Morbid Outdoors
By Dark Horizons Media, LLC
The podcast about the times when the "great outdoors" aren't always great. Join us to hear tales of all things morbid in the wild. We cover murders, missing persons, legends, and more all within our great national parks, wildernesses, and forests. "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep..." -Robert Frost If you've ever been told you're weird for liking morbid stuff, you're our kind of people. Come along and learn about all of the morbid tales in our lovely wild lands. Dark Horizons Media, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today I sit down with Alex Foster, the CEO & Executive Director of Ozark Natural Science Center. In this episode, we discuss what ONSC provides for the community and the environment. Alex even shares her own campfire story about the (possibly) haunted bluff shelters of the Ozarks! I had a blast sitting down with Alex and hearing her story, learning about ONSC, and talking about how important nature is to all of us. If you feel inclined to help ONSC make differences in children's lives, please donate to their nonprofit! Check them out here . https://www.onsc.us/ Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Spooky season isn’t over here for Morbid Outdoors! The bluff shelters mentioned by Alex Foster of Ozark Natural Science Center (in today's other episode) aren’t the only things that might be haunted in the Ozarks. Today I’ll take you to the Ozark National Forest. It has its own “triangle” and we’ll discuss the 2001 case of a missing girl and how her disappearance might be related to a 70’s cult murder in the same area. All ad revenue from this episode will be donated to Ozark Natural Science Center Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark%E2%80%93St._Francis_National_Forest https://www.kark.com/news/special-reports/haley-zega-recounts-her-three-days-alone-in-the-arkansas-wilderness-as-a-6-year-old/ https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/09/cave-mountain-links-lost-girl-to-a-70s-cult-killing-in-arkansas https://www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-at-large/2026-03-05/new-book-explores-eerie-connections-between-two-girls-lost-in-the-ozarks https://harpers.org/archive/2023/08/who-walks-always-beside-you/ https://harpers.org/archive/2023/08/who-walks-always-beside-you/ https://haleyzega.com/ Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join us for this month's fatality incident reports from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado and Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's 1997 and yet another person has gone missing while visiting Mount Rainier National Park. A 27 year old took his camera equipment to the park for a photography day on the trails, promising his mom he’d be home by dinner. He was never seen again. Sources: https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/2017/11/6/chethanson https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/nov/17/search-for-mount-rainier-hiker-called-off/ https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/23010/details https://charleyproject.org/case/vincent-djie https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/news/two-searches-continue-for-overdue-hikers.htm https://charleyproject.org/case/ramona-lynn-fey https://wheninyourstate.com/washington/mount-rainier-national-park-washington/ Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A regular contributor to various Arizona outdoor websites such as HikeArizona.com and ArizonaHikers.com took off on a solo hike in a rugged Arizona mountain range and has never been seen since. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazatzal_Wilderness https://charleyproject.org/case/joseph-s-domin https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/gps-joe https://charleyproject.org/case/david-barclay-miller https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/david-barclay-miller https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/mary-sloan https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/gps-joe https://vanished.us/listing.php?slug=gps-joe-joe-domin-vanished-off-the-face-of-the-earth Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An amateur archaeologist disappeared into the Grand Canyon while searching for prehistoric rock art paintings. He remained missing for 14 years, only recently being found again. Sources: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/bill-ott-remains-found-grand-canyon/ https://gizmodo.com/an-amateur-archaeologist-disappeared-in-the-grand-canyon-14-years-ago-his-remains-have-finally-been-found-2000789948 https://people.com/man-remains-found-after-he-vanished-while-hiking-grand-canyon-to-see-ancient-art-12024781 https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/bill-ott-grand-canyon-missing-hiker-field-notes/ Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's the year 2000 and a woman travels to the Marble Mountains Wilderness to spend time with a Native American spiritualist organization and recover from a personal tragedy. But during this trip, she mysteriously vanishes. The only thing left behind was a tuft of her hair in a bush. She hasn’t been located since. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Mountain_Wilderness https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP29586 https://charleyproject.org/case/rosemary-theresa-kunst https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90124785/rosemary_theresa-kunst https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/rosemary-theresa-kunst https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/search-is-on-for-missing-female-hiker-2742996.php https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/search-is-on-for-missing-female-hiker-2742996.php https://www.siskiyoudaily.com/story/news/2021/09/14/unsolved-disappearances-siskiyou-county-without-answers-2021/5699788001/ Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In September 1990, a 42-year-old woman disappeared while camping with her husband in a remote Idaho wilderness area. She had gone on a short hike to a nearby meadow to birdwatch, carrying only her camera and binoculars, but never returned. Despite extensive searches, no trace of her was ever found. More than 30 years later, she still remains missing. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selway%E2%80%93Bitterroot_Wilderness https://charleyproject.org/case/susan-seymour-adams https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/category/Susan+Seymour+Adams https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/gxkn03/susan_adams_disappeared_from_idaho_30_years_ago_a/ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274880723/martha_susan-adams https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274880723/martha_susan-adams https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-obituary-for-s/46374124/ https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP2078 Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My episodes might become a little more boring and a little bit more ambiguous soon (obviously that's supposed to be a joke.) I’ve noticed a trend of incident reports being less and less detailed over the years, but now a new law might make accidents and deaths in our parks even more vague. Why is the Department of the Interior trying to conceal incidents within the national park service sites? Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service https://www.nps.gov/index.htm https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-06-25/national-park-staff-ordered-not-to-reveal-deaths-as-part-of-new-policy https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/nps-internal-memo-deaths/ https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/mortality-data.htm https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/life/department-of-the-interior-changes-policy-about-reporting-deaths-injuries-in-national-parks/article_14353bd8-568b-4572-a744-0af9af26c5f3.html Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 2010, a man living in Maryland left a note for his family that he was going on a cross-country road trip. He drove 32 hours to Yellowstone National Park over a span of days and then his car was found abandoned at Craig Pass. Despite searching, the NPS was unable to find any clue as to what happened to him. He has never been seen since. Sources: https://mocoshow.com/2025/08/27/maryland-man-stuart-isaac-disappeared-at-yellowstone-15-years-ago/ https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/stuart-isaac https://charleyproject.org/case/stuart-isaac Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In August 2014, an experienced backpacker set out for a multi-day trip, carrying plenty of supplies for his trek. When he didn’t show up at his planned exit, his friends reported him missing. The search went on for 10 days and nothing was found. He hasn’t been seen since. What happened to him? Anyone with information is asked to call the Monterey County Sheriff's Office at 831-755-3722 and refer to case number 14-05301. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Padres_National_Forest https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/arvin-nelson https://www.ksbw.com/article/big-sur-hiker-disappeared-wilderness-trek-california-answers-decade-later/61808413 https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/arvin-walter-nelson-0 https://charleyproject.org/case/arvin-walter-nelson Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join me as I read incident reports from Badlands National Park and Big Bend National Park. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badlands_National_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bend_National_Park https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-06-25/national-park-staff-ordered-not-to-reveal-deaths-as-part-of-new-policy Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's January 2001 and new residents to Arkansas go for an easy 1.5 mile trail at a local state park. The wife decides this trail is not for her and decides to go back to the car, but when the rest of the family makes it back to the parking lot, she is nowhere to be found. Not a trace of her has ever been found and she has not been seen since. If you have any information on the disappearance of Gloria McDonald, please contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 501-394-2511 or the Arkansas State Police at 800-553-3820. Sources: https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/jean-mcdonald https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/ai6bd9/unresolved_disappearance_gloria_mcdonald_hometown/ https://charleyproject.org/case/gloria-white-moore-mcdonald https://www.newson6.com/story/5e36836f2f69d76f62098494/in-arkansas-a-disappearance-baffles-investigators Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On a sunny November day in 2007, a professor went for a day hike in the beautiful Oregon forest. Two people saw him hiking and noticed strange behavior at the summit of the mountain. He never returned from his hike and has not been seen since. Five years later another man goes missing from the same area. Sources: https://www.hikeoregon.net/olallie-mountain.html https://www.curbsideclassic.com/auto-biography/autobiography-vanished-into-the-wilderness-the-daming-xu-memorial-hike/ https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/2017/11/3/jake-dutton-strange-disappearances-from-the-us-wilderness https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/daming-xu https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/vw6wo1/daming_xu_left_for_a_hike_on_november_4_2007_near/ https://charleyproject.org/case/daming-xu Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of Washington’s most beloved lake trails is the sight of many injuries and missing hikers each year. And in September 2004, an experienced outdoorsman and hiker vanished from this very area never to be seen again. If you have any information on Richard’s disappearance, please call the Washington State Patrol 800-543-5678. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okanogan%E2%80%93Wenatchee_National_Forest https://charleyproject.org/case/richard-rex-lee https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/richard-lee https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20040920/dige20m/crews-still-hunting-for-missing-hiker https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report-2022-05-24-9592163838 Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join us today for this summer's nature news. Sources: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/05/help-me-help-me-hiker-finds-yellowstone-grizzly-attack-victim-calls-911/ https://www.thv11.com/article/news/nation-world/missing-hiker-found-dead-in-possible-bear-attack-at-glacier-national-park/507-2771009f-4032-4398-a6e2-ef249e00377e https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/devils-hole-pupfish-death-valley-22252960.php https://www.thv11.com/article/news/nation-world/teen-dies-hiking-heat-bright-angel-trail-grand-canyon-national-park/507-4c845d87-737a-468a-8c1a-386999c9d2f4?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_THV11&fbclid=IwdGRleASRbKJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeSfY97aF9U9iZOtI38zAne5cs3wt-Nwxxcc8kNBymSdhPdcCfjcPnyfoHQ2A_aem_Z4bFxKHhmi_n60sRKn5gPQ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/human-remains-identified-sleeping-bag-national-park-26-years/ https://katu.com/news/local/first-chinook-salmon-returned-to-upper-mount-st-helens-watershed-after-1980-eruption-oregon-conservation-fishhatchery-volcano-local-washington https://www.kark.com/news/national-news/22-year-old-killed-in-horrifying-incident-at-yosemite-national-park/?fbclid=IwdGRleASo1gBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeJp3PQ-mZ4i1_rJzGxaxqQj5ZOd7AycpG5pjhZnIm0R15N6u0N_SQsoxU2ro_aem_jkFzuoqnCY_8rxlBVzAn0A https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/arizona-man-living-trash-camp-forest-b3008613.html https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/wyoming-black-bear-attack-bighorn-national-forest/ https://www.foxnews.com/travel/yellowstone-officials-decide-fate-bison-launched-grandfather-8-feet-air Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hi everyone! Merry Christmas in July!! I wanted to give you a lil gift of a bonus episode. This episode was originally recorded for Patreon (which we no longer do) last year. I bet you've heard of the monolith, but if not, here's a tiny bonus episode about it. Enjoy! Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In September of 1985 an experienced outdoorsman heads from his home in Sacramento, California, to Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska to “unplug” for two weeks. He was solo and looking forward to enjoying some time alone in the Alaskan wilderness. But when rangers find his campsite and he’s missing, there are more questions than answers. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_Bay_National_Park_and_Preserve https://www.nps.gov/glba/index.htm https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP23009 https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/kevin-robert-okeefe https://patriot-post.com/opinion/editorials/2020/11/12/into-thin-air-unnerving-disappearances/ https://websleuths.com/threads/ak-kevin-okeefe-36-glacier-bay-national-park-28-dec-1985.371107/ https://medium.com/@myInkscribe/swallowed-by-the-forest-3-dc7fdb0a33ba Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An experienced hiker set off to do a section of a longer, 12 mile trail in the forests of Waipio Valley, Hawaii in August 2019. He never came back from that hike and has not been seen since. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waipi%CA%BBo_Valley https://www.facebook.com/findkylebrittain/ https://abcnews.com/US/search-hiker-missing-hawaii-10-days-intensifies-family/story?id=65484234#:~:text=Kyle%20Brittain%20of%20Honolulu%2C%20Hawaii,Valley%20lookout%20area%20on%20Aug . https://www.ourblackgirls.com/p/khiara-henry-missing https://www.the-hungry-hiker.com/2023/06/06/10-mistakes-to-avoid-when-hiking-alone-how-to-stay-safe-while-solo-hiking/ Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On June 4, 2017, a 42-year-old treasure hunter kissed his girlfriend goodbye at the West Fork Beaver Creek Trailhead near West Yellowstone at 9:30 am as he set off for another attempt to locate the Forrest Fenn Treasure. This was the last time he was seen alive. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/mike-petersen https://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/ND-man-427099393.html Follow me on Instagram here. Support the show The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here. Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com Buy Me a Coffee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.