🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks!

Today on Adventure Diaries I sit down with Chris McCaffrey — better known as @chrisinthecold — an adventurer who has tested himself on some of the toughest human powered challenges imaginable. From sailing as a teenager to attempting an unprepared row across the North Atlantic, to cycling 16 months across 21 countries, Chris has a knack for throwing himself into the unknown and coming back with stories of resilience, awe, and human connection.

In this conversation, Chris shares what it’s like to face hurricanes at sea, capsizes, rescues by oil tankers, and the daily grind of pushing a bike across continents. His global cycle took him from Europe through the Silk Road, into the Pamirs, across Southeast Asia, and beyond. Along the way he battled illness, typhus, road collisions, and moments of collapse — yet also found kindness in strangers, moments of stillness in vast landscapes, and the perspective that comes from living on the edge of your limits.

We cover the highs, lows, and the lessons that come with chasing audacious dreams. Chris reflects on fear, risk, and the difference between physical endurance and mental endurance. There are stories of six-foot monitor lizards in the road, collapsing in a Thai guesthouse, being taken in by strangers with no common language, and the stark beauty of cycling across the Pamir Mountains.

Most of all, this is a story about why people step into the unknown, and what they learn about themselves when they do.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How Chris attempted to row the North Atlantic without rowing experience.
• The realities of long-distance cycle expeditions across 21 countries.
• Surviving hurricanes, capsize, illness, and isolation.
• The role of human kindness and connection in endurance adventures.
• Reflections on risk, fear, and pushing beyond personal limits.

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Follow Chris on Instagram: @chrisinthecold
• Adventure Diaries on Instagram: @AdventureDiaries__
• Follow the show: Adventure Diaries Podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend, and don’t forget to 'Follow' the show. Every follow helps us bring more authentic stories of adventure, exploration, and the natural world.

Send us a text

Support the show

Thanks For Listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment and subscribe for more exciting content.

Follow us https://linktr.ee/adventurediaries for updates.

Have a topic suggestion? Email us at ideas@adventurediaries.com.

AdventureDiaries.com

#AdventureDiaries #AdventureStories #NationalGeographic #Discovery #NaturalWorld

Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks!

In this thought-provoking episode of Adventure Diaries, I’m joined by conservationist, academic, and author Jonny Hanson to explore one of the most complex and emotional topics in modern conservation: how humans and apex predators can share the land.

Jonny is the author of Living with Lynx: Sharing Landscape with Big Cats, Wolves and Bears, a compelling blend of field research, personal story, and social insight. From the mountains of Malawi to the peaks of Nepal, and from Scottish farmlands to the Snow Leopard Conservancy, Jonny has spent his life navigating the thin line between wild nature and domestic life.

We go deep on the ecological, emotional, and political dimensions of rewilding. What does it really mean to reintroduce predators like lynx and wolves to Britain and Ireland? What do they offer our ecosystems—and at what cost to farmers and communities?

Jonny speaks candidly about his own conflicted identity as both a farmer and a conservationist, the damage done by illegal predator releases in Scotland, and the urgent need to build long-term trust and governance if we’re to truly live with wild nature once again.

This episode is a journey into big landscapes, difficult questions, and the wild edges of our own imagination.

🔍 What You’ll Learn

• Why apex predators matter—and what they do that humans can’t replicate
• The surprising story behind illegal lynx releases in Scotland
• How rewilding taps into both our deepest fears and wildest hopes
• Lessons from Malawi, the Himalayas, and Swiss lynx coexistence projects
• Why conflict over predators is often really conflict between people

🌍 Resources & Mentions

• 📘 Living with Lynx by Jonny Hanson
  https://www.jonnyhanson.com
• 🐆 Snow Leopard Conservancy
  https://snowleopardconservancy.org
• 🎞️ Snow Leopard Trail – Jonny’s new documentary (screenings in 2025)
  Teaser: https://www.jonnyhanson.com
• 📚 Feral by George Monbiot – rewilding inspiration
  https://www.monbiot.com/2013/05/27/feral/
• 🎥 Gordon Buchanan – wildlife filmmaker (referenced story: grizzly bear in Scotland)

🧭 Whether you're a farmer, naturalist, or nature-curious listener, this one will challenge your views and expand your sense of what wild really means.

🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It helps more than you know.

Send us a text

Support the show

Thanks For Listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment and subscribe for more exciting content.

Follow us https://linktr.ee/adventurediaries for updates.

Have a topic suggestion? Email us at ideas@adventurediaries.com.

AdventureDiaries.com

#AdventureDiaries #AdventureStories #NationalGeographic #Discovery #NaturalWorld

🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks!

What happens when you stop chasing life... and start walking through it—one step at a time?

In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, I sit down with Tom Turcich, the tenth person ever to walk around the world—and the first to do it with a dog. Over the course of seven years, six continents, and nearly 30,000 kilometers, Tom and his rescue pup Savannah navigated deserts, war zones, snowfields, mountains, and megacities. But what they really explored was the human condition—mortality, solitude, fear, love, and how to find peace in just existing.

What began as a response to the sudden death of a close friend transformed into a global odyssey—one that asked more questions than it answered. We talk about:

• The real reason he chose to walk the world
• What fear actually feels like in the middle of Central America
• Training Savannah into the perfect walking companion
• Living through exhaustion, sickness, and uncertainty—and what it teaches you
• Why photography became his gateway to connection
• Letting go of social media, letting go of ego, and letting life just be
• What he thinks about adventure now, in his post-walk life

From the wilds of the Atacama to the stillness of Antarctica, from dusty roads to TEDx stages, this is a reflection on what it means to live intentionally, with humility and grace.

If you’ve ever questioned your path—or wondered what lies on the other side of fear—this one is for you.

🔗 Resources & Mentions

• 📖 The World Walk by Tom Turcich – Buy it here
• 🐶 Savannah, the dog who walked the world – @theworldwalk
• 📹 Tom’s TEDx Talk – Watch on YouTube
• 
  

✨ Key Themes

Adventure & Fear – Walking into the unknown with no backup plan
Solitude & Resilience – What it means to be your own best company
The Bond with Savannah – How a dog can become your home
Slow Travel & Privilege – Seeing the world at human pace
Letting Go – Of productivity, ambition, and becoming “more”

🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks!

Send us a text

Support the show

Thanks For Listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment and subscribe for more exciting content.

Follow us https://linktr.ee/adventurediaries for updates.

Have a topic suggestion? Email us at ideas@adventurediaries.com.

AdventureDiaries.com

#AdventureDiaries #AdventureStories #NationalGeographic #Discovery #NaturalWorld