Battling Cabin Fever: Outdoor-related things to watch, listen to and read in the era of COVID

March 20, 2020

By Jillian Kosic, WNPF Board of Directors

A person looks up a snowy peak
Photo courtesy of Kristen Oliphant

UPDATED 3/25/2020 to address Shelter in Place, as well as additional guidance and resources.

It’s an interesting time we’re living in right now.

First and foremost, we think it’s important to remember that self-isolating doesn’t mean you can’t go outside: going outside is not cancelled. Actually, you should go outside (providing that you’re committed to safe social distancing practices and abiding by CDC recommendations) – the sun is the best free medicine you’ll ever receive. Even Governor Inslee, as he announced the Shelter in Place order, said “This [order] will not prohibit people from going outside and enjoying a walk on a sunny day.” Take a short walk (alone or with people you live with), get some fresh air, stretch your legs and soak up some Vitamin D while the sun is here.

However, please don’t forget that this does mean you need to make smart decisions for yourself and vulnerable communities. And the less time we all spend out in public, the more lives we can save. Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks have all made significant closures and limited services. State parks have closed. The WTA, the Mountaineers and The Outbound Collective all offer excellent recommendations for how to enjoy the outdoors, particularly in your local neighborhood, in the era of COVID-19. And when you do venture outside, remember to Leave No Trace and keep at least six feet of distance between you and anyone you don’t live with.

You can still enjoy the outdoors without leaving your couch. If you’re anything like us, when you’re not in the outdoors, you’re still thinking about the outdoors (and especially when you must stay at home!). To provide a little bit of a mental escape, we’ve been curating some outdoors-y content for you to engage with while you’re home. This list was made from first-hand feedback and recommendations from staff, donors and friends. Go ahead, relax and enjoy. You deserve a break.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this list!

TV/YouTube Series

Animals and Things

  • True Facts (Free on Youtube) All the things you did not know you needed to know about nature. True Facts About Everything. Science. And Science.
  • Epic Yellowstone (Rent on Prime Video; Smithsonian Channel) Nature’s dramas play out in one of the most remarkable ecosystems on Earth: Yellowstone.
  • Planet Earth (BBC) Good ol’ Planet earth. It’s always there when you need it. And cute animals…how can you say no?

Webinars

Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks

  • Virtual Field Trips with Washington’s National Park Fund (Free from WNPF) Enjoy 45 minute field trips led by park staff from the parks in our backyard.
  • Live Webcams from Each Park (Free from NPS)

Nature

  • Your Daily Dose of Nature (Free from Natural Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund) 150 guides from around the globe inspire you with reports from the field, conservation updates, fascinating wildlife insights, nature photography tutorials and more!

Movies

Climbing

  • Valley Uprising (Prime Video) In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite, climbers carved out a counterbalance of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. Valley Uprising is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity and society. Featuring Alex Honnold with narration by Peter Sarsgaard.
  • The Dawn Wall (Netflix) In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
  • Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey (Prime Video). Hailed as one of the most prolific and influential climbers of all time, Fred Beckey has become a cult hero in the outdoor world. Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey explores in cinematic rapture the unmatched drive, superhuman achievements and enigmatic genius of this man who set the bar for what is possible in an uncompromised existence.

Mountaineering

  • Meru (Prime Video) Three elite climbers struggle to find their way through obsession and loss as they attempt to climb Mount Meru, one of the most coveted prizes in the high stakes game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
  • Touching the Void (Rent or Buy on Prime Video; IFC Films Unlimited) Two men’s thrilling and disastrous climb of the remote and treacherous Siula Grande in Peru. An incredible account of tragedy, friendship and human endurance.

Cycling

  • Icarus (Netflix) When Bryan sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller.

Kayaking

Hiking/Trekking

  • 13 Thru-Hiking Films from The Trek. Writer Katie Kommer put together a list of 13 Thru-Hiking Films recommended by The Trek.
  • Wild (Rent or Buy on Prime Video). A chronicle of one woman’s one thousand one hundred mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent personal tragedy.

Animals

  • The Bear (Prime Video). Follows the story of a young cub and an adult grizzly as they join forces to survive the perils inherent in their mountain habitat.

Fishing

  • A River Runs Through It (Rent or Buy on Prime Video). The story about two sons of a stern minister — one reserved, one rebellious — growing up in rural Montana while devoted to fly-fishing.

Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital

Wilderness

  • Into the Wild (Rent or Buy on Prime Video). After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

Kind of/not really outdoors related, but good turn-your-brain-off-and-there’s-cute-animals

  • Holiday in the Wild. (Netflix) Jilted by her husband on the eve of embarking on an African safari, a woman travels to the continent alone where she meets an elephant conservationist.

Audio Only

Wildlife

  • The Wild with Chris Morgan (Podcast) The Wild with Chris Morgan explores how nature survives and thrives alongside (and often despite) humans. Taking listeners across the Pacific Northwest and around the world, host Chris Morgan explores wildlife and the complex web of ecosystems they inhabit. He also tells the stories of people working in and protecting the wild around us.

Trail Running/Running/Marathon Runners

  • Ultra Runner (Podcast) Attention mountain, ultra, and trail runners: this is the podcast for you. Episodes feature elite runners, veterans, wacky characters, and a variety of qualified experts to discuss everything necessary to be successful on the trails.

Inspiring Stories and Superhumans

  • Tough Girl (Podcast) Tells the story of all those hardcore women out there doing bad*ss things. The Tough Girl podcast profiles real women who have often beat the odds and come out on top, proving just how strong they are along the way.
  • Wilder Mind with Cody Kaemmerlen (Podcast) The courageous hearts that blur the boundaries of tradition, expectation and consequence.
  • Women on the Road (Podcast) Stories of life on the road from women who’ve lived them firsthand.
  • She Explores (Podcast) A podcast for and about women who are inspired by time spent outside.
  • Wild Ideas Worth Living (Podcast) Sponsored by REI, this podcast showcases conversations with people who took the path less traveled and brought their wildest ideas to life.

General Outdoors

  • Outside/In (Podcast) Sam Evans-Brown combines solid reporting and long-form narrative storytelling to bring the outdoors to you wherever you are. You don’t have to be a whitewater kayaker, an obsessive composter, or a conservation biologist to love Outside/In. It’s a show for anyone who has ever been outdoors. In short, it’s a show for *almost* everyone.
  • Dirtbag Diaries (Podcast) All stories about outdoor adventures.

Read

Hiking/Trekking/Running

  • The Impossible First by Colin O’Brady. Colin O’Brady’s awe-inspiring memoir spans his triumphant recovery from a tragic accident to his gripping 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica.
  • Wanderlust: A Hiker’s Companion. Explore the world one step at a time. Wanderlust presents legendary walking routes with inviting maps, practical tips, and inspiring landscape photographs.
  • On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor. As the author was hiking Appalachian Trail, he began to wonder about paths and how they’ve formed all over the world. Over the course of seven years, Moor traveled the globe, exploring trails of all kinds, from the miniscule to the massive.
  • Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? Isolated by Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sunbaked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

Mountaineering

  • Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Journalist Jon Krakauer is looking to fulfill a childhood ambition by finally climbing Mount Everest. After being assigned to write a brief piece about the mountain for Outside magazine, Krakauer manages to convince his bosses to fund a full-fledged expedition to the top.

National Parks

  • National Parks by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. The companion volume to the twelve-hour PBS series from the acclaimed filmmaker behind The Civil War, Baseball and The War.

Nature/Foraging

  • Northwest Foraging by Doug Benoliel. A classic guide to edible plants in the Pacific Northwest. Suitable for novice foragers and season botanists alike.
  • The Overstory: A Novel by Richard Powers. The Overstory, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of―and paean to―the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’ twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
  • The Nature Fix by Florence Williams. Why nature makes us happier, healthier and more creative.

Superhumans

  • As Far as My Feet Will Take Me by Josef M. Bauer. The extraordinary true story of one man’s escape from a Siberian labor camp and his three-year trek to freedom.

Scuba Diving

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