The Crux True Survival Stories

On May 24, 1998, a Canadian climber lost his footing on Denali's West Buttress and disappeared down the north face toward the Peters Glacier. Two National Park Service volunteer rangers were a hundred feet ahead of him. One of them radioed for permission to go down and look, got it, and started descending — and somewhere on that slope a decision was made that two separate federal investigations would spend the following year trying to explain. What happened next left one man clipped to a single ice screw in a storm, with no radio, waiting to find out whether anyone knew where he was. Thirteen days later, on the same stretch of ridge, it happened again.

00:00 Disaster Strikes Intro
00:41 Whiteout On The Ice
03:38 Denali Setup And Stakes
04:18 High Camp And Ranger Program
08:10 Gear Limits And Descent Plan
10:13 Burrito Brothers And The Thumb
13:41 Daniel Falls Off The Ridge
15:13 Radio Call And Rescue Choice
18:07 Unroped Descent Into Danger
24:22 Mike Disappears, Hurtado Waits
27:42 Rescue Team Rope By Rope
31:09 Bodies Packs And Missing Mike
34:34 Search Findings And Crampon Test
37:00 Rescue Fever And System Lessons
40:48 Aftermath; Another Fatal Fall
42:59 Scholarship And Farewell

REFERENCES
American Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Mountaineering, 1999 — "Fall on Ice/Snow, Unable to Self-Arrest, Weather: Alaska, Mount McKinley, West Buttress."
NIOSH / Alaska FACE Investigation 98AK012, "Volunteer Ranger Dies from Fall on Denali," June 1, 1999.
NIOSH / Alaska FACE Investigation 98AK016, "Assistant Mountaineering Guide Falls on Denali," June 22, 1999.
American Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Mountaineering, 1999 — "Fall on Snow, Unable to Self-Arrest, Descending Unroped, Weather: Alaska, Mount McKinley, West Buttress."
Porco, Peter. "Ridge Turns Killer." Anchorage Daily News, June 9, 1998.
Anchorage Daily News, contemporaneous search coverage, May–June 1998, archived at akfatal.net.
"Denali Claims Another Climber." Mountain Zone.
 "Climber's Body Found — Man Loved Adventure, Family, Friends." Seattle Times, June 15, 1998.
"From a charmed life to learning how to cope with losing a son." Post Independent, April 18, 2011.
Find a Grave memorial #28083415, Michael Adrian "Mike" Vanderbeek, Talkeetna Cemetery, Alaska.

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A day hike in Glacier National Park turns into a fight for survival when 19-year-old Matthew Read encounters deep spring snow near Huckleberry Lookout.What begins as an ordinary hike quickly goes wrong, leaving Matthew stranded in steep, heavily forested terrain as changing weather and cold exposure raise the stakes.In this episode of The Crux: True Survival Stories, we follow Matthew’s three-night ordeal and the massive search effort unfolding around him. Along the way, we break down postholing in deep snow, wilderness survival strategy, hypothermia versus frostbite, and the challenges search-and-rescue teams face trying to locate one person in Glacier’s vast backcountry.How do you survive when a simple step into the snow changes everything?

00:00 Snow Trap Begins
00:45 Meet the Hosts
01:01 Huckleberry Trail and Terrain
04:17 Meet Matthew Read
06:22 A Warning on the Trail
08:09 Postholing Explained
09:25 Losing His Shoes and Sliding Off Trail
11:39 Building a Debris Shelter
13:32 Why Staying Put Matters
15:33 Hypothermia vs. Frostbite
20:06 Waiting and Signaling for Rescue
22:13 Search and Rescue Begins
24:55 Thermal Imaging Breakthrough
27:51 The Nighttime Hoist Rescue
29:46 Treating Severe Frostbite
33:35 Recovery and Survival Lessons
35:43 Final Takeaways

Resources / ReferencesThese are the ones I'd actually put in your show notes rather than padding the list with generic sources:
National Park Service — “Missing Hiker Rescued in Glacier National Park” — the primary official account of the search, Matthew's location, thermal detection and 175-foot hoist. National Park Service
National Park Service rescue report
National Park Service — “Search Underway in Glacier National Park for Missing 19-Year-Old” — contemporary search announcement documenting winter-like upper-trail conditions and the agencies involved. National Park Service
National Park Service search announcement
Flathead Beacon — “Stranded Glacier National Park Hiker Shares Story of Survival and Hope” — the best detailed account, including Matthew's own description of losing his shoes, building shelter, staying put and the Two Bear Air search. Flathead Beacon
Flathead Beacon feature on Matthew Read
Daily Inter Lake — “19-year-old rescued from Huckleberry Mountain in May avoids double amputation” — follow-up reporting on Matthew's frostbite treatment and recovery. Daily Inter Lake
Daily Inter Lake recovery follow-up
Undark — “The Burgeoning Science of Search and Rescue” — later reporting that uses Matthew's case to explain lost-person behavior and search strategy. Undark Magazine
Undark search-and-rescue feature

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Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Doug Scott broke both his legs 23,900 feet above sea level on one of the world's most technically demanding mountains. No rescue team was waiting. No helicopter stood by. For eight days, Scott and his climbing partner Chris Bonington faced a descent that should have killed them—navigating crevasses, rappelling with broken legs, surviving a five-day storm with no food and wet sleeping bags in the death zone. But the real question isn't how they survived the mountain. It's what each person on that team did at every moment when survival seemed impossible. This is the story of how humans respond when everything goes catastrophically wrong.

00:00 Welcome to The Crux
01:50 Meet the Climbers
03:24 Why the Ogre Matters
04:47 Expedition Setup and Early Injury
07:35 Final Summit Push
11:44 The Fall and Broken Legs
15:56 Night on the Ledge
19:49 Crawling Descent and Regroup
23:08 Stormbound Survival
28:26 Base Camp Abandoned
30:37 Mo Runs for Rescue
33:33 Porter Carry and Helicopter Twist
37:35 Aftermath and Lessons
40:56 Closing Thoughts

REFERENCES:
Chris Bonington, "The Ogre," American Alpine Journal, 1978

Doug Scott, "A Crawl Down The Ogre," Himalayan Journal, 1979

Doug Scott, The Ogre: Biography of a Mountain and the Dramatic Story of the First Ascent, Vertebrate Publishing, 2017

Gripped Magazine, "The Climber Who Broke Both Legs and Crawled Off a Himalayan Mountain"

Mo Anthoine, expedition audio recordings

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Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

This episode includes AI-generated content.

A late-afternoon hike in Glacier National Park seemed simple enough: climb toward the Mount Brown Fire Lookout, watch the sunset, and head back down.But as darkness settled over Mount Brown, 33-year-old Anthony Pollio found himself descending alone through steep, heavily forested terrain. Somewhere in the woods, a grizzly bear was moving through the darkness.In this episode of Disaster Strikes, we examine Anthony Pollio’s final hike, the search-and-rescue operation that followed, and the investigation into what happened on Mount Brown. We also look at a second grizzly bear encounter in Glacier National Park just 25 days later—and the warning signs, environmental conditions, and safety decisions that can turn an ordinary hike through bear country into a life-threatening situation.This episode explores:
Anthony Pollio’s final hike on Mount Brown
The Mount Brown Fire Lookout trail in Glacier National Park
The search for Anthony Pollio
Grizzly bear attacks and encounters in Glacier
Why hiking alone after dark can be dangerous
How to stay safe in grizzly country
What hikers should know before entering bear habitat
00:00 Disaster Strikes Intro
00:37 Alone After Dark on Mount Brown
02:03 Glacier’s Grizzly Country
03:57 The Mount Brown Trail
05:18 Our Bear Encounters
08:18 Who Was Anthony Pollio?
10:02 A Late Start Up Mount Brown
12:33 A Surprise in the Deadfall
14:32 The Search for Anthony
16:23 How Rare Are Fatal Bear Attacks?
17:59 Another Grizzly Attack, 25 Days Later
20:20 What the Two Attacks Had in Common
24:32 Where Was the Bear?
27:35 Staying Safe in Grizzly Country
34:34 Remembering Anthony PollioReferences — Alone After Dark: A Fatal Grizzly Encounter in Glacier National ParkPrimary / Official Sources
National Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Search Underway in Glacier National Park for Missing Hiker.” May 6, 2026.
NPS — Search Underway for Anthony Pollio
National Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Missing Hiker and Bear Encounter Victim Identified.” May 9, 2026.
NPS — Anthony Pollio Identified
Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Board of Review. Final investigation into the May 3, 2026 fatal grizzly encounter involving Anthony Pollio on the Mount Brown Lookout Trail. July 2026. The review reconstructed the encounter using physical evidence, DNA, trail conditions and Pollio’s communications and concluded that Pollio likely surprised an adult male grizzly at close range while descending in darkness.
National Park Service — Glacier National Park. “Hiker Injured by Grizzly Bear at Glacier National Park.” June 2, 2026. Official account of the May 28 Grinnell Glacier Trail attack discussed in the episode.
NPS — Grinnell Glacier Grizzly Encounter
Reporting & Additional Sources
Flathead Beacon. “Report Details Fatal Glacier Park Grizzly Bear Attack.” July 24, 2026. Detailed reporting on the final interagency investigation.
Flathead Beacon — Fatal Grizzly Investigation
Hungry Horse News. “Grizzly Bear Mauling Death in Glacier: A Closer Look at Full Report.” July 24, 2026. Includes details from the final investigation regarding the trail conditions, darkness, deadfall and circumstances of the surprise encounter.
Hungry Horse News — Full Report Coverage
Montana Free Press. “Glacier’s First Fatal Bear Attack in Almost 30 Years Came After Surprise Encounter.” July 24, 2026.
Montana Free Press — Anthony Pollio Investigation
Associated Press. Coverage of Anthony Pollio’s death and Glacier National Park’s first fatal bear attack since 1998. May 2026.
People. Interview with Anthony Pollio’s father, Arthur Pollio, including Anthony’s background, his plans to watch the sunset from Mount Brown, and his final communication with his father. May 2026.
ABC News / Good Morning America. Interview with Daniel Crago regarding the May 28, 2026 Grinnell Glacier Trail grizzly attack. June 8, 2026.
ABC News — Daniel Crago Interview
Backpacker. “‘Pure Panic’: Glacier Grizzly Attack Survivor Shares the Story of the Rescue That Saved Him.” June 5, 2026.
Backpacker — Daniel Crago Grizzly Attack
Los Angeles Times. Reporting and interview with Daniel Crago following the Grinnell Glacier Trail attack. June 7, 2026.
Los Angeles Times — Grinnell Glacier Attack

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Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

This episode includes AI-generated content.

On February 17, 2024, five experienced cyclists set out on a familiar gravel-bike route through Washington's Cascade foothills. Nineteen miles into their ride, two cougars appeared on the trail. Seconds later, 60-year-old Keri Bergere was on the ground with a cougar's jaws clamped around her face.Her four friends rushed toward the attack. Armed with little more than rocks, sticks, and the equipment they carried on their bicycles, they faced a predator that refused to let go. With unreliable cell service and another cougar somewhere in the surrounding forest, the women were running out of options.In this episode of The Crux: True Survival Stories, Kaycee and Julie reconstruct the terrifying encounter, examine the medical dangers of a cougar attack, and explore the survival decisions that followed.A true story of wilderness survival, extraordinary friendship, and a fight that lasted far longer than anyone could have imagined.

Episode Chapters 00:00
– Introduction00:28 – A Cougar Encounter in Washington01:54 – Meet the Five Cyclists03:23 – The Magic Carpet Gravel Route05:30 – Two Cougars Appear06:16 – The Fight to Save Keri11:19 – The Medical Dangers of a Cougar Attack13:35 – A Multitool and a Chance to Escape16:00 – Trapping the Cougar With a Bicycle19:12 – Calling 911 and Finding GPS Coordinates21:57 – Wildlife Officer Arrives24:07 – Keri's Injuries and Recovery26:17 – Why Did the Cougar Attack?27:36 – Cougar Safety and the Fatal 2018 Attack32:00 – Life After the Attack35:29 – Survival Lessons and Closing

Dan Becker Podcast. (2025, December 9). The BRUTAL Cougar Attack That Lasted 55 Minutes. Interview with Keri Bergere and fellow survivors.Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qYp058PJe8UxMIK83wTf7Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brutal-cougar-attack-that-lasted-55-minutes/id1867315096?i=1000744190052

REFERENCES & FURTHER LISTENING
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. (2024). WDFW Statement on Cougar Incident in King County.https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/wdfw-statement/wdfw-statement-cougar-incident-king-county
Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. (2024). 18 Will Receive Carnegie Medal for Extraordinary Acts of Heroism.https://www.carnegiehero.org/awardee_pr/18-will-receive-carnegie-medal-for-extraordinary-acts-of-heroism/
Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. (2024). Carnegie Medal Presentation to Annie Bilotta, Tisch Schmidt-Williams, Aune Tietz, and Erica Wolf.https://www.carnegiehero.org/carnegie-medal-presentation-to-annie-bilotta-tisch-schmidt-williams-aune-tietz-and-erica-wolf/
King, A., & Newcomb, N. A. (2024). A Cougar Attacked Them. They Fought Back for 45 Harrowing Minutes. KUOW.https://thankyou.kuow.org/stories/cougar-attack-washington-state-cyclists
The Seattle Times. (2024). What Life Has Been Like for the 5 WA Cyclists Who Survived a Cougar Attack.https://replica.seattletimes.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?appcode=SEATTL&artguid=fc562bab-2913-4872-aecc-4e00f32a1b88&eguid=898dacfc-ca94-4db7-9458-9e581ee289e2&pnum=138
The Guardian. (2024). Women Rescue Friend Being Mauled by Cougar in Washington State.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/18/washington-state-cougar-attack
Wroe, S., McHenry, C., & Thomason, J. (2005). Bite Club: Comparative Bite Force in Big Biting Mammals and the Prediction of Predatory Behaviour in Fossil Taxa. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 272(1563), 619–625.https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2004.2986

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Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast
Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/
Get schooled by Julie in wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

This episode includes AI-generated content.