Seattle's 'Dirtbag Diaries' podcast shares outdoors tales in new book
SEATTLE — Handwritten thank-you notes and fan letters cover every available square inch of the walls on the booth where Fitz Cahall records "The Dirtbag Diaries." The heartfelt missives are a testament to the enduring appeal of one of the world's most popular outdoor adventure podcasts, founded and still based in Seattle after almost 18 years and tens of millions of downloads.
Listeners tune in each week not for hero-worshipping tales of conquering Mount Everest but for intimate stories about the outdoors as a place for healing and personal growth. Episodes recount a moving effort to carry a pair of hiking boots the length of the Appalachian Trail belonging to an Australian hiker who died before he could fulfill his dream of completing the East Coast trek, or a coming-of-age journey for three high school graduates who embark on a monthlong paddle from Franklin, Tenn., to the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, 30 of the hit podcast's best, most visual stories have been retold in a new book, "States of Adventure." We spoke with Cahall in the University District office he shares with his wife, creative partner and executive producer Becca Cahall ahead of a Nov. 7 book talk at Seattle Bouldering Project. This interview has been edited for concision.
— Q: Why did you start "The Dirtbag Diaries"?
— A: I had pretty much given up on my writing career. I could sell the same story over and over about the famous athlete, but I had all these other stories that I didn't see in Outside or Climbing magazine.
People use the outdoors as a way of living, to meet friends, find a life partner and raise their kids. It's how they connect with themselves and this planet. And they have all the range of human experiences possible. There are hilarious moments, grief, the most basic human emotions. Outdoor media missed all of that. It was so...