2020

When Wendy Hellowell’s son Oliver was born, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. She realized the two of them would face enormous challenges. But they got help from a little faith and a camera.

Tarik Moore always enjoyed nature. So when he found an outdoorsy community, it led to new adventures—like becoming a member of the first all-Black American team to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We have a snazzy new t-shirt design for you. But it isn’t without a little controversy.

Christopher McDougall is famous for starting the barefoot running craze with his book ‘Born to Run.’ And now he has an unusual new running partner⁠—a donkey named Sherman.

Brandon Kuehn survived the Iraq War. But after he got home, he struggled with nightmares and addiction. Then he found trail running…and the Pacific Crest Trail.

Cindy Ross wanted to keep pursuing her long-distance hiking passion after she had kids. But she didn’t know how to make that happen. Then a chance encounter with a llama breeder opened the path to the Continental Divide Trail.

When Tarik Moore became an Outdoor Afro leader, the first hike he planned wasn’t a traditional one. He took his group down city streets to commemorate Philadelphia’s Osage Avenue bombing.

Michael Benanav studies nomadic people as a writer and photographer. So when he was invited to accompany the Van Gujjar of northern India on their annual migration with their water buffalo, he jumped at the chance. Turned out, they wanted a journalist along that year for reasons he hadn’t expected.

It’s springtime and Earth Day! Animals are on the move, and sometimes their paths cross with people. Here are five stories to help you get outside while you’re stuck at home.

Morley Nelson delighted in watching raptors in aerial combat as they fought over nesting sites. And he made it his life’s mission to protect the part of Idaho’s Snake River with the highest nesting density of birds of prey in North America. This time, we’re bringing you a story from the new podcast Common Land to tell the story of how the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area was created.

After cycling across America, Taylor Thibodeau had a lifetime of adventures ahead of him…until a mysterious illness cut that short. Then he decided to adventure anyway.

Boyd Varty lives on a game reserve in South Africa near Kruger National Park. After his family began returning the land to its wild state, it awakened something wild in him, too.

Juan Martinez grew up in South Central L.A. in the early nineties. He was struggling to find his way until he traded detention for a pack of jalapeño seeds. Those led him all the way to the stars.

South Africans Chris Diedericks and Anna Calitz wanted to go on a romantic getaway, but their adventure broke down before it even began.

While we work on new stories for this fall, here’s a summer favorite from 2019. Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho paddled thousands of miles in a canoe from Minneapolis to the shores of the Hudson Bay. The journey tested their physical strength – and the strength of their friendship.

As summer wanes, we’re reaching into the archives for a story about a classic summer activity: a leisurely river float. At least, that’s what it was supposed to be. But when they lost their guide, a group of tourists got more than they bargained for.

Climate change is all over the news, from burning forests to melting ice sheets. But it can seem like a big, abstract problem. Writer Manasseh Franklin wanted to make the melting of glaciers more real to people. So on an Alaskan rafting trip, she followed water to its source. It’s a story from our archives that’s just as poignant—and humorous—today.

A glimpse of some of the stories coming your way this season, starting October 14.

Sharon Ross wanted to be prepared for anything. But when she joined others getting ready for the end of the world, she found herself the odd one out.

The leaves are scattering down the sidewalk and fog touches the tips of the trees. It's that time of year again when the shadows lengthen and we bring you stories that aren't quite human or all the way natural. Welcome to a most haunted theatre.

Mikah Meyer grew up the son of a pastor and secretly struggled with his sexuality. But on a record-setting road trip to all of America's national parks, he realized its success hinged on being open about who he was.

Mo Beck was a professional climber who regularly won gold in competitions. But when she joined a team on a long expedition in the remote Cirque of the Unclimbables, she was amused to witness the tension between two of her fellow teammates...and the stinky solution.

Muyambi loved biking, so when his friends asked him to plan a cycling trip across his home country of Uganda he was thrilled. But challenges arose one late night when they had to get creative for dinner.

HumaNature's taking a holiday break. We'll be back with a fresh new episode on January 20. In the meantime, we'd like to introduce you to Life Raft, an upbeat podcast about living with climate change. In this episode, they take us on a journey from a famous oyster bar in New Orleans to a lab that’s trying to prepare oysters for a more turbulent future.