Episodes

  • 347: The Cost of Survival: The Cordillera Huayhuash Reserved Zone (Part 2)

    347: The Cost of Survival: The Cordillera Huayhuash Reserved Zone (Part 2)
    Jan 12 2026

    In the previous episode, a catastrophic fall high on Siula Grande forced an impossible decision. With Joe badly injured and hanging in space, Simon cut the rope, believing his climbing partner was lost. Now, high in the Cordillera Huayhuash Reserve, both men must attempt to get off the mountain alive. Joe is alone with a shattered leg and no supplies. Simon is stranded high on the face with night closing in and no clear way down. Survival is no longer about the climb, but about whether either of them can endure what comes next.

    Sources:

    Simpson, Joe. Touching the Void, The 25th Anniversary Edition. Kindle. 2012

    Joe Simpson recounts one of mountaineering's greatest survival stories

    “HOW WE MET JOE SIMPSON AND SIMON YATES” The Independent. 22 Feb 1997.

    For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Liquid IV: Use our code NPAD at checkout to get 20% off your first order.
    Avocado Green Mattress: Get 15% off mattresses at AvocadoGreenMattress.com/NPAD
    Hello Fresh: Use our link to get get 10 free meals + a FREE Zwilling Knife (a
    $144.99 value) on your third box.
    SelectQuote: Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/npad
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • 346: The Cost of Survival: The Cordillera Huayhuash Reserved Zone (Part 1)

    346: The Cost of Survival: The Cordillera Huayhuash Reserved Zone (Part 1)
    Jan 5 2026
    High in the Cordillera Huayhuash Reserve of the Peruvian Andes, two British climbers attempt the first ascent of the West Face of Siula Grande. The mountain is remote, unforgiving, and lethal to mistakes. After reaching the summit, a catastrophic accident during the descent forces a decision that places survival and death on opposite ends of a single rope.

    For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Quince: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.
    IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.
    Smalls: Smalls New Year’s Special - get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/NPAD.
    BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • 345: Trail Tales 84

    345: Trail Tales 84
    Jan 1 2026
    Today’s stories include pizza in Zion, getting stalked, mule saviors, mysterious trapezoids, and pooping lake water. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers!

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • 344: Willing to Risk Death Daily: Pony Express National Historic Trail

    344: Willing to Risk Death Daily: Pony Express National Historic Trail
    Dec 29 2025
    Not many of us would accept a job that risked life and limb, but for a brief moment in time, young men did just that - just to carry the mail. It may have only been in operation for 18 months, but the legacy of the Pony Express has lasted generations. A 2,000 mile horseback ride from Missouri to California posed risks of all kinds, but with no telegraph wires or trains connecting the coasts, brave men and their trusty steeds stepped up and battled the elements, warring nations and each other to keep the nation connected.

    Banff Film Festival Tickets

    The Pony Express Re-Ride / Letters!

    For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Ka'Chava: Go to https://kachava.com and use code NPAD. New customers get twenty dollars off an order of two bags or more, January 1st through 31st!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 26 mins
  • 343: Murder or Kidnapping in a Gateway Town: New River Gorge National Park.

    343: Murder or Kidnapping in a Gateway Town: New River Gorge National Park.
    Dec 22 2025
    Fayetteville, West Virginia sits on the edge of the New River Gorge, a small Appalachian town now known as a gateway to one of America’s newest national parks. But on Christmas Eve in 1945, it became the setting for one of the most haunting unsolved mysteries in American history. After a house fire destroyed the home of George and Jennie Sodder, five of their children vanished without a trace, leaving behind conflicting investigations, reported sightings, unsettling clues, and a decades-long search for answers.

    For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodes

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Cash App: Download Cash App Today: [https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ejy661fu] #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Direct Deposit, Overdraft Coverage and Discounts provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.
    Rocket Money: Use our link to get started saving.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 24 mins
  • 342: Trail Tales 83

    342: Trail Tales 83
    Dec 18 2025
    Today’s stories include snubbing trail magic, spider inflicted injuries, railroad watchers and unexplained orbs. Outsiders Only bonus stories available for Patreon and Apple Subscribers!

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Hollow Socks: For a limited time Hollow Socks is having a Buy 2, Get 2 Free Sale. Head to Hollowsocks.com today to check it out. #Hollow Sockspod
    Nutrafol: Get $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you use promo code NPAD.
    Ka'Chava: Go to https://kachava.com and use code NPAD for 15% off your next order.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 341: Death on a Painted Lake: Algonquin Provincial Park

    341: Death on a Painted Lake: Algonquin Provincial Park
    Dec 15 2025

    In July of 1917 a pioneering landscape painter paddled out onto Canoe Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park and never returned. His death was initially ruled an accident, but in the following decades peculiar “evidence” and claims from the locals raised a lot of questions. Theories began to arise that maybe it wasn’t an accident after all. Tom Thomson’s death may have happened nearly 100 years ago, but it remains one of Canada’s most enduring mysteries.

    For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Hello Fresh: Use our link to get up to 10 FREE meals and free breakfast for life.
    IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.
    Soul: For 30% off your order, head to GetSoul.com and use code NPAD.
    BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 30 mins
  • 340: Death-Defying Dreams: Grand Canyon’s Most Daring (and Foolish) Stunts

    340: Death-Defying Dreams: Grand Canyon’s Most Daring (and Foolish) Stunts
    Dec 8 2025
    The Grand Canyon has always been a magnet for the bold, the reckless, and the people who look at a mile-deep chasm and think... yeah, I can take that. In this episode, we race through a century of jaw-dropping stunts, from a 1922 biplane pilot who somehow landed inside the park’s early boundaries to Nik Wallenda balancing across tribal land on a high-wire without a harness. Along the way we unravel how thrill-seekers dodged rules, rewrote them, or ignored them entirely in a quest to outdo nature itself.

    For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodes

    For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:

    Instagram: @nationalparkafterdark
    TikTok: @nationalparkafterdark

    Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!

    Thank you to the week’s partners!
    Smalls: For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/NPAD.
    Blueland: Use our link to get 15% off your first order.
    Rocket Money: Use our link to get started saving.
    Quince: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.
    Against The Odds: Follow Against The Odds: Tsunami in Thailand on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes early and ad-free right now on Wondery+.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 16 mins