• The Orange Tent Guy, Balin Miller's Fatal Fall from Yosemite's El Capitan | Disaster Strikes E 227
    Apr 9 2026

    On October 1st, 2025, 23-year-old Balin Miller stood near the summit of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park — glitter on his cheeks, orange tent packed, having just completed one of the most psychologically punishing climbs in the world. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, he had accomplished feats that made legends of the sport shake their heads in disbelief, all while living out of a beat-up silver Prius on a shoestring budget. But in the moments after his greatest triumph, something went terribly wrong. This is the story of a young man who packed more living into 23 years than most people do in a lifetime — and the single, heartbreaking oversight that ended it all. Bring tissues, and maybe don't listen to this one alone.

    Timestamps:

    00:34 Disaster Strikes Intro
    01:20 El Capitan Tragedy Setup
    03:18 Baylen Alaska Origins
    04:49 Prius Glitter Lifestyle
    06:26 Reality Bath Solo
    08:21 Denali Slavic Direct
    11:18 Sea of Dreams Explained
    14:02 Livestream Orange Tent
    16:09 Rappel Off Rope End
    17:37 Stopper Knot Theory
    19:10 Aftermath And Tributes
    22:13 Legacy And Lessons
    25:13 Safety Reminder Outro

    Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

    Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

    Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    References
    1. "Balin Miller: American climber dies aged 23 while climbing El Capitan." October 3, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/03/sport/climbing-balin-miller-death-intl
    2. CBC News. "Climber Balin Miller, 23-year-old who achieved rare Banff summit, dies in fall at Yosemite's El Capitan." October 3, 2025. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/yosemite-climbing-death-miller-1.7650097
    3. Gafni, Matthias. "Witness describes horror of streaming climber Balin Miller's fatal fall in Yosemite." San Francisco Chronicle, October 4, 2025. https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/witness-climber-balin-miller-fall-21083821.php
    4. Early, Wesley. "Alaska climber Balin Miller dies during El Capitan summit." Alaska Public Media, October 3, 2025. https://alaskapublic.org/news/2025-10-03/alaska-climber-balin-miller-dies-during-el-capitan-summit
    5. Gripped Magazine. "Balin Miller Solos the Slovak Direct on Denali." June 16, 2025. https://gripped.com/news/balin-miller-solos-the-slovak-direct-on-denali/
    6. Gripped Magazine. "The Reality Bath in the Rockies Repeated Solo." January 11, 2025. https://gripped.com/profiles/the-reality-bath-in-the-rockies-repeated-solo/
    7. Gripped Magazine. "Alpinist Balin Miller Dies in a Rappel Accident in Yosemite." October 2025. https://gripped.com/news/alpinist-balin-miller-dies-in-a-rappel-accident-in-yosemite/
    8. Walsh, Anthony. "Bold Young Alpinist Balin Miller Dies in Yosemite Fall." Climbing Magazine, October 2025. https://www.climbing.com/news/alpinist-balin-miller-dies-in-yosemite/
    9. American Alpine Club. "A Tribute to Balin Miller." October 15, 2025. https://americanalpineclub.org/news/2025/10/15/a-tribute-to-balin-miller
    10. Twight, Mark. "The Reality Bath re-Redux." Substack, January 17, 2025. https://marktwight.substack.com/p/the-reality-bath-re-redux
    11. Explorersweb. "Denali: Slovak Direct Soloed, Season in Full Swing." June 20, 2025. https://explorersweb.com/denali-slovak-direct-soloed-season-in-full-swing/
    12. Wikipedia contributors. "Balin Miller." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed October 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balin_Miller
    13. NBC News. "Noted climber falls to his death at Yosemite National Park's El Capitan rock formation." October 4, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/noted-climber-falls-death-yosemite-national-parks-el-capitan-rock-form-rcna235570

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Show more Show less
    27 mins
  • 43 Days Lost in the Himalayan Winter: Trapped Without Food or Fire | E226
    Apr 6 2026

    On December 22nd, 1991, a 22-year-old medical student from Brisbane crawled under a rock overhang in the Nepalese Himalayas and waited for help. He had a sleeping bag, two chocolate bars, four books, and no way to make fire.

    No one knew where he was.

    The record for survival at that elevation in Himalayan winter — without food, without shelter beyond a sleeping bag, without fire — was ten days. Every expert, every search coordinator, every official who looked at the timeline said the same thing. It had been too long. The mountain didn't give people back after this many days.

    James Scott lasted forty-three.

    In this episode, Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen trace every decision that put him under that rock, what his body went through in the weeks that followed, and the two parallel stories running at the same time — a young man alone in the dark doing whatever it took to stay alive, and a sister in Kathmandu who refused, day after day, to accept what everyone around her was saying.

    This one will stay with you.

    00:00 Podcast Intro
    00:39 Storm on the Pass
    02:35 Alone in the Whiteout
    04:19 Shelter Under the Rock
    05:16 43 Days Survival Setup
    07:04 Backstory and Trek Plan
    09:12 Winter Hazards and Bad Gear
    12:15 Split Decision at the Pass
    14:33 Creek Descent Goes Wrong
    16:44 Rationing and Staying Alive
    18:26 UV Damage and Darkness
    19:26 Search Begins and Family Arrives
    20:08 Joanne Refuses Defeat
    21:15 Search Limits at Altitude
    22:23 Life Under the Overhang
    24:16 Why He Stayed Put
    25:49 Helicopter Missed Signal
    26:28 Giving Up Then Reversing
    27:55 Collapse After 100 Meters
    29:10 Day 42 Final Flyover
    29:48 Blue Sleeping Bag Spotted
    31:39 Hospital Recovery and Aftermath
    33:30 Other Cases and Key Variables
    35:18 Book, Media, and Missing Answers
    37:05 Why He Survived
    38:31 Hosts Reflect and Wrap

    Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

    Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

    Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    SOURCES

    Primary

    Scott, J. and Robertson, J. (1993). Lost in the Himalayas. Melbourne: Lothian. Edinburgh edition 1994.

    Scott, J. (1992). 'James Scott: How I Survived.' Sun Herald, March 8, 1992. Republished at medicaltranslation.com.au

    Scott, J. and Bailey, E. (1993). 'Miracle in the Himalayas.' Reader's Digest, February 1993, pp. 31–38.

    UPI Archives (February 5, 1992). 'Man survives 43 days in mountains on snow and ice.' Includes direct quotes from Carl Harrison and Dr. F. Garlick. upi.com/Archives/1992/02/05/

    Secondary

    Farafoot Survival Stories (2014). 'Lost in the Himalayas — A Fight for Survival.' farafootsurvivalstories.wordpress.com. Contains extended first-person account from James's 1992 Sun Herald article.

    Academic thesis: 'Traumatic Event Without Loss of Life.' Chapter 6, pp. 202–223. University of Queensland. reporting4work.com.au. Contains interview with Joanne Robertson.

    Wellcome Collection (1993). Archival illustration and reference materials. wellcomecollection.org/works/z65xekgt

    Zimmerman, M.D. et al. (1997). 'On being a patient: survival.' Annals of Internal Medicine, 127: 405–409.

    Hilless, B. (December 1998). 'A vision of human survival.' AMAQ News, Journal of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Medical Association.

    Real Risk Podcast, S2 E7 (October 15, 2020). 'Lost in the Himalayas — The Impossible Tale of James Scott.' realriskpodcast.com

    Trail Context

    Going the Whole Hogg (2025). 'Gosainkunda Trek: The Essential Guide.' goingthewholehogg.com/gosainkunda-trek-guide/

    Note on Mark Fulton: Mark Fulton's account of events after he separated from James is not part of the public record. His absence from the book and from press coverage is documented in reader reviews of Lost in the Himalayas (Goodreads, 2020). This script reflects only what is verifiably documented.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • They Did What They Had to Do: Nineteen Days in the Idaho Wilderness | E 225
    Mar 30 2026

    On the morning of May 5th, 1979, four residents of Estevan, Saskatchewan boarded a small Cessna bound for Boise, Idaho on what was supposed to be a day trip. By that afternoon, the plane was down in a remote canyon in the Salmon River Mountains, two of the four passengers were dead, and two badly injured survivors were completely alone. No gear. No supplies. No rescue coming. What Donna Johnson and Brent Dyer did over the next nineteen days to stay alive is one of the most remarkable — and least known — survival stories in North American history. This episode does not look away from any of it.

    Timestamps:

    01:07 Crash Begins In Idaho

    03:15 Meet The Passengers

    05:28 Weather Route Decision

    07:12 Impact And Injuries

    10:51 Losses And Isolation

    12:18 Search Misses Them

    12:58 Cold Hunger And Journaling

    15:25 Unthinkable Choice

    18:25 Decision To Walk Out

    21:53 Nineteen Day Escape

    23:24 Rescue And Home News

    24:30 Puppy And Lawsuit Fallout

    27:01 Faith Legacy And Closing

    Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

    Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

    Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    REFERENCES

    Johnson v. Pischke, 108 Idaho 397, 700 P.2d 19 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1985)

    Gzowski, Peter. The Sacrament. Atheneum Books, 1980.

    "We Had to Eat Him and We Did." Maclean's, June 11, 1979.

    Timson, Judith. "Survival on Faith and Human Flesh." Maclean's, October 6, 1980.

    "Father's Protective Instinct Led to Miracle in Idaho Mountains." Regina Leader-Post, May 26, 1979.

    "Pair Walk Away from Crash Site." Lawrence Journal-World, May 26, 1979.

    "Air Crash Survivor Recounts Ordeal." Brandon Sun, June 1, 1979.

    Penn, Alix and Carmella Lowkis. "ICE Part II — The Crash of the Skyhawk." Casting Lots: A Survival Cannibalism Podcast, December 2020.

    Emilson, K. When Memories Remain, 3rd ed. Perpetual Books, 2018.

    "Brent Dyer Survived a Plane Crash — Extraordinary Lives." YouTube, DoxNM, 2017.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Show more Show less
    32 mins
  • The Body Recovery: Fatal Cave Dive at Bushman's Hole | Disaster Strikes E 224
    Mar 26 2026
    In this episode of the Crux podcast's Disaster Strikes segment, hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen delve into the harrowing story of Dave Shaw, a technical diver who tragically perished while attempting to recover the body of a fellow diver, Deon Dreyer, from the depths of Bushman's Hole in South Africa. Listeners are taken through the extreme dangers of cave diving, the physiological and equipment challenges faced at extreme depths, and the sequence of events that led to Shaw's death. The narrative also touches on the ethical debate surrounding the attempted recovery, the impact on the diving community, and the lessons learned from this tragic incident. 00:00 Introduction to Disaster Strikes 01:04 The Fatal Dive of Dave Shaw 01:46 Understanding the Dangers of Cave Diving 06:19 Dave Shaw's Background and Diving Career 10:14 The Discovery of Deon Dreyer's Body 11:56 Planning the Recovery Dive 14:37 The Final Dive 19:01 The Fatal Spiral Begins 19:10 Shaw's Descent and Initial Struggles 19:59 The Unexpected Buoyancy Challenge 20:46 The Entanglement and Panic 22:51 Shaw's Final Moments 25:01 The Aftermath and Recovery 26:58 Debates and Controversies 34:23 Changes in Diving Practices 36:28 Unresolved Questions and Legacy 38:01 Conclusion and Reflections Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ Primary Sources: Zimmermann, Tim. "Raising the Dead." Outside Magazine, August 1, 2005. Main investigative article, extensive detail on Shaw and the incident Finch, Phillip. Diving Into Darkness: A True Story of Death and Survival. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008. Book-length treatment of the incident with detailed accounts Mitchell, SJ; Cronjé, FJ; Meintjes, WA; Britz, HC. "Fatal respiratory failure during a 'technical' rebreather dive at extreme pressure." Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, February 2007; 78(2): 81-6. Medical/forensic analysis of Shaw's death Dave Not Coming Back (2020). Documentary film. Features Don Shirley's firsthand account and helmet camera footage Secondary Sources: Wikipedia: Dave Shaw - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Shaw Verified biographical details, dates, equipment specifications Wikipedia: Deon Dreyer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deon_Dreyer Verified details about Dreyer's death and recovery Wikipedia: Boesmansgat - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boesmansgat Geographic and depth record information All That's Interesting. "The Tragic Story Of Dave Shaw" https://allthatsinteresting.com/dave-shawDive-Scuba.com. "Dave Shaw: The Full Story of the Bushman's Hole Diving Incident" https://www.dive-scuba.com/dave-shaw-incident/South China Morning Post. "Dead diver fulfills his last mission," January 13, 2005 Contemporary news coverage from Shaw's home base News24 (South Africa). "Divers' bodies 'unexpected,'" January 12, 2005 https://www.news24.com/divers-bodies-unexpected-20050112Divernet. "Dave Shaw died from carbon dioxide black-out" https://divernet.com/scuba-news/dave-shaw-died-from-carbon-dioxide-black-out/InDEPTH Magazine. "The Aftermath Of Love: Don Shirley and Dave Shaw" https://indepthmag.com/the-consequence-of-love-don-shirley-and-dave-shaw/Technical Diving Forums (ScubaBoard, Yorkshire Divers) Contemporary discussions and firsthand accounts from support divers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show more Show less
    40 mins
  • Trapped in Quicksand: 2 Hours vs. 6 Days | E223
    Mar 23 2026

    Quicksand isn't a movie prop. It's real, it looks completely normal, and it happened to two men in the past three months — one in a frozen Utah canyon, one in a Florida mud pit. Austin Dirks is an experienced thru-hiker with thousands of backcountry miles. He stepped into what looked like an inch of water in Arches National Park and couldn't move for two hours. Andrew Giddens disappeared on Valentine's Day and wasn't found for days — shoulder-deep in saturated clay at an industrial site, invisible from 20 feet away. We cover the science of why quicksand traps people, why fighting back makes it worse, and what actually works — plus a 2026 NPS safety alert for Glen Canyon that's worth hearing before spring break. If you ever find yourself sinking, stop. Just stop.

    00:00 Podcast Introduction

    00:30 Quicksand Nightmare Setup

    02:29 Utah Canyon Incident

    06:06 Rescue In Courthouse Wash

    08:00 Quicksand Myths Explained

    08:44 How Quicksand Works

    12:18 Rescue Tactics And Physics

    14:17 Self Rescue Tips

    15:17 Zion Subway Survival

    18:20 Florida Mud Pit Case

    21:40 Entrapment Survival Mindset

    22:20 How Long Was He Stuck

    23:27 Deputy Spots The Truck

    24:49 A Face In The Mud

    25:57 Two Hour Extraction

    27:31 Aftermath And Medical Risks

    29:15 Is Quicksand A Real Risk

    30:55 Where Quicksand Forms

    31:48 Warning Signs And Probing

    32:53 Smart Moves If You Sink

    34:43 Calling For Help Fast

    37:32 Why Stillness Wins

    41:34 New NPS Quicksand Alert

    43:07 Final Takeaways And Resources

    Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

    Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

    Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    Resources
    • Austin Dirks / Grand County Search and Rescue — local Utah news coverage, December 2025
    • Andrew Giddens / Putnam County Sheriff's Office — Palatka Fire Department statement, February 2026
    • Ryan Osmond / Zion National Park — Utah DPS rescue records, February 2019
    Science
    • Daniel Bonn et al., Nature — "Granular media: how to pull out a foot" (2005)
    Safety & Alerts
    • National Park Service — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area quicksand safety alert, March 2026 — nps.gov
    The Broomway
    • Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Broomway
    • BBC Travel — "This desolate English path has killed more than 100 people" — bbc.com/travel
    • Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways (2012)
    Crisis Resource
    • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 — 988lifeline.org

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Show more Show less
    43 mins
  • Fourteen Days Down Under: The Beaconsfield Mine Rescue That Captivated the World | E222
    Mar 16 2026

    When a 2.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Beaconsfield Gold Mine in Tasmania on ANZAC Day 2006, seventeen miners were underground. Fourteen walked out. One didn't survive. And two men — Todd Russell and Brant Webb — simply disappeared into the rock. In this episode, Julie and Kaycee go deep into the fourteen days that followed: the silence, the injuries, the moment rescuers heard something unexpected, and the painstaking engineering effort to bring them home — plus the part of the story that rarely gets told, what survival cost them long after they walked back into the light.

    00:00 Patreon

    00:34 Podcast Intro And Setup

    01:09 Mine Collapse Strikes

    03:46 Meet Todd And Brant

    05:42 Trapped In Darkness

    08:44 Rescue Plan And Bad Ground

    11:07 Singing Confirms Life

    12:28 Borehole Lifeline Supplies

    14:00 Injuries And Long Wait

    16:05 Grief And Gallows Humor

    17:57 Music And Foo Fighters Note

    19:57 Drilling The Escape Tunnel

    21:58 World Watches The Rescue

    22:46 Day 14 Breakthrough

    24:50 Aftermath PTSD And Community Cost

    28:05 Why They Survived

    30:22 Legacy And Closing Thanks

    32:19 Reviews And Listener Outreach

    Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

    Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

    Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    REFERENCES:
    1. Beaconsfield Mine Collapse, Wikipedia
    2. Bad Ground: Inside the Beaconsfield Mine Rescue — Tony Wright, Todd Russell & Brant Webb
    3. The Examiner, Launceston — "Rescuers Real Heroes," April 2016
    4. Australian Geographic — "On This Day: Beaconsfield Miners Rescued," November 2013
    5. SBS News — "Beaconsfield Miners Speak of Lasting Scars," April 2016
    6. Raisebore Australia — Beaconsfield Rescue Case Study, raisebore.com.au
    7. Monument Australia — Beaconsfield Mine Rescue Plaque Record
    8. Celebrity Speakers Australia — Todd Russell Speaker Profile
    9. World Socialist Web Site — "The Australian Media and the Beaconsfield Mine Rescue," May 2006
    10. Geoscience Australia — Seismic Event Records, April 2006
    11. Channel 9 — Todd Russell and Brant Webb exclusive interview, May 21, 2006
    12. 60 Minutes Australia — Todd Russell interview on PTSD
    13. The Sydney Morning Herald — Beaconsfield Mine rescue coverage, May 2006
    14. Prime Minister John Howard — Parliamentary Reception Statement, May 29, 2006

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Show more Show less
    33 mins
  • The Vanishing at Pendleton Mountain | Disaster Strikes E221
    Mar 12 2026
    Silver Plume, Colorado — population 130 — became the setting for one of the strangest unsolved disappearances in Rocky Mountain history. In the summer of 1988, sportswriter-turned-novelist Keith Reinhard rented a storefront on Main Street, began writing a fictional character based on the building's previous tenant — a reclusive man who'd walked into the mountains and never returned — and slowly lost the boundary between the story he was writing and the life he was living. On August 7th, hungover and wearing tennis shoes, Keith announced to multiple townspeople that he was going to summit 12,275-foot Pendleton Mountain alone, starting at 4:30 in the afternoon — then walked away and was never seen again. What followed was one of the largest search and rescue operations in Colorado history, a fatal plane crash, and a cold case that's now over 35 years old. Was it an accident? A suicide? A staged disappearance? Or did Keith Reinhard stumble onto something about his predecessor's death that someone didn't want known? 00:00 Introduction to Disaster Strikes 00:42 Keith Reinhardt's Mysterious Disappearance 03:01 The Life of Keith Reinhardt 05:20 The Eerie Connection to Tom Young 08:06 Keith's Obsession and Final Days 16:31 The Search and Theories 23:25 Unsolved Mysteries and Ongoing Questions 26:59 Conclusion and Dedication Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ References Colorado Cold Case Files - Keith Reinhard Case #307 - Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office (Contact: 303-679-2376) - https://apps.colorado.gov/apps/coldcase/casedetail.html?id=307Chicago Tribune: "Search for Reporter Halted in Colorado" (August 15, 1988)Chicago Tribune: "A Chicago-area sportswriter disappeared 31 years ago in Colorado" (January 9, 2020)Daily Herald: "The anniversary of Keith Reinhard's disappearance sparks fresh perspectives" by Jim O'Donnell (August 8, 2023)CBS Colorado: "Still No Clues In Cold Case Of Man Who Went Missing 30 Years Ago" (August 7, 2018)Eric Walter Blog: "Mountain, Murder, or Mexico?" and "The Needle in the Haystack" - https://www.ericwalterdocs.com/Travel Channel: "Lost in the Wild" - Keith Reinhard episode (January 2020) - Investigators: J.J. Kelley and Kinga PhilippsUnsolved Mysteries: Original broadcast January 31, 1990 (Season 2, Episode 15 with Robert Stack); Rebroadcast Season 6, Episode 20 (with Dennis Farina)The Charley Project: Keith R. Reinhard case file - https://charleyproject.org/case/keith-r-reinhardStrangeOutdoors.com: "The bizarre disappearance of Keith Reinhard and death of Tom Young in the Rocky Mountains" - https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/keith-reinhardMissing NPF: Keith R. Reinhard case listing - https://missingnpf.com/listing/keith-r-reinhard/Historic Mysteries: "The Bizarre Disappearance of Keith Reinhard in Silver Plume, Colorado" (April 17, 2020)Locations Unknown: Keith Reinhard case profile (November 28, 2021)Unsolved Mysteries Wiki: Keith Reinhard and Tom Young case pagesOur Community Now: "Cold Cases: The Disappearances of These 2 Colorado Men Are Eerily Similar and Creepy as Hell"Substack: "Twin Disappearances into the Peaks" by Thorne (July 22, 2021)Unsolved.com: Keith Reinhard case discussion forumThe Curious Case of Keith Reinhard and Tom Young blog (February 24, 2025) - https://www.asheycakes.com/post/the-curious-case-of-keith-reinhard-and-tom-young Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • 100 Foot Fall, Broken Back, No Help: Surviving the Arizona Desert | E220
    Mar 9 2026
    On May 20, 2016, ICU nurse Amber Kornhorst set out on a solo late-afternoon hike near Cane Beds, Arizona, and climbed a deceptively "sticky" sandstone wall she couldn't safely descend. With no cell service and no way out, she fell about 100 feet into a narrow rock "dungeon," suffering three spinal fractures, a crushed pelvis, head and facial injuries, severe dehydration, and hypothermia — and typed goodbye messages to her family on her phone. Refusing to give up, she crawled and climbed to a more visible ledge and blew her whistle three blasts every half hour until search-and-rescue teams and a helicopter located her nearly 24 hours later, executing a technical rope raise and hover-load evacuation to a Utah hospital. Her story drives home survival essentials: always tell someone your plan, never hike alone, start early, carry extra water and a whistle, consider a satellite communicator, and never climb anything you can't safely descend. 00:46 Show Intro And Setup 01:40 Amber Hits The Trail 03:02 Climbing The Sandstone Wave 04:10 No Way Down Desert Trap 05:32 The Hundred Foot Fall 06:20 Shock And Goodbye Texts 08:27 Painful Climb And Whistle 11:03 Search Effort Mobilizes 12:41 Helicopter Spots Her 14:16 Technical Rope Rescue 16:10 Hover Pickup Extraction 17:02 Helicopter Evacuation 17:43 Hospital Recovery Journey 19:06 Why She Survived 19:43 Whistle and Visibility 21:55 Search Mobilized Fast 22:50 Wilderness Safety Takeaways 25:03 Desert Hiking Mistakes 27:08 Survival Mindset Lessons 29:47 Final Wrap and Credits Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ Primary/First-Person Account Kohnhorst, Amber. "Surviving Alone After a 100-Foot Fall in the Arizona Wilderness." Backpacker Magazine, February 28, 2017. https://www.backpacker.com/survival/surviving-a-100-foot-fall-in-arizona/ News Coverage "Rochester Woman Survives 100-Foot Tumble On Hike In Arizona." WCCO/CBS Minnesota, May 24, 2016. https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/05/24/rochester-woman-100-foot-fall-arizona"Hiker Recovering After Northwest Arizona Fall." KTNV, May 25, 2016. https://www.ktnv.com/news/hiker-rescued-in-rural-northwest-arizona"Hiker Who Fell Is Mending at Home." Post Bulletin, 2016. https://www.postbulletin.com/newsmd/hiker-who-fell-is-mending-at-home"The 100-Foot Fall. The Long Climb Back." Post Bulletin. https://www.postbulletin.com/news/the-100-foot-fall-the-long-climb-back Institutional Coverage "Nurse Becomes Patient After Surviving 100-Foot Fall While Hiking." Mayo Clinic In the Loop, June 9, 2016. https://intheloop.mayoclinic.org/2016/06/09/nurse-becomes-patient-after-surviving-100-foot-fall-while-hiking/"Amber Kohnhorst's Trip to the Sanctuary." Best Friends Animal Society. https://bestfriends.org/stories/features/mayo-clinic-nurse-who-survived-100-foot-fall-returns-best-friends Background "Cane Beds, Arizona." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Beds,_Arizona Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show more Show less
    31 mins