The Backcountry Manifesto

The Deadliest Sport | Wingsuit BASE Jumper Jamie Leibert | Ep. 011

Today on the show, Jamie Leibert, aka Captain Manicorn, is swinging by to talk about his journey from meth addicted felon serving a four year stint in federal prison to a world beating BASE Jumper and accomplished wingsuit flyer, traveling the world and finding new exits across 135 countries and counting.
We talk about:
Early Life and Challenges
Criminal Activities and Introduction to Extreme Sports
Prison and Self-Discovery
Life After Prison and Personal Growth
Introduction to Air Sports
Base Jumping and Wingsuiting
Success, Addiction, and Discontent
Relocating to Europe
Dancing with Death: The Art of Proximity Flying
Parallels, Perils, and Politics
Alpine Base Jumping Adventures
Patagonia and The Future
Links Mentioned
Captain Manicorn Youtube
Captain Manicorn Instagram
Tobin, The Stonemasters, And Me
Stonemasters Pt. 2 | TBM Ep. 003
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Our Partners
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
Featuring Jamie Leibert aka Captain Manicorn
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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

The FULL STORY of DB Cooper | Investigator Eric Ulis | Ep. 010

Who is DB Cooper? On November 24th, 1971, an unassuming middle aged man pulled off the only unsolved skyjacking in US history, parachuting out of the back of a Boeing 727 somewhere over the pacific northwest with $200,000 in cash strapped to his chest. He was never found. Today, some 53 years later, DB Cooper investigator Eric Ulis sits down with us to tell the whole story of DB Cooper, including new developments. We talk about: 
Eric Ulis, a pro blackjack player turned cold case investigator
Hijacking a Boeing 727
$200k cash ransom
DB Cooper's successful evasion of the law
The cash discovery at Tena Bar
Flaws in the FBI investigation
Eric's new theory on where DB Cooper landed
Summer diatoms
The necktie
Eric's lawsuit against the FBI
The metallurgist suspect
All this and much more. If you're a nerd for unsolved mysteries, you're going to love this deep dive into all things DB Cooper.
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Our Partners
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
Featuring Eric Ulis
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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

Is Bigfoot Real? | Sasquatch Researcher and Idaho State Anthropologist Dr. Jeff Meldrum | Ep. 009

Does Bigfoot exist? Dr. Jeff Meldrum – a professor of anatomy and anthropology specializing in primate locomotor adaptations and bipedalism at Idaho State University – believes Bigfoot is real (and probably prefers the term “Sasquatch”). Today on the show, Dr. Meldrum drops by TBM HQ to talk all things Sasquatch, as well as his life-long fascination with the controversial “relict hominoid.” In our conversation, we cover: 
Bigfoot vs Sasquatch 
The origins of Bigfoot
The Bluff Creek Site
The Patterson Gimlin Film 
Bigfoot footprints
Pressure ridges and anatomical characteristics
Why it's so hard to fake a footprint
Bigfoot Skeptics 
Bigfoot Range
An estimate of the current Bigfoot population
Why we haven’t found a Bigfoot body
Dr. Meldrum's experiences hunting Bigfoot
The biggest question: Will we ever find Bigfoot?
All that and more in this episode. If you’re a Bigfoot nerd or just interested in an academic’s perspective on the mystery primate, this episode of TBM is for you! 
Links mentioned in this episode
Jeff Meldrum's Book: Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science
Gareth Patterson's Book: Beyond the Secret Elephants
Relict Hominoid Inquiry
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Our Partners
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
Featuring Dr. Jeff Meldrum
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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

The Ultimate Survivalists | Evolutionary Anthropologist Dr. Steven Churchill | Ep. 008

This week on the show, we have Duke University’s Dr. Steven Churchill swinging into town to talk about early man as the ultimate survivalist. Dr. Churchill has been part of discovering two important early hominids and when it comes to neanderthals, he’s certainly among the most knowledgeable. One thing he knows for sure? Early man was on the strugglebus, but pushed through to become the ultimate survivalist. 
We talk about:
Some of Dr. Churchill’s research at Duke University
Homo Neledi 
The Rising Star cave system
How to say “Cro Magnon” the sexy (and correct) way
Steve’s book, Thin on the Ground
How everything wanted to kill early man
Neanderthals being hybrid into oblivion 
Hunting habits and tools
Why living in “the fertile crescent” sucked 
How cave bears were vegans, but would happily unalive you
Links mentioned in this episode
Steve’s Book: Thin on the Ground: Neandertal Biology, Archeology, and Ecology (Foundation of Human Biology)
Steve on Wired’s Tech Support
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Our Partners
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
Special thanks to Dr. Steven Churchill for the extra photos
Featuring Dr. Steven Churchill
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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
 

The World's Most Brutal Race: The Barkley Marathons | Laz Lake | Ep. 007

Today, Laz Lake is in the studio talking about the Barkley Marathons. The Barkley Marathons is the most notorious trail race around, and Laz Lake is the semi-evil genius behind it. Runner’s World has described it as “Five Loops Of Death” and “Arguably the craziest race in the world,” and it was even the subject of a full-length documentary called “The Race That Eats Its Young.” 
The Barkley Marathons is a five loop, approximately 125 mile race held annually in the Tennessee backcountry, specifically Frozen Head State Park. Over those 125 miles, finishers will have experienced a vertical gain equivalent to climbing Mount Everest TWICE. The cutoff time is just 60 hours. There are no formal course guides or aid stations, and the runners are forced to navigate by their own, hand drawn paper maps. Since 1986 only 20 runners out of more than 1000 have finished the Barkley Marathons. 
We talk to Laz Lake about 
The origination of the Barkley Marathons
How to apply for the Barkley Marathons
Veterans and virgins
Laz’s bad habits
Finish rate of the Barkley Marathons
Athletic Achievement in endurance sports
Jasmin Paris’s Completion of the Barkley Marathons
Other backyard ultra-marathons 
Links mentioned in this episode
Full Documentary “The Race That Eats Its Young” 
Tamara Reynolds Photography 
David Miller Photography
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Partners
Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit https://SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout.
Special thanks to our patterns at Out Yonder Company! Visit https://OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout.
Many thanks to the folks that made this episode possible
Featuring Laz Lake
Special thanks to Tamara Reynolds for her photography
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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

Attacked by a Grizzly Bear | Rudy Noorlander | Ep. 006

On September 8th, 2023, outdoorsman and navy vet Rudy Noorlander was tracking a wounded deer when an encounter with a grizzly bear changed his life forever. On this episode of the backcountry manifesto, Rudy recounts the attack and his miraculous recovery.
Links mentioned in this episode
Alpine Adventures Montana
Alpine Adventures Montana :: TripAdvisor Reviews
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Partners
Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com - Use code “BACKCOUNTRY” for 10% off at checkout.
Special thanks to our partners at Out Yonder Company! Visit OutYonderCompany.com and use code “BACKCOUNTRY15” for 15% off at checkout.
Credits
Featuring Rudy Noorlander
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
 

Deep Sea Exploration, Avoiding Polar Bears, & Piloting Robots | WHOI Engineer Molly Curran | Ep. 005

Our topic today is deep sea exploration, and our guest is researcher and explorer Molly Curran.
Molly is an engineer at the Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institution's Deep Submergence Laboratory. In her work, she designs and operates incredibly advanced submersibles to explore some of the world’s most difficult-to-access environments, like the fjords of Greenland and the depths below arctic sea ice. Molly is at the forefront of exciting science, particularly when it comes to broadening our understanding of geologic features like hydrothermal vents, deep sea volcanos, and glaciers. 
She also happens to be one of Hayden's very best friends. He's been lucky enough to share many conversations with Molly going back to their high school years, and now it’s our great pleasure to share one of our conversations with you.
Links
Tour the research vessel Molly lived aboard -- RV Celtic Explorer -- right here.
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Join the TBM Patreon Community
Partners
Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com! Promo code "BACKCOUNTRY"!
Special thanks to our partners (except Grady) at Out Yonder Company! Use code "BACKCOUNTRY 15" for 15% off site-wide!
Many thanks to the folks that made this episode possible
Featuring Molly Curran
Special thanks to WHOI
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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

How to Find GOLD | Dan Hurd Prospecting | Ep. 004

With over 1.3 million Youtube subscribers and counting, Dan Hurd of Dan Hurd Prospecting might be the world’s most popular prospector. This week, Dan swings by the Backcountry Manifesto Podcast studio with some amazing gold, gem and mineral specimens. Whether you’re a Dan Hurd Prospecting fan, a seasoned prospector, or even a first time 49er, stay tuned – this prospecting podcast is solid gold.
In this episode, we discuss:
Dan’s background
Claims & Mining
Gold, Gems, & Treasures
How to become a prospector
Top things to prospect for in US & CA
Links mentioned in this episode
Dan Hurd’s Youtube, Instagram, and Online Shop
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Join the TBM Patreon Community
Partners
Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com! Promo code coming soon!
Special thanks to our partners (except Grady) at Out Yonder Company! Use code BACKCOUNTRY 15 for 15% off site-wide!
Many thanks to the folks that made this episode possible
Featuring Dan Hurd
Produced By Andrew O’Neill with Hayden Sammak
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
 

When a Drug Smuggling Plane Crashes In Yosemite - A True Story | Stonemasters Pt. 2, with John Long & Vern Clevenger | Ep. 003

Legendary climber John Long swings back by the TBM studio to unpack an infamous chapter in Yosemite climbing history -- the story of Dope Lake. Joining him is his buddy and fellow Stonemaster, Vern Clevenger.
In the spring of 1977, a twin prop plane carrying around 6,000lbs of high-grade Mexican reefer crashed into Lower Merced Pass Lake, a small alpine reservoir nestled deep in Yosemite’s backcountry. When the climbers at Camp Four hear about the crash – and the plane’s contents – a second California “goldrush” begins. Chaos ensues.
You may have heard versions of what Men’s Journal dubbed “The Legend of Dope Lake,” but you’ve never heard it like this. This is a deep-dive into the story of the plane crash that turned a ragtag band of climbers into pot-slinging pirates – complete with never before heard details – as told by those who lived it.
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Join the TBM Patreon Community
Partners
Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com! Promo code "BACKCOUNTRY"!
Special thanks to our partners (except Grady) at Out Yonder Company! Use code "BACKCOUNTRY 15" for 15% off site-wide!
Many thanks to the folks that made this episode possible
Featuring John Long and Vern Clevenger
Special thanks to Stonemaster Books
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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

Sex, Drugs, and Rock. . . Climbing? | Stonemasters Pt. 1, with John Long & Rick Accomazzo | Ep. 002

In the 1970s, a pirate group of climbers descended on the big walls of California’s Yosemite National Park and changed the world of rock climbing forever. They dubbed themselves “The Stone Masters.” This week, we’re talking to the original Stone Masters, John Long and Rick Accomazzo.
In this episode, we talk about: 
Rick’s new book “Tobin, the Stone Masters, and Me”
The Stone Master’s Joshua Tree genesis 
Yosemite’s infamous Camp Four 
Feuds between climbers and rangers 
John as the pioneer of free-solo climbing
Daring rescues/Rick and Dale Bard’s attempted rescue of Bob Locke
Ascents that pushed rock climbing to new heights 
The life of Rick’s friend and arguably the greatest climber of the era, Tobin Sorenson 
We hit all that and more, plus a sneak peak at Rick’s new book, available right now at Stone Masters Press! Climber or not, you won’t want to sleep on this.
Links mentioned in this eipsode
Order Rick’s book here!
Connect
Catch up with Hayden on IG, TikTok, and more
Follow TBM on Youtube, IG, and everywhere else
Get yer limited-run TBM X Out Yonder Co. merch
Join the TBM Patreon Community
Partners
Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com! Promo code "BACKCOUNTRY"!
Special thanks to our partners (except Grady) at Out Yonder Company! Use code "BACKCOUNTRY 15" for 15% off site-wide!
Many thanks to the folks that made this episode possible
Featuring Rick Accomazzo and John Long
Special thanks to Stonemaster Books
Produced by Andrew O'Neill with Hayden Sammak
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