Stay ConnectedThis is what adventure sounds like. Climb. Ski. Hike. Bike. Paddle. Run. Travel. Whatever your passion, we are all dirtbags. Fitz Cahall and the Duct Tape Then Beer team present stories about the dreamers, athletes and wanderers.
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Copyright: © Duct Tape Then Beer 2024
For Sierra Meggitt, trail running was a way to heal from the trauma of sexual assault. On her biggest run yet, she embraces both pain and beauty.
Colorado is a mountain biking mecca. Yet some mountain-town locals have never experienced the wonders of singletrack trails. Today, we travel to Dillon, Colorado where one cycling nonprofit helps a gregarious group of bilingual chicas oil their chains, clip their helmets, and become the first females in their families to shred some trails.
“I definitely did not want to become a businessman,” remembers Rod Johnson, founder of Midwest Mountaineering. In the 1960’s, no Minneapolis outdoor shop sold climbing gear. So, Rod set up an impromptu gear shop in his apartment kitchen. Now, after 51 years of business, Midwest Mountaineering has become the community hub for people who live in the flatlands, but chase their dreams in the mountains.
The Colorado River is supposed to be chocolatey brown, not a vibrant blue-green like it is just below the Glen Canyon Dam. Chris Kalman had written off spending any time in those unnatural, human-affected waters– until a friend towed him along for a paddle.
Quinn Brett has been an endurance athlete for most of her adult life. From first ascents in Patagonia and Greenland to running across Zion and the Grand Canyon, her life revolved around putting one foot in front of the other. Then, after a life-changing accident in 2017, Quinn needed to find a new way to move through big landscapes.
Inspired by a pitch from a listener, we rounded up the Dirtbag Diaries team to chat about the most ridiculous places we’ve ever slept.
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With dirt under her fingernails and sun on her cheeks, Emily Benington’s thru-hike of the PCT eased the mental health struggles she’d had in London. But when she returned to the city, her anxiety and depression came back worse than before. Instead of running back to the mountains, Emily found a new path to happiness.
Drive it until it dies. That’s the motto Fitz lived by as he crisscrossed the West in his truck, Crash. Family members would doubtfully ask, “Are you sure you want to drive there?” Friends asked about Crash’s well being as though he was an aging dog. Fitz said, “Though I knew the day was coming, I was still blindsided when the gears ground to a halt on my way to Yosemite. Could my belief in Crash transcend beyond the hulk of metal?”
This episode first aired in 2012.
Steven Walker has spent a lifetime canoeing and kayaking wild rivers throughout Canada. His idea of adventure consisted of a healthy dose of fear and first descents. In 2020, he had the opportunity to guide on Manitoba’s remote Bloodvein River. Steven usually thrives in remote conditions, but he quickly realized that guiding Rick Riewe, who had lost much of his mobility and speech to Parkinson’s disease, would present unique challenges and rewards.
Patrick Davison grew up on a bike, exploring his neighborhood with family and friends. But as he grew older, he began to forget the simple joy of seeing the world on two wheels. Years later, he rediscovers a lost love and finds a new love on the trails.
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