Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode is the sixth and final installment of the WRFI Stories series. The Wild Rockies Field Institute is a nonprofit organization that offers college level field courses accredited through the University of Montana. Their mission is to offer academically rigorous, place-based field courses that develop engaged, informed citizens and strong leaders capable of addressing complex social and environmental issues.

Today's guest is Fiona Monahan, a student on the most recent Restoration Ecology course during summer 2025. Fiona is in school at Reed College in Oregon studying Environmental Studies with a concentration in Biology. They hope to go on to pursue a PhD in Ecology or Lichenology. They are an avid backpacker, river surfer, climber, all-round adventurer, and steward of the world around them!

In this conversation we talk about:

• Fiona's experience hiking the Colorado Trail after high school
• their thoughts on risk and risk assessment
• why they took a WRFI course, and some stories from the field
• the definitions and differences between restoration, conservation, and preservation
• Fiona's thoughts on building community with the more-than-human world
• ...and a lot more

Thank you for joining us!

Wild Rockies Field Institute website: https://www.wrfi.net/

Ways to Support WRFI: https://www.wrfi.net/support/ways-to-give/

WRFI's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_rockies/

Women's Wilderness: https://womenswilderness.org/

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:

• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

This episode is part 2 of my conversation with friend and world traveler, Chloe Carnegey. In this half of our conversation, Chloe and I tell the story of our New Zealand hitchhiking adventure from the mountains of the south island to Queenstown, both sharing journal entries we wrote chronicling those days in real-time. We talk about spending New Year's Eve of 2018 on a magical remote property south of Queenstown, and then about Chloe's travels after New Zealand to Costa Rica and Peru! I ask Chloe about her thoughts on gap years broadly and what that year changed in her, and share some of my thoughts as well.

Chloe and I then talk about what she has been up to in the 7 years since we took our gap years, including her path to her undergraduate degree, and more international travel. We finish the conversation talking about where Chloe is at now, looking to pursue work as a birth doula and diving more deeply into her passion for music and songwriting!

I loved this half of our conversation; Chloe has so much wisdom to share about what makes for a meaningful life and the value of following an authentic path, even if it is unconventional. It was so good to reconnect for this conversation, and if you enjoyed part 1 with Chloe I have no doubt you will love the second half as well!

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:
• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode is part 1 of a conversation with friend, artist, and world traveler Chloe Carnegey. Chloe and I went to high school together, and then went on to take gap years and traveled to New Zealand for four months from October 2018 to January 2019. Chloe went on to keep living this wild life of spontaneity and travel and adventure, and has hardly stopped moving since our time in New Zealand! She now has a Bachelor's degree in Botany and Plant Pathology with two minors in Spanish and Chemistry, and is currently looking into becoming a doula and working with mothers in that capacity.

In this first half of our conversation, Chloe and I talk about how we met in the awesome outdoor class we were both a part of in high school. Chloe tells the story of how I inspired her to take a gap year, an interaction I ironically have no memory of but marked the beginning of what became a life-changing adventure we took on together.

We then talk about some of our memories in New Zealand - the highs and lows of being 18 years old and learning how to travel and live on our own 7,000 miles from home. We talk about WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) and our first host farm, and then about how - after a month traveling solo - we met up again for a harrowing and exhilarating handful of days during the week of Christmas 2018 on another host property on the rugged west coast of the South Island.

Both Chloe and I share some journal entries from our time in New Zealand in this episode, and I hope you enjoy this glimpse into our minds and lived experiences as 18-year-olds on a wild adventure.

I am so glad you are here, and hope you enjoy!

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:

• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode is the fifth installment of the six-part WRFI Stories series rolling out on the podcast from July to December, where I am partnering with the Wild Rockies Field Institute to help tell some of the stories of WRFI's history and impact on the world over time. The Wild Rockies Field Institute is a nonprofit organization that offers college level field courses accredited through the University of Montana, and their mission is to "offer academically rigorous, place-based field courses that develop engaged, informed citizens and strong leaders capable of addressing complex social and environmental issues."

The guest for today's episode is Ashley Dresser. Ashley is a former WRFI student, having taken part in the Montana Afoot and Afloat course back in 2006! She now lives in Bilbao, Spain, and works as a freelance Learning Experience Designer and Consultant. She also works as a food and wine guide in Bilbao! Prior to her current life in Spain, Ashley studied International Relations with an emphasis on peace and conflict resolution at the University of Minnesota with a minor in Sustainability, and got her Masters in Linguistics. She also spent time working as an adventure guide in college, has traveled extensively, lived in Northern Ireland for a time, and has generally made the most of her wild and adventurous life.

Thank you so much for joining us!

Wild Rockies Field Institute website: https://www.wrfi.net/

Ways to Support WRFI: https://www.wrfi.net/support/ways-to-give/

WRFI's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_rockies/

Clip from film 'El Pico' depicting Bilbao in the 1980s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8PjWj4ULBE

'Maixabel' movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJHlh5zTaiE

Folk song in Basque language, Euskera "Txori Txoria": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NW7CZxOxhI&list=RD0NW7CZxOxhI&start_radio=1

Backstory on the song: https://basqueculture.eus/en/stories/music/from-mikel-laboa-to-delorean-the-flight-of-a-free-bird

Ashley's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-dresser/

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:
• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode features Mason Wood, representing Teton Science Schools in her role as the Outdoor Learning Experiences Program Coordinator.

Teton Science Schools is the educational partner of Grand Teton National Park. TSS provides education through youth group programming, ecotourism, and engaging with local students. They steward three campuses: the Jackson campus between the towns of Jackson & Wilson, WY; the Kelly campus within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park; and the Murie Ranch, a National Historical Landmark and the birthplace of the Wilderness Act.

Mason and I speak a lot to the value and importance of public lands and the power of place-based learning in this conversation. Mason shares her personal passion for the work she is involved in at TSS, as well as the founding story of the organization and how it has grown and evolved with time. We speak to the impact that TSS has had on the lives of students both local and international, and what she hopes for the future of the organization.

I am so grateful to Mason for sharing her heart and passion for her work and Teton Science Schools in this conversation, and I hope you enjoy!

Teton Science Schools website: https://www.tetonscience.org/

Outdoor Learning Experiences program: https://www.tetonscience.org/outdoor-learning-experiences/

TSS History video: https://vimeo.com/228690488?fl=pl&fe=vl

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:
• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode is the fourth installment of the six-part WRFI Stories series rolling out on the podcast from July to December, where I am partnering with the Wild Rockies Field Institute to help tell some of the stories of WRFI's history and impact on the world over time. The Wild Rockies Field Institute is a nonprofit organization that offers college level field courses accredited through the University of Montana, and their mission is to "offer academically rigorous, place-based field courses that develop engaged, informed citizens and strong leaders capable of addressing complex social and environmental issues."

This episode features Bethany Applegate. Bethany is the current Director of Student Engagement for the Davidson Honors College at the University of Montana, formerly a field instructor and Outreach Manager at the Wild Rockies Field Institute. She holds a Masters in Environmental Studies and Education from the University of Montana. Bethany is also a mother, a partner, and a lover of life-long learning and adventure.

I loved this conversation! We covered so much ground, including:

• Bethany's experience in undergrad at Colorado College
• Studying abroad in Western Samoa and New Zealand
• Her experience post-undergrad enrolling in a trade school and learning new skills
• Bethany's journey into the WRFI world and her years as an instructor and Outreach Manager
• Her transition to working with the Davidson Honors College, and what makes that work meaningful
• Motherhood, and her decision to build a family with her husband Ryan
• ...and so much more!

It was an honor to speak with Bethany, and I hope you are able to take something valuable from our conversation.

Wild Rockies Field Institute website: https://www.wrfi.net/

Ways to Support WRFI: https://www.wrfi.net/support/ways-to-give/

WRFI's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_rockies/

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:

• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode is a little different than the usual around here - in this episode I sat down with my friends Luke Miller and Cole Arendas to recap our successful Moranic attempt on August 18th and 19th of this year.

For those not steeped in Jackson outdoor culture, the Moranic is an unoffical mountain triathlon pioneered by local legend David Gonzales. It involves:

• biking 24 miles from Jackson town square to String Lake in Grand Teton National Park
• hiking 1 mile from String to Leigh Lake
• swimming across Leigh Lake to the base of Mt Moran (for us this totaled 5 miles roundtrip swimming)
• climbing Mt Moran via the CMC route
• descending the mountain
• swimming back across Leigh Lake
• biking back to town square

This was far and away the hardest physical challenge I have ever undertaken. In total it took just under 28.5 hours to complete, and there were countless highs and lows along the way. If you love a good adventure story, this one is for you!

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:
• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social

Hello, and welcome back to the Shadows Run Podcast!

Today's episode is the third installment of the six-part WRFI Stories series rolling out on the podcast from July to December, where I am partnering with the Wild Rockies Field Institute to help tell some of the stories of WRFI's history and impact on the world over time. The Wild Rockies Field Institute is a nonprofit organization that offers college level field courses accredited through the University of Montana, and their mission is to "offer academically rigorous, place-based field courses that develop engaged, informed citizens and strong leaders capable of addressing complex social and environmental issues."

This episode features long-time field instructor, Dave Morris. Dave has been a field instructor for the Wild Rockies Field Institute since 2001, and is still teaching today! He also served as WRFI's program manager for a time, and sat on WRFI's Board of Directors from 2004-2010. Dave has instructed and guided for many outdoor education programs since 1990, has taught almost every course that WRFI offers, and was instrumental in designing and crafting the itineraries and curriculum for a number of the courses WRFI offers today.

I would argue this conversation is both engaging and deep, adventure-packed and a bit philosophical. We covered topics ranging from Dave's cross-country bike trip post-college, to his experience working with incarcerated youth, to his many years teaching and designing WRFI courses, to his thoughts on what makes for a meaningful life...and so much more.

Thank you for being here!

Wild Rockies Field Institute website: https://www.wrfi.net/

Ways to Support WRFI: https://www.wrfi.net/support/ways-to-give/

WRFI's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_rockies/

I love to hear from you! Get in touch with me via:
• Email: shadowsrunpodcast@gmail.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowsrunpodcast/

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shadowsrunpodcast.bsky.social