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  • He Survived 40 Hours on a 12‑Foot Ledge - How He Lived

    He Survived 40 Hours on a 12‑Foot Ledge - How He Lived
    2026/11/04
    He Survived 40 Hours on a 12‑Foot Ledge - How He Lived

    Wind became both trap and lifeline: a rotor collapsed Duane Duncan’s wing and dragged him onto a 400‑foot basalt shelf separated from the rim by a 12‑foot gap, where he spent forty hours with a broken left ankle and less than two liters of water. How did a structural engineer turn survival calculations, improvised splints and a bivy into enough time to outlast shifting weather and a search that never knew where to look?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline of what happened from launch to rescue and detail the exact gear, injuries and timing that defined his chances - and the momentary decisions that extended them. What combinations of preparation, equipment and improvisation kept him alive long enough for the wind that nearly killed him to also become his saving factor?

    Person: Duane Duncan
    Age: 52
    Location: Caldera Rim Recreation Area, south‑central Oregon
    Injury: displaced lateral malleolus fracture (left ankle)
    Time on ledge: 40 hours

    - Launch time recorded at 2:47 PM on Monday, February 4, 2019.
    - Wing failure occurred at approximately 3:00 PM after a sudden wind shift recorded by an automated sensor.
    - He cleared the basalt lip by an estimated six feet before impacting the Anvil at about 3:17 PM.
    - Carried a two‑liter water bladder three‑quarters full (approx. 1.5 liters) and estimated roughly 18 hours of hydration margin.
    - Had bivy sack, headlamp, lighter, foil emergency blanket, and used two tenting stakes and harness strips to create ankle splints.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • Cut Line at Forty Meters: How Rhonda Crawled Back Alive

    Cut Line at Forty Meters: How Rhonda Crawled Back Alive
    2026/11/03
    Cut Line at Forty Meters: How Rhonda Crawled Back Alive

    A diver surfaced alone forty meters underwater, four nautical miles from shore, with her tether cut clean through and a propeller crossing the surface above - how did she survive sixteen hours with no fins, no float, and a blood oxygen reading later described as incompatible with that duration of submersion? What exactly happened between the wake that swallowed her and the fisherman who found her crawling ashore?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the cut line at 13:30 on January 8, 2019 through the separate rescue, search, and medical threads that only converged at 05:45 the next morning, and we ask whether rehearsal, physiology, or something else explains Rhonda Fitzgerald's survival.

    Person: Rhonda Fitzgerald
    Date: January 8, 2019
    Location: Four nautical miles off Punta Brava, Baja California coast
    Status: Found alive at 05:45 next morning by a fisherman
    Medical measurement: Blood oxygen recorded at Centro Médico San Telmo as incompatible with reported submersion duration

    - Rhonda surfaced at 13:30 after a freedive to forty meters and the line to the surface was cut clean through.
    - She was without fins, without the dive float, and without a GPS when she surfaced and lost contact with the boat.
    - Water temperature was 63 degrees Fahrenheit and Rhonda wore a three-millimeter shorty wetsuit.
    - Marco Ibarra entered the water within ninety seconds of the line going slack and had run more than two hundred joint dives with Rhonda over eleven years.
    - A coiled orange rope was left on an inaccessible rock ledge that investigators could not explain.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The Jacket in the Spruce: Why He Came Back Alive and Alone

    The Jacket in the Spruce: Why He Came Back Alive and Alone
    2026/11/02
    The Jacket in the Spruce: Why He Came Back Alive and Alone

    The first sign was a bright orange jacket seven feet up a spruce, sleeves outstretched, a single wool sock tied below it, and two ski poles pressed upright in the snow - all found where no one expected them. Clifford Wallace had already been found alive the day before; who had climbed a tree in negative thirty-four degree cold with a leg that barely held weight and left that tableau for someone to find?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the missing-person call through the early search: the empty pickup, the untouched touring skis, the team sweeps, and the final discovery in the river corridor. What choices and hardships created the scene in the spruce, and what does it reveal about survival on the Kettrick River?

    Person: Clifford Wallace
    Date: December 5-9, 2019
    Location: Kettrick River corridor, near Larkin Falls
    Temperature: down to -34 °F (-34 degrees Fahrenheit)
    Search resources: 12 volunteers and a state helicopter aerial sweep

    - Clifford was 28 years old and worked as a calibration technician in Dunbar.
    - He left home in ski gear and the roommate reported one pair of backcountry mountain skis missing from the basement rack.
    - Clifford’s green pickup remained in Evelyn Wallace’s driveway and the touring skis in the rack were untouched.
    - Deputies delayed a formal missing-person report after 24 hours following standard protocol; Evelyn had called the sheriff at 8:00 PM on December 5.
    - Denise Bishop found the jacket, sock, and two ski poles on the east bank of the Kettrick River on the morning of Monday, December 9, 2019.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    16 分
  • The Wool Blanket That Saved Her: 8 Days Alone on Ember Spine

    The Wool Blanket That Saved Her: 8 Days Alone on Ember Spine
    2026/11/01
    The Wool Blanket That Saved Her: 8 Days Alone on Ember Spine

    Her life hung on one improvisation: a wool blanket laid flat on a catwalk four thousand three hundred feet above sea level, its corners weighted with granite - bone dry in a landscape turned to ash. With the landline severed and no radio or cell service, that blanket became the only visible sign that someone was still alive - but who would see it, and why did that simple choice work when everything else failed?

    In this episode, we tell what happened on the Ember Spine between November 3 and November 11, 2019, what Erin Lane did to survive, and how a single wool blanket directed a rescue helicopter - could the signals she tried have been enough to save her sooner?

    Person: Erin Lane
    Date: November 3-11, 2019
    Location: Station Twelve-High, Ember Spine, Kessler County
    Status: Survived after 8 days alone
    Equipment: 12x12-foot steel cab, landline phone, Osborne Fire Finder, wool blanket

    - The landline call from dispatch to Station Twelve-High occurred at 8:47 AM on November 3, 2019, but the line was already dead.
    - The fire crossed the mandatory evacuation threshold at 8:15 AM and crossed the saddle below the ridge by 11:53 AM the same day.
    - The fire passed the tower itself in roughly 18 minutes, and the outdoor thermometer read 120°F before failing.
    - Erin's green field logbook totaled 61 pages; entries switched from pen to pencil after the pen froze on November 4.
    - Her on-hand supplies on the morning after the fire: approximately nine days of food and about four days of water if rationed to roughly one liter per day.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • Left the Lifejacket-23 Hours Alone in 22°F Wilderness

    Left the Lifejacket-23 Hours Alone in 22°F Wilderness
    2026/10/31
    Left the Lifejacket-23 Hours Alone in 22°F Wilderness

    Cold moved faster than planning: a neon-orange life jacket sat bone dry fifteen feet above a thirty-nine-degree river, and a paddler who knew those numbers disappeared for twenty-two hours while the ridge fell to twenty-two degrees. How did a seasoned kayaker who logged temperatures and marked an asterisk decide to launch alone-and what choices kept him alive through a full night in freezing air?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from a morning checkpoint to a lone launch, the rapid that flipped him, and the choices he made as his hands failed and core temperature kept falling. What did he do after the second time he dropped his paddle that bought him nearly a day?

    Person: Brian Walsh
    Date: October 3-4
    Location: Heron Run, Millstone rapid
    Water temperature: 39°F
    Ridge temperature overnight: 22°F

    - At 7:42 AM on October 4, Connie Kowalski found a neon-orange life jacket wedged 15 feet above the waterline on an exposed root ball.
    - Brian noted river temperature 39°F in his green notebook the afternoon before his solo run and marked it with an asterisk.
    - Joel Abrams cancelled on October 2; Brian launched alone at 7:15 AM on October 3 in Joel’s red nine-foot creek boat.
    - Brian went over the left side of the Class 4 Millstone rapid around midday and was in the water for approximately 3-4 minutes.
    - Useful hand function in 39°F water lasts 8-15 minutes; Brian dropped his paddle twice, indicating rapid hand failure.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • She Planned to Vanish: Surviving Nine Days on a Broken Leg

    She Planned to Vanish: Surviving Nine Days on a Broken Leg
    2026/10/30
    She Planned to Vanish: Surviving Nine Days on a Broken Leg

    Adrenaline and calculation collided in the mountains above Vantage County: a single size eight running shoe was found eleven miles from the nearest trail, deliberately placed on a granite shelf. A thirty-eight-year-old structural engineer and six-year ultramarathon veteran disappeared during a race and survived nine days on a broken leg with only two energy gels and a foil blanket-how much of her disappearance was planned in advance?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline of Jennifer Draper’s disappearance, the slow-building clues in her training records and online activity, and the search that uncovered a prepared route into unmapped alpine terrain. What was she trying to find in that hidden meadow, and why did she leave a shoe eleven miles from the trail?

    Person: Jennifer Draper
    Age: 38
    Location: Vantage County, Idaho
    Event: Ultrarun disappearance and nine-day survival
    Date: September 7-16

    - A single light gray and orange size eight running shoe was placed on a granite shelf eleven miles from the nearest trail.
    - Jennifer had six years of ultramarathon racing, eleven races, and zero prior medical incidents.
    - In July, she found an unmapped three-acre meadow with a small tarn at approximately 9,200 feet and photographed unknown wildflowers.
    - A forum account (vantage_ridge_hiker) posted route photos on August 31 and was accessed from Jennifer’s home IP four times between August 31 and September 6.
    - Timing data shows a 42-second-per-mile surge between miles 20 and 22 on September 7 before she disappeared.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • Left Crampon, East Ridge: How Marcia Survived Four Days Alone

    Left Crampon, East Ridge: How Marcia Survived Four Days Alone
    2026/10/29
    Left Crampon, East Ridge: How Marcia Survived Four Days Alone

    Danger sits in plain sight: a single left-foot crampon, toe uphill and dried blood on the heel, left on a locked cabin mat 22 road miles from the vehicle-an arranged message that turned a routine search into a life-or-death puzzle. How did a sixty-one-year-old climber with four decades of experience vanish from the Corrigan Face route and leave that one deliberate clue?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries that stretched from a Tuesday morning delivery to a late-night map session, tracing the decisions, terrain, and small medical detail that pointed searchers off the standard descent. What route links a truck at the Corrigan Face trailhead to a crampon on the far side of the massif, and could one pre-existing injury explain the detour?

    Person: Marcia York
    Age: 61
    Location: Corrigan Face / Garnet Peak massif
    Date: August 2014
    Searchers: 8 plus helicopter

    - A left-foot crampon with dried blood was found centered on a cabin welcome mat on a Tuesday morning.
    - The cabin had been padlocked since the previous October and was at least two miles from any person.
    - Marcia’s truck was at the Corrigan Face trailhead, 22 road miles from the cabin where the crampon was found.
    - Deputies identified Marcia by name by two in the afternoon the same day the crampon was found.
    - Marcia had taped a handwritten note saying she expected to be back by Sunday; by Tuesday she had been missing five days.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    16 分
  • The Boot That Shouldn't Stand: One Man Back, Three Lost at Sea

    The Boot That Shouldn't Stand: One Man Back, Three Lost at Sea
    2026/10/28
    The Boot That Shouldn't Stand: One Man Back, Three Lost at Sea

    A single size eleven boot, standing upright and dry inside, crusted with salt and fish scales and tied with orange paracord - found in a ditch twenty miles from a catastrophic shipwreck - became the image that haunted a six-week search. What could make a boot stand like that after a night when four men launched from Halverson Bay and only one would ever return?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Doris Marie’s departure on July 15 to the morning the boot was found on July 19, covering the crew, the critical equipment failure, and the early search decisions that shaped what happened next. How did a routine maintenance note and a single radio call lead to three men lost at sea and a boot that refused to make sense?

    Person: Albert Greer
    Date: July 15, 2011
    Location: Halverson Bay
    Event: Through-hull fitting failure and sinking
    Case: Doris Marie lost at sea

    - The boot discovered by a road grader operator at 6:42 AM on July 19 was size eleven, standing upright and dry inside.
    - The Doris Marie left Halverson Bay on the morning of July 15 and was expected back on July 17; it never returned.
    - The through-hull fitting began pouring water at 8:30 PM on July 16 and failed completely by 8:50 PM.
    - Captain Greer made a single radio transmission at 9:14 PM lasting eleven seconds: "Doris Marie. Taking water."
    - The last automatic GPS ping from the Doris Marie was at 8:47 PM, twenty-six miles west-northwest of Halverson Bay.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分