Outside Podcast

It’s August, it’s hot, and everyone is dreaming of some beach time. But it’s not just the dog days of summer that pulls us to the ocean. It has a draw on all of us. Today, to celebrate that draw, we’re replaying one of our favorite episodes. Historian Kevin Dawon, a professor at UC Merced, has been surfing for most of his life and spent his career investigating the rich tradition of African aquatic culture. Dawson is credited with resurfacing the first account of surfing in Africa, from 1640—more than 100 years before Captain Cook’s famed account from Hawaii—and his research centers centuries of oceanic accomplishment by Black communities there and in North America that have been ignored or actively erased. Dawson’s experiences in the waters of Africa, the Caribbean, and his native California bear little resemblance to what many people think of when they hear “surfer,” but they’re drenched in a joy that’s recognizable to anyone who has ever played in the waves.

This week's Long Read, with Outside Magazine Features Editor Fred Drier, follows Owen Clark's journey down the Lower Owyhee River in Eastern Oregon. The trip was notable because it occurred during the river's lowest point of the year. Rather than using traditional rafts, the group used pack rafts—inflatable crafts made to navigate even the lowest streams.

It turns out, that Clark's tour was a harbinger for what a lot of rafting operations faced in the spring and summer months of 2026, when a historically bad snow year led to challenging river conditions across the west.

If you’re listening to this podcast, you have likely jogged before. Maybe you’ve even run a Turkey Trot or local 5K. Suffice to say, you know that running is a time-consuming, physically exhausting sweaty mess. And yet, more people than ever are lacing up and taking to the trails right now. Which begs the question: Why?! Well, according to Abby Levene, the Managing Editor of the newly revamped Trail Runner, we are all born runners. It doesn’t matter your size, shape, age, lung capacity, or whether or not your quads feel like overinflated balloons any time you move past a walking pace. Trail running is having its own boomlet amidst the explosion of running generally, and Abby thinks she knows why. Listen to her moving depictions of how a run turns into a flow through the woods, and how a community turns exercise into mind meld with the natural world and the question is no longer, “Why does anyone run?” It’s “How quickly can I get out and find a trail?”

This week's Long Read feature story, with Outside Magazine's Features Editor Fred Drier, follows writer Bill Gifford as he explores a European company called Therme, which is turning wellness concepts like hot springs, saunas, and cold plunges into gigantic destinations that look like bewildering mashups of spas, cruise ships, and casinos. They're already popular throughout Europe, and, now, Therme has set it's sites on the U.S. Are we ready?

Steve Kenny has spent nearly three decades rowing boats and has the rippling shoulders and permanent tan to prove it. But under his ZZ Top-length beard, weather-battered Hawaiian shirt, and woman’s skirt he often sports, Steve is a lot more than an ace boatman. He’s a poet with a recently published collection of work—Scribblins: Poetry from Mountains, Deserts, and Rivers—and he had three careers before settling on this one: as a basketball coach, a college professor, and an investment banker. Steve thought he committed to life on the river for the thrill of the white water, but over the years he’s realized the real reason is the way time on the river inspires, invigorates, and even heals his guests. PaddyO talked to Steve in the midst of his own life-affirming trip through the Grand earlier this summer.