In 1995 travel writer Bill Bryson was living in the United States after residing in England for over twenty years and longed to reconnect with the country he once knew. Despite having little knowledge of hiking, camping, or the Great Outdoors he decided that an adventure on the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail would be the best way to reacquaint himself with America. Not to be outdone in the inexperience department, Bryson was joined by his friend Stephen Katz, an overweight, out of shape, mercurial college friend, who he hadn't spoken to in over a decade. A Walk in the Woods chronicles their diff ..read more

In 1996 author Jon Krakauer joined a Mount Everest expedition to document the recent commercialization of the world's highest peak. As an experienced alpinist, Krakauer understood the inherent dangers of climbing at extreme altitudes, but nothing could have prepared him for the events that unfolded on May 10-11, resulting in one of the deadliest days in the history of Everest.  Into Thin Air recounts the entire expedition in vivid detail from the recollection of those who survived and questions how money effects decision making in a high altitude life and death situation.Released in 1997 ..read more

Have you ever been lost in the woods? Did you immediately ball up in the fetal position and scream for help? Stephen King's, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon follows the story of Tricia McFarland, a nine year old girl who is lost in the woods with very few supplies and little water. Her only contact with the outside world is through her Walkman which is tuned into the Boston Red Sox and her favorite player, Tom Gordon. In this episode the Roamers debate fiction vs non-fiction, foraging for food, how hallucinations help with survival, and what they would listen to if they were only accompanied by ..read more

After a long fight on the front lines of the women's suffrage movement Edna Brush Perkins and her friend Charlotte Jordan needed a vacation so they did what anyone would do to unwind and traveled for a month in one of the most inhospitable places on earth- Death Valley. At the time it was unheard of for anyone to go to the Mojave Desert for a vacation let alone two cosmopolitan women.  The White Heart of Mojave poetically chronicles the story of the two trailblazing women's adventure across the desert. They experienced both awe and agony because the Mojave is a landscape unlike any other ..read more

The Roamers discuss Cheryl Strayed's book Wild which was adapted into the film of the same name staring Reese Witherspoon. In 1995 Strayed set out on the Pacific Crest Trail to traverse 1,100 miles of the California and Oregon wilderness on foot while escaping the life she left behind. Prior to embarking on her hike Strayed was stricken with suffering and grief after the death of her mother and the abandonment of her family. She began using heroin when her marriage fell apart and needed a dramatic change; that change came in the form of the PCT.  ..read more

Christine and Kyle read Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg which chronicles the time that Ghinsberg........got lost in the jungle. In 1981 he and three other backpackers tromped into the Amazon jungle of Bolivia hoping to make contact with a legendary indigenous village and strike it rich by finding a mother lode of gold. They were armed with a shot gun, machete and the hubris of youth, but things quickly turned from an adventure to survival when the group split up and divided their resources. Christine and Kyle discuss Yossi's miserable journey to safety, the pitfalls of the expedition, an ..read more

The book club revisits Jedediah Jenkins book, To Shake the Sleeping Self by talking to some long distance cyclists about what they're experiences on the road and what they've learned from being on the bike ..read more

For two years in the 1950's Edward Abbey worked as a park ranger in Arches National Park (then monument) spending most of his time alone, contemplating the desert environment, humans relationship to nature, and conspiracy theories! After it was published in 1968 Desert Solitaire became an influential piece of literature for the contemporary environmental movement of the 1970's. Christine and Kyle discuss some of Abbey's controversial takes, their experiences with the national parks and get deep as they gab about the end of human existence ..read more

As a follow up to Running the Amazon by Joe Kane, Christine interviewed her younger brother Seth Peterson who is a high skilled whitewater rafting and kyaking guide in the Pacific Northwest.  Check out Seth saving the day here:  ..read more

In 1986 a ragtag team of twelve explorers attempted to kayak the Amazon from source to sea. Their journey began 16,000 feet up in the Peruvian Andes and ended 4,200 miles away at the Atlantic Ocean. They faced death at every turn, running class 5+ rapids, grappling with drug runners, negotiating with guerrilla armies, and overcoming a mutiny.  For the author Joe Kane the trip was transformative. "So all I can say is this. For a while at least the Amazon sucked me out of my cocoon and my life has been the better for it. To anyone seriously considering a flying leap into the void I say, go ..read more