Off the Trails
So many of us venture into nature seeking serenity, solitude and adventure, but some unlucky ones find misfortune instead. We're here to share these stories. Grab your pack and join us as we go off the trails. Join Danielle and Maegan each week for stories of mystery and misadventure in the great outdoors.Presented by Unknown Media
Episodes
126: Sunday Scary - Haunted Hikes
Some trails are just trails, a good workout, fresh air, a chance to clear your head, and maybe a nice view. And then there are the other ones. The ones that feel… different. Maybe it’s the way the trees seem to close in around you. Or how …
125: Flight 571 - The Price of Survival
It should have been a quick flight, just a few hours across the Andes Mountains from Uruguay to Chile. Onboard were members of a rugby team, and many of their friends, and family. Spirits were high, the mood light. But as they crossed into …
124: The Yosemite Mystery - Jeanne Hesselschwert’s Final Hike
Today, we’re heading deep into Yosemite National Park- a place known for its stunning granite cliffs, towering waterfalls, and wild, untouched beauty. But even in a place so breathtaking, things can go wrong fast. This is the story of Jeann…
123: Sunday Scary - Dark and Forbidden Destinations
Some places create a feeling as soon you step into them. It’s not just the air or the silence, it’s something heavier, like the land is holding something dark. Today, we’re traveling to a few of those places.A forest at the base of Mount Fu…
122: Mystery of the Sarah Joe
In February of 1979 five friends set off in a small fishing boat. The men smiling, laughing, heading out for just another day on the water off the coast of Maui. But no one would return. This is the mystery of the Sarah Joe.Sources -Wikiped…
121: Sunday Scary - Dark Trails
Sometimes the scariest moments outdoors aren’t about what you see - they’re about what you feel. Today, we’re hearing stories from listeners who’ve crossed paths with the unexplainable, from phantom voices to haunted trails to places that s…
120: Vanished at Crater Lake
Crater Lake–impossibly blue, ancient, and eerily still. It’s a place born from fire, shaped by collapse, and steeped in legend. But in the fall of 2006, this sacred landscape became the backdrop for one of Oregon’s most heartbreaking myster…
119: Sunday Scary - Ghost Ships
The ocean has always been a place of mystery. It gives and it takes, and sometimes, it keeps its secrets. Every so often, a ship is found drifting across open water- its sails torn, the wheel unmanned, meals still sitting on the table- yet …
118: The Selway-Bitterroot Mystery - The Disappearance of Connie Johnson
In the fall of 2018, deep in the Idaho wilderness, a seasoned outdoorswoman vanished from a remote hunting camp. Connie Johnson had decades of backcountry experience. For her, the wilderness wasn’t just a place to visit- it was her life. Bu…
117: Stranded in the Solomon Sea
Imagine setting out on what should have been a routine dive- clear skies, calm seas, everything going exactly to plan. But within hours, you’re stranded twenty miles from shore, drifting further into the vast Pacific Ocean with nothing but …
116: SPECIAL EPISODE w/ Outside She Goes: Missing Women in the Wild
This week, we’re bringing you a special collaboration with Outside She Goes. Together, we’re diving into four haunting cases of women who vanished in the wild. From the rugged mountains of Colorado and California, to the unforgiving trails …
115: Trail Mix - Dogs to the Rescue
Survival can come in a lot of forms. Sometimes it’s sheer willpower. Sometimes it’s faith. Sometimes it’s a stroke of luck. But in some survival stories, the reason people make it home safe isn’t any of those things—it’s their dog. In today…
114: Trail Mix - Tragedies in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park. Known as the Crown of the Continent, it’s one of the most stunning—and rugged—landscapes in North America. With jagged peaks, alpine lakes, hidden glaciers, and winding trails that take you deep into the wilderness, i…
113: Death - Jerika Binks
American Fork Canyon is beautiful with quiet trails, mountain views, and fresh air. But in 2018, it was also the location of a mystery that lasted more than a year after Jerika Binks went for a morning run and never returned.SourcesRunners …
112: Disappearance - Chelsea Grimm
In 2023, Chelsea Grimm vanished on a road trip through northern Arizona. Strange sightings, abandoned belongings, and cryptic messages hint at a story no one fully understands. Where was she heading—and what really happened along the way?Su…
111: Trail Mix - Disappearances in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is famous for its granite cliffs, thundering waterfalls, and breathtaking valleys, but over the years, more than 30 people have vanished here without explanation. Today we’ll share the stories of a few who went into t…
110: Survival - Danelle Ballengee
She had climbed every 14er in Colorado in just over two weeks, conquered some of the most grueling multi-day adventure races in the world, and pushed her body beyond what most would consider humanly possible. But in December of 2006, it was…
109: Trail Mix - Surviving the Outback
The Australian outback doesn’t often give second chances. Enduring weeks in the wilderness easily pushes the limits of what humans can survive. With incredible stories of survival sometimes come controversy, questions and suspicion.Support …
109: Trail Mix - Surviving the Outback
The Australian outback doesn’t often give second chances. Enduring weeks in the wilderness easily pushes the limits of what humans can survive. With incredible stories of survival sometimes come controversy, questions and suspicion.Support …
108: Death - Tennessee Colony Massacre
Land disputes, a tale as old as time, have far too often ended in tragic loss of lives for those staking their claims. Land is a valuable and finite commodity, and those who feel they are losing control over it may resort to extreme measure…
107: Death - Jordan Grider
He wasn’t lost and he wasn’t inexperienced. Jordan Grider went into the northern Minnesota woods with supplies, experience, and a plan to spend the winter. Six months later, they found his campsite buried under snow but with evidence of blo…
106: Trail Mix - Disappearances in Yellowstone Pt. 2
Yellowstone is a place of extremes- intimidating wildlife, remote backcountry, towering peaks, and violent geological forces simmering just below the surface. It’s a landscape that draws millions each year, promising awe and escape. But not…
105: Disappearance (Death) - David Gonzales
In 2004 nine year old David Gonzales walked 50 yards to the family car in the middle of a sunny afternoon… and disappeared. For nearly a year, no one knew what happened. And then only a mile away a discovery was made.Support us on Patreon f…
104: Survival - Tom and Linda Bosworth
Tom and Linda Bosworth set out for what should have been a fun off-road day in the New Mexico backcountry- but when their Jeep rolls over miles from help, everything changes. Stranded with scorching heat, limited water, and no way to call f…
103: Survival - Stuart Diver
The ground beneath our feet isn’t always as solid as we like to believe. There’s activity we can’t see. Sounds we never hear. And sometimes, without warning… the ground shifts. One night in 1997 Stuart and Sally Diver along with many others…
102: Death - Heidi Childs and David Metzler
Two Virginia Tech students, a quiet date under the stars, and by morning — a double murder that still haunts the Appalachian woods. Over fifteen years later, the killer has never been found. Today we head to Caldwell Fields to ask: who took…
101: Death - Mike Turner
It was 1998 Reverend Mike Turner set out alone into the wild beauty of Wyoming’s Wind River Range. He had his gear, his journal, and his loyal dog Andy by his side. This hike was a final challenge to close out a well deserved sabbatical, bu…
100: Disappearance - Raymond Salmen
In June of 2013, a seasoned outdoorsman set out for a solo camping trip in British Columbia. When his abandoned campsite was found, a search quickly began—one that would lead to a few clues, a lot of questions, and no clear answers.Support …
99: Disappearance - Nancy Ng
Nancy Ng had found her happy place at a yoga retreat along a lake in Guatemala. That was until she disappeared while kayaking. The hours and days that followed raised far more questions than answers.Support us on Patreon for as little as $1…
98: Survival - David Whittlesey
In 1991, David Whittlesey set off alone to raft the Grand Canyon in winter. When his boat capsized deep in the canyon, he was left stranded — barefoot, injured, and without supplies. For seven days, he battled the cold, hunger, and isolatio…
97: Survival - William Pike and James Christie
In 2007 William Pike and James Christie set off for a night on Mount Ruapehu. As they settled in for the night the volcano erupted and their adventure turned into a life-or-death race against timeSupport us on Patreon for as little as $1 a …
96: Death - Jeffrey Gebhardt
In the fall of 2012, two friends set off for a weekend hunting trip in rural Georgia. They split up– each to their own tree stand. But only one of them came back. Was it murder? A tragic accident? Or something no one expected? The story tha…
95: Death - Rachel Lakoduk
In October 2019, Rachel Lakoduk set out on a solo hike to Hidden Lake Lookout in Washington’s North Cascades. She planned to spend the night in the historic fire cabin to celebrate her 28th birthday. But a fast-moving snowstorm rolled in an…
94: Disappearance - Matthew Greene
In the summer of 2013, experienced climber Matt Greene disappeared without a trace in Mammoth Lakes, California. His car was in the shop, and there was no clear destination or reason for his sudden absence, leaving behind a trail of unanswe…
93: Trail Mix - Faked Disappearances
We all wish we could escape our problems at some point, but rarely does anyone consider taking it to the extreme—faking their own death. It sounds like something straight out of a thriller novel, but these are real cases of people who went …
92: Survival - Matthew and Shannon McGough
Stranded in the harsh Great Victoria Desert, father and daughter Matthew and Shannon McGough face dehydration, scorching heat, and desperation. With no water and hope fading, will they both make it out alive?Support us on Patreon for as lit…
91: Survival - The Stolpa Family
In December 1992, James and Jennifer Stolpa, along with their infant son Clayton, found themselves trapped in the middle of nowhere after a wrong turn onto a snow-covered road in Nevada. What started as a simple detour quickly became a nigh…
90: Death - Paul Miller
The mysterious disappearance of 51-year-old Paul Miller during a 2108 solo hike in Joshua Tree National Park turned a celebratory vacation with his wife into a puzzling tragedy. Despite an extensive search, it would take over a year to get …
89: Death - Aaron Hedges
The Crazy Mountains of Montana are a place of rugged beauty, and unsettling energy. In September of 2014, Aaron Hedges set out on a hunting trip with two friends. But something went wrong. A missed turn. And then—silence. Days turned to mon…
88: Disappearance (Death) - Egbert Rimkus, Georg Weber, and Cornelia and Max Meyer
In 1996, four German tourists disappeared in Death Valley, leaving only their abandoned van behind. Years later, when skeletal remains were finally discovered, the mystery deepened as to what happened in their final days.Support us on Patre…