America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston
Follow Baratunde Thurston, bestselling author and podcaster, as he explores the country’s diverse landscapes to see how they shape the way we work, play and interact with the outdoors. From coal miners turned beekeepers in Appalachia to Black surfers catching waves in L.A., uncover a deeper understanding of our passionate and complex relationship with the natural world.
Seasons
1. Death Valley: Life Blooms
Air Date: 2022-07-05
Baratunde explores the hottest place on Earth and finds it is remarkably full of life. Meet an ultra-marathoner who runs in the brutal heat of summer, the mayor of a town of one, and an elder of the Timbisha Shoshone tribe.
2. Idaho: Tied to the Land
Air Date: 2022-07-12
Baratunde ventures into the wilds of Idaho to explore its evolving outdoor culture. He finds ranchers and backcountry pilots sharing the wilderness with newly resettled refugees and sees how climate change is impacting an age-old salmon fishery.
3. LA: Its a Vibe
Air Date: 2022-07-19
Baratunde explores his adopted hometown of Los Angeles to learn how Angelinos connect with the outdoors in their sprawling city. Meet kayakers saving a polluted river and Black surfers claiming their place on the waves.
4. Appalachia: A Different Way
Air Date: 2022-07-26
Baratunde meets the people of Appalachia who are driving a revolution in how we see and interact with nature. Meet a record-breaking hiker, former coal miners raising bees, and activists working to make the outdoors accessible to everyone.
5. Tidewater: Homecoming
Air Date: 2022-08-02
Baratunde treks along the coast of North Carolina and discovers surprising ways in which history has shaped these environments. He explores a daunting swamp, soars above the dunes on a Wright Brothers glider and tracks wild horses on the beach.
6. Minnesota: A Better World
Air Date: 2022-08-09
Baratunde ventures to Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region, one of the last places where you can hike or paddle into the remote wilderness. He meets with passionate birders and harvesters of wild rice and hears from them why wilderness means so much.
1. Suwannee: Wild River
Air Date: 2023-09-06
The Suwannee is one of the last wild rivers in America. From jet skiers to herpetologists, manatees to snapping turtles, Baratunde learns how this unique environment inspires a whole range of passions.
2. Arkansas: Hidden Gems
Air Date: 2023-09-13
In Arkansas just about everyone you meet is into the outdoors, yet to the rest of the country, the state barely registers as an outdoor destination. Now, Arkansas is on a mission to earn recognition as a wild mecca.
3. New Mexico: Timeless
Air Date: 2023-09-20
The Ancient Puebloans were the first inhabitants of what's now New Mexico, and their ruins can still be found there. From turkey hunting to rafting on the Rio Grande, Baratunde explores how New Mexico's history shapes its outdoor culture.
4. Oregon: New Heights
Air Date: 2023-09-27
Oregon is known for its wild coastline and misty forests, but it's a place where a few hours in your car can take you from the coast to the high desert or the Cascade mountains. Embracing this incredible variety, Baratunde embraces forest bathing, goes spearfishing to discover underwater kelp forests, rides along with cowboys on the cutting edge of sustainable ranching and rollerblades through Portland.
5. Utah: Choose Your Path
Air Date: 2023-10-04
From the nomadic Diné tribes who have been here since time immemorial to the Mormons who made their religious pilgrimage in 1847, the expansive beauty of Utah has been a magnet for centuries. So what draws modern pilgrims? Baratunde journeys west to find out what they’re seeking, and how are they shaping the outdoor culture today.
6. Maine: Embrace the Cold
Air Date: 2023-10-11
With its magnificent coastline and densely wooded interior, Maine is a place where outdoor adventure has a long history, and a love of wilderness starts in childhood. Baratunde meets a Mainer reviving the timeless craft of harvesting ice, straps on snowshoes to understand how being outside can help folks recovering from addiction, and takes an icy plunge in the winter ocean to embrace the cold.
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Rating
0.0/10
Release Date
2022-07-05
Episodes
12 (2 seasons)
Status
Returning Series
Cast
Videos
Production Companies
Part2 Pictures
Twin Cities PBS