The Adventure North Podcast

2,200 miles and five and a half months. Jason "Pace Car" Moran covered every step of the Appalachian Trail in the summer of 2018 with one belief: he would not quit. Listen to Jason's incredible story of triumph and determination through nearly every physical and mental challenge imaginable. Despite the challenges, Jason's optimism for adventure and life back home are truly inspiring.

In Episode 11, Colton and Sean discuss another book that followed (generally) the route of "Canoeing With the Cree." In the most recently released rendition of the trip, "Canoeing With Jose," the story takes on a unique twist. Less about the adventure, and more about the character dynamics, the paddling duo includes a 30-something journalist and recent divorcee, and an inner city 20-year-old of Puerto Rican and Lakota decent. The latter, whose life was riddled with violence, had never been a...

Death on the Barrens chronicles the fascinating, ill-fated, and ultimately tragic canoe expedition of the Dupawnt River of far northern Canada in 1955. Heralded as a story to describe the ways NOT to do expedition canoeing, Colton and Sean discuss the well-intentioned, albeit disastrous decisions, along with the merits of the 6-man crew in one of the first Arctic voyages of its kind. Buckle up!

Growing up on the same Chaska, MN lake as Colton and Sean (and then eventually moving to northern Minnesota in her teens), Cheryl Strayed developed an early love and interest in the outdoors. That love however, did not manifest itself until the tragic and untimely death of her young mother, which eventually resulted in a failed marriage, drug addiction, and lost soul. Her path to finding that soul was the Pacific Crest Trail. Listen as Colton and Sean discuss the best-selling memoir, which...

Starting from his Minneapolis driveway three years ago, Paul Geving (Cricket) has biked 24,596 km, headed *generally* east, in his quest to circumnavigate Earth. Camping, staying with strangers, and immersing himself in the local cultures, Cricket's Tales are sure spark your next adventure idea! Listen to Episode 8 as college friends Sean and Cricket catch up and discuss Cricket's incredible adventures. (Photo Credit: Paul Geving)

Episode 7 covers perhaps the most extreme, albeit unintentional, "adventures" of the season. "438 Days" is the true story of a fisherman hitting a 16 day storm off the western coast of Mexico, and being pushed out to sea in his small boat with nothing but his First Mate and a fisherman's knowledge to sustain them. Listen as Sean and Colton discuss the harrowing journey that spanned over 6000 miles and lasted 14 months.

"Annapurna - A Woman's Place" is the incredible story of 13 women who, in 1978, when women and climbing were rarely mentioned in the same sentence, proved the doubters wrong by being the first American team to summit the 26,545 ft peak. Despite their successful summit, two members of the team tragically perished, and some members of the climbing community (and Americans in general) challenged their claims of "success." Listen to Sean and Colton discuss the book, dissect the climbing culture...

Continue on Dan's Mississippi paddleboard adventure from last week! We left off with Dan about to tell us about his St. Louis experience, and be sure to catch his run-in with a stolen paddleboard, wild boars infesting his campsite, and more stories from the river. Be sure to tune in next week for our story of the first all-woman Himalayan mountain climbing expedition!

Dan Lee of Mankato, MN set out to paddleboard the Mississippi River in the late summer and fall of 2017. Along the way he found companionship, loneliness, distress, and joy... sometimes all at once. The Adventure North Podcast crew made the trip down to Bent River Outfitter in Mankato to interview Dan, and what a story he has to tell! Listen to the trio talk candidly about the nature of long-distance adventures, the differences and similarities between paddleboarding and canoeing, and the...

Season 2 Episode 3 features another popular book, though quite different from the first two of the season. "A Walk in the Woods," by Bill Bryson, chronicles the author's attempted hike along the 2200 mile Appalachian Trail. Humorous and informative, Bryson creates (at least in Colton and Sean's eyes) a new version of success along his journey. Listen to the duo breakdown the book and trip, go on a few semi-related tangents, and preview next week's episode!

S2E2 of the Adventure North Podcast discusses an ultimate adventure, chronicled by the best selling book, "Into The Wild." A true story of Chris McCandless, "Into The Wild" follows a college graduate who donated his life savings to charity, ditched his vehicle in Arizona, and traveled the western US for two years, living off of little to no income. The story culminates (and begins) with the tragic death of McCandless, found by hunters in a bus along the remote Stampede Trail in Alaska....

The Season 2 premier of Adventure North Podcast introduces the concept for the new season: Adventure Stories. Episode 1 dives into a review of the ultimate adventure story... the one that started it all, "Canoeing with the Cree." Additionally, Sean claims he is never coming out of retirement, and Colton downplays the difficulties of climbing Mount Everest. ANP Season 2 will cover a wide variety of adventure stories from around North America and the world. Intro and Outro music performed by...

Episode 55 features a guest who completed her own canoe journey from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay. Natalie Warren and her friend, Ann Raiho, left in June of 2011, two days after their graduation from St. Olaf College. They are the first and only known women to complete the trek. Learn about their experiences before, during, and after the trip, and keep an eye out for their book in the coming years!

Equipment Part II picks up with further discussion of packs and the variety of maps used along the route. Finally, the motor (paddles) and vessel (canoes) are discussed in detail, with further explanation of the difference between the Bell North Bay and Bell Alaskan, each used for half of the route.

Bonus Episode for the gear enthusiasts! A variety of equipment questions came in throughout the first 50 episodes of The Adventure North Podcast. Here are your answers! As it turns out, there is a lot to talk about, so you get two episodes to hear about what was packed, why they packed it, and the technical aspects of Colton and Sean's equipment on the Hudson Bay canoe trip.

"Aftermath" discusses rescue from the barren tundra, the long return journey home, and re-entry back into civilization. The paddling pair also reflect on the adventure as a whole, and discuss the future of The Adventure North Podcast.

Without further delay, Day 49! Pardon the wait(equipment was stolen) but it is only fitting that the episode documenting the final paddling day of the Hudson Bay Trip fought back. Fitting in that as Sean and Colton neared the bay, angry beasts of the northern reaches reared their ugly heads. Both the Hayes River and North Atlantic Ocean fought fiercely, threatening one last time to force defeat amidst eminent victory. Our Interactive Map:...

Day 49 will unfortunately have to be postponed due to a robbery and technical difficulties in the Turks and Caicos islands. Stay tuned, and we apologize for the delay!

The desolate tundra of the lower Hayes River was taking a toll. Never have the pair wanted to quit something so terribly. The first fifteen minutes of Day 48 were spent hoping and praying for their hands to go numb, just so they wouldn't feel the pain of the gripping cold any longer. After passing the God's River confluence, they were officially in polar bear country, and every inch closer to the Bay put them more in danger. It was the loneliest place on the planet. They were paddling on the...

Day 47 began with high spirits and expectations, but after several wildlife encounters (including a souvenir for Colton), a trip into the tundra changed everything.