six-year-old runner make on a December ridge in Kern County that left such a trace?

In this episode, we follow the forty-mile sequence of events around the Piñon Ridge One Hundred in December 2019, focusing on the moments from Peggy Lane’s last confirmed sighting at mile 61 to the discovery of the improvised brace, and we ask how a trained ultrarunner with a displaced left ulna managed that night alone without GPS or rescue support.

Person: Peggy Lane
Event: Piñon Ridge One Hundred race, December 17-19, 2019
Location: Flat Rock campground and Piñon Ridge, Kern County, California
Injury: Displaced fracture of the left ulna at the distal third
Finder: Wade Hill, county surveyor

- The splint was discovered by Wade Hill in a drainage ditch twelve miles from the nearest race checkpoint.
- The makeshift brace was a carbon fiber rod wrapped in black athletic tape with a shoelace knotted as a sliding loop.
- The splint had been lying in the ditch for thirty-six hours before being found.
- Peggy left the mile-61 aid station at approximately 2:31 PM on December 17 and was last confirmed seen for twenty-two hours after that.
- At the ridge the temperature was recorded at thirty-one degrees Fahrenheit and later dropped to twenty-three degrees during the period of her tracker’s stillness.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73107721Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:30:55 +0000Creator at Obomediatwo thousand nineteen, when he saw something that didn't belong there A length of carbon fiber rod wrapped in black athletic tape - pressed into the shape of a forearm with a shoelace looped at one end - lay in a drainage ditch twelve miles from...
A length of carbon fiber rod wrapped in black athletic tape - pressed into the shape of a forearm with a shoelace looped at one end - lay in a drainage ditch twelve miles from the nearest race checkpoint and had been there thirty-six hours; why had the person who built it already been home while that makeshift splint outlasted the search and the emergency? What choice did a twenty-six-year-old runner make on a December ridge in Kern County that left such a trace?

In this episode, we follow the forty-mile sequence of events around the Piñon Ridge One Hundred in December 2019, focusing on the moments from Peggy Lane’s last confirmed sighting at mile 61 to the discovery of the improvised brace, and we ask how a trained ultrarunner with a displaced left ulna managed that night alone without GPS or rescue support.

Person: Peggy Lane
Event: Piñon Ridge One Hundred race, December 17-19, 2019
Location: Flat Rock campground and Piñon Ridge, Kern County, California
Injury: Displaced fracture of the left ulna at the distal third
Finder: Wade Hill, county surveyor

- The splint was discovered by Wade Hill in a drainage ditch twelve miles from the nearest race checkpoint.
- The makeshift brace was a carbon fiber rod wrapped in black athletic tape with a shoelace knotted as a sliding loop.
- The splint had been lying in the ditch for thirty-six hours before being found.
- Peggy left the mile-61 aid station at approximately 2:31 PM on December 17 and was last confirmed seen for twenty-two hours after that.
- At the ridge the temperature was recorded at thirty-one degrees Fahrenheit and later dropped to twenty-three degrees during the period of her tracker’s stillness.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>985falsefull