The Backcountry Manifesto

Outdoor Visions Media

Welcome to The Backcountry Manifesto Podcast, the adventure podcast for everyone. Join your buddy out west, Hayden Sammak, as he talks to friends old and new about wild places, exploration, and backcountry adventure.

From talking space exploration with astronaut Loral O’Hara, to bullshitting about rock climbing with Rick Accomazzo and John Long, TBM has something for everyone, no matter what you’re into. If it has anything to do with outdoor adventure in wild places, you’ll find us talking about it here.

Welcome to the backcountry – welcome to The Backcountry Manifesto!

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20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Thursday · 1 hr 40 min
The Real Coyote Peterson | Coyote Peterson, Brave Wilderness | Ep. 038
Coyote Peterson runs the largest wildlife channel on YouTube: 21.8 million subscribers, five billion views, an Emmy, and a body of work he describes as a mix of Steve Irwin, Steven Spielberg, and Bear Grylls. But who is he really? This week, Coyote drops by the studio to talk about his life and adventures -- and the occasional misadventure -- as he works to educate his viewers on the wild world that surrounds them. We get the three worst things he's ever felt, a brush with an Australian plant that resulted in six months of nerve damage, a twelve-foot Komodo dragon (that he decided to leave alone), and the Bigfoot episode that got him briefly declared a fraud by the national media. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE https://www.bravewilderness.com/ Coyote's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@BraveWilderness⁩ Coyote's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coyotepeterson/ Coyote's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coyotepetersonofficial That Bear Kid: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36400177/ Komodo Dragon episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkwlxY1iLXo David Blaine Cobra-Kiss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0naO3xh07s8 Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025 #podcast #coyotepeterson #bravewilderness #komododragons #wildlife
July 23 · 1 hr 49 min
The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Wildfire | John Vaillant, Author of Fire Weather | Ep. 037
With the Canadian fires spreading wildfire smoke across the country, Pulitzer Prize finalist John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather, swings by the studio to tell the story of the Fort McMurray fire -- a catastrophe many consider to be the most notorious wildfire in Canadian history. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Fire Weather: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Weather-Front-Lines-Burning/dp/0525434240 The Tiger: https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Departures/dp/0307389049 John's X: https://x.com/JohnVaillant John's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johnvaillant.bsky.social Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025 #podcast #wildfire #forestfire #climatechange #firestorm
July 16 · 2 hr 19 min
Real Treasure Hunting: Pirates, Hurricanes & Spanish Gold | Captain Mike Perna | Ep. 036
Captain Mike Perna has spent 25 years doing something most people think only happens in movies: diving for sunken Spanish treasure. Off Florida's Treasure Coast lie the scattered remains of the 1715 Plate Fleet — eleven galleons loaded with New World gold and silver that a hurricane drove onto the reefs in a single night, killing over a thousand people and strewing their cargo across miles of ocean floor. This past summer, Mike's crew pulled 1,051 silver coins off the seabed and made national news. He flew from Florida to Montana to tell us how it actually works: the "breadcrumb trails" of coins scattered a mile from the wreck, the magnetometers and metal detectors, the short summer dive season, and the "you never really own the treasure, you just hold onto it for a while" philosophy that comes with a quarter-century of doing it. He brought real pieces of eight to pass across the table, walked us through the legendary Mel Fisher and the $400 million Atocha, and got into the thorny ethics of who really gets to keep history. Whether you're here for shipwrecks, colonial history, or just a great real-life treasure story, this one's got gold, pirates, hurricanes, and a lead box packed with 16,000 pearls. 1715 Fleet Society: https://1715fleetsociety.com
July 9 · 2 hr 44 min
His Mother Vanished. 20 Years Later He Found Her in the Amazon. | David Good | Ep. 035
David Good grew up with one foot in suburban Pennsylvania and the other in the Amazon rainforest. His father, anthropologist Ken Good, spent 12 years living with the Yanomami — one of the last relatively isolated peoples on Earth — and married David's mother, Yarima, the daughter of a headman. Then, when David was six, Yarima walked back into the jungle and didn't come out. He wouldn't see her again for 20 years. This is the story of what happened next: two decades of trying to bury his own identity, and then a bug-fearing 24-year-old's decision to travel days up the Orinoco River to find the mother he thought had abandoned him. What he found reframed his entire life — a family, a new name, a brother he would later grieve in a Yanomami funeral, and a scientific calling studying the Yanomami gut microbiome, which may hold clues to the diseases of the modern world. David is a microbiome researcher at the University of Guelph, the founder of the Yanomami Foundation, and the subject of the new documentary WAYUMI. This is one of the most singular life stories we've ever had on the show. Venezuelan Earthquake Relief Fund: https://welove.foundation WAYUMI Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3aWDwQNTqk Yanomami Foundation: https://www.yanomamifoundation.org/ David's book, The Way Around: https://www.amazon.com/Way-Around-Finding-Mother-Yanomami/dp/0062382128 David's book, GOOD: https://nbmpub.com/products/good David's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidalexandergood
July 2 · 2 hr 21 min
The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart | Laurie Shapiro, Journalist & Biographer | Ep. 034
Who was responsible for the disappearance of Amelia Earhart? Was it her oft-drunk but undeniably brilliant navigator, Fred Noonan? Her publicist husband, George Putnam, who pushed his wife toward the PR stunt of the century despite her relative mediocrity as a pilot? Or was it Earhart herself, whose sudden fame had begun to cloud the thing a pilot needs most: her judgment? Journalist Laurie Gwen Shapiro — a contributor to The New York Times and The Atlantic — spent five years going where no Earhart biographer had gone before. What she found isn't the flawless icon, but a real and complicated woman. Today, Laurie gives us a portrait of the person behind the legend and a deep dive into Earhart's final flight and July 1937 disappearance over the Pacific: a stretched budget, a dropped antenna on the Lockheed Electra, an alcoholic navigator hired because he was cheap, and a pilot who was sick, exhausted, and out of fuel as she searched for tiny Howland Island. We get into the enduring mystery and the theories it spawned — and why the real story of what happened to Amelia Earhart may be sadder, and more human, than any of them. Shapiro's book, The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made an American Icon, was named a New Yorker Best Book of 2025. Laurie Gwen Shapiro Website Amelia Earhart Project Recordings The Aviator and the Showman Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
June 25 · 2 hr 5 min
Are Survival Shows Real? | Cody Lundin, Dual Survival's Original Host | Ep. 033
Cody Lundin has spent 34 years keeping people alive. Almost none of it looks like what you've seen on TV. He's the founder of Arizona's Aboriginal Living Skills School, an EMT since 1993, the author of 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive and When All Hell Breaks Loose, and one of the two original hosts of Discovery's Dual Survival. He built (and nearly broke) his career by refusing to fake it for the camera. We flew Cody up to Bozeman, took him duck hunting at the crack of dawn (his very first time), and then sat down for one of the most no-BS survival conversations we've ever recorded. Hayden throws him a series of escalating worst-case scenarios: a desert breakdown, a broken leg in the Colorado high country, a hiker lost at an alpine lake. Cody refuses every easy answer, demanding context and walking through what staying alive actually requires (hint: it's rarely the sexy stuff). Along the way: the physics of freezing to death, why your survival shelter should be invisible, the truth about what survival television did to his profession, and the on-camera stand that cost him his show. Producer Andrew even gets pulled in to defend his off-grid cabin. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Survival Show Keep Your Ass Alive Podcast Cody's Book 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive (2003) Cody's Book When All Hell Breaks Loose (2007) Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
June 18 · 1 hr 56 min
The Worst Possible Way to Cross the Atlantic | Steven Callahan, Adrift | Ep. 032
Steven Callahan should have died at sea. In early 1982, roughly a week out of the Canary Islands, something — he's convinced it was a whale — holed his self-built 21-foot sloop Napoleon Solo in the middle of the night. What followed became one of the most famous survival stories ever told: 76 days adrift in a five-and-a-half-foot inflatable raft, alone, crossing nearly the entire Atlantic before a handful of fishermen found him off Marie Galante. In this conversation, Steven walks us through all of it — diving into the flooded, pitch-black cabin to grab his ditch kit, coaxing a single pint of fresh water a day out of a temperamental solar still, spearfishing the dorado that became both his food and his "spiritual companions," and the Day-43 disaster when his spear gun punctured the raft a thousand miles from land. But this is less a blow-by-blow than a master class in the psychology of survival from a philosophy major who treats reality as something to be accepted exactly as it is. We get into the divided self, the brutal "recoil" of giving up, why denial is the number one enemy, and how an ocean nearly killed him and gave him a life.
June 11 · 2 hr 1 min
Mutiny, Cannibalism & How America Really Began | Peter Mancall, Historian | Ep. 031
Your social studies teacher gave you Henry Hudson in about two sentences: a guy, a river, New York. Dr. Peter Mancall — USC historian and author of Fatal Journey and the new continental history Contested Continent — is here to give you the other 99%. We start with Hudson's doomed final voyage: iced into the bottom of Hudson Bay for a brutal winter, a starving crew, a mutiny, and a captain set adrift in a rowboat never to be seen again. Then we zoom all the way out. This is a two-hour tour through the early America that gets left on the cutting-room floor — the fur trade and the "perfect trade good" of alcohol, John Adams' filthiest joke, the cannibalized girl of Jamestown, Columbus's fall from hero to villain, Cahokia's lost pyramid city, the Vikings who quit North America, and the 1680 Pueblo Revolt that scrubbed an empire off the map. It's bloody, it's funny, and it'll permanently change how you hear the word "Thanksgiving." If you love history that refuses to flatten people into heroes or villains, this one's for you. CREDITS Hosting by Hayden Sammak Production by Andrew O'Neill “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
June 4 · 1 hr 48 min
Free Soloing is Actually Really Easy | Lincoln Knowles ft. Cedar Wright & John Long | Ep. 029
Lincoln Knowles is 21 years old, lives out of his Jeep, and has the climbing internet at war with itself. To half the community he's a reckless idiot free soloing a harder route every day until he falls; to the other half he's the funniest, most self-aware thing to happen to the sport in years. The truth — as Hayden finds out — is that the kid is a genuinely elite climber (a sub-10-hour Nose-in-a-Day, on-sight free solos in Yosemite, V11 on the board) who's running the most committed satire in outdoor media. This one goes everywhere: Lincoln's Yosemite "tear" and a storm-soaked bail off the Nose, a surprise call to climbing legend John Long, the Alex Honnold text and the Climbing magazine hit piece, and an extended phone-in from Cedar Wright, who makes the full punk-rock case for why this stuff matters. It's funny, it's genuinely unsettling when the talk turns to mortality, and it's impossible to look away from. Whether you think he's the future of the sport or a tragedy waiting to happen, you'll understand exactly why everyone's arguing about him. In this episode, we talk about: The Yosemite Tear: El Cap & the Nose-in-a-Day Phoning John Long About the Nose Record Bailing Off the Nose in a Snowstorm Viral Clips & the Parody of Climbing Ego How Free Soloing Began College Dropout to Content Hustle Courting the Haters Risk, Death, and Mindset Family Silence & Attempted Interventions Honnold's Text & the Climbing Magazine Drama Climbing Idols: Honnold, Croft & Dean Potter Teaming Up with Cedar Wright Lifetime Bucket List: Free Rider to Everest Free Solo vs. Trad: The Pinnacle Debate LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE https://www.instagram.com/lincolnclimbs/ https://www.youtube.com/@UCynU0ZTas1hr6HMg-XAnTBA Our episode with Jamie Leibert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FHdEmyKRQw Our episode with John Long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kDnVzaNE7g Climbing Magazine Article: https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/lincoln-knowles-going-viral-free-soloing/ Jayme Moye: https://jaymemoye.com/published/ Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025 #podcast #rockclimbing #freesolo #climbing
June 1 · 1 hr 39 min
Deathtraps, Hantavirus, and the Other Joys of Caving | Adam Weaver, Caver | Ep. 029
Adam Weaver holds the world record for the farthest anyone has ever traveled from a cave entrance — miles of crawling and climbing into a place no helicopter or rescue team can reach. He edits NSS News, America's only national caving magazine, and was recently tapped by ABC News to break down the Laos cave rescue for the public. In one of the most genuinely unsettling episodes we've recorded (Andrew does NOT like caves), Adam gets into the gear, the 9-inch passages, and the very real ways a cave can kill you — plus the full story of a teenager trapped a mile deep, 24,000-year-old mummified animals, and a quarter-mile traverse with no floor. In this episode, we talk about: Becoming a Caver: Beyond "Spelunking" The Record: The Farthest You Can Get From Rescue Cave Conservation & the Technical Side of Caving Mummified Animals & 1890s Newspapers The Real Hazards: Lost, Stuck, and Hypothermic A Teenager Trapped a Mile Underground Surface Chaos, Three Agencies & "Lavender Larry" The "Atom Smasher" & Making a Cave Passable What Lies Beneath: A Quarter Mile With No Floor Living Underground: Multi-Day Cave Camps Who Owns a Cave? Permits & Land Access Nutty Putty & How Dangerous Caving Really Is Naming Discoveries: "To Boldly Go" How You Actually Map a Cave (and the LiDAR Future) Black Hills Institute: Dinosaurs & a New Plesiosaur Where to Start Caving & Farewell CONNECT! Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto CREDITS Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025 #podcast #cave #rescue #cavediving #laos
Aug 8, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
Has Everest become too commercialized? | Thom Pollard, Everest Historian | Ep. 028
Is Everest still a climber's ultimate test, or has it become too crowded and controversial? This week on The Backcountry Manifesto, Everest historian, climber, and 1999 Mallory expedition participant Tom Pollard joins host Hayden Sammak in PART 3 of our discussion to share his gripping firsthand stories. We dive into Tom's four Everest attempts, his 2016 summit triumph, the evolution of guiding from pre-1996 pioneers to today's high-stakes operators, and the raw power of Sherpa climbers. Plus, breakdowns of key landmarks like the Hillary Step and South Col, the perils of avalanches and bottlenecks, debunking myths around "Into Thin Air," and reflections on what Everest truly represents beyond the hype. If you're fascinated by high-altitude adventure, mountaineering history, or the human spirit against nature's extremes, this episode is your summit push. We talk about: The landmarks on the route of an Everest summit The DEATH ZONE Khumbu Icefall Sherpas Commercialization of the mountain Permits in Nepal and China Minecraft Youtuber turned Everest summiteer Links mentioned in this video Everest Mystery Youtube Channel Minecraft Youtuber turned Everest Summiter Connect Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Partners Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com to purchase the VERY FIRST Backcountry Manifesto barrel pick, available right now! Credits Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jul 31, 2025 · 1 hr 35 min
Dr. Hoby's Backcountry Adventure | Dr. Hoby Wedler, Guide to Life's Greatest Things | Ep. 027
On this episode of the Backcountry Manifesto, we're taking you on a Montana backcountry adventure guided by the one and only Dr. Hoby Wedler. Dr. Hoby is a wildly popular sensory storyteller who explores the world around him using sound, smell, taste and touch to offer his fans and followers a unique perspective on the world around him. From foraging early-season chanterelles in undisclosed forests (complete with their apricot-plum aroma), to metal detecting for gold nuggets in historic mining districts, and mastering fly fishing on the Yellowstone River amid thunderstorms and swallow-filled caves, Hoby describes his backcountry adventure. We also dive into whiskey tastings, elk dinners with wild mushrooms, and life lessons on embracing challenges, preparation for adventure, and positivity. Later, Hoby ranks his favorite experiences during his Montana mission and offers his thoughts on fearlessness in the face of new experiences. You've likely listened to countless podcasts on backcountry adventure, but none quite like this. Links mentioned in this video Hoby's Instagram Hoby's TikTok Hoby's Youtube Connect Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Partners Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com to purchase the VERY FIRST Backcountry Manifesto barrel pick, available right now! Credits Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jul 24, 2025 · 1 hr 20 min
JAWS: A Soon-To-Be True Story? | White Shark Expert Dr. Greg Skomal | Ep. 026
On the 50th anniversary of Jaws, are we headed for a real-life Amity Island catastrophe with rising shark encounters off Cape Cod, or is the hype around white sharks getting way overblown? What's really drawing these apex predators back to our shores, and how worried should beachgoers be? This week on The Backcountry Manifesto, Dr. Greg Skomal -- the leading expert on Atlantic white sharks -- dives deep into the world of sharks, fatal attacks, and close calls. From the chilling 1936 Massachusetts man-eater incident that shaped public fear, to how Jaws ignited his career and sparked a frenzy of shark tournaments, we break it all down. Greg unpacks naval disasters like the USS Indianapolis, pioneering tagging tech from the '60s, the Marine Mammal Protection Act's role in seal population booms (and shark comebacks), revolutionary underwater robots like Shark Cam, epic expeditions to Guadalupe Island where sharks attacked his gear, and his heart-stopping near-miss while tagging a massive white shark. Plus, we tackle the tragic 2018 fatal attack, community fallout echoing Jaws, and lingering mysteries like white shark breeding grounds. Greg also shares stories from his book Chasing Shadows, blending adventure with science from Arctic Greenland sharks to Red Sea whale sharks. If you're hooked on sharks, marine biology, or the thrill of ocean predators without the sensationalism, this episode is your ultimate deep dive. Links mentioned in this video Chasing Shadows Book Greg's Instagram Greg's Facebook Greg's X Our episode with Jack Horner, Paleontologist Our episode with Molly Curran, WHOI EuanArt Instagram Connect Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Sponsors Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. Credits Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jul 17, 2025 · 46 min
When Will Yellowstone Erupt Again? | Dr. Mike Poland, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory | Ep. 025
Is the Yellowstone Supervolcano really going to erupt and end life as we know it, and with the recent and unexpected geothermal events in Biscuit Basin, how worried are the scientists that study the Yellowstone caldera? Is it true the animals of Yellowstone are fleeing, signaling an eruption may be on the immediate horizon? This week on the show, Dr. Mike Poland -- scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory -- joins us in the field to debunk myths, explain caldera systems, and break down what a real eruption would look like. From geothermal explosions, to ancient ash layers on Mount Everts, massive lava flows, and why earthquakes are the bigger worry, we cover it all. Plus, Mike calls out those sensational clickbait videos and shares why this iconic landscape is endlessly fascinating without the hype. If you're obsessed with volcanoes, geology, or just love Yellowstone's wild side, this episode is for you. We talk about: Yellowstone Fears Caldera Systems Signs of Eruptions and Warnings Ash Layers of Mount Everts Eruption Complexity Lava Flows: Past Eruptions and Global Effects Explosive Eruptions Real Hazards: Hydrothermal Explosions and Earthquake Timeline for Potential Eruptions Ash Flows: Impact & Radius What are the odds? Sensationalization What you should take away from Yellowstone Links mentioned in this video Caldera Chronicles USGS Youtube USGS Volcanos X USGS Volcanos Instagram USGS Volcanos Facebook Connect Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Sponsors Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. Credits Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jul 10, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min
Cowboys, Lawyers, and a Fossil Worth Millions: The Dueling Dinosaurs Saga | Clayton Phipps | Ep. 024
After years of searching, third generation Montanan rancher Clayton Phipps and his friends Mark Eaton and Chad O'Connor, discover one of the greatest dinosaur fossil specimens of all time: the remains of two perfectly preserved dinosaurs seemingly locked in battle. The find is worth millions, and quickly becomes the focus of not only the paleontological world, but an intense legal battle over who will see the profits. Ultimately the case will be decided by Montana's supreme court and become the basis for landmark legislature. Today, we're in Eastern Montana getting the story straight from the horse's mouth. We sit down with Clayton -- known to most as the "Dinosaur Cowboy" -- as he tells the complete story of the Dueling Dinosaurs, as well as the series of events that led him to trade his saddle for a shovel, and life on the range for a career in commercial paleontology. Whether you're a fossil fanatic or just love a good underdog story, this episode is all about grit, glory, and the bones of ancient beasts, waiting to be discovered. We talk about: Clayton's life as a cowboy The Stygimoloch skull that started it all Clayton's fossil collection and commercial operation The discovery of the Dueling Dinosaurs The legal battle over fossils and mineral rights Academic vs. commercial paleontology rift How the Dueling Dinosaurs were sold The Nanotyrannus vs. juvenile T. Rex debate The future of paleontology Links mentioned in this video Clayton Phipps Instagram Hell Creek Hooligans Youtube Connect Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Sponsors Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. Credits Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jul 2, 2025 · 58 min
T. Rexes, Prison Sentences, and a Dinosaur Named "Sue" | Pete Larson, BHI President | Ep. 023
Peter Larson, President of the Black Hills Institute for Geological Research, is one of the most knowledgable paleontologists working today. His museum, located in the Hill City, South Dakota, boasts the highest concentration of dinosaur bones of any museum on earth. While to many, Pete's known for his work as a leading expert in the study of theropods, particularly T. rex, he's also known for being at the center of one of the biggest controversies ever to rock the paleontological world -- the discovery, excavation, and FBI confiscation of the world famous T. rex known as "Sue." The saga is a story so unbelievable, it went on to become the focus of an Emmy-winning documentary, Dinosaur 13. In this episode of the Backcountry Manifesto, we're on site at BHI, and with endless dinosaur specimens in around us, we talk all things paleontology, here compelling evidence in the "Juvenile T. rex or Nanotyranus?" debate, and get a first-hand account of the discovery, excavation, and confiscation of "Sue," as well as the resulting aftermath which saw Pete spend 18 months in federal prison. In this episode, we talk about: Nanotyrannus and potential differences between T. rex Famous T. rex specimens The KT Boundary Sue, the T. Rex The ensuing legal battle with the Feds The BHI Museum Links Mentioned in this Episode Black Hills Institute Black Hills Institute Youtube Channel Pete Larson on Instagram Connect Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Sponsors Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. Credits Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jul 1, 2025 · 2 hr 2 min
The Man Who Inspired Jurassic Park | Jack Horner, Paleontologist | Ep. 022
The man who inspired Jurassic Park and acted as a technical advisor on the first six films, Jack Horner swings by the studio to talk all-things dinosaurs. We cover everything from dinosaur ontogeny, to his controversial dino chicken project, as well as the man himself. One of the most famous paleontologists, if not, THE most famous paleontologist, of the last century, this is an interview not to be missed. If you're a dino-nerd waiting for the new Jurassic World film, this one's for you. In this episode, we talk about: Reverse-Engineering Dinosaurs: The Dino Chicken Project The Ethics of De-Extinction Is T. Rex a Scavenger? Ontogeny Warm-Blooded Dinosaurs: Rewriting Prehistoric Physiology Triceratops vs. Taurosaurus: A Case Study in Dinosaur Classification Jack's Vietnam Deployment More Controversy: Marriage and Departure from the Museum Legacy and Current Work: Mentoring and Public Engagement Listener Q&A: Answering Your Dinosaur Questions Links Mentioned in this Episode https://museumoftherockies.org/ Connect Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Sponsors Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. Credits Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill Production Assistance by John Stock “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jun 26, 2025 · 2 hr 17 min
Grizzly Bears! | Casey Anderson, the Grizzly Guy | Ep. 021
When it comes to grizzly bears, no one gets closer than Casey Anderson. In fact, for 19 years, Casey's best friend WAS a grizzly bear named Brutus, who Casey would regularly wrestle, ride, and use as a teaching tool at the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a grizzly bear rescue he co-founded in his 20s. Today, he took a break from his busy career as a TV personality and conservation content creator to swing by the studio and talk about grizzly bears, the conservation issues they face, what to do in the event of an attack, and how to prevent attacks in grizzly country. We talk about: Casey's unusual grizzly attack Bear body language and communication Bonding with Brutus, the bear Grizzly conservation How to stay safe in Grizzly Country Your questions answered! Links Mentioned in this Episode Casey Anderson's Youtube Channel Casey Anderson's Instagram Montana Grizzly Encounter Our Episode with Rudy Noorlander Our Episode with Aidan Beers Connect! Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab Sponsors Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. Credits “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jun 19, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min
Harriet Tubman: Survivalist, Guide, and Spy | Pulitzer Prize Winner Dr. Edda Fields-Black | Ep. 020
Let's get something out of the way: your social studies teacher sucked and Harriet Tubman was way cooler than whatever you learned in 5th grade. Dr. Edda Fields-Black, recent recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for her book, Combee, joins us in the studio to talk about the adventures of Tubman, who was not only a spy and underground railroad conductor, but also one of the most badass backcountry guides who ever lived. From pulling guns on freedomseekers having second thoughts about their escape, to her role as a spy and leader in the Combahee River Raid during the Civil War, we dive into all the cool shit your teacher didn't tell you. In this episode, we talk about: How Harriet Tubman smuggled folks to freedom Navigating the backwoods of Maryland by starlight Environmental hazards of the underground railroad Harriet Tubman's spy missions for the Union Army How to retro-fit a passenger vessel into a gun boat The Combahee river raid Dr. Fields-Black's 2025 Pulitzer Prize winning book, Combee LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Edda Fields-Black's Pulitzer Prize winning book "Combee" CONNECT! Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab SPONSORS Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025
Jun 12, 2025 · 1 hr 45 min
The Delicate Art of Drugging Mountain Lions | Carnivore Biologist, Dr. Kristin Engebretsen | Ep. 019
Mountain lions roam nearly all corners of the western landscape, from the wildest reaches of the backcountry to our own backyards. They're even present in urban areas -- everyone's heard reports of mountain lions showing up in surprising places, like within Los Angelos city limits. But how much do we know about these big cats? Do these large carnivores pose relatively little risk to humans and our pets? Is the presence of mountain lions something we should worry about? Could Ricky Bobby really drive with a cougar in the car? In this episode, Hayden's friend Dr. Kristin Engebretsen drops by the studio to share what she's learned in the field and the lab studying these big cats. We talk about: The journey of a scientist turned mountain lion expert The biology and adaptations behind their stealth and strength How the hell you get a collar on a lion Using hounds to catch mountain lions What it's like to dart a mountain lion Where very heavily medicated mountain lions tend to fall asleep Handling and studying the predators up close How mountain lions share the landscape with us—and what that means for their future Playing with cougar kittens up close Mountain lion Q&A featuring YOUR questions! LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Brown Bears of Katmai, Wolves of Yellowstone | Dr. Aidan Beers | Ep. 018: https://youtu.be/f4EldpL9wnk CONNECT! Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more: https://linktr.ee/Hayden_Sammak Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/BackcountryManifesto Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch: https://outyondercompany.com/pages/shop-the-out-yonder-x-backcountry-manifesto-collab SPONSORS Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout. Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout. Featuring Kristin Engebretsen “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA Copyright Outdoor Visions Media LLC, 2025