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Award-winning travel writer Adam Weymouth joins Chris to talk about Lone Wolf, his account of retracing the epic 1,000-mile journey of Slavc — a gray wolf who walked from Slovenia, across the Alps, into Italy in 2011. It's a story about rewilding, politics, folklore, and an unlikely wolf love story.

Key Takeaways

• Europe's carnivores are quietly returning. There are now more wolves in Europe than in the continental US, and more bears in Europe than lions in Africa. Every mainland European country has wolves — and they came back on their own, not through reintroduction.
• Slavc's journey was remarkable for its success, not just its distance. He walked ~1,000 miles (possibly 3,000 with detours), then against staggering odds met a lone female wolf, "Juliet." Their descendants — 42 pups, 17 packs — repopulated the Eastern Italian Alps.
• Wolves are extraordinarily hard to track. Researcher Hubert Potočnik boils his equipment, buries it over winter, and works in two pairs of gloves — because if one wolf sees a packmate trapped, the whole pack becomes uncatchable.
• The wolf is one of the world's longest-running culture wars. Weymouth met farmers whose livelihoods are genuinely threatened; far-right parties have weaponized the issue. After a wolf ate EU Commission President von der Leyen's pony, the wolf's protected status was downgraded.
• Werewolf trials were real. A lesser-known twin to the witch trials, mostly targeting men — scapegoating outsiders and vagrants, often under torture.
• We embraced the dog but never forgave the wolf — despite them being nearly the same animal, separated only ~20,000 years ago. Far more people are killed by domestic dogs than wolves.
• Slow travel builds genuine human connection. Walking and canoeing let Weymouth meet people on equal terms and represent even opposing views fairly — the real purpose of travel writing.
• The book is really about change and fear of it — climate, migration, dying industries — and the wolf as a model of meeting crisis with movement and resilience.

Chapters

• 00:00 A Chance Meeting of Wolves
• 00:43 Intro & Welcome
• 03:27 Meet Adam Weymouth
• 08:18 Walking to Istanbul
• 17:05 The Yukon, Salmon & Indigenous Alaska
• 28:42 Tracking Slavc: Why Wolves Are So Hard to Catch
• 30:38 Retracing the Lone Wolf Walk Across Europe
• 36:27 Farmers, Politics & the Wolf Culture War
• 42:19 Werewolf Trials & Folklore
• 49:57 Slavc & Juliet: A Wolf Love Story
• 1:05 Change, Climate & the Wolf's Return
• 1:07 Quickfire Questions & Closing Traditions

Links & Mentions

• Book: Lone Wolf by Adam Weymouth (also available on audiobook)
• Website: adamweymouth.com — articles and links to buy the books
• Charity shoutout: Io Non Ho Paura del Lupo ("I'm not scared of the wolf") — working with Italian farmers to shift cultural perceptions of the wolf
• Call to adventure: Donkey trekking in the Pyrenees for families

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Para Horse Rider Stephanie Quintrell Crosses The Pyrenees In A World First Expedition.

In 2023, Stephanie Quintrell became the first wheelchair-dependent woman to traverse the Pyrenees on horseback — five days in the saddle, over 130 kilometres from France into Spain, following the World War II Freedom Trails. In this episode, Steph shares how a sudden 48-hour illness in July 2019 changed her life, the bond with her horse Bubba that pulled her through, what it took to ride that mountain pass, and her next world-first attempt: crossing the Andes from Argentina to Chile in February 2027.

Chapters

• 00:00 — Freedom in the Saddle
• 01:01 — Welcome & Episode Intro
• 02:43 — Meet Stephanie Quintrell
• 03:52 — Growing Up with Horses
• 06:46 — Riding Across Scotland
• 08:21 — Meeting John & Becoming a Military Wife
• 10:46 — 48 Hours That Changed Everything
• 12:56 — Diagnosis: Functional Neurological Disorder
• 15:27 — Grief, Identity & Rebuilding
• 19:33 — The Bond That Pulled Her Through
• 22:35 — Back in the Saddle
• 28:15 — Forces Wives Challenge
• 32:51 — Ride to Freedom: Crossing the Pyrenees
• 34:16 — The Mérens Horses
• 37:14 — Adapted Tack & Riding Gear
• 38:15 — Day One on the Trail
• 40:56 — Weather, Teamwork & Trust
• 46:22 — A Day Without the Wheelchair
• 48:35 — Crossing into Spain
• 51:28 — What's Next: Equine Para Adventures
• 54:01 — Ride to Independence: The Andes 2027
• 58:10 — Inspiring Others to Adventure
• 1:03:53 — Pay It Forward: Adaptive Grand Slam
• 1:05:18 — Call to Adventure: Get on a Horse
• 1:07:34 — 10 Quickfire Questions
• 1:11:43 — Where to Find Stephanie Quintrell

Key Takeaways

• A sudden onset: Steph went from full-time working mum and competitive rider to losing the ability to walk within 48 hours in July 2019, later diagnosed with Complex Functional Neurological Disorder.
• Horses as freedom: In the saddle she's independent — able to access mountains and trails her wheelchair can't reach.
• A world first: Five days, 130+ km, ascents to 2,500 m across the Pyrenees, following WWII Freedom Trails on native Mérens horses.
• The wheelchair stayed strapped to the pack pony: On the toughest day, she spent nine hours out of her wheelchair entirely.
• Next up: Ride to Independence — crossing the Andes from Argentina to Chile, up to 4,400 m, February 2027.

• Equine Para Adventures
• Forces Wives Challenge
• Steph on Instagram

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The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering

In this quickfire "10 Questions" segment, Chris chats with adventurer Jude Kriwald behind the scenes about everything from philosophy to survival.

Listen to the FULL Episode here

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Please visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO For more authentic stories of Adventure Exploration and the natural world

The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering