In The Wild

Beneath the dramatic cliffs of Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, England, lies a dark sea cave steeped in the legend of King Arthur and the mysterious wizard Merlin. Known as Merlin’s Cave, this natural passage has become one of the most enduring landmarks associated with the Arthurian legends, drawing visitors into a world where ancient history and myth seem to collide.

At 88 years old, Albert F. Sakowicz was an avid hiker who set out for a morning walk through Moreau Lake State Park in upstate New York. On May 27, 2026, he began his hike along the Western Ridge Trail, expecting to return within a few hours. But when Albert failed to come back, concern quickly turned into an urgent search.

On May 8, 2019, Amanda Eller set out for what was supposed to be a short hike through the Makawao Forest Reserve on Maui. An experienced yoga instructor and physical therapist, Amanda knew the area and had no reason to expect that the hike would turn into a terrifying 17 days.

While hiking through Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, experienced climber Minko Nikolov noticed a storm building overhead and made the smart decision to turn back. But before he could reach safety, a bolt of lightning struck him with devastating force, leaving him critically injured and alone on the trail.

At 79 years old, Ann Rodgers set out for what should have been a routine hike in Washington's Cascade Mountains with her loyal dog by her side. As an extensive search stretched on with no sign of the missing pair, Ann faced freezing nights, difficult terrain, and the constant challenge of staying alive in one of the Pacific Northwest's most unforgiving landscapes.

In the shadow of Queensland's highest mountain, Shannon Fraser disappeared into unforgiving rainforest terrain. Seventeen days later, scarred, sunburned, and dramatically weakened, she emerged alive from a wilderness that many believed would claim her life.

In 2011, Canadian couple Rita and Albert Chretien left British Columbia for a trip to Las Vegas, but a wrong turn onto a remote Nevada backroad changed everything.

Alexander Lofgren and Emily Henkel set out on a remote camping trip in Death Valley National Park that took a devastating turn when their vehicle became disabled. Stranded in extreme terrain and heat, the couple attempted to hike for help.

In December 2018, four people entered the abandoned Rockhouse Powellton Mine in West Virginia, a risky decision that quickly turned into a desperate fight for survival.

In 1971, what began as a simple outdoor adventure quickly turned into a life-or-death struggle for Steve and Karen when they found themselves stranded in a harsh, unforgiving wilderness.

Forced to flee into the wilderness, Nachema Tec entered a world just as dangerous as the one she left behind. Forests became both refuge and prison, offering cover from patrols while hiding hunger, cold, and constant uncertainty.

Every trail promises a way back, until one doesn’t. When Mike Turner found himself stranded on July 30, 1998, familiar ground turned unfamiliar fast.

When John Chaney found himself stranded in the wild, distance became his greatest enemy. With no easy rescue and the environment closing in, every step forward carried risk.

After a devastating cabin fire left him injured and stranded in remote Alaska, Tyson Steele had only one goal: survive long enough to be rescued.

In 1906, the passenger steamship SS Valencia ran aground along the treacherous coast of Vancouver Island, an area sailors feared. Stranded on jagged rocks during a violent storm, passengers and crew faced towering waves, failed rescue attempts, and heartbreaking decisions as chaos unfolded offshore.

In 2013, South African businessman Brett Archibald fell overboard from a yacht in the middle of the night while sailing through remote Indonesian waters. With no life jacket, no supplies, and no immediate rescue in sight, he was left alone in the vast ocean, forced to battle exhaustion, dehydration, jellyfish stings, and circling sharks.

In 1898, Belgian explorer Adrien de Gerlache led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition aboard the ship Belgica to explore the waters of Antarctica. When the vessel became trapped in the ice of the Bellingshausen Sea, the crew was forced to survive the first Antarctic winter ever spent locked in the ice.

In 1996, a routine canoe safari turned into a fight for survival when a massive hippopotamus attacked, crushing and swallowing Paul Templer alive before spitting him back out.

Kenneth Howard was one small child in an enormous landscape. This episode explores how scale, terrain, and time work against even the most determined search efforts.

Most people fear isolation. Christopher Thomas Knight embraced it. From 1986 to 2013, he lived entirely alone in the Maine wilderness, avoiding human contact at all costs.

In May 1996, Beck Weathers stood near the summit of Mount Everest when a sudden storm turned the world’s highest peak into a death trap.

After being kidnapped and abandoned in the Colombian jungle, Marina Chapman survived alone as a child by observing and mimicking a troop of monkeys.

Just off the coast of South Carolina, near the quiet shores of Sullivan’s Island, a routine day on the water turned into a fight for survival that few believed would end in rescue.

In January 2006, Ricky Megee set off across Western Australia for what should have been a routine drive to a new job. Instead, a wrong turn and a series of devastating missteps left him stranded deep in the unforgiving Australian outback.

A shattered leg. A storm closing in. Two climbers roped together on an impossible slope. This is the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, whose 1985 Siula Grande expedition became one of the greatest survival tales in mountaineering history.

In November 1942, a quiet ship’s steward named Poon Lim was thrust into one of the greatest survival trials in maritime history. After his vessel was torpedoed in the South Atlantic, he found himself alone on a wooden raft with almost no supplies and thousands of miles of open ocean in every direction.

In 1704, a Scottish sailor named Alexander Selkirk made a decision that would change the course of his life. Fearing his ship was unfit for the voyage ahead, he demanded to be left ashore on a remote island in the South Pacific.

In 1982, Debbie Kiley set out on what was supposed to be a routine yacht delivery trip from Maine to Florida. Instead, she found herself fighting for her life when a sudden storm capsized the boat, leaving her and her crewmates stranded in the open Atlantic with no supplies.

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake struck Japan, triggering a devastating tsunami that swept entire towns into the sea. Among the countless lives upended was Hiromitsu Shinkawa, a 60-year-old man from Fukushima, who found himself clinging to the roof of his home as it was carried miles offshore.

On December 31, 2011, Australian traveler Erin Langworthy leapt from Victoria Falls Bridge in a bungee jump meant to cap off her adventure through southern Africa. But when her cord snapped, she plunged into the raging Zambezi River, still tethered and fighting to survive.

In May 2013, off the coast of Nigeria, a routine day at sea turned into an unthinkable nightmare for ship’s cook Harrison Okene.

In 2001, a six-year-old girl vanished while hiking with her grandparents in the dense wilderness of Arkansas’s Ozark National Forest. For more than 48 hours, rescuers searched desperately, fearing the worst.

In March 2025, 41-year-old Brieonna Cassell, a mother of three, embarked on what seemed like an ordinary drive in rural Newton County, Indiana. After falling asleep at the wheel, she veered off the road into a hidden ditch that concealed her vehicle from passersby.

In June 2025, Samuel Vengrinovich set out for what he thought would be a short hike in India’s Himalayan foothills. But when he ventured beyond the Triund Trail without gear, water, or a phone, the journey turned into a harrowing fight for survival. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-vlad-find-his-missing-son-samuel-in-india

In April 2025, two-year-old Boden Allen wandered nearly seven miles through harsh Arizona high desert terrain after slipping away from his family’s property near Seligman. Facing rugged canyons, wild animals, and dropping temperatures, he survived alone for about 16 hours.

When 16-year-old Esther Wang set out for a hike in Golden Ears Provincial Park, she had no idea she would soon be fighting to survive alone in the dense wilderness.

In this episode of In The Wild, we follow the incredible story of Cheryl Strayed, a woman who set out alone to hike over 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail with no experience, driven by grief, loss, and a desperate need for transformation.

When a hiking trip into Washington's rugged Cascade Mountains takes a sudden turn, Robert Schock finds himself battling the brutal forces of nature. With limited supplies, dropping temperatures, and the endless wilderness closing in, Robert's survival instincts are pushed to the limit.

When 8-year-old redbone coonhound Buddy vanished into the vast Hubbard State Forest in Charlestown, New Hampshire, his owner refused to give up.

When 2-year-old JJ Rowland vanished from his Brooksville, Florida, home on a February morning in 2023, the community sprang into action. As night fell, a massive search ensued, with hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officers combing through dense woods and challenging terrain, determined to find the missing toddler.

When Lukas McClish set out for a hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains, he expected a peaceful escape into nature. But when a wrong turn led him deep into the rugged wilderness without food, water, or cell service, a casual day hike turned into a fight for survival.

Hidden deep in the Montana backcountry lies one of the most pristine and protected landscapes in America—The Bob Marshall Wilderness, or simply “The Bob.” In this episode of In The Wild, we journey into this breathtaking wilderness retreat, tracing the legacy of its namesake, Bob Marshall.

In this episode of In The Wild, we journey to the heights of Australia’s tallest peak—Mount Kosciuszko—through the eyes of Hadi Nazari, a refugee-turned-mountaineer whose climb is about more than just altitude.

Deep in the heart of Zimbabwe, Tinotenda Pudu found himself trapped in one of the most unforgiving landscapes on Earth. With scorching heat, dangerous wildlife, and dwindling supplies, every decision meant the difference between life and death.

When Sam Benastick set out on his adventure, he never expected to find himself battling the unforgiving forces of nature.

For nearly two decades, Juana Maria lived alone on the remote and windswept San Nicolas Island, surviving against all odds. The last known member of her tribe, she was left behind when missionaries evacuated her people, forcing her to rely on her skills, resilience, and deep connection to nature.

In this episode of In The Wild, we unravel Jack Renton's remarkable story of resilience, survival, and cultural transformation in one of the most remote places on Earth.

When a weekend hike in the Oregon wilderness went disastrously wrong, Pamela Salant found herself alone, injured, and miles from help. In this gripping episode of In The Wild, we recount her incredible journey of survival against the odds.

In this gripping episode of In The Wild, we recount the harrowing survival story of the Robertson family, who set out on a dream voyage around the world in 1972, only to find themselves stranded in the vast and unforgiving Pacific Ocean. With limited supplies and no hope of rescue, the family’s determination, resourcefulness, and will to survive were tested in ways most of us can’t even imagine. Tune in to hear how they battled the elements and their own fears to stay alive against all odds.

n this compelling episode of In The Wild, we uncover the extraordinary survival story of brothers Justin and Jeremy Harris. Bound by family but shaped by their individual strengths, the Harris brothers faced the wilderness in ways few could imagine. Through trials of endurance, brotherly conflict, and moments of sheer determination, their journey is a testament to resilience and the power of teamwork. Tune in as we retrace their steps through the untamed landscapes that tested their limits and shaped their legacy.