Podcasts about Appalachia

There's a lot of debate about where Pittsburgh is part of the East Coast, Midwest, or Appalachia, but one thing we can say for sure: Pittsburgh is not part of the South. And for some people, that means that our barbecue scene can be lacking. While we might not live up to the pitmasters in the Carolinas or Texas, we promise that if you're willing to look, you'll still find tender meats, tasty sauces, and great sides. City Paper's Colin Williams is here to tell Host (and born-and-bred Southerner!) Megan Harris where to satisfy your barbecue cravings. Plus, if you love spice and heat, check out the city's first hot sauce festival at Velum Fermentation on October 4. Learn more about the sponsors of this September 18th episode: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Heinz History Center Fist Ascent City Theatre The Frick Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news?  Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We're on Instagram @CityCastPgh. Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

This September brings the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene and the powerful flooding that pounded Southern Appalachia. Incredible work has been to remove the bridges and cars and houses and trees that filled up the rivers. And more work continues today and for the next 18 months to clean up the remaining smaller trash. In this episode we learn about these details and how some communities did not flood because dams were removed prior to Helene, and how more dams are being removed post Helene.  Our guests are Hartwell Carson and Andy Hill from Mountain True in North Carolina. GUESTSHartwell CarsonAndy HillMountain True@mtntruefacebookPREVIOUS EPISODES ON HURRICANE HELENEPart 1, Hurricane Helene in Appalachia, The SciencePart 2, Hurricane Helene in Appalachia, River RescueEPISODE ON RIVERS OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA 10 Rivers For 2025SPONSORSAmerican RiversAmerican Rivers: Hurricane HeleneAmerican Rivers: Rivers of the United StatesDenver Area Nissan Dealers@nissanusa  THE RIVER RADIUSWebsiteRunoff signup (episode newsletter)InstagramFacebookApple PodcastSpotifyLink Tree

#24 in our series, "The Book of Romans: A Theology of Hope"

Steve is joined once again by Cathida Katt Gray to discuss legends and folklore from Appalachia. Find Cathida on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GhostLoreYTBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

From his Appalachian roots to becoming West Virginia's first James Beard Award-winning chef, Chef Paul Smith is redefining what it means to cook with heart, heritage, and hospitality.Chef Paul shares how family traditions shaped his culinary philosophy, the flavors and stories behind Appalachian cuisine, and how he balances refined dining with comfort food at his Charleston, West Virginia restaurant, 1010 Bridge. He also reflects on the power of mentorship, community, and local ingredients in shaping chefs and food culture.In this episode:The soul of Appalachian food and ingredients What it means to represent West Virginia on a national stageHow Paul blends fine dining with comfort classicsThe role of family and tradition in his cookingLessons on mentorship, resilience, and hospitalitySo You Want More? https://linktr.ee/soyouwanttorunarestaurant

In July 1944, a troop train packed with new Army recruits derailed near Jellico, Tennessee, plunging into Clear Fork River. Thirty-five soldiers died and ninety-one were injured. In this episode, Steve and Rod tell the story of how Tennessee prepared for World War II and the one tragic night that brought the war home to Appalachia.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts and on our YouTube channel.Thanks for listening

Martha Redbone is acclaimed for her powerful performances as a singer, as well as her prize-winning song-writing, composition and arranging. For over 30 years she's been in a successful collaboration with her partner Aaron Whitby and we talked about some of their new theatrical projects including Black Mountain Women, The Sex Variants of 1941, and Guardian Spirit: The Words of bell hooks. Throughout this episode you'll be hearing clips from Martha's powerful album The Garden of Love which sets the poetry of William Blake to the diverse music of Appalachia, written with Aaron and John McEuen of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Many people think of the music, culture and history of Appalachia in terms of the blend of white settlers in the area, but Martha's family heritage from Harlan County Kentucky includes African American, British, Chickamauga-Cherokee and Mississippi Choctaw. She shared her experiences growing up with her grandparents as part of a coal-mining family, as well as the dramatic changes she has witnessed in Brooklyn over several decades.In this wide-ranging episode, you'll also hear Martha's great advice for self-care, maintaining boundaries and working collaboratively. We started this conversation with Martha's collaborations with clarinettist Tasha Warren and cellist Dave Eggar and if you missed my interview with Tasha last year it's linked to this one below.You can also watch this on my YouTube and I've also linked the transcript on my websiteMartha Redbone websiteThe Garden of Love albumBuy me a coffee?Podcast Merch Newsletter sign-upOther episodes you'll love:Tasha Warren Shakura S'Aida, Chuck Copenace, Jah'Mila, and Vahn Blackphoto: Christine Jean Chambers(00:00) Intro(02:56) Tasha Warren, Dave Eggar clip Black Mountain Calling(09:06) Black Mountain Women, clip of A Poison Tree(13:12) history Black people in Appalachia(16:06) mixed Black Indigineous family history(25:00) Carnegie project, The Garden of Love with clip of The Garden of Love(32:30) John McEuen, David Amram clip of Sleep, Sleep, Beauty Bright(37:47) telling broader story(42:47) learning Indigenous culture, Brooklyn(48:02) other episodes,(48:53) musical influences (music clip On Another Sorrow)(54:01) Brooklyn(58:15) bell hooks(01:02:59) The Sex Variants of 1941, Stephen Trask, Steve Cosson, LGBTQ+ history(01:07:53) Aaron Whitby

This week, we remember Rex Stephenson. He's known for his stage performances of the Jack Tales, which have captivated school kids since the 70s. Also, keeping the family farm going after six generations can be rough.And, some parts of southern Appalachia still practice the tradition of keeping up community gravesites for Decoration Day.

Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.  Food waste is a big climate problem. In Pittsburgh, you can drop off your food waste for composting at city-run farmers' markets. A startup is helping restaurants, schools and hospitals manage their food waste with a digester that fits into a shipping container. The easiest way to compost your food scraps might just be in your own backyard.       Dozens of schools in Pennsylvania are planning to build solar panels on their roofs despite federal tax credits ending early. A new report casts doubt on the economic impact of natural gas production in Appalachia. Some Pa. residents in counties impacted by last year's Tropical Storm Debby say they're worried how the state will respond to future weather emergencies. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.  Donate today.  Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.  And thanks! 

Get ready for a night of chills and nervous laughter as Maci and Nadoly of the Ghosteas podcast join us to share their paranormal encounters and dive into some of the creepiest listener stories. Together we unpack haunted tech glitches, Appalachian cryptid encounters, and Nadoly and Maci's terrifying personal hauntings — including a demon, a mimic and a shadow figure.  Stories include: Knocking sounds beneath Maci's bed that may have been linked to a haunted desk…and a demon. Nadoly's ongoing experiences with a mimic, and an ominous shadow figure.    A chilling camping trip dream that may have been more possession than premonition, complete with real scratches that appeared the next morning. A mysterious night of knocks on a window and glowing yellow eyes peering from the treeline. A family's generational “rules of the woods” and the terrifying encounters that proved why they exist. Grab your earl grey (or something stronger) and settle in for the full ghost tea.

Episode Summary:In this captivating episode of WV Uncommonplace, we're joined by Autumn Karen, a professional ghostwriter, screenwriter, and writing professor whose work brings uncommon and untold stories to life. Autumn's journey is filled with extraordinary experiences that challenge societal norms, inspire deep conversations, and empower through storytelling.Autumn shares her insights on how storytelling shapes culture, fosters empathy, and sparks transformation. From feminist erotica set in Appalachia to award-winning sci-fi screenplays addressing disability and women's autonomy, her work redefines the narrative landscape.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The inspiration behind Amy: Book One, a feminist novel set in Charleston, WV, exploring women's agency and sexuality in Appalachia.How ghostwriting fosters empathy and offers unique perspectives on mental health, identity, and connection.A behind-the-scenes look at Autumn's award-winning sci-fi screenplay, Infinity Care, and its cultural impact on conversations about disability, child loss, and women's rights.Unforgettable stories from Autumn's ghostwriting career, including a Black preacher who took over the KKK and the unusual claim of Osama Bin Laden's visit to a rural Iowa gas station.Who This Episode is For:Aspiring writers, creatives, and storytellersListeners curious about the hidden stories that shape our worldAnyone seeking inspiration to challenge societal norms and embrace new perspectives

A champion's interview! Fresh off making history as the first American to win TDS in Chamonix, Careth Arnold came to Hurricane, West Virginia, and added another victory to her résumé — the 2025 Hurricane Hundred K women's champion and course record holder.In this episode of the Hurricane Hundred K Runner Profile series, Careth shares her journey from France to Hurricane, West Virginia just weeks after her TDS triumph.We talk about her recovery, expectations coming in, her day on the Meeks Mountain Trails, and the support of her “adopted West Virginia crew” — Team Purge and Move On. Careth also gives us a peek at what's next on her race calendar, plus some fun West Virginia and Napoleon Dynamite trivia to close it out.Tune in for stories from the Alps to Appalachia, and a new chapter in the Hurricane Hundred K legacy.

Something strange is happening in Appalachia...and that's saying something. Brahmin have gone missing from Foundation and folks have been seeing strange lights in the sky.Trader Red is on the case...and she aims to find out what's causing all the commotion, and if she can, put a stop to it.Join Trader Red as she finds herself face to face with "Invaders from Beyond!" a Fallout 76 Community Event.

The case of Merry Pease, a Virginia woman accused of orchestrating her husband's murder in rural Appalachia. Through dramatic reenactments, witness testimony, and courtroom footage, American Justice explores her troubled marriage, alleged motives, and the community's divided opinions, ultimately questioning whether justice was truly served in this gripping case.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a young woman witnesses the cold-blooded execution of her hiking companion on the Appalachian Trail and lives to tell the tale, her chilling story is almost too much for law enforcement in 1974 to believe. Then, as the pieces start to come together, police are faced with a human predator whose criminal career is the stuff of nightmares. View source material and photos for this episode at: parkpredators.com/the-stranger Park Predators is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media:Instagram: @parkpredators | @audiochuckTwitter: @ParkPredators | @audiochuckFacebook: /ParkPredators  | /audiochuckllcTikTok:  @audiochuck

You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White is a gritty and guttural story of an alien invasion in the mountains of West Virginia. Andrew joins us to talk about reading horror novels, the catharsis of writing, world building, Appalachia, characterization and more with cohost Isabelle McConville. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Isabelle McConville and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White Cows by Matthew Stokoe Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum  

#23 in our series, "The Book of Romans: A Theology of Hope"

Appalachian DREAD with Steve Stockton and Jared King. Check out Jared's EXCELLENT Appalachian YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaredKingTVBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

On a clear night along the Appalachian Trail, you might expect to hear the wind through the trees, the crunch of your boots on gravel, maybe the call of a whip-poor-will in the distance.But for over two centuries, hikers, settlers, and locals have reported something else: strange creatures lurking just beyond the campfire glow.From apple-snatching tricksters in Pennsylvania to headless hulks in West Virginia, the Appalachian Mountains are alive with legends of monsters that refuse to be forgotten.This week, we dive deep into the cryptid lore of Appalachia. You'll hear about:The mischievous Albatwitch, stealing apples along the Susquehanna.The terrifying Flatwoods Monster (“Braxie”), glowing-eyed and hooded in red.The ghostly White Thangs, pale cousins of Bigfoot.The stinking, swamp-stalking Skunk Apes of the southern Appalachians.Ole Slewfoot, the three-legged bear-beast of Balsam Mountain.Pukwudgies, magical tricksters of Wampanoag legend.The Loveland Frogmen, bipedal frogs on the edge of Ohio.The vampire-like Appalachian Chupacabra.Raven Mockers, shape-shifting omens of death that feast on human hearts.The mist-born Smoke Wolves, red-eyed predators that vanish into fog.Wampus Cats, half-woman, half-beast curses from Cherokee legend.The dragonlike Snallygaster, feared by early German settlers.The lumbering, headless Grafton Monster of West Virginia.And of course… the legendary Mothman, Appalachia's most infamous omen.We'll explore:Eyewitness encounters that still haunt people decades later.How folklore blends with tragedy, history, and cultural memory.Why so many cryptid sightings cluster along the Appalachian Trail.And what these stories say about our deepest fears of the dark woods.Join us as we trek into the shadows and unravel the monsters of the Appalachian Trail — creatures as strange, mysterious, and enduring as the mountains themselves.Stay strange. Be Rad.Got a cryptid story? We'd love to hear it — send us your experience (anonymous is fine).CONNECT WITH US:

I'm joined by Richard, Jamas, Dion, and Bill to play through Bloody Appalachia by Bloat Games. Go grab it now and play horror-filled tales of your own! The game uses the Survive This! system, popularized by games such as Dark Places & Demogorgons and Vigilante City. 

In 1919, a nitroglycerin explosion near Torrent, Kentucky, killed four men and leveled a factory. Today we tell the story of that tragedy and the explosive history of oil well “torpedoes” in Appalachia.It's another one of the Stories of Appalachia. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast if you haven't done so already. You'll find us wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

When the pandemic hit, Stephen Grant — a married father of two recently diagnosed with cancer — lost his corporate job and urgently needed health insurance. So he became a rural mail carrier in Appalachia. In this episode, Michael Smerconish talks with Stephen about his book "Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home." They explore the surprising intimacy between mail carriers and their communities, the physical demands of postal work, and what delivering America's packages revealed about the state of the country. Funny, honest, and deeply human — this conversation delivers! Original air date 4 September 2025. The book was published on 8 July 2025.

Today we are joined by Dr. Lisa Kennedy, a seasoned family medicine physician whose career has spanned private practice, domestic locum tenens work, and international medical service. After more than 30 years in private practice, Dr. Kennedy transitioned into locums to rediscover her passion for medicine—and to finally fulfill her dream of living abroad. From community health centers in Appalachia to a year-long assignment in New Zealand, and most recently a medical relief mission in Poland supporting Ukrainian refugees, Dr. Kennedy shares how locums has allowed her to serve underserved populations, travel with purpose, and stay connected to her family. Ready to explore your own locum tenens journey? Visit gmedical.com to discover international opportunities that fit your lifestyle and career goals.

Welcome to the Two Scaredy Cats Podcast!On todays episode we have another strange encounter in the Appalachia's.  This time our story takes place in Panthertown, North Carolina were a group of friends are going backpacking for the weekend.  High strangness occurs when one of the hikers hears many voices and other strange things happen while she is left alone in the woods.  Our second story is about an obsidian mirror that was used by the Aztecs during rituals that involved them using the mirror to communicate with the spirit world.  This mirror was also said to be used for scrying and transportation between worlds.  Be sure to check out all our exciting episodes of our podcast where ever you listen to your music."Remember curiosity didn't kill these two scaredy cats!"Support the showThanks for listening and follow us on Instagram and YouTube @twoscaredycatspodcast

President Donald Trump promised to help Appalachian communities recover after Hurricane Helene — one of the deadliest and costliest storms in U.S. history. But his administration's rollback of billions in Biden-era climate and energy funds has stalled projects meant to rebuild housing and lower energy costs across the region. POLITICO's Zack Colman explains how Trump's actions are slowing recovery efforts and what it means for the communities still struggling nearly a year after the storm.  Zack Colman covers climate change for POLITICO.  Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and producer of POLITICO Energy.   Alex Keeney is a senior audio producer at POLITICO.   Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO.    For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch    And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy    Our theme music is by Pran Bandi.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drive through any downtown in rural Appalachia and many times you will see a place largely abandoned, closed stores, empty offices. Gabe Pena of Fayetteville, WV talks about how downtowns are coming back in the region. GoodGovernmentShow.com Thanks to our sponsors: The Royal Cousins: How Three Cousins Could Have Stopped A World War by Jim Ludlow Ourco Good News For Lefties (and America!) - Daily News for Democracy (Apple Podcasts | Spotify) How to Really Run a City Executive Producers: David Martin, David Snyder, Jim Ludlow Host/Reporter: David Martin Producers: David Martin, Jason Stershic Editor: Jason Stershic

#22 in our series, "The Book of Romans: A Theology of Hope"

On today's Front Page: Russian President Vladimir Putin thumbed his nose at the West by embracing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the shift from carbon-based to renewable energy in the heart of Appalachia reflects the hard reality of a dying livelihood, and more.

Are There DANGERS on the APPALACHIAN TRAIL?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

In the shadow of the ancient Appalachian Mountains, where morning mist clings to valleys older than memory, something walks on two legs that shouldn't exist. Tonight's bone-chilling episode takes you deep into the heart of America's most enduring mystery, beginning with a terrifying encounter from 1879 when the Henderson family of Craig County, Virginia came face to face with an eight-foot-tall nightmare peering through their kitchen window.This was no bear, no trick of the light, but something with eyes that held an intelligence both ancient and terrible. We journey back through centuries of horror, starting with the Cherokee people who knew these mountains harbored Tsul'Kalu, the slant-eyed giant with seven fingers on each massive hand. Their legends speak not of a simple beast but of a being with disturbing intelligence, one that could take human brides and transform into the horrifying Raven Mocker, capable of stealing hearts from living victims without leaving a single mark. These weren't campfire stories but warnings passed down with the deadly seriousness of survival knowledge, including the haunting tale of a Cherokee woman whose mysterious suitor turned out to be something that had to fold itself to fit inside her dwelling, its head scraping the rafters while its feet touched the opposite wall. As European settlers pushed into the wilderness, they encountered their own nightmares. We reveal the suppressed military records from the Civil War, when both Union and Confederate soldiers witnessed a massive figure walking among the battlefield dead at Droop Mountain, tenderly checking bodies and carrying wounded soldiers to safety with inhuman strength. The lumber camps of the late 1800s became theaters of terror, particularly the 1909 incident at Spruce Knob where something systematically destroyed an entire logging operation with its bare hands, tearing apart steam engines and leaving a message written in twisted metal and shattered wood that couldn't be clearer: leave these mountains or die.The modern era brought no relief from the terror. In 1959, a one-room schoolhouse in Buchanan County became a prison of fear when something tried every door and window while eight children and their teacher huddled in terror, watching massive fingers with yellowed nails reach through a partially open window. The creature's face appeared at each window in turn, ancient and terrible, with glowing yellow eyes that showed an intelligence that made its interest in the children all the more horrifying.The creation of the Appalachian Trail opened a new chapter of encounters, with experienced hikers and military veterans reduced to cowering in their tents as something massive circled their camps, attempting to speak in sounds that almost formed words, as if desperately trying to communicate across an impossible divide. The 1976 case of former Marine David Carpenter, who abandoned his thru-hike after something rehung his food bag fifteen feet higher than humanly possible, demonstrates that even hardened soldiers found themselves outmatched by whatever walks these ridges.We explore the modern explosion of sightings, including the 2006 Hungry Mother State Park incidents witnessed by multiple families, where a creature showed particular interest in tents containing children, approaching with a curiosity that parents found more terrifying than any aggression. The narrative reaches into the digital age with thermal drone footage from 2023 showing multiple bipedal heat signatures moving through the forest canopy, communicating with each other using vocalizations that linguistic experts claim show patterns consistent with language structure.Throughout this journey into darkness, we hear from the witnesses themselves, from nineteenth-century German settlers who watched in horror as something lifted entire roof structures off cabins, to modern researchers like Jeff Carpenter who looked into the eyes of these creatures and saw an intelligence that challenged everything he thought he knew about the natural world. The West Virginia Bigfoot Museum's collection of over three hundred footprint casts shows anatomical features that experts say would be nearly impossible to fake consistently across decades of hoaxes. But perhaps most chilling are the habituation sites, where property owners claim to have established ongoing contact with these entities, revealing not mere animals but beings with family structures, moral codes, and a culture that predates human presence in these mountains. One retired biology professor's five-year study suggests these creatures possess an intelligence that may equal or exceed our own, watching us from the forest edge with patience that spans generations. As we reach our terrifying conclusion, we're left with the understanding that every night in the six-hundred-thousand square miles of Appalachia, someone experiences something that will haunt them forever. The mountains themselves seem complicit in hiding these creatures, keeping secrets in their shadowed valleys and mist-shrouded peaks.The Cherokee elders remind us that Tsul'Kalu never left; we simply stopped seeing him, existing as he does in the space between the physical and spirit worlds, appearing when he chooses to remind us that we are not the only intelligence walking these ancient paths.When you hear something outside your window tonight, when your dog refuses to go outside, when you glimpse movement in the forest that doesn't match any known animal, remember that in the darkest corners of Appalachia, the monsters are real, they are intelligent, and they are closer than you think.Sleep well, if you can, knowing that somewhere in those blue-ridged mountains tonight, ancient eyes are watching from the treeline, massive footprints are being pressed into the soft earth, and the thin veil between legend and reality grows thinner with each passing hour. The mountains remember what we choose to forget, and in that remembering, the terror endures, waiting for the moment when humanity is finally ready to accept that we were never alone in these hills.

In 1750, surveyor Christopher Gist set out to explore the wilderness of what's now Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia. Hired by the Ohio Company, Gist mapped the Appalachian frontier and discovered coal.  He also guided a young George Washington, becoming an important figure in the French and Indian War. Join us as we tell the story of Christopher Gist, another one of the Stories of Appalachia.If you've not done so already, subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts.Thanks for listening!

Fellow Believers Pastor Jeff Weiss, Luke Tibor and Trent Loos celebrate life everlasting as we recognize those who have passed from life on earth.

Stephen Grant was laid off from his job at a boutique marketing agency in March 2020, right when COVID took the world hostage. Newly diagnosed with cancer, he needed health insurance, fast — plus, he was the primary financial supporter of his wife and daughters. Which is how he found himself becoming a mail carrier, back in his hometown in rural Appalachia. It was a tough transition. Grant was bad at his job — “deeply incompetent,” he writes in his new memoir, “Mailman.” He is shaken by his lack of real-life skills, by his inability to feel at home in the mountains where he grew up, by his uncertainty in what it means to be in community during a time of isolation. But “Mailman” rarely lingers on the malcontent. Instead, what Grant learned about himself, his fellow Appalachians and our country as a whole propel his new book. He joins host Kerri Miller on this week's Big Books and Bold Ideas to share stories about working as a rural mail carrier, about blue collar versus white collar work, and about the overlooked importance of public service in a fractured nation. Guest: Stephen Starring Grant is a writer and brand strategist. His new memoir is “Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home.” Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Well, look what the Molerat dragged in. Folks in these parts call me Trader Red, and I heard tell that ya'll are newcomers to old Appalachia. Mind you, these hills aren't quite what they used to be…full of Super Mutants, Ghouls…things we call Scorched, and a cryptid or two might cross your path.But you're darn lucky to have little old me as your tour guide. See, I ain't from around these parts…I'm a backwoods Tennessee gal, through and through, but let's just say that Appalachia is my home away from home.Figure you guessed the whole Trader part, right? I'm the best at finding the things folks need…guns, ‘shine, and the odd doo-dad and thingamajig that might tickle your fancy. And finding those things means I go all over…from Morgantown to Lewisburg, and Berkeley Springs to Watoga, no one knows these hills like Trader Red.So, if you wanna see the sights, learn some history, and not get eaten at the same time, follow old Trader Red here as we wander through the Wasteland of post-war Appalachia, and maybe, just maybe, uncover some juicy tidbits and secrets along the way.

This week, we're taking a deep dive into the very haunted history of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina—a small Southern town with more ghost stories per square mile than Salem, Savannah, or Charleston combined. Joined by local authors and tour guides Liz Z Pardue and Kelly Prestipino (also possibly haunted), we explore paranormal encounters, unsolved murders, witch lore, haunted cemeteries, and ghostly legends that make this town feel like a Southern-fried Stephen King theme park:•Stinky Pete: a spirit who alternates between smelling like cigars or B.O. (so basically your uncle at Thanksgiving).•Pauline: the mayor's widow who smuggled saplings out of the Biltmore Estate in coffee cans, built the best garden in town, and is now haunting people until someone finally gives her a damn plaque.•The Willow Spring Axe Murders: a dude kills his pregnant wife and kids, hides them under a cow, and then nopes out of town like it's a Scooby-Doo episode from hell.•Shadow people, deer with human eyes, and hitchhiking 90s mall kids who refuse your umbrella offer before disappearing into the void because that's normalWe also reminisce about the true horror of growing up in the 80s and 90s: getting handed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in elementary school libraries, staying up all weekend with USA slasher marathons, and learning that yes, Jaws is technically about local politics with bonus shark attacks.If you've ever thought, “Wow, Appalachia feels weird, but maybe it's just the trees,” this episode proves that nope—everything's haunted. The houses, the roads, the woods, even the damn drinking water is haunted. EXTRA GHOST CHAOS •Axe murders, witch lore & haunted history of Fuquay-Varina•Paranormal encounters with cigar-smoking ghosts & perfumed spirits•Appalachian weirdness, shadow people & why the woods suck•Parenting tips: why Monster Squad is fine for kids, but Gremlins will ruin Christmas foreverSo grab your flashlight, leave your umbrella at home (the ghosts don't want it), and join us for haunted history, true crime, and lots of looking over our shoulder cause it's probably haunted.CREEP-O-RAMA is:Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, Legends & Lore: https://a.co/d/atvkmUZStore: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CREEP-O-RAMA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@creep-o-rama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Josh:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@joshblevesque⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Artwork: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bargainbinblasphemy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imfigure⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Audio:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stranjlove

In this episode, award-winning lawyer and climate justice organizer Colette Pichon Battle lays out a bold vision for a new organizing project designed to model bioregional democratic climate action. The aim is to transform the Gulf South and Appalachia away from the lethal matrix of fossil fuel extraction and extractive economics. Instead, the regional vision is for a regenerative future of clean energy democracy, and an equitable, inclusive economy. Featuring Colette Pichon Battle, a generational native of Bayou Liberty, Louisiana, is an award-winning lawyer and prominent climate justice organizer. After 17 years leading the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy, she co-founded Taproot Earth to create connections and power across issues, movements, and geographies. Credits Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel Written by: Kenny Ausubel Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris Producer: Teo Grossman Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Songs in this Episode: ‘Good Morning New Orleans' by Kermit Ruffins; ‘What Goes Around Comes Around' by Rebirth Brass Band, provided by Basin Street Records in New Orleans, Louisiana Colette Pichon Battle – Expanding Our Movements for Climate Justice | Bioneers 2024 Keynote “Let's Get Behind the Frontlines” with Colette Pichon Battle | Audio Excerpt From Climate Crisis to Climate Justice | Bioneers Newsletter Taproot Earth This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage to learn more.

Send us a textI'm incredibly excited and thrilled to be welcoming the host of Appodlachia, Chuck Corra, onto This is my Bourbon Podcast. As an advocate for the betterment of people and their culture in Appalachia (as well as a resident of the area himself), Chuck is no stranger to the challenges faced by the folks who are part of one of the most underserved regions of the country. But, how can bourbon help bring more visibility and growth to their communities? And can he hold up to a gauntlet of bourbons that I've sent him? All that and more on this week's episode of TIMBP. Enjoy.Become a patron of the show at http://www.patreon.com/mybourbonpodcastLeave us a 5 star rating and review on your podcast app of choice!Send us an email with questions or comments to thisismybourbonshop@gmail.comSend us mail to PO Box 22609, Lexington, KY 40522Check out all of our merch and apparel: http://bourbonshop.threadless.com/Leave us a message for Barrel Rings at 859.428.8253Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybourbonpod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mybourbonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybourbonpod/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisismybourbonpodcastPayPal, if you feel so inclined: PayPal.me/pritter1492Link to our Barrell Rye Armagnac Finished Pick: https://shop.whiskeyinmyweddingring.com/products/barrell-private-release-rye-1a03Support the show

Welcome back to The NERVE! Conversations With Movement Elders a podcast from the National Council of Elders featuring intergenerational conversations between elder and younger organizers about important topics in our movements today.  This episode features a conversation about how we can navigate climate crisis and survive on the frontlines in the immediate moment, while still moving forward with power building for a new world? Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast Crisis that unfolded in 2005 marked a major social movement turning point in the United States. Katrina exposed the combination of a heightened climate crisis and how the state and private forces are arranged not to protect or rebuild but to extract, abandon, and displace our people and our resources. This episode digs into community responses to Katrina 20 years ago, and current organizing in the face of Hurricane Helene and flooding across central Appalachia.  This episode is hosted by Aljosie Aldrich Harding (she/her) a member of NCOE, a community organizer, a memory worker, and a strong believer in political education and spiritual healing.  Joining Aljosie in this conversation are: Artivista Karlin (she/her) grew up in Miami, Florida and is a current college student based in Durham, NC. Artivista organizes with the Sunrise Movement a movement of young people fighting to stop the climate crisis and win a Green New Deal. Willa Johnson (she/her) lives in eastern Kentucky where she was raised. In 2022, Willa and her son lost their house in devastating floods. She has been doing flood and tornado response work in rural Appalachia ever since. She is the Disaster Recovery Communications Coordinator for Invest Appalachia  Ms. Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald (she/her) is based in Jackson, Mississippi and has been working across the gulf coast region for decades. Oleta is the Executive Director of the Children's Defense Fund Southern Regional Office. She is also the Regional Administrator for the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative for Economic and Social Justice. She was active in Hurricane Katrina support work.    CREDITS: Created and produced by the National Council of Elders podcast and oral history team: Aljosie Aldrich Harding, Frances Reid, Eddie Gonzalez, Sarayah Wright, alyzza may, and Rae Garringer. RESOURCES: Report produced by the Children's Defense Fund which Ms. Oleta Fitzgerald mentions during the podcast:  What It Takes to Rebuild a Village After a Disaster: Stories From Internally Displaced Children and Families of Hurricane Katrina and Their Lessons for Our Nation Documentary Recommendations from Aljosie Aldrich Harding:  Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time.  Director Traci A. Curry.  Hulu/Disney and NatGeo Katrina: Come Hell and High Water. Executive Producer Spike Lee.  Netflix            

Tim Armstead, former Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court of Appeals who also served in the House of Delegates, died Tuesday. The post Remembering Justice Armstead And Examining Appalachia's Water Crisis, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Steve is joined once again by Cathida Katt Gray to discuss legends and folklore from Appalachia. Find Cathida on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GhostLoreYTBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

This remotely recorded episode was another that was a year in the making. I finally had a chance to sit down with Heather to talk about flying Cooper's hawks, kestrels, red-tailed hawks, her motivation for starting her falconry supply business, Mountain State Falconry Supply, her book Squirrel Hawking in Appalachia, and other cool stuff. I'm glad I finally got a chance to get her recorded and talk shop! If you're interested in some good falconry equipment, particularly for kestrels and micros, head to http://www.mountainstatefalconrysupply.com. Support at buymeacoffee.com/falconrychroniclesSpecial thanks to the organizations and businesses who've kindly helped support the podcast!The Archives of Falconryhttp://www.falconry.orgMarshall Radio Telemetryhttp://www.marshallradio.comMasters of the Skieshttp://www.mastersoftheskies.orgBaba Yaga Craftshttp://www.instagram.com/babayagagoshawkNorth Mountain Goshawkshttp://www.northmountaingoshawks.comNew Mexico Falconers AssociationArizona Falconers Assocationhttp://www.arizonafalconers.comTexas Hawking Associationhttp://www.texashawking.orgNorth American Falconers Associationhttp://www.n-a-f-a.comFalconry Fundhttp://www.falconryfund.orgPursuit Falconry and Conservation Magazinehttp://pursuitfalconry.co.ukThe Specialist Falconhttp://www.thespecialistfalcon.comCape Falconry Clubhttp://www.capefalconry.co.zaEast Coast Falconshttp://www.eastcoastfalcons.comBlackhawk Falconry Dachshundshttps://www.facebook.com/blackhawkdachshunds

#21 in our series, "The Book of Romans: A Theology of Hope"

The AIMS Team has a new YouTube version of Mountain Monsters! Only they're not allowed to call it that, and they're not allowed to call themselves that. Hold on to your sexy knee-high boots, cause things are gonna get HOT and by HOT we mean AFFORDABLE.

Today's episode of tea time the honks welcome back comedian Matt LeGrande and read listener submitted stories from past episodes. Gabby turns 34, Matt has an ingrown toenail, Harper is dressed like she's being sorted into Slytherin, we learn a lot about a high school in Appalachia, cat fishing on hinge and so much more! Support the show and get up to 10 free HelloFresh meals at https://www.hellofresh.com/HONK10FM If you love the show and want to support us, join our growing community on Patreon to see what we're giving for $5 a month! JOIN OUR PATREON https://www.patreon.com/teatime42069 Send your stories to TeaTimeStories42069@gmail.com Watch Harper-Rose's set here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eNpjjGZHLY&t=110s Watch Gabby Lamb's set here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7oOYWgK598

Ian writes "The story I'm sitting down to tell, is a true one. One experienced by a faithful friend of mine, Sam, and I. I'm often reluctant to tell this story at length to most people, as the subject matter is unexplainable and rather strange. I don't want to be viewed as the superstitious nut. But having guided all across the country, and having extensive experience in many environments around the united states, I feel I have the authority to tell this story. Essentially what I'm saying is I've been around, in the deep dark hollows all across North America, and never experienced something so strange as I did that night. I don't fancify my experiences in the woods, nor do I hopefully imagine there's something more to a twig breaking. As anyone who has spent a good deal of time in the woods knows, there's no reason to. Eventually you'll experience something daring or fantastic. I am a hunter first and foremost, and to a hunter there's always an explanation, a reason to the wilderness and her inhabitants. Its how we identify patterns and exploit an animals rhythm to make a successful hunt. As a hunter you're a sort of woodsman detective, piecing together clues to set yourself up for success. Lets just say this tale is a cold-case. Let's get into it. It was early summer and I was itching to go camping. I had recently received a new tent and was eager to use it. I called up my good buddy, Sam, and we planned out our camping adventure. We considered going up to the Grayson highlands, or even south into North Carolina. After debating it, we decided it would be more fun to camp somewhere we wouldn't run into any other people. Deep in the woods, far from anyone else, where we could bushcraft, hoot and holler, and bring a gun without fear of scaring the yuppies camping next to us. While we both lived in the woods, I definitely had access to the most remote stretch of woods between us. So we loaded up our stuff and began hiking, deep into the valley below my childhood home. The hike was almost completely straight down a steep hillside, deep into a a hollow that held a small patch of flat land, a flood plane area and creek. The small creek that ran gave the area a beautiful ambiance. Early signs of summer were visible all around and the weather was great. We hiked until we felt the need to start gathering firewood before nightfall. Behind us a was a steep hillside that rose into the west for miles. In front of us was the creek, and to the left the start of another ridge and hillside that rose high into the east and north. To our right, the valley we were in, continued to go down cutting a deep valley. and on the other side of the creek another ridge, separated by a small stream from the ridge to the left, rose into the west and to the south. These two ridges in front of us ran for miles and the little valley formed by the small creek split these ridges for a long ways up until it hit the spring head. This is important for later in the story. Off to the right, further down the valley, more splits in the ridges are made by little tributaries. We started building camp by clearing the brush and leaves away and constructing a small firepit. I placed a tarp on the ground to separate my tent from the damp earth. Remember this, the tarp extended out roughly a foot on each side of my tent. Sam had a hammock that he planned to sleep in, I've only ever camped in a hammock once, and it didn't go great. But I didn't say anything to him, thinking that maybe he would enjoy it. We gathered a hefty load of firewood, consisting of some reasonably dry stuff. It was shaping up to be a really nice camping trip. I've spoken about the joy of being “out there” on this blog before, so I won't beat a dead horse, but it was really nice to be away from people. Sam and I sat around the fire and shot the shit until the sun went down. Now one of the things Sam and I have always bonded on, has been Bigfoot shows. We're both skeptics, and I would say we hold a similar or the same opinion on the subject. Our interest is less about believing in bigfoot, but rather we just find the subject matter to be nostalgic, silly, and a fun thing to joke about. So, I brought up the idea to Sam, that we begin to “Hunt” Bigfoot. He laughed and thought it was a great idea. So we began doing the antics they do in the “Finding Bigfoot” TV show. We started with the classic, Tree knocks. A “Tree Knock” for those unaware, is when you use a stick to beat on a tree, making a loud knocking sound that echoes through the forest. Supposedly sasquatch communicate this way. We didn't think anything of it at all, as I said before, we didn't really believe, we were just joking around. So we began by knocking on the trees and then stopping and listening for a response. After a few times of doing this we paused, and hearing nothing I began to think of a joke to crack and something else to do. Before I could open my mouth, we heard clear as day, a tree nock far off somewhere on the ridge to the left. I looked at Sam and said, “Dude.” Sam just looked back at me in surprise. I then did some more knocks, and we listened again. Then off in the distance, we heard more knocks in response. Then the other ridge to the right we began hearing knocks. Sam at this point was beginning to get freaked out a little and was perplexed as to what it could be. I at the time, was such a hard skeptic I carried on and insisted that it was a person or a woodpecker. “but who in the world would be out there? deeper in the woods than we are, on private land? What woodpecker makes three loud booming knocks on the tree, that sound exactly like the knocks we make?” Sam voiced his rebuttal. I ignored these arguments and held strong to the fact that there is no Bigfoot. I then insisted that we push the envelope by doing woops and howls, just like they do on TV. Sam was not very enthused by this idea, being the humbler and smarter one of us that night, knowing sometimes there's certain things you don't mess with. But at that time I was full of piss and vinegar, and stubborn as a mule about the fact that Bigfoot, is not real. I also had brought a gun with me, and was certain I could fight off anything we would need to fight off. So we started howling into the woods. It was dark that night, being a new moon, and beyond the firelight you couldn't see a damn thing. We would howl and wait listening for a reply. After a few howls, the excitement of “What was that?” started to fade and my logical, rational, science based, theory of the woodpecker began to appear true. Then, out of the dark distance came one of the strangest sounds I've ever heard. A howl. Not a canine howl, not an owls hoot, but a fucking ape howl. Sam's eyes were as big as back hoe tires, and even I was finding it hard to reason that one. Despite this, I continued my ignorant stubbornness, and threw out another howl. Off to the left ridge it replied to us again, the clearest ape whoop I've ever heard. As if it were recorded by researchers in the Congo. I looked at Sam, myself feeling more curious and excited than anything else, I reiterated, “Duuuude.” Then something truly unexplainable and spooky happened, more whoops and howls began on the ridge to the right and further down the valley. And they weren't random, they had etiquette, as if they were chatting back and forth with each other. The one to the left would howl, the one to the right would whoop and howl, the first would respond, and then the one way down the valley would chime in. Sam was really freaked out now, and began considering if we should leave. I, being a stubborn idiot, claimed it was owls. “Owls?? We were both raised in these hollers, I've heard owls, you're gonna tell me that was an owl? Have you ever in your life heard an owl that sounded like a fucking ape?” Sam argued against my claim. “Well, no, but there's no way bigfoot is real. It has to be a bunch of owls speaking to each other. There's nothing else it could be.” I replied, half laughing in astonishment and disbelief of what was unfolding that night. Sam and I kind of bickered for a minute over it, and then decided the wisest decision was to stop antagonizing whatever it was in the woods miles around us whooping and knocking. It wasn't too long after that, we decided to go to bed. I crawled into my tent, and Sam into his hammock. We left the fire going, and every time the fire died down, the woods came to life. Whether it was paranoia, or paranormal, something was stirring. All around camp we could hear what sounded like things being thrown and footsteps. From time to time we would hear another knock or another howl coming from a new position. Sam would leap out of his hammock and chuck loads of wood onto the fire and make it as big as possible. He would then lay back down to sleep. This repeated about three more times. Each time the fire died, things got spookier and spookier. A few times Sam would say, “Did you hear that?” and every time I would just blame it on possums nearing camp, hoping to find food scraps. Well, about the third time, Sam ran out of firewood. Meaning that this time when the fire died, it died for good, leaving us to the dark void of the Appalachian holler. I vividly remember I had fallen asleep before the fire died, and after it died, there was so much stirring around camp, I began to wake up. I was slowly waking up, thinking I was having some sort of nightmare, when I finally fully sobered, and realized that my dream was pleasant. It was reality that was full of frightening sounds and things that go bump in the night. The woods around us had become loud with unexplainable movement, the movement of multiple large things. The whooping and knocking had stopped, which did not comfort me, with all the new sounds right outside my door. There was maybe a 30 yard perimeter around camp that the sounds did not cross. Then suddenly, an extremely loud crashing began through the twigs, leaves, and branches. It was something large, running full sprint through the woods. Starting maybe 50 yards away, and running straight towards our camp. It grew louder and louder, until the sound of crushing leaves, turned to crinkling tarp. The creature, was standing on the tarp my tent was situated on. I was frozen. Like a child, Frozen in fear, eyes wide open. My heart was pounding out of my chest so hard I thought it would explode. I Then heard high above my tent, not near the ground, not four feet up, but high above my tent, the most terrifying sound I've ever heard. it was the sound of a huff and blow, exactly the way you hear a gorilla do it on TV. Or how the apes in planet of the apes do it. Three forceful huff and blows, then the creature turned around and ran back the way it came, back into the darkness of the night. Sam practically leaped out of his hammock and said, “You had to have heard that!” I replied with, “Yeah lets get the fuck out of here.” I slid a round into the chamber of my 30-30 and crawled out of the tent. We both got busy grabbing only our essentials, and started out of the woods. Using shitty dim flashlights, we made our way up the hill. Frantically looking behind us into the terrible night, and trying to move fast without running. We hiked a long ways and by the time we made it back to the house it was far past midnight. We never did see what it was that charged us, and we never did hear anything else after that. But whatever it was, scared us enough to make us hike out in the dead of night and leave all of our gear there. We returned the next morning in full daylight to gather our things. Looking back, I wish we had surveyed the area for tracks or some clue as to what it was, but at the time we did not want to be down there for any longer than we had to. Having been some years since this happened, I would go down there in a heart beat and not think a thing of it. When I come home, I usually feel a sense of ease in the woods. It feels like a weight is lifted off of your shoulders knowing there are no cougars or grizzly bears to worry about. For my western outdoorsy folk, familiar with cougar country, reading this and thinking, “I don't feel a weight in the woods.” my reply, would be the question, have you noticed you've been stalked before? Cougars are some of the sneakiest creatures in the animal kingdom, and just because you've never noticed it, doesn't mean it hasn't happened. I myself have been stalked, I've written about it here previously. It's a feeling that will stick with you, and definitely put you on edge in cougar country for a long time after. I have a colleague who guides western big game in New Mexico, who told me a story once that during a hunt he had a fellow guide spotting for him, and that guide watched a cougar stalk my friend through a grove of trees before giving up. My friend never had the slightest idea he was being stalked. I believe for an avid outdoorsman in cougar country, it is inevitable. And as far as grizzly country, it's a similar feeling but a little different. Most ill bear encounters happen because you surprise the bear in thick woods. I have many friends from my time in Alaska who would share stories of being charged by monster grizzlies from out of no-where. They're just hiking along, and then BOOM! 800 pounds of death is blasting straight towards them. And the consensus is the same amongst them, if you spend enough time out there, it will happen eventually. I luckily was never charged during my time in Alaska, I avoided known bear hang-outs. But the few times I spent time in bear country, I always had this jack in the box anxiety, just waiting for it to happen. What is funny though, is despite that weight being lifted initially, an old feeling always returns. I know it's not some sort of psychological thing having to do with that patch of woods specifically, because I feel it in most places in Appalachia. It's a feeling of being watched, a feeling that something is there, and a feeling of dread. And it amplifies every time you hear some strange crashing in the woods or a sound you cannot explain. Most of the times I've experienced this, I've had a gun. And I think to myself, “Come on man! You're the most badass thing out here.” Yet I can never shake that anxiety. My brother, without having ever heard this story, reluctantly asked me over the phone one day, “don't think I'm crazy but, have you ever felt creeped out in the woods below the house? I don't know what it is, but every time I go down there I feel like I'm being watched, and I get filled with dread.” Hearing him say that sent shivers down my back. Simply because I always dismissed this feeling, I've swept this story under the rug for years, telling myself it was just a bear etc. To hear my brother, who is a marine, tell me that, certified to me that I was not simply being a pussy. I've only ever felt this in two regions of the country. Appalachia, and the Redwood Forests of Northern California. Now some of you may be reading this thinking that I am a nut-job Bigfoot believer. I've been reluctant to share this story for that reason. But I want to end this, saying, I have no idea what it was that made those calls that night. I also have no idea what it was that busted into our camp. We never did lay our eyes on anything. But I want to re-iterate that the story, is true. Verbatim to how it happened as I can recall it, without any embellishment. I have no idea what it was, and you can make your own decision as to what you think it was. But being an experienced woodsman, never have I ever experienced something like that since, and I have no worldly explanation for it. Those were the events that transpired that night, and I'll let you make of that what you will.”   Here is a link to Ian's blog    

In March 1864, Union Colonel William B. Stokes and his cavalry were ambushed at Dug Hill, in Tennessee, leaving dozens of his men dead. Enraged, Stokes led a brutal raid on William and Cynthia Officer's home, where Confederate soldiers, including their son John, were staying. Six were killed, and the family narrowly escaped destruction thanks to the courage of one of their slaves, Uncle Abe.This week we tell of the brutality of the Civil War, a story of vengeance, survival, and the high cost of that war in Appalachia.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Audible, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.Thanks for listening.

In this episode of The Confessionals, I sit down with Michelle to dive into a whirlwind of supernatural and conspiratorial experiences that range from haunted houses to government programs. Michelle shares chilling nights at Spring Villa where ghostly voices, strange energies, and even a doppelganger encounter blurred the lines between paranormal and cryptid activity. Things take a wild turn when she opens up about her time in the controversial GATE program—learning Egyptian hieroglyphs, swishing down a strange pink drink, and even creating aliens on 1980s computers. From recurring gorilla dreams and monkey apparitions to military hybrid rumors, Lilith's shadow over Appalachia, and her own battle with remote viewing, this conversation pulls together threads of the unexplained, the spiritual, and the conspiratorial into one chilling narrative. Please pray for Tony's wife, Lindsay, as she battles breast cancer. Your prayers make a difference! If you're able, consider helping the Merkel family with medical expenses by donating to Lindsay's GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/b8f76890 Become a member for ad-free listening, extra shows, and exclusive access to our social media app: theconfessionalspodcast.com/join The Confessionals Social Network App: Apple Store: https://apple.co/3UxhPrh Google Play: https://bit.ly/43mk8kZ Tony's Recommended Reads: slingshotlibrary.com My New YouTube Channel Merkel IRL: @merkelIRL My First Sermon: Unseen Battles Sasquatch and The Missing Man: merkelfilms.com Merkel Media Apparel: merkmerch.com SPONSORS SIMPLISAFE TODAY: simplisafe.com/confessionals GHOSTBED: GhostBed.com/tony CONNECT WITH US Website: www.theconfessionalspodcast.com Email: contact@theconfessionalspodcast.com MAILING ADDRESS: Merkel Media 257 N. Calderwood St., #301 Alcoa, TN 37701 SOCIAL MEDIA Subscribe to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/2TlREaI Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/theconfessionals/ Discord: https://discord.gg/KDn4D2uw7h Show Instagram: theconfessionalspodcast Tony's Instagram: tonymerkelofficial Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheConfessionalsPodcas Twitter: @TConfessionals Tony's Twitter: @tony_merkel Produced by: @jack_theproducer OUTRO MUSIC Joel Thomas - Imposter YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify

Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz in conversation with Steve Grant, author of the memoir MAILMAN: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home.  With rave reviews in The New York Times, the Washington Post, The New Yorker and The Atlantic, the memoir MAILMAN: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home is one of the hottest literary debuts in recent memory. Steve is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has been a marketing consultant and behavioral economist for more than 25 years. He's also an Eagle Scout and led the rebranding effort to transform the Boy Scout of America into Scouting America and is the only person I have personally met who has both been shot by a mass shooter and has also made a movie about a mass shooter.   Find Steve at www.stevegrantworks.com and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/stevegrant_mailman.  

Today, we have a special crossover episode between Appodlachia and the incredible podcast, This Guy Sucked! This Guy Sucked is a history podcast that brings on historians (and Chuck) as guests, and discuss historical figures that sucked!We're discussing the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency — an objectively detestable bunch of union busting thugs who terrorized workers in Appalachia during the mine wars in the early 1900s.  They sucked big time. They're available on all streaming platforms, and you can find their links via their website below.  https://www.thisguysucked.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-guy-sucked/id1800530353-----------------------------------------------HELP SUPPORT APPODLACHIA! patreon.com/appodlachia-----------------------------------------------The views and opinions expressed on this show are the personal opinions of the host, Chuck Corra, and do not represent the opinions of his employer. This show is an opinion and commentary show, NOT a news show. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Send us a textSupport the show

This week, Cy ponders life in the Appalachia and Chad's had a busy month. This episode is brought to you by Chime! --- Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Chad Daniels (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ThatChadDaniels⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) is a Dad, Comedian, and pancake lover. With over 750 million streams of his 5 albums to date, his audio plays are in the 99th percentile in comedy and music on Pandora alone, averaging over 1MM per week. Chad's previous album, Footprints on the Moon was the most streamed comedy album of 2017, and he has 6 late-night appearances and a Comedy Central Half Hour under his belt. Cy Amundson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CyAmundson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) With appearances on Conan, Adam Devine's House Party, and Comedy Central's This is Not Happening, Cy Amundson is fast-proving himself in the world of standup comedy. After cutting his teeth at Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis, has since appeared on Family Guy and American Dad and as a host on ESPN's SportsCenter on Snapchat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices