15 Minutes in a Cougar's Jaws | E 264

Doug Scott broke both his legs 23,900 feet above sea level on one of the world's most technically demanding mountains. No rescue team was waiting. No helicopter stood by. For eight days, Scott and his climbing partner Chris Bonington faced a descent that should have killed them—navigating crevasses, rappelling with broken legs, surviving a five-day storm with no food and wet sleeping bags in the death zone. But the real question isn't how they survived the mountain. It's what each person on that team did at every moment when survival seemed impossible. This is the story of how humans respond when everything goes catastrophically wrong.00:00 Welcome to The Crux01:50 Meet the Climbers03:24 Why the Ogre Matters04:47 Expedition Setup and Early Injury07:35 Final Summit Push11:44 The Fall and Broken Legs15:56 Night on the Ledge19:49 Crawling Descent and Regroup23:08 Stormbound Survival28:26 Base Camp Abandoned30:37 Mo Runs for Rescue33:33 Porter Carry and Helicopter Twist37:35 Aftermath and Lessons40:56 Closing ThoughtsREFERENCES:Chris Bonington, "The Ogre," American Alpine Journal, 1978Doug Scott, "A Crawl Down The Ogre," Himalayan Journal, 1979Doug Scott, The Ogre: Biography of a Mountain and the Dramatic Story of the First Ascent, Vertebrate Publishing, 2017Gripped Magazine, "The Climber Who Broke Both Legs and Crawled Off a Himalayan Mountain"Mo Anthoine, expedition audio recordingsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

A late-afternoon hike in Glacier National Park seemed simple enough: climb toward the Mount Brown Fire Lookout, watch the sunset, and head back down.But as darkness settled over Mount Brown, 33-year-old Anthony Pollio found himself descending alone through steep, heavily forested terrain. Somewhere in the woods, a grizzly bear was moving through the darkness.In this episode of Disaster Strikes, we examine Anthony Pollio’s final hike, the search-and-rescue operation that followed, and the investigation into what happened on Mount Brown. We also look at a second grizzly bear encounter in Glacier National Park just 25 days later—and the warning signs, environmental conditions, and safety decisions that can turn an ordinary hike through bear country into a life-threatening situation.This episode explores:Anthony Pollio’s final hike on Mount BrownThe Mount Brown Fire Lookout trail in Glacier National ParkThe search for Anthony PollioGrizzly bear attacks and encounters in GlacierWhy hiking alone after dark can be dangerousHow to stay safe in grizzly countryWhat hikers should know before entering bear habitat00:00 Disaster Strikes Intro00:37 Alone After Dark on Mount Brown02:03 Glacier’s Grizzly Country03:57 The Mount Brown Trail05:18 Our Bear Encounters08:18 Who Was Anthony Pollio?10:02 A Late Start Up Mount Brown12:33 A Surprise in the Deadfall14:32 The Search for Anthony16:23 How Rare Are Fatal Bear Attacks?17:59 Another Grizzly Attack, 25 Days Later20:20 What the Two Attacks Had in Common24:32 Where Was the Bear?27:35 Staying Safe in Grizzly Country34:34 Remembering Anthony PollioReferences — Alone After Dark: A Fatal Grizzly Encounter in Glacier National ParkPrimary / Official SourcesNational Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Search Underway in Glacier National Park for Missing Hiker.” May 6, 2026.NPS — Search Underway for Anthony PollioNational Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Missing Hiker and Bear Encounter Victim Identified.” May 9, 2026.NPS — Anthony Pollio IdentifiedInteragency Grizzly Bear Committee Board of Review. Final investigation into the May 3, 2026 fatal grizzly encounter involving Anthony Pollio on the Mount Brown Lookout Trail. July 2026. The review reconstructed the encounter using physical evidence, DNA, trail conditions and Pollio’s communications and concluded that Pollio likely surprised an adult male grizzly at close range while descending in darkness.National Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Hiker Injured by Grizzly Bear at Glacier National Park.” June 2, 2026. Official account of the May 28 Grinnell Glacier Trail attack discussed in the episode.NPS — Grinnell Glacier Grizzly EncounterReporting & Additional SourcesFlathead Beacon. “Report Details Fatal Glacier Park Grizzly Bear Attack.” July 24, 2026. Detailed reporting on the final interagency investigation.Flathead Beacon — Fatal Grizzly InvestigationHungry Horse News. “Grizzly Bear Mauling Death in Glacier: A Closer Look at Full Report.” July 24, 2026. Includes details from the final investigation regarding the trail conditions, darkness, deadfall and circumstances of the surprise encounter.Hungry Horse News — Full Report CoverageMontana Free Press. “Glacier’s First Fatal Bear Attack in Almost 30 Years Came After Surprise Encounter.” July 24, 2026.Montana Free Press — Anthony Pollio InvestigationAssociated Press. Coverage of Anthony Pollio’s death and Glacier National Park’s first fatal bear attack since 1998. May 2026.People. Interview with Anthony Pollio’s father, Arthur Pollio, including Anthony’s background, his plans to watch the sunset from Mount Brown, and his final communication with his father. May 2026.ABC News / Good Morning America. Interview with Daniel Crago regarding the May 28, 2026 Grinnell Glacier Trail grizzly attack. June 8, 2026.ABC News — Daniel Crago InterviewBackpacker. “‘Pure Panic’: Glacier Grizzly Attack Survivor Shares the Story of the Rescue That Saved Him.” June 5, 2026.Backpacker — Daniel Crago Grizzly AttackLos Angeles Times. Reporting and interview with Daniel Crago following the Grinnell Glacier Trail attack. June 7, 2026.Los Angeles Times — Grinnell Glacier AttackBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

On February 17, 2024, five experienced cyclists set out on a familiar gravel-bike route through Washington's Cascade foothills. Nineteen miles into their ride, two cougars appeared on the trail. Seconds later, 60-year-old Keri Bergere was on the ground with a cougar's jaws clamped around her face.Her four friends rushed toward the attack. Armed with little more than rocks, sticks, and the equipment they carried on their bicycles, they faced a predator that refused to let go. With unreliable cell service and another cougar somewhere in the surrounding forest, the women were running out of options.In this episode of The Crux: True Survival Stories, Kaycee and Julie reconstruct the terrifying encounter, examine the medical dangers of a cougar attack, and explore the survival decisions that followed.A true story of wilderness survival, extraordinary friendship, and a fight that lasted far longer than anyone could have imagined.Episode Chapters 00:00– Introduction00:28 – A Cougar Encounter in Washington01:54 – Meet the Five Cyclists03:23 – The Magic Carpet Gravel Route05:30 – Two Cougars Appear06:16 – The Fight to Save Keri11:19 – The Medical Dangers of a Cougar Attack13:35 – A Multitool and a Chance to Escape16:00 – Trapping the Cougar With a Bicycle19:12 – Calling 911 and Finding GPS Coordinates21:57 – Wildlife Officer Arrives24:07 – Keri's Injuries and Recovery26:17 – Why Did the Cougar Attack?27:36 – Cougar Safety and the Fatal 2018 Attack32:00 – Life After the Attack35:29 – Survival Lessons and ClosingDan Becker Podcast. (2025, December 9). The BRUTAL Cougar Attack That Lasted 55 Minutes. Interview with Keri Bergere and fellow survivors.Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qYp058PJe8UxMIK83wTf7Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brutal-cougar-attack-that-lasted-55-minutes/id1867315096?i=1000744190052REFERENCES & FURTHER LISTENINGWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife. (2024). WDFW Statement on Cougar Incident in King County.https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/wdfw-statement/wdfw-statement-cougar-incident-king-countyCarnegie Hero Fund Commission. (2024). 18 Will Receive Carnegie Medal for Extraordinary Acts of Heroism.https://www.carnegiehero.org/awardee_pr/18-will-receive-carnegie-medal-for-extraordinary-acts-of-heroism/Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. (2024). Carnegie Medal Presentation to Annie Bilotta, Tisch Schmidt-Williams, Aune Tietz, and Erica Wolf.https://www.carnegiehero.org/carnegie-medal-presentation-to-annie-bilotta-tisch-schmidt-williams-aune-tietz-and-erica-wolf/King, A., & Newcomb, N. A. (2024). A Cougar Attacked Them. They Fought Back for 45 Harrowing Minutes. KUOW.https://thankyou.kuow.org/stories/cougar-attack-washington-state-cyclistsThe Seattle Times. (2024). What Life Has Been Like for the 5 WA Cyclists Who Survived a Cougar Attack.https://replica.seattletimes.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?appcode=SEATTL&artguid=fc562bab-2913-4872-aecc-4e00f32a1b88&eguid=898dacfc-ca94-4db7-9458-9e581ee289e2&pnum=138The Guardian. (2024). Women Rescue Friend Being Mauled by Cougar in Washington State.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/18/washington-state-cougar-attackWroe, S., McHenry, C., & Thomason, J. (2005). Bite Club: Comparative Bite Force in Big Biting Mammals and the Prediction of Predatory Behaviour in Fossil Taxa. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 272(1563), 619–625.https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2004.2986Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

On the night of July 31, 1761, the L'Utile struck a reef off a nameless sandbar in the Indian Ocean with 160 Malagasy people locked below deck. What happened over the next two months — who got water, who did the work, and who was standing on the beach when the boat sailed away — is documented in agonizing detail by the man who kept the ship's log. What happened over the next fifteen years is not documented at all. Nobody left behind on that island could write, and nobody came back to ask. Everything we know about how they survived on one square mile of sand with no trees, no shade, and no way off comes from what a team of archaeologists pulled out of the ground two and a half centuries later — and what they found was not a camp. It was a village.Timestamps- 00:00 Podcast Intro00:29 Shipwreck In The Dark03:31 How The Wreck Happened08:29 Water Crisis On The Sandbar12:32 Building The Escape Boat15:18 Abandoned On The Island16:54 Why No Rescue Came18:53 Archaeology Reveals Survival20:55 Food Water And Shelter Hacks28:56 A Life Beyond Survival30:41 Rescue Attempts And Final Pickup35:30 Freedom Names And Legacy38:38 Closing ReflectionsReferencesGuérout, Max, and Thomas Romon, with Odile Zimmermann. Tromelin: L'île aux esclaves oubliés. Rev. ed. Paris: CNRS Éditions / INRAP, 2015.Guérout, Max. Tromelin: Mémoire d'une île. Paris: CNRS Éditions.INRAP. "L'abandon des esclaves," Naufragés sur l'île de Sable. inrap.fr.INRAP / Musée de la Compagnie des Indes. Press dossier, Tromelin, l'île des esclaves oubliés, 2016.Terres australes et antarctiques françaises. Le petit journal de l'exposition Tromelin.Patel, Samir S. "Castaways." Archaeology, September/October 2014.Stark, Eloise. "How an 18th-Century Shipwreck Changed France's Conversation About Race." New Lines Magazine, March 22, 2024.Laroulandie, V., and C. Lefèvre. "The Use of Avian Resources by the Forgotten Slaves of Tromelin Island (Indian Ocean)." International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 24, no. 3 (2014): 407–416.Béarez, P., et al. "Fishing for Survival: The Forgotten Slaves of Tromelin Island (Indian Ocean)." International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2019.Le Corre, Matthieu, et al. "Seabird Recovery and Vegetation Dynamics After Norway Rat Eradication at Tromelin Island, Western Indian Ocean." Biological Conservation 185 (2015): 85–94.Marriner, Nick, et al. "A Geomorphological Reconnaissance of Tromelin Island, Indian Ocean." Journal of Coastal Research 28, no. 6 (2012): 1606–1616.Relation des principales circonstances qui ont accompagné le naufrage de la frégate l'Utile. Bordeaux: Jean Chappuis, 1763.Condorcet, Nicolas de [as "Joachim Schwartz"]. Réflexions sur l'esclavage des nègres. Neuchâtel: Société Typographique, 1781.Georgen, Annabelle. "Abandonnés sur une île déserte: la tragédie des esclaves oubliés de Tromelin." Slate.fr, February 2017.Musée d'histoire de Nantes, Château des ducs de Bretagne. Exhibition materials, Tromelin: l'île des esclaves oubliés, 2015–2016.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

Philip Kreycik was 37, a Harvard graduate, an ultramarathoner, and an experienced outdoorsman. On July 10, 2021, he left for a training run at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park in California, telling his wife he'd be back in an hour. He never returned. The search that followed became one of the West Coast's largest rescue operations, involving nearly 300 volunteers, multiple agencies, helicopters, and thermal imaging. But GPS data from his smartwatch revealed something investigators initially missed: he likely died within 75 minutes of going missing, before rescue teams could even fully mobilize. Julie and Kaycee walk through the timeline, the medical reality of heat illness, and the margins of error that collapse faster than experience can account for.Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to Disaster Strikes00:42 Heatwave Run Begins02:26 Who Was Philip Kreycik03:35 GPS Shows Trouble05:25 Wrong Turn Off Trail06:17 Heat Illness Explained09:06 Minutes to Heatstroke10:56 Smartwatch Timeline13:06 Massive Search Effort15:14 Found After Four Weeks17:13 Family Reflections17:51 Lessons and Takeaways18:57 Why Heat Sneaks Up20:48 Closing and TributeKEY REFERENCESPleasanton Police Department Missing Person Investigation Files (2021)Alameda County Sheriff's Office Autopsy and Investigation Report (2021)Dapcevich, Madison. "The Fastest Heat Death: Investigation into Philip Kreycik's Disappearance," Outside Online (2021)Silacci, Erik. Official Statement and Timeline Analysis, Pleasanton Police Department (2021)"Philip Kreycik '06, Who Died at 37 After Going Missing on Run," The Harvard Crimson (August 2021)Kelly, Ray. Investigation Summary, Alameda County Sheriff's Department (2021)Pleasanton Weekly: "Authorities: Philip Kreycik Likely Died Before Search Even Got Off the Ground" (2021)NBC News Dateline: "Family Holding Hope of Finding Philip Kreycik" (August 2021)ABC News: "California Dad Found Dead Weeks After Vanishing on Run" (August 2021)First-Year Outdoors Program, Harvard University — Remembrance Documentation (2021)Yao, Jen. Family Press Conference Statement (August 2021)East Bay Regional Park District — Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park Records (2021)Smartwatch GPS Data Analysis — Alameda County Investigation (2021)Search and Rescue Volunteer Accounts — San Francisco Bay Area News Archives (2021)Heat-Related Illness Medical Analysis — Emergency Medicine Literature (2021)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

A 15-year-old hiker set out on an ambitious three-day backpacking trip through Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, planning to summit four 14ers. He successfully climbed Challenger Point and Kit Carson Peak. Then his route took him into terrain he apparently did not realize was a technical mountaineering route.Halfway down the steep, snow-covered Outward Bound Couloir, his backpack began sliding away. He went after it—and fell roughly 200 feet.In this episode of The Crux: True Survival Stories, Kaycee and Julie retrace what brought the teenager into the couloir, the limitations of relying on Google Maps in the backcountry, and the search-and-rescue operation that followed. It’s a story about route finding, steep-snow travel, a split-second decision, and what happens when an ambitious wilderness trip suddenly becomes a survival situation.Timestamps00:00 — A Teenager, a 14er and a Snow Couloir.00:27 — Trouble in the Outward Bound Couloir02:47 — The 15-Year-Old Behind the Rescue05:21 — Climbing Toward Challenger Point09:10 — Route Finding on Kit Carson Peak11:44 — Crossing the Mountains Without a Trail13:39 — When Google Maps Meets the Backcountry15:01 — Inside the Outward Bound Couloir18:03 — The Backpack Slides—and He Goes After It22:16 — Injured at 13,000 Feet: Calling 91123:22 — Search and Rescue Heads Into the Mountains26:00 — The 200-Foot Technical Lower28:02 — What He Did Right—and What We Can Learn34:35 — Closing ThoughtsPrimary incident reportingAlamosa News — “Alamosa SAR aid in rescue of teen” — July 29, 2026. Reports the July 20 rescue, the 15-year-old hiker, approximately 200-foot slide, injuries, transfer of incident command to Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue, and helicopter/SAR response. Alamosa News reportOutThere Colorado / Denver Gazette — “Teen slides 200 feet down couloir snowfield while attempting to retrieve dropped gear” — July 27, 2026. Covers the three-day backpacking trip, dropped backpack, Outward Bound Couloir location and rescue. OutThere Colorado reportRoute / mountain references14ers.com — Kit Carson Peak: Outward Bound Couloir — Detailed route description and technical information for the snow-only Class 3 route, including approach and terrain. Outward Bound Couloir route description14ers.com — Kit Carson Peak via Challenger Point — Standard-route information, including Kit Carson Avenue, elevation, route-finding difficulty and the approach from Challenger Point. Kit Carson via Challenger Point14ers.com — Kit Carson Peak Conditions — July 2026 condition reporting for the standard route, useful for contemporaneous mountain conditions around the time of the incident. Kit Carson Peak condition reportsColorado Mountain Club — Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point — Route overview for Kit Carson, Challenger Point and the Outward Bound Couloir in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. Colorado Mountain Club route informationBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

When tourists found an abandoned bicycle on a remote track in Australia's Great Sandy Desert, it triggered one of the strangest missing person searches in outback history — police, aircraft, and Aboriginal trackers combing the Kimberley for a man who had vanished without telling anyone where he was going. Twelve days in, the search was called off and his family was told he was almost certainly dead, so they hired a private American wilderness rescue team led by a man who insisted on being called Gunslinger. What none of them knew was that he had walked into the desert deliberately, on a spiritual quest, and had no idea anyone was searching for him at all. Forty-three days of starvation, dehydration and roughly 250 miles on foot later, a helicopter found him alive — and set off a fight that reached the Premier of Western Australia, while the man who led the rescue turned out to have invented his entire past. Twenty-five years on, one of the trackers who searched for him asked him for a single word, and what he said instead is still an uncomfortable part of this story.Timestamps: 00:00 Podcast Intro Setup00:30 Mud Water In The Desert02:22 Abandoned Bike Mystery03:18 No One Knew The Plan06:36 Spiritual Quest Revealed07:34 Search Begins With Trackers09:27 Media Frenzy And Survival Math10:28 Search Called Off Parents React11:57 Gunslinger Arrives Private Team15:06 Fresh Tracks And Desert Ordeal18:52 Help Sign And Found Alive21:49 News Crew Rescue Controversy25:10 Hospital Risks Refeeding27:22 Costs Rumors And Apology30:04 Gunslinger Exposed As Fraud33:27 The Tracker Story And Apology35:26 Final Reflections And OutroREFERENCESParke, Erin. Expanse: Nowhere Man. ABC listen, 2025.Parke, Erin. "Finding Robert Bogucki, the man who disappeared on purpose." ABC News, 6 July 2025. Sweeney, Lucy, and Erin Parke. "The strange story of Garrison 'Gunslinger' St Clair, the American sent to find Robert Bogucki." ABC News, 23 August 2025. Lowth, Adrienne. "Channel Nine under fire over Bogucki actions." ABC Radio PM, 24 August 1999.Media Watch. ABC Television, 30 August 1999."American found after outback odyssey." BBC News, 23 August 1999. Associated Press. "Wanderer May Have To Foot Bill." CBS News, 26 August 1999. Morgan, Curtis. "Daring rescuer dogged by a questionable past." Miami Herald, 21 May 2000.Orr, Stephen. The Fierce Country. Wakefield Press, 2018.Adshead, Gary. "Finding Bogucki: The fallout, the stuff-ups and a tinderbox of tension." The Age, 3 September 2023."Calvert Scientific Exploring Expedition (1896)." Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

In July 1967, only 213 people had ever stood on the summit of Denali. When an inexperienced climbing team was denied a permit, the National Park Service made an unusual decision: merge them with a stronger team of strangers and send all twelve climbers up the mountain together. At first, everything goes according to plan. But as two powerful weather systems begin converging over Alaska, a series of decisions—some debated to this day—leave climbers high on North America's tallest peak just as one of the most violent mountain storms ever recorded arrives.Were the climbers warned? Why did they continue toward the summit after spending a night exposed above 19,000 feet? And could anyone have survived what happened next?In this Disaster Strikes episode, we examine the 1967 Denali Disaster, the controversy that followed, and the lessons that forever changed mountaineering on North America's highest mountain.00:00 Disaster Strikes Intro00:48 Lost Above 19,000 Feet02:12 A Team That Was Never Supposed to Exist05:02 The Long Approach to Denali08:04 A Storm Begins to Form10:05 Two Summit Teams12:07 A Dangerous Decision14:35 The Last Radio Call17:08 Waiting Out the Storm20:18 The Search Begins22:05 What Really Happened?25:40 Lessons That Changed Denali Forever28:20 Legacy of the SevenReferences — The 1967 Denali DisasterPrimary & Contemporary SourcesAmerican Alpine Journal. “Mount McKinley Tragedy and Resulting Expedition.” American Alpine Journal, 1968.https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196811702/North-America-United-States-Alaska-Mount-McKinley-Tragedy-and-Resulting-ExpeditionAccidents in North American Mountaineering. “Alaska, Mt. McKinley.” American Alpine Club, 1968.http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13196802200/Alaska-Mt-McKinleyBooks & Firsthand AccountsSnyder, Howard H. The Hall of the Mountain King: The True Story of a Tragic Climb. 1973.Wilcox, Joe. White Winds: America’s Most Tragic Climb.Tabor, James M. Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering’s Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters.Hall, Andy. Denali’s Howl: The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America’s Wildest Peak. 2014.Babcock, Jeffery. Should I Not Return. 2012.Additional Articles & SourcesNational Geographic. Interview with Andy Hall about the 1967 Mount McKinley disaster.https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/140720-mountain-climbing-denali-mount-mckinley-alaska-national-parksOutside. “Life and Death on America’s Highest Peak.”https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/life-and-death-americas-highest-peak/Anchorage Daily News. “A Poetic Turn on Denali Tragedy.” 2017.https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/we-alaskans/2017/07/22/a-poetic-turn-on-denali-tragedy/ExplorersWeb. “McKinley 1967: Triumph and Tragedy, Part II.”https://explorersweb.com/mckinley-1967-triumph-and-tragedy-part-ii/American Alpine Journal. “White Winds.” Book review.http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198230200/White-WindsAmerican Alpine Journal. “Forever on the Mountain.” Book review.http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200845600/Forever-on-the-MountainBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

A summer tubing trip on Michigan’s Muskegon River was supposed to last just four hours. But when two women and a nine-year-old boy failed to return, a massive search and rescue operation began.Boats, helicopters, drones, K-9 teams and crews from four counties searched miles of river and dense Michigan wilderness for the three missing tubers. With few reliable clues and the search growing more urgent, investigators kept coming back to one strange detail—a pool tube caught in a pile of flood debris.This week on The Crux: True Survival Stories, a casual day on the river becomes a wilderness survival ordeal and a remarkable search for three missing people.00:00 The Sound of Traffic, But No Road00:30 Lost Surprisingly Close to Civilization01:18 A Four-Hour Float on the Muskegon02:16 The Flood That Changed the River3:45 When Low Water Becomes Dangerous05:06 A Spur-of-the-Moment River Trip07:17 The Two-Minute Plan They Didn't Have09:00 Everything Changes at a Log Jam09:47 The Decision That Changed the Search11:39 Why We Keep Moving When We're Lost16:19 Three Days No One Can Account For17:33 What They Were Up Against19:52 When the Water Runs Out22:19 What You'd Want in Your Survival Kit23:24 Bark, Ants and the Question of Food25:35 A Smashed Window Sends a Bad Signal26:51 The Search Explodes28:07 Drones, Dogs and a Forest They Can't See29:23 The Problem With Finding Their Tubes30:16 Why Lost People Walk in Circles32:43 Three Days Barefoot33:34 One Detail Doesn't Make Sense37:49 Following a Trail Through the Green Wall40:16 “Command, We Got Visuals”43:03 What Could Have Prevented All of This45:20 The Clue That Changed EverythingReferencesWWMT — “Missing Tubers Found Alive After Three-Day Search on Muskegon River, Troopers Say”https://wwmt.com/news/local/missing-tubers-muskegon-river-found-alive-women-child-search-investigation-state-police-grant-newaygo-county-west-michiganWWMT — “BODYCAM: Rescue Teams Find Missing Muskegon River Tubers After Three-Day Search”https://wwmt.com/news/local/missing-tubers-muskegon-river-michigan-search-rescue-two-women-child-three-days-department-natural-resources-state-police-officers-newaygo-county-west-michiganWWMT — “Family Member of Tubers Rescued After Three Days Describes Their Struggle to Survive”https://wwmt.com/news/local/he-ate-bark-ants-family-rescued-tubers-describe-their-struggle-survive-jazmin-hock-sarah-vida-kayden-kovalcik-muskegon-river-three-days-msp-policeWWMT — “The Clues That Led Michigan DNR Officers to Finding a Missing Family on the Muskegon River”https://wwmt.com/news/local/clues-search-rescue-muskegon-newaygo-dnr-conservation-officer-michigan-family-three-people-river-missing-august-2026-found-alive-wwmtWOOD TV8 — “‘Beat the Odds’: Family Celebrates After Missing Tubers Found Near Muskegon River”https://www.woodtv.com/news/muskegon-county/family-speaks-after-missing-tubers-found-near-muskegon-river/NewsNation — “Bodycam Footage Shows Rescue of Tubers Missing Three Days in Michigan”https://www.newsnationnow.com/missing/missing-michigan-tubers-rescue-video/NBC News — “River Tubers’ 4-Hour Tour Turned Into 3 Days of Survival in Remote Michigan Woods”https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/river-tubers-4-hour-tour-turned-3-days-survival-remote-michigan-woods-rcna592038Fox News — “Video Shows Michigan K-9 Unit Rescuing Family Lost on Muskegon River”https://www.foxnews.com/us/michigan-rescuers-find-family-stranded-3-days-after-tubing-trip-dramatic-videoFOX 9 — “Missing Michigan Tubers Survived Off Bark and Flowers for 72 Hours”https://www.fox9.com/news/missing-tubers-muskegon-river-michigan-found-video9&10 News — “Muskegon River Reaches Major Flood Stage, Prompting Newaygo County Evacuations”https://www.9and10news.com/2026/04/16/muskegon-river-reaches-major-flood-stage-prompting-newaygo-county-evacuations/WZZM13 — “The Muskegon and Grand Rivers Finally Begin to Recede After Major Flooding”https://www.wzzm13.com/article/weather/river-levels-drop-after-record-flooding-for-some/69-5c97cd32-9ee3-4645-a361-6487afa11a93FOX 17 — “Record-Setting Flooding Expected Along Muskegon River”https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/michigan/newaygo/record-setting-flooding-expected-along-muskegon-riverBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.

At 6 AM on June 4, 1989, a wave the skipper estimated at sixty feet flipped the trimaran Rose-Noëlle upside down off New Zealand’s East Cape, trapping four men — a self-taught sailor sleeping aboard everything he owned, a builder on his first trip abroad, a young outdoorsman, and a cook who had never sailed — in an air pocket the width of a 54-inch mattress. Their distress beacon blinked for nine days into an empty sky, the search concentrated hundreds of miles away, and New Zealand’s Water Safety Council listed all four as drowned. For 119 days they rationed salvaged soft drink and slowly ripening kiwifruit, rigged a rainwater catchment, and speared fish drawn to the barnacle reef their own wreck was becoming, while unusual winds carried them in a wide loop back toward home. Then they washed ashore on Great Barrier Island, cleaned themselves up, and walked into a country whose investigators suspected a drug run. The evidence that finally backed up their story may be the strangest witness in survival history.Time Stamps: 00:00 Podcast Intro00:30 Calm Before Capsize02:20 Meet The Crew07:19 Storm Decisions10:08 Rogue Wave Hits12:34 Life Inside Hull13:55 Beacon Hope Fades16:37 Rescue System Failure18:19 Water Food Survival21:33 Tension And Psychology24:22 Drift Back To Land27:19 Suspicion And Proof33:04 Aftermath And Legacy35:47 Closing CreditsReferences: Nalepka, J., and Hellriegel, R., “South Pacific Adventure Turns Into a Nightmare”United Press International, “Castaway skipper dismisses skeptics,” October 3, 1989.United Press International, “Investigators question sailors’ account of shipwreck,” October 3, 1989. Phare, J., “Lost at sea: The Rose-Noelle story,” NZ Herald / Herald on Sunday (20th-anniversary feature, 2009; republished 2020). Glennie, J., with Phare, J., The Spirit of Rose-Noëlle: 119 Days Adrift, a Survival Story (Viking/Penguin NZ, 1990; US edition Fawcett Crest, 1992). Nalepka, J., with Callahan, S., Capsized: The True Story of Four Men Adrift for 119 Days (HarperCollins, 1993; revised edition 2013). Glennie, J., “119 days lost at sea,” Yachting & Boating World (ybw.com), 2015 “The Rose Noelle inquiry,” Te Ara — The Encyclopedia of New Zealand (video clip)Ministry of Transport (NZ), Marine Transport Division, Preliminary Inquiry into the Loss of the Trimaran Rose-Noëlle, November 1989 — “1989 — key events,” NZHistory (Ministry for Culture and Heritage) “The Rose Noelle: 25 years on, a wife’s true story,” New Zealand Woman’s Weekly (via Now To Love), 2014 Back From the Dead: The Saga of the Rose-Noëlle, dir. Mark Beesley, TVNZ, 1996 Wikipedia, “Rose-Noëlle” Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcastEmail us! [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/This episode includes AI-generated content.