The Backcountry Manifesto
The Backcountry Manifesto is an adventure podcast hosted by Hayden Sammak, who talks with friends and guests about wild places, exploration, and backcountry adventures. Episodes cover topics like space exploration with astronaut Loral O’Hara and rock climbing with Rick Accomazzo and John Long. The show aims to appeal to anyone interested in outdoor adventure in wild places.
Episodes
Captain Cook: How the World's Greatest Explorer Went Mad | Hampton Sides | Ep. 041
In February 1779, the most famous explorer alive was hacked to death on a Hawaiian beach while his own men watched helplessly through field glasses from the ships. Weeks earlier, thousands of Hawaiians had greeted him as the god Lono — his arrival matched their prophecy down to the shape of his sails. So what happened? And why had the most rational, even-keeled commander in the Royal Navy spent hi
T. Rex, the Commercial Fossil Market, and Science | Dr. Thomas Carr, T. rex Paleontologist | Ep. 040| Dr. Thomas Carr, T. rex Paleontologist | Ep. 040
There are now more scientifically valuable T. rex fossils in private hands than in public museums. This is the finding of a peer-reviewed study published last year by this week's guest, Dr. Thomas Carr, a tyrannosaur paleontologist and Associate Professor of Biology at Carthage College.
Carr designed one of the largest meat-eating-dinosaur exhibits in North America, has named several dinosaur and
The Tiger Attacks of 1997: A Poacher's Nightmare | John Vaillant, Author of The Tiger| Ep. 039
In 1997, a suspected poacher in the Russian wilderness shot a tiger and failed to kill it, instead wounding the animal -- and making it incredibly dangerous. Over the following days, the tiger terrorized the man it believed was responsible, doing so with an eerie sense of focus and cold calculation.
After killing him, the tiger turned his attention to the residents of the nearby village of Sobolo
The Real Coyote Peterson | Coyote Peterson, Brave Wilderness | Ep. 038
Coyote Peterson runs the largest wildlife channel on YouTube: 21.8 million subscribers, five billion views, an Emmy, and a body of work he describes as a mix of Steve Irwin, Steven Spielberg, and Bear Grylls. But who is he really? This week, Coyote drops by the studio to talk about his life and adventures -- and the occasional misadventure -- as he works to educate his viewers on the wild world t
The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Wildfire | John Vaillant, Author of Fire Weather | Ep. 037
With the Canadian fires spreading wildfire smoke across the country, Pulitzer Prize finalist John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather, swings by the studio to tell the story of the Fort McMurray fire -- a catastrophe many consider to be the most notorious wildfire in Canadian history.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Fire Weather: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Weather-Front-Lines-Burning/dp/0525434240
Real Treasure Hunting: Pirates, Hurricanes & Spanish Gold | Captain Mike Perna | Ep. 036
Captain Mike Perna has spent 25 years doing something most people think only happens in movies: diving for sunken Spanish treasure. Off Florida's Treasure Coast lie the scattered remains of the 1715 Plate Fleet — eleven galleons loaded with New World gold and silver that a hurricane drove onto the reefs in a single night, killing over a thousand people and strewing their cargo across miles of oce
His Mother Vanished. 20 Years Later He Found Her in the Amazon. | David Good | Ep. 035
David Good grew up with one foot in suburban Pennsylvania and the other in the Amazon rainforest. His father, anthropologist Ken Good, spent 12 years living with the Yanomami — one of the last relatively isolated peoples on Earth — and married David's mother, Yarima, the daughter of a headman. Then, when David was six, Yarima walked back into the jungle and didn't come out. He wouldn't see her ag
The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart | Laurie Shapiro, Journalist & Biographer | Ep. 034
Who was responsible for the disappearance of Amelia Earhart? Was it her oft-drunk but undeniably brilliant navigator, Fred Noonan? Her publicist husband, George Putnam, who pushed his wife toward the PR stunt of the century despite her relative mediocrity as a pilot? Or was it Earhart herself, whose sudden fame had begun to cloud the thing a pilot needs most: her judgment?
Journalist Laurie Gwen S
Are Survival Shows Real? | Cody Lundin, Dual Survival's Original Host | Ep. 033
Cody Lundin has spent 34 years keeping people alive. Almost none of it looks like what you've seen on TV. He's the founder of Arizona's Aboriginal Living Skills School, an EMT since 1993, the author of 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive and When All Hell Breaks Loose, and one of the two original hosts of Discovery's Dual Survival. He built (and nearly broke) his career by refusing to
The Worst Possible Way to Cross the Atlantic | Steven Callahan, Adrift | Ep. 032
Steven Callahan should have died at sea. In early 1982, roughly a week out of the Canary Islands, something — he's convinced it was a whale — holed his self-built 21-foot sloop Napoleon Solo in the middle of the night. What followed became one of the most famous survival stories ever told: 76 days adrift in a five-and-a-half-foot inflatable raft, alone, crossing nearly the entire Atlantic before
Mutiny, Cannibalism & How America Really Began | Peter Mancall, Historian | Ep. 031
Your social studies teacher gave you Henry Hudson in about two sentences: a guy, a river, New York. Dr. Peter Mancall — USC historian and author of Fatal Journey and the new continental history Contested Continent — is here to give you the other 99%. We start with Hudson's doomed final voyage: iced into the bottom of Hudson Bay for a brutal winter, a starving crew, a mutiny, and a captain set adr
Free Soloing is Actually Really Easy | Lincoln Knowles ft. Cedar Wright & John Long | Ep. 029
Lincoln Knowles is 21 years old, lives out of his Jeep, and has the climbing internet at war with itself. To half the community he's a reckless idiot free soloing a harder route every day until he falls; to the other half he's the funniest, most self-aware thing to happen to the sport in years. The truth — as Hayden finds out — is that the kid is a genuinely elite climber (a sub-10-hour Nose-in-a
Deathtraps, Hantavirus, and the Other Joys of Caving | Adam Weaver, Caver | Ep. 029
Adam Weaver holds the world record for the farthest anyone has ever traveled from a cave entrance — miles of crawling and climbing into a place no helicopter or rescue team can reach. He edits NSS News, America's only national caving magazine, and was recently tapped by ABC News to break down the Laos cave rescue for the public.
In one of the most genuinely unsettling episodes we've recorded (Andr
Has Everest become too commercialized? | Thom Pollard, Everest Historian | Ep. 028
Is Everest still a climber's ultimate test, or has it become too crowded and controversial?
This week on The Backcountry Manifesto, Everest historian, climber, and 1999 Mallory expedition participant Tom Pollard joins host Hayden Sammak in PART 3 of our discussion to share his gripping firsthand stories. We dive into Tom's four Everest attempts, his 2016 summit triumph, the evolution of guiding fr
Dr. Hoby's Backcountry Adventure | Dr. Hoby Wedler, Guide to Life's Greatest Things | Ep. 027
On this episode of the Backcountry Manifesto, we're taking you on a Montana backcountry adventure guided by the one and only Dr. Hoby Wedler. Dr. Hoby is a wildly popular sensory storyteller who explores the world around him using sound, smell, taste and touch to offer his fans and followers a unique perspective on the world around him.
From foraging early-season chanterelles in undisclosed fores
JAWS: A Soon-To-Be True Story? | White Shark Expert Dr. Greg Skomal | Ep. 026
On the 50th anniversary of Jaws, are we headed for a real-life Amity Island catastrophe with rising shark encounters off Cape Cod, or is the hype around white sharks getting way overblown? What's really drawing these apex predators back to our shores, and how worried should beachgoers be?
This week on The Backcountry Manifesto, Dr. Greg Skomal -- the leading expert on Atlantic white sharks -- dive
When Will Yellowstone Erupt Again? | Dr. Mike Poland, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory | Ep. 025
Is the Yellowstone Supervolcano really going to erupt and end life as we know it, and with the recent and unexpected geothermal events in Biscuit Basin, how worried are the scientists that study the Yellowstone caldera? Is it true the animals of Yellowstone are fleeing, signaling an eruption may be on the immediate horizon?
This week on the show, Dr. Mike Poland -- scientist in charge of the Yello
Cowboys, Lawyers, and a Fossil Worth Millions: The Dueling Dinosaurs Saga | Clayton Phipps | Ep. 024
After years of searching, third generation Montanan rancher Clayton Phipps and his friends Mark Eaton and Chad O'Connor, discover one of the greatest dinosaur fossil specimens of all time: the remains of two perfectly preserved dinosaurs seemingly locked in battle. The find is worth millions, and quickly becomes the focus of not only the paleontological world, but an intense legal battle over who
T. Rexes, Prison Sentences, and a Dinosaur Named "Sue" | Pete Larson, BHI President | Ep. 023
Peter Larson, President of the Black Hills Institute for Geological Research, is one of the most knowledgable paleontologists working today. His museum, located in the Hill City, South Dakota, boasts the highest concentration of dinosaur bones of any museum on earth.
While to many, Pete's known for his work as a leading expert in the study of theropods, particularly T. rex, he's also known for bei
The Man Who Inspired Jurassic Park | Jack Horner, Paleontologist | Ep. 022
The man who inspired Jurassic Park and acted as a technical advisor on the first six films, Jack Horner swings by the studio to talk all-things dinosaurs. We cover everything from dinosaur ontogeny, to his controversial dino chicken project, as well as the man himself. One of the most famous paleontologists, if not, THE most famous paleontologist, of the last century, this is an interview not to b
Grizzly Bears! | Casey Anderson, the Grizzly Guy | Ep. 021
When it comes to grizzly bears, no one gets closer than Casey Anderson. In fact, for 19 years, Casey's best friend WAS a grizzly bear named Brutus, who Casey would regularly wrestle, ride, and use as a teaching tool at the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a grizzly bear rescue he co-founded in his 20s. Today, he took a break from his busy career as a TV personality and conservation content creator to sw
Harriet Tubman: Survivalist, Guide, and Spy | Pulitzer Prize Winner Dr. Edda Fields-Black | Ep. 020
Let's get something out of the way: your social studies teacher sucked and Harriet Tubman was way cooler than whatever you learned in 5th grade.
Dr. Edda Fields-Black, recent recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for her book, Combee, joins us in the studio to talk about the adventures of Tubman, who was not only a spy and underground railroad conductor, but also one of the most badass backcountry guide
The Delicate Art of Drugging Mountain Lions | Carnivore Biologist, Dr. Kristin Engebretsen | Ep. 019
Mountain lions roam nearly all corners of the western landscape, from the wildest reaches of the backcountry to our own backyards. They're even present in urban areas -- everyone's heard reports of mountain lions showing up in surprising places, like within Los Angelos city limits.
But how much do we know about these big cats? Do these large carnivores pose relatively little risk to humans and our
The Wolves of Yellowstone and More | Dr. Aidan Beers | Ep. 018
This week on the show, Hayden's friend Dr. Aidan Beers swings by for dinner and a podcast on what two of his favorite things: the wolves of Yellowstone National Park and the brown bears of Katmai, Alaska. They also talk about Aidan's journey to becoming a wildlife biologist and how you can get on a similar path. This podcast is full of interesting conversation and first-hand accounts surrounding l
El Cap: The First Ascents to the First Free Solo | John Long, Yosemite Rock Climbing Legend | Ep. 017
El Capitan is the most famous face in rock climbing, and it isn't even close. Fifty years ago, three climbers defied the odds, scaling El Capitan in a single day—a feat that redefined what’s possible in rock climbing.
In this special episode, starting at the Yosemite Climbing Museum and ending under the shadow of El Capitan, we sit down with John Long -- one of the legendary trio behind that histo
Jacob Knowles' Lobster Tales | Everyone's Favorite Lobster Fisherman Jacob Knowles | Ep. 016
Ever wondered what it’s like to haul lobster pots off the rugged Maine coast? In this episode of The Backcountry Manifesto, we sit down with Jacob Knowles, a fifth-generation lobster fisherman from Maine who’s reeled in a massive online following through his YouTube channel and TikTok videos documenting life on the water.
With the harbor in the background, our conversation dives deep into Jacob’s
Death on Everest Pt. 2: Face to Face with Mallory | Everest Historian Thom Pollard | Ep. 015
Today on the show, we're bringing you Part 2 of our conversation with Mount Everest Historian Thom Pollard. In Part 1, we told you all about the tragedy of the 1924 British expedition, which ultimately culminated in the deaths of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine. Today, we're talking with Thom about his first-hand experience on the 1999 expedition to find their bodies and coming face to face with M
Death on Everest Pt. 1: George Mallory & Sandy Irvine | Everest Historian Thom Pollard | Ep. 014
Recently, National Geographic explorer Jimmy Chin was credited with the discovery of remains belonging to a climber named Sandy Irvine, a member of the 1924 British expedition that ended in tragedy with not only his death, but that of his partner, George Mallory. This week on the show, Thom Pollard of the popular Everest Mystery Youtube channel joins us to tell the full story of the ill-fated 1924
Fly Fishing for Beginners! | Tom Rosenbauer of Orvis | Ep. 013
This week, THE Tom Rosenbauer slides into the studio and offers his thoughts on how to get into fly fishing. Spoiler alert: fly fishing is not that hard. If you've ever been curious about how to get started as a fly fisherman, this episode is for you.
Links Mentioned
Orvis Fly Fishing Learning Center
Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast
Connect
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Follow TBM on Yo
How to Build an Off-Grid Cabin | Matt Brenna of Alaska Cabin Adventures | Ep. 012
This week on The Backcountry Manifesto, we have Matt Brenna of the popular YouTube channel “Alaska Cabin Adventures” in studio to give you a crash course in building an off-grid cabin, from site selection to constructing an outhouse. Specifically, we cover:
Matt's Story from WA to AK
Finding Land on a Budget
Learning to Build
Building Blunders and How to Fix Them
Heating and Electricity Solutions
The Deadliest Sport | Wingsuit BASE Jumper Jamie Leibert | Ep. 011
Today on the show, Jamie Leibert, aka Captain Manicorn, is swinging by to talk about his journey from meth addicted felon serving a four year stint in federal prison to a world beating BASE Jumper and accomplished wingsuit flyer, traveling the world and finding new exits across 135 countries and counting.
We talk about:
Early Life and Challenges
Criminal Activities and Introduction to Extreme Spo
The FULL STORY of DB Cooper | Investigator Eric Ulis | Ep. 010
Who is DB Cooper? On November 24th, 1971, an unassuming middle aged man pulled off the only unsolved skyjacking in US history, parachuting out of the back of a Boeing 727 somewhere over the pacific northwest with $200,000 in cash strapped to his chest. He was never found. Today, some 53 years later, DB Cooper investigator Eric Ulis sits down with us to tell the whole story of DB Cooper, including
Is Bigfoot Real? | Sasquatch Researcher and Idaho State Anthropologist Dr. Jeff Meldrum | Ep. 009
Does Bigfoot exist? Dr. Jeff Meldrum – a professor of anatomy and anthropology specializing in primate locomotor adaptations and bipedalism at Idaho State University – believes Bigfoot is real (and probably prefers the term “Sasquatch”). Today on the show, Dr. Meldrum drops by TBM HQ to talk all things Sasquatch, as well as his life-long fascination with the controversial “relict hominoid.” In our
The Ultimate Survivalists | Evolutionary Anthropologist Dr. Steven Churchill | Ep. 008
This week on the show, we have Duke University’s Dr. Steven Churchill swinging into town to talk about early man as the ultimate survivalist. Dr. Churchill has been part of discovering two important early hominids and when it comes to neanderthals, he’s certainly among the most knowledgeable. One thing he knows for sure? Early man was on the strugglebus, but pushed through to become the ultimate s
The World's Most Brutal Race: The Barkley Marathons | Laz Lake | Ep. 007
Today, Laz Lake is in the studio talking about the Barkley Marathons. The Barkley Marathons is the most notorious trail race around, and Laz Lake is the semi-evil genius behind it. Runner’s World has described it as “Five Loops Of Death” and “Arguably the craziest race in the world,” and it was even the subject of a full-length documentary called “The Race That Eats Its Young.”
The Barkley Marath
Attacked by a Grizzly Bear | Rudy Noorlander | Ep. 006
On September 8th, 2023, outdoorsman and navy vet Rudy Noorlander was tracking a wounded deer when an encounter with a grizzly bear changed his life forever. On this episode of the backcountry manifesto, Rudy recounts the attack and his miraculous recovery.
Links mentioned in this episode
Alpine Adventures Montana
Alpine Adventures Montana :: TripAdvisor Reviews
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on I
Deep Sea Exploration, Avoiding Polar Bears, & Piloting Robots | WHOI Engineer Molly Curran | Ep. 005
Our topic today is deep sea exploration, and our guest is researcher and explorer Molly Curran.
Molly is an engineer at the Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institution's Deep Submergence Laboratory. In her work, she designs and operates incredibly advanced submersibles to explore some of the world’s most difficult-to-access environments, like the fjords of Greenland and the depths below arctic sea ice.
How to Find GOLD | Dan Hurd Prospecting | Ep. 004
With over 1.3 million Youtube subscribers and counting, Dan Hurd of Dan Hurd Prospecting might be the world’s most popular prospector. This week, Dan swings by the Backcountry Manifesto Podcast studio with some amazing gold, gem and mineral specimens. Whether you’re a Dan Hurd Prospecting fan, a seasoned prospector, or even a first time 49er, stay tuned – this prospecting podcast is solid gold.
In
When a Drug Smuggling Plane Crashes In Yosemite - A True Story | Stonemasters Pt. 2, with John Long & Vern Clevenger | Ep. 003
Legendary climber John Long swings back by the TBM studio to unpack an infamous chapter in Yosemite climbing history -- the story of Dope Lake. Joining him is his buddy and fellow Stonemaster, Vern Clevenger.
In the spring of 1977, a twin prop plane carrying around 6,000lbs of high-grade Mexican reefer crashed into Lower Merced Pass Lake, a small alpine reservoir nestled deep in Yosemite’s backcou
Sex, Drugs, and Rock. . . Climbing? | Stonemasters Pt. 1, with John Long & Rick Accomazzo | Ep. 002
In the 1970s, a pirate group of climbers descended on the big walls of California’s Yosemite National Park and changed the world of rock climbing forever. They dubbed themselves “The Stone Masters.” This week, we’re talking to the original Stone Masters, John Long and Rick Accomazzo.
In this episode, we talk about:
Rick’s new book “Tobin, the Stone Masters, and Me”
The Stone Master’s Joshua Tree
Six Months in Space | Astronaut Loral O’Hara | Ep. 001
Astronaut Loral O’Hara recently returned from 204 days in the International Space Station as part of Expedition 69 and 70. During that time, Loral conducted important science, worked out a surprising amount, and along with her best friend, fellow astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, completed a six hour EVA, commonly known as a “spacewalk.” And now, for whatever reason, she’s hanging out in the TBM studio t
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