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On his first album in five years, the singer-songwriter brings us a collection of heartfelt tracks that offer warmth and comfort when we really need it. Making folks feel good is, of course, what Johnson does best. For more than two decades, his music has served as the soundtrack to our fun times: hanging at the beach, taking a road trip, kicking back with friends after surfing or biking or skiing. But on Meet the Moonlight, which drops on Friday, June 24, he had to work a little harder than usual to find his optimism. In an extended conversation with Outside’s Michael Roberts, Johnson talks about finding himself stuck between hope and doubt, his overlooked competitive nature, and why a beer bottle is a legit musical instrument. Want to see Jack Johnson live at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in October? Go to Outside.io to register for the free Bedrock Badge, a new NFT from Outside that automatically enters you in a drawing for a special concert experience as well as signed copies of Meet the Moonlight and other prizes. This episode is brought to you by Aruba, an island in the Caribbean that offers so much more than a vacation. Learn more about what awaits you at this very special destination at Aruba.com .

Amid all the noise surrounding Web3, something fascinating is emerging: a new kind of immersive adventure storytelling. An innovative effort is underway to leverage the same technologies that get gamers excited about buying an outfit for their avatar to instead reward people for engaging in real-world outdoor experiences. The shift is going to have an enormous impact on how writers, photographers, and filmmakers tell their stories—and equally as important, how they connect with you, their audience. In this episode, Outside Interactive CEO Robin Thurston and adventure photographer Chris Burkard share their hopes for the coming transformation. This episode is brought to you by NOW, a company that offers more than 900 safe and effective nutritional supplements at a price that feels good. Learn more at nowfoods.com/feelgood

After two young pilots crashed their small plane into the water off Hawaii, they realized their best hope for survival was to make it back to land on their own. Sydney Uetmoto and David McMahon had been on a regular route between Oahu and the island of Hawaii, but now they were just specks in the sea with no way to call for help. In this riveting tale from the Out Alive podcast, we hear about their remarkable endurance in the face of overwhelming odds. This episode is brought to you by LifeStraw, maker of durable and versatile filtration systems that provide the highest protection from unsafe water. Learn more at lifestraw.com .

Is there something about adventure and risk that opens our hearts? Absolutely. In this episode, created in concert with an Outside article about love in the wild, we bring you tales of romances that bloomed outdoors. You’ll hear about two ultrarunners who fell for each other during a 60-mile dash through the Alps, a high-altitude climber who led her wary date down iced-over ski runs (it all worked out eventually), a pair of whitewater kayakers whose attraction for one other caused them to ignore an approaching forest fire, and a cyclist who suffered a brutal accident that led him back to his soulmate. This episode was brought to you by Aruba, an island in the Caribbean that offers so much more than a vacation. Learn more about what awaits you at this very special destination at aruba.com .

Writer Amy McCulloch was a young adventurer looking to challenge herself when she set her sights on 26,781-foot Manaslu, in the Himalayas. On a guided expedition, she encountered the expected risks of high-altitude mountaineering, as well as a darker threat she’d never imagined: members of her own team harassing and sexually propositioning her in an environment where she was incredibly vulnerable. She returned home with a harrowing true tale of resilience—and an idea for an epic novel. Her resulting debut thriller, Breathless, is a chilling story of murder in the so-called Death Zone. In this episode, McCulloch shares her path into the world of climbing and the unsettling experiences that became the basis of her book. This episode is brought to you by NOW, a company that offers more than 900 safe and effective nutritional supplements at a price that feels good. Learn more at nowfoods.com/feelgood .

Our furry friends are the best of adventure playmates. But they can also provide pure, unconditional love that gets us through the darkest times. A series of dogs have supported Colorado outdoor writer Annette McGivney since childhood, as she endured domestic abuse, the loss of family members, and a bitter divorce. She’s not alone: after McGivney published a pair of essays for Outside Online detailing her relationship with her dogs, she was flooded with responses and questions from readers. In this episode, she opens up about her long journey and details research showing just how special the bond between humans and animals can be. This episode is brought to you by LifeStraw, maker durable and versatile filtration systems that provide the highest protection from unsafe water. Learn more at lifestraw.com .

There’s a distinct pleasure to eating wild foods that you forage yourself—unless you pick the wrong thing. Imagine the horror you’d feel upon realizing that the risotto you cooked for your dinner party was made with Amanita phalloides, a.k.a. the death cap. You’d found the fungi off a trail near your home, sure they were common meadow mushrooms. But you were mistaken. Now you and your friends are in the hospital, fighting for your lives. In this classic episode from our archives, we put you, the listener, in a survival scenario that will leave you forever mindful of what you harvest out there. This episode was brought to you by Aruba, an island in the Caribbean that offers so much more than a vacation. Learn more about what awaits you at this very special destination at aruba.com .

In forests across the planet, secretive hunters are searching for that rare and insanely expensive wild delicacy: the truffle. The organism, which grows underground, tethered to tree roots, can fetch thousands of dollars per pound from upscale restaurateurs. The only way to find these particular fungi are dogs specially trained to sniff them out. Not surprisingly, the truffle business is not unlike the illegal-drug business, with lots of sneaking around in the night and powerful characters vying for control over markets. Outside contributing editor Rowan Jacobsen took a journey deep into the underworld of truffle hunters that began in the in the ancient forests of Europe and ended up, very unexpectedly, in the hills of Appalachia. This episode is brought to you by LifeStraw, maker durable and versatile filtration systems that provide the highest protection from unsafe water. Learn more at lifestraw.com .

Outdoor athlete and contributing editor Gloria Liu very much wanted to be one those people with the confidence and carefree spirit to occasionally hike, bike, or ski in the nude. Unfortunately, the decade-old memory of an uncomfortable event at a backcountry hot spring kept her clinging to her knickers. So, like any good competitor, Liu underwent a three-step training plan designed to get her comfortable playing in her natural state while in the woods—not to mention grant her all the scientifically proven benefits of recreating in the buff. This episode was brought to you by Aruba, an island in the Caribbean that offers so much more than a vacation. Learn more about what awaits you at this very special destination at aruba.com .

When we open our ears to the marvels of natural soundscapes, we experience the energies of the world in a unique way—and begin to understand the mysteries behind them. But when we habitually ignore what we’re hearing, we both miss out on one of the best parts of being human and enable the loss of an enormous diversity of species on this planet. So argues biologist and acclaimed author David Haskell in his new book, Sounds Wild and Broken . Considered by many as the premier nature writer in America today, Haskell believes that one of the most important things we can do to heal the earth is remember how to listen. In this episode, Haskell walks us through the rich history of sound and offers a powerful lesson in sonic awareness. This episode is brought to you by Outside Learn , a new online education hub loaded with instructional courses guided by best-in-class experts, like climber-filmmaker Jimmy Chin. See our growing list of offerings at learn.outsideonline.com .

Something surprising is happening on the video app best known for silly dance moves: users are finding inspiration for adventure. There are some fundamental differences in the way TikTok works that make it stand out from other social media platforms, and those differences may make it a space that’s more prone to bringing different kinds of people together to try new things. Camping. Hiking. International travel. It’s no utopia—like other social apps, TikTok has been called out for causing harm to younger users and spreading misinformation—but there’s a unique energy here that can be a force of good. This episode is brought to you by Outside Learn, a new online education hub loaded with instructional courses guided by best-in-class experts, like climber-filmmaker Jimmy Chin. See our growing list of offerings at learn.outsideonline.com .

In the ten years since Cheryl Strayed published her memoir about grief, addiction, and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, her life has changed dramatically. When the book came out in March 2012, she was a working mother of two, snatching whatever time she could to write. But within months, Wild was picked for Oprah’s Book Club and became a bestseller. Strayed has since published two more books and become a beloved advice columnist with a popular podcast, Dear Sugar . Meanwhile, the PCT has seen a dramatic surge of thru-hikers—the so-called “ Wild effect.” We talk with Strayed about the impact all this has had on her and the outdoor community, and ask her to share her advice for aspiring adventurers. Outside is hosting a live Zoom Q and A with Cheryl Strayed on Tuesday, April 5, at 6 p.m. Mountain Time. You can register to join us here. This episode was brought to you by Lake Hartwell Country, with support from Discover South Carolina and Pickens County, South Carolina. Start planning your trip to this stunning adventure playground now at lakehartwellcountry.com .