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Read Tamar Haspel’s new book “To Boldly Grow” (affiliate link)

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Why Understanding Native American Astronomy Can Help You Go Outside (Carl Gawboy)

Editor note: Human error got the best of me, and despite actually discussing with Carl during our interview (before recording) the difference between astrology and astronomy, I proceeded to use the wrong term in the title of this podcast episode and throughout the post and podcast notes. Carl Gawboy is an astrologist. The below has been corrected. Thank you for understanding!

Modern American culture uses Greek mythology to refer to stars and constellations in the night sky. But a rich tradition of Natvie American astronomy and indigenous star stories is out there, too, waiting for us to learn it. Better yet? Native American astronomy and learning star stories can help us chart the seasons and help us enjoy heading outside.

In this episode of Humans Outside Carl Gawboy, a Native American astronomy, Native Skywatchers elder and Ojibwe artist based in Minnesota, guides us through his groundbreaking work in Ojibwe star stories and what they can mean to us today. At almost 80, Carl shares a lifetime of work, study and cultural understanding with us.

Some of the good stuff:

[3:32] Carl Gawboy’s favorite outdoor space

[5:55] How Carl became someone who likes to go outside

[7:31] How indigenous star stories because a part of his journey

[16:32] How he discovered the connection of Ojibwe pictographs to star stories

[26:19] What the Hegman Lake pictographs mean

[32:05] The Ojibwe words for what’s in those pictographs

[34:00] What do you indigenous star stories teach us about our world today?

[38:19] How Carl’s artwork and star stories connect to simplicity

[42:29] The role of myth in understanding our world

[45:44] Using star stories to chart the year

[48:57] How to learn more about star stories wherever you are

Connect with this episode:

Learn about Carl Gawboy’s art

Read the Forest Service pamphlet that doesn’t recognize the star stories

Learn more about the Hegman Lake pictographs

The Sun Dagger documentary

Talking Sky by Carl Gawboy and Ron Mortin

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Outdoor Diary: When You Don’t Want to Go Outside? That’s When You Should

Bad attitudes and not feeling like doing something are just a part of life. So is facing conditions or circumstances that aren’t fun or pleasant. And when it comes to those things being a part of your outdoor habit? There is a reason you should move into them head-on and do the thing anyway.

Amy’s been thinking about two reasons that’s true as she battles through some of her own bad attitude feelings, and talks about them in this episode of Humans Outside.

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] A Spring-ish confession

[1:20] What “over it” means right now

[2:30] Why this is when you need to be out there

[2:50] The muscle you build when you get out there

[3:40] The outside time you’ll absolutely regret

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Outdoor Diary: Finding Ways to Power Through Dragging Seasons

How’s the end of winter going for you? Across the northern hemisphere hints of spring are popping up, with daffodils and flowers pushing through the ground. That’s even true in Alaska, where the longer daylight and temperatures closer to 30 than to 10 are warming things up and offering glimmers of hope, even if they do come between arctic blasts and falling snow. In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy walks through the power of those hints and why it’s important to seize them when it comes.

Some of the good stuff:

[:27] Finding moments of hope

[1:36] An almost-missed opportunity

[3:45] A hint of what’s to come

[4:21] Humans Outside Challenge

[5:09] Where to find Humans Outside

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Follow Bearfoot Theory on Instagram

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How to Make Van Life a Part of Normal Outdoor Life (Kristen Bor)

“Van life.” Sounds like something fancy for someone else, right? Someone who doesn’t have a job, or commitments, or a family, or stability, or … or… or.

Wrong! Using a camping van or having longterm adventures doesn’t have to just be for other people. It can be something normal people just like you use to get closer to nature near and far.

This week’s guest Kristen Bor knows that’s true because she’s lived all versions of van life as part of her work on her website Bearfoot Theory. On this episode of Humans Outside, Kristen shares with us her best tips for making van life a part of your regular outdoor adventures.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:50] Kristen Bor’s favorite outdoor space

[3:20] How Kristen became someone who likes to go outside

[7:05] What does “van life” actually mean?

[8:54] Why people like the idea of van life

[11:14] The security of vans

[12:53] How to make van life a part of normal life

[19:28] Why is van life different from RV life?

[24:01] How to buy a van without spending all of your money

[33:27] Kristen’s best three tips for getting into van life

Connect with this episode:

Visit Bearfoot Theory

Visit Open Roads Fest

Follow Bearfoot Theory on Facebook

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Outdoor Diary: Dating In Nature and Why It Can Be Great but Also Terrible

What happens when you take your date day outside? As Amy knows all too well, it can go horribly wrong or be really great. The difference? Communication. In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy talks about two very different ski dates, and why one worked but the other failed spectacularly.

Some of the good stuff:

[:26]: Keeping busy

[1:00]: Who is Amy dating?! (spoiler alert: her husband!)

[2:00]: Dating challenges (like, the outdoor kind)

[4:45]: Sacred spaces

[6:09]: Where to find Humans Outside

Connect with this episode:

Episode 18 with Corie Weathers: How Nature Can Help Your Relationships

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How to Use Nature to Heal from Heartbreak (Florence Williams)

If you’ve ever experienced a broken heart, you know how dramatically it can impact all aspects of your life. The ending of a relationship or loss of a loved one can be a traumatic, emotional rollercoaster than can last years. And in the midst of it you’ll likely find yourself wondering exactly how to make the pain stop and when it will stop hurting.

Heartbreak is both the subject and title of a new book by journalist Florence Williams. You might remember Florence from her work on one of her previous books, The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative. She joined us to talk about the book in a previous episode of Humans Outside. In her new book Heartbreak (and the immersive audio book) Florence pairs her own experience with the kind of research she’s known for, and in the process lays out a map for using nature to heal from a broken heart.

In this episode Florence talks about her experience healing from heartbreak by heading outside and gives us our own personal how-to on doing so in our lives, too.

Some of the good stuff:

[4:33] Florence William’s favorite outdoor space

[5:46] All about Florence’s heartbreak

[7:00] The not entirely secret story of Amy’s heartbreak

[8:53] Why heartbreak becomes a book

[12:58] Why she decided to try a nature cure

[17:01] What she tracked for her project

[23:00] Exactly how to heal heartbreak by going outside

[29:00] Can healing happen close to home?
[32:55] Why this is all actually really simple — but not immediate

[40:05] One surprising thing Florence learned

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Connect with this episode:
Read or listen to Heartbreak by Florence Williams (affiliate link)

Hear Florence Williams’ previous episode on Humans Outside

Listen to Amy and Luke Bushats with Florence on the Outside Magazine podcast

Follow Florence Williams on Facebook

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Outdoor Diary: What I’ve Learned from 2 Years of Humans Outside

The Humans Outside podcast hits its two-year anniversary this week. Two years! That’s two years of episodes with outdoor-minded guests who have taught Amy (and you) countless lessons about heading into nature. In this episode hear about why the Humans Outside podcast got started and just some of the things Amy has learned through podcasting for two years.

Some of the good stuff:

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