The Crux True Survival Stories

The Crux True Survival Stories
  • 4.0 (588)
  • Documentary
  • Updated Weekly

Are you drawn to thrilling survival stories where characters overcome impossible odds? The Crux: True Survival Stories is your podcast. Join us for gripping tales of resilience and invaluable insights into wilderness survival and the mindset needed to overcome adversity. Hosted by two practicing physician assistants, Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen, both passionate about wilderness and medicine. Our podcast is fueled by real-life stories and the pivotal moments that determine life or death outcomes. Tune in for captivating narratives that entertain and educate. Airing every Monday! Our bonus "Disaster Strikes" series episodes air every other Thursday.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.

  1. Sep 10

    3 Hours in the Heat: The Ultramarathoner Who Vanished in Plain Sight | Disaster Strikes E263

    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 Strikes 00:42 Heatwave Run Begins 02:26 Who Was Philip Kreycik 03:35 GPS Shows Trouble 05:25 Wrong Turn Off Trail 06:17 Heat Illness Explained 09:06 Minutes to Heatstroke 10:56 Smartwatch Timeline 13:06 Massive Search Effort 15:14 Found After Four Weeks 17:13 Family Reflections 17:51 Lessons and Takeaways 18:57 Why Heat Sneaks Up 20:48 Closing and Tribute KEY REFERENCES Pleasanton 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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ This episode includes AI-generated content.

    3 Hours in the Heat: The Ultramarathoner Who Vanished in Plain Sight | Disaster Strikes E263

  2. Sep 7

    15-Year-Old Alone on Kit Carson Peak: A 200-Foot Fall | E262

    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 Couloir 02:47 — The 15-Year-Old Behind the Rescue 05:21 — Climbing Toward Challenger Point 09:10 — Route Finding on Kit Carson Peak 11:44 — Crossing the Mountains Without a Trail 13:39 — When Google Maps Meets the Backcountry 15:01 — Inside the Outward Bound Couloir 18:03 — The Backpack Slides—and He Goes After It 22:16 — Injured at 13,000 Feet: Calling 911 23:22 — Search and Rescue Heads Into the Mountains 26:00 — The 200-Foot Technical Lower 28:02 — What He Did Right—and What We Can Learn 34:35 — Closing Thoughts Primary incident reporting Alamosa 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 references 14ers.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 information 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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ This episode includes AI-generated content.

    15-Year-Old Alone on Kit Carson Peak: A 200-Foot Fall | E262

  3. Aug 31

    Lost in the Outback for 43 Days: The Man Who Didn't Want to be Found | E261

    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 Setup 00:30 Mud Water In The Desert 02:22 Abandoned Bike Mystery 03:18 No One Knew The Plan 06:36 Spiritual Quest Revealed 07:34 Search Begins With Trackers 09:27 Media Frenzy And Survival Math 10:28 Search Called Off Parents React 11:57 Gunslinger Arrives Private Team 15:06 Fresh Tracks And Desert Ordeal 18:52 Help Sign And Found Alive 21:49 News Crew Rescue Controversy 25:10 Hospital Risks Refeeding 27:22 Costs Rumors And Apology 30:04 Gunslinger Exposed As Fraud 33:27 The Tracker Story And Apology 35:26 Final Reflections And Outro REFERENCES Parke, 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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ This episode includes AI-generated content.

    Lost in the Outback for 43 Days: The Man Who Didn't Want to be Found | E261

  4. Aug 27

    The 1967 Denali Disaster: 7 Climbers Trapped Above 19,000 Feet | Disaster Strikes E 260

    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 Intro 00:48 Lost Above 19,000 Feet 02:12 A Team That Was Never Supposed to Exist 05:02 The Long Approach to Denali 08:04 A Storm Begins to Form 10:05 Two Summit Teams 12:07 A Dangerous Decision 14:35 The Last Radio Call 17:08 Waiting Out the Storm 20:18 The Search Begins 22:05 What Really Happened? 25:40 Lessons That Changed Denali Forever 28:20 Legacy of the Seven References — 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-Mountain 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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ This episode includes AI-generated content.

    The 1967 Denali Disaster: 7 Climbers Trapped Above 19,000 Feet | Disaster Strikes E 260

  5. Aug 24

    A Four-Hour Float, Three Days Lost | E 259

    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 Road 00:30 Lost Surprisingly Close to Civilization 01:18 A Four-Hour Float on the Muskegon 02:16 The Flood That Changed the River 3:45 When Low Water Becomes Dangerous 05:06 A Spur-of-the-Moment River Trip 07:17 The Two-Minute Plan They Didn't Have 09:00 Everything Changes at a Log Jam 09:47 The Decision That Changed the Search 11:39 Why We Keep Moving When We're Lost 16:19 Three Days No One Can Account For 17:33 What They Were Up Against 19:52 When the Water Runs Out 22:19 What You'd Want in Your Survival Kit 23:24 Bark, Ants and the Question of Food 25:35 A Smashed Window Sends a Bad Signal 26:51 The Search Explodes 28:07 Drones, Dogs and a Forest They Can't See 29:23 The Problem With Finding Their Tubes 30:16 Why Lost People Walk in Circles 32:43 Three Days Barefoot 33:34 One Detail Doesn't Make Sense 37:49 Following a Trail Through the Green Wall 40:16 “Command, We Got Visuals” 43:03 What Could Have Prevented All of This 45:20 The Clue That Changed Everything References WWMT — “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-river 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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ This episode includes AI-generated content.

    A Four-Hour Float, Three Days Lost | E 259

  6. Aug 17

    119 Days Upside Down; Trapped Inside the Capsized Rose-Noëlle | E258

    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 Intro 00:30 Calm Before Capsize 02:20 Meet The Crew 07:19 Storm Decisions 10:08 Rogue Wave Hits 12:34 Life Inside Hull 13:55 Beacon Hope Fades 16:37 Rescue System Failure 18:19 Water Food Survival 21:33 Tension And Psychology 24:22 Drift Back To Land 27:19 Suspicion And Proof 33:04 Aftermath And Legacy 35:47 Closing Credits References:  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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ This episode includes AI-generated content.

    119 Days Upside Down; Trapped Inside the Capsized Rose-Noëlle | E258

  7. Aug 13

    Forbidden Island, Certain Death: He Swam to Shore Anyway | Disaster Strikes

    John Allen Chau spent years preparing for one mission: reach the Sentinelese — the world's most isolated tribe, on an island India has forbidden outsiders from entering since 1956 — and share the Christian gospel with them. He trained as a missionary, learned linguistics, made four prep trips to the Andaman Islands, and bribed local fishermen to ferry him close enough to kayak the rest of the way. Over three days, he approached the island multiple times — was shot at, fled, and came back. His 13-page journal, handed to the fishermen before his final swim to shore, documents every encounter in his own words. What happened after he walked up that beach, nobody knows — and nobody ever will. 00:00 Welcome to Disaster Strikes 00:45 A Forbidden Shore 02:29 Why This Story Matters 03:19 North Sentinel Island 09:00 Isolation and Disease Risk 11:24 Who Are the Sentinelese 14:50 John Chau Background 18:14 Mission Planning and Motives 21:05 First Contact Attempts 23:46 Final Swim and Unknowns 25:54 Aftermath and Polarized Reactions 27:42 Legal Fallout and Reflections 29:56 A Modern Parallel Case 31:49 2025 Danger Tourist 32:55 Closing Thoughts and Outro Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ Key references- John Allen Chau personal journal, 13 pages, November 2018 — shared with The Washington Postby Lynda Adams-ChauDependra Pathak, Director General of Police, Andaman and Nicobar Islands — official press release, November 21, 2018The Washington Post— Joanna Slater and Niha Masih, November–December 2018Outside Magazine— "The Last Days of John Allen Chau," Daniel Grushkin, January 2026Smithsonian Magazine— "Inside the Story of John Allen Chau's Ill-Fated Trip to a Remote Island," December 2018Time Magazine— "Journal Reveals Last Days of Man Killed By Isolated Tribe," November 2018CNN— "North Sentinel Island: US missionary's diary reveals last days," November 2018ABC News— "John Allen Chau detailed efforts to convert islanders," November 2018Slate— "Why missionary John Allen Chau's death is so unsettling to Christians," December 2018The Guardian / The Observer— Patrick Chau interview, February 2019National Geographic— "Meet the first woman to contact the Sentinelese"Survival International — statements on Sentinelese disease vulnerability, November–December 2018Nature(Humanities and Social Sciences Communications) — "Sentinelese contacts: anthropologically revisiting…," November 2024Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956 — Government of IndiaWikipedia — "John Allen Chau" (citing Outside, Washington Post, Indian police records) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. 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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    Forbidden Island, Certain Death: He Swam to Shore Anyway | Disaster Strikes

  8. Aug 10

    15 Hours in a Crevasse: The Denali Rescue That Shouldn't Have Worked

    Trauma surgeon Martin Takac came to Alaska to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America. He reached the summit. The hardest part, it seemed, was behind him. Then, on the descent, the ground disappeared. A hidden snow bridge collapsed beneath Martin, dropping him deep into a crevasse on the Kahiltna Glacier. He survived the fall—but his body became wedged so tightly inside the narrowing walls of blue ice that rescuers couldn't simply pull him back out. What followed was an extraordinary 15-hour crevasse rescue involving Denali guides, National Park Service mountaineering rangers, volunteers, a helicopter pilot, and eventually a piece of equipment no one would normally expect to see on a glacier. Meanwhile, Martin was trapped almost completely motionless as the cold slowly pushed his body into profound hypothermia. In this episode of The Crux: True Survival Stories, we follow the rescue hour by hour and explore hidden crevasses, snow bridges, glacier travel, severe hypothermia, and the decisions that can separate an ordinary descent from a fight for survival. 00:00 — Podcast Cold Open 00:28 — Trapped in Blue Ice 01:43 — Meet Martin Takac 02:46 — Finding the Edge 04:32 — How Far Can You Go? 06:24 — The Seven Summits 07:47 — Why Denali Is Different 09:44 — The Descent 10:22 — A Calculated Risk 11:48 — One Last Decision 12:51 — What Lies Beneath the Glacier 14:12 — One Careful Step 16:51 — A Man Disappears 18:23 — The Rope Won’t Move 19:33 — The Trap Inside the Crevasse 19:57 — Sixty Feet Down 21:35 — The Rescue Begins 22:34 — The Cold Takes Over 24:58 — Into the Blue 26:39 — Running Out of Options 29:31 — The Perfect Disguise 31:47 — Time Becomes the Enemy 33:17 — One Last Idea 34:57 — Back Into the Light 35:55 — How Is He Still Alive? 39:06 — What the Glacier Left Behind References National Park Service. “Two Climbers Rescued from the Kahiltna Glacier.” June 5, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/dena/two-climbers-rescued-from-the-kahiltna-glacier.htm Anchorage Daily News. “Inside the Dramatic, 14-Hour Rescue That Freed a Climber From a Deep Crevasse on Denali.” June 6, 2017. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/06/06/the-story-behind-the-dramatic-14-hour-rescue-that-freed-a-slovakian-climber-from-a-deep-crevasse-on-denali/ Anchorage Daily News. “Denali Climber Who Survived 15 Hours in Crevasse Says He Is Grateful for a New Life.” June 20, 2017. https://www.adn.com/opinions/2017/06/20/denali-climber-who-survived-15-hours-in-crevasse-says-he-is-grateful-for-a-new-life/ CBS News / Associated Press. “High Drama: 15-Hour Rescue From North America’s Tallest Mountain, Alaska’s Denali.” June 7, 2017. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/15-hour-rescue-north-americas-tallest-mountain-alaskas-denali/ CBC News. “‘Not for the Claustrophobic’: Climber Falls Down Narrow Crevasse on Alaskan Glacier, Rescuers Chip Him Out.” June 8, 2017. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/denali-crevasse-climber-rescue-alaska-1.4149936 Mountain Trip. “June 2 West Buttress Team — Guides Perform Crevasse Rescue on Unroped, Private Climber.” June 6, 2017. https://mountaintrip.com/trip-reports/new-audio-recording-396/ Unofficial Networks. “Colorado Guides Receive National Bravery Award for Saving Climber’s Life on Denali.” September 16, 2022. https://unofficialnetworks.com/2022/09/16/mountain-trip-bravery-award-denali/ WesternSlopeNow (KREX). “Colorado Guides Recognized for Saving Climber’s Life.” September 2022. https://www.westernslopenow.com/news/colorado-guides-recognized-for-saving-climbers-life/ Noviny.sk (TV JOJ). “Aljaska: Slovenský Horolezec Spadol do Úzkej Trhliny v Ľade.” June 7, 2017. https://www.noviny.sk/zahranicie/229582-aljaska-slovensky-horolezec-spadol-do-uzkej-trhliny-v-lade U.S. Geological Survey. “Geology of Denali National Park and Preserve.” https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-denali-national-park-and-preserve Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. 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/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    15 Hours in a Crevasse: The Denali Rescue That Shouldn't Have Worked
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4
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About

Are you drawn to thrilling survival stories where characters overcome impossible odds? The Crux: True Survival Stories is your podcast. Join us for gripping tales of resilience and invaluable insights into wilderness survival and the mindset needed to overcome adversity. Hosted by two practicing physician assistants, Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen, both passionate about wilderness and medicine. Our podcast is fueled by real-life stories and the pivotal moments that determine life or death outcomes. Tune in for captivating narratives that entertain and educate. Airing every Monday! Our bonus "Disaster Strikes" series episodes air every other Thursday.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-crux-true-survival-stories--7265181/support.

Information

  • Creator
    The Crux True Survival Stories
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    262
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Julie Henningsen
  • Show Website
    The Crux True Survival Stories