Listen to “No Big Deal” Dirtbag Diaries Podcast Episode

The Dirtbag Diaries / July 3, 2007 / Community, Culture

Nobigdealtitle Fitz Cahall brings us another wonderful tale for the virtual campfire today. In a sea of podcasts the Dirtbag Diaries is a rare species, one of the few honest and inspiring options for outdoor enthusiasts. Please help spread the word by turning on your friends and family to this unique podcast. And now, Episode 7, No Big Deal:

In 1996, photographer John Burcham and three friends completed the first foot traverse of the 650-mile long Alaska Range. Together, they forded streams, chased off curious grizzlies and crossed crevassed glaciers. After 75 days, they had become a single unit. After delays mounted, Burcham decided to leave the group at the very end of the trip in order to make it to his sister’s wedding. They said goodbye and parted ways. He was alone in the continent’s last great wilderness with a sobering realization — crevasses, hungry wildlife and hypothermia can kill you, but loneliness can drive you crazy.

Listen to the MP3:
Episode 7 – No Big Deal (right-click to download)

Or watch the enhanced version with photos from John Burcham. Here’s Part 1:

Watch parts two and three of the enhanced version after the jump…

No Big Deal – Part 2

No Big Deal – Part 3

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The Dirtbag Diaries

The campfire tale—it’s ubiquitous in mountain culture. As long as we’ve climbed, skied, boated or traveled, we’ve been telling stories. In March of 2007, Fitz Cahall launched The Dirtbag Diaries, a grassroots podcast dedicated to the sometimes serious, often humorous stories from wild places. What began as a solitary experiment has evolved into a collaboration between writers, photographers, artists and listeners to produce the types of stories that rarely find homes in the glossy pages of magazines.