6 Podcasts That Inspire Adventure

I usually make the ~11 hour drive from San Francisco to Salt Lake City around four times a year and my entertainment preference continues to shift strongly in favor of podcasts over music. Lately, it's been over 80% podcasts! I cover a wide range of topics, but here are some of the outdoor and adventure podcasts that I love. 

She Explores

Gale Straub has interviewed over 300 women who are doing interesting things of all sorts in the outdoors. Artists, mountaineers, hunters, hikers, and even well-known and widely admired women like Cheryl Strayed have all joined Gale on her show. She Explores (and sister podcast, Women on the Road) delve deep and discuss topics and lessons that everyone - yes, men too! - can learn from. 

Safety Third

I love the report between Safety Third hosts Paddy O'Connel and Elizabeth Nakano. Paddy is goofy and weird and Elizabeth is sharp and witty and makes fun of Paddy. Despite the lightheartedness between these two, they cover some serious shit with serious people. Whether it's professional athletes pushing the limits or more everyday adventurers tackling heavy emotional issues, it gets real. 

Outside Podcast

Outside has three shows under their "Outside Podcast" umbrella - Science of Survival, The Outside Interview, and Dispatches - all of which are great. The Science of Survival is probably my favorite, although it's slightly less scientific than the name implies. It's not so much how to survive and more so simply stories of people who have faced near death incidents and survived to tell the tale. If you're a surfer or ocean person, beware of the episode "Adrift".

The Sharp End

On a similar note, the American Alpine Club's podcast shares stories from climbing accidents to educate and encourage climbers to climb safe. The host, Ashley Saupe, is a nomadic outdoor educator and adventurer who dives deeper into reports from AAC's annual Accidents in North American Climbing to share more personal accounts from the report. If you're a climber, this is highly valuable stuff.

America's National Park Podcast

The history major in me is especially stoked on this one. It's not the most fast-paced of the podcasts on this list, but it's still super interesting. They feature fascinating stories you might never have known about some of our most treasured national parks. 

PodAloha

Maybe it's just the slack key guitar introduction, but this podcast immediately puts me at ease. The show interviews pioneers and legends in the surfing world, sharing personal stories from the early days of modern surfing. Even if you're not a surfer, this show is still really entertaining and, as I mentioned, very relaxing. 

Cover photo courtesy of She Explores, Alexandra Keeling and Winston Shull. See more from Alex on Instagram @alexandra_abroad.