The Wild with Chris Morgan

Almost everybody has seen the Grand Canyon, whether it’s on a road trip to northern Arizona or on a postcard. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
It’s one thing to see the canyon from a distance, even if that is standing on one of its storied rims. But it’s a whole other experience when you step down into it... to hike deep inside and walk along its ancient ridges. Best-selling author Kevin Fedarko did just that. In fact, he walked the entire 750-mile length of it.
Over the course of his ambitious trek, Kevin faced serious heat exhaustion, dehydration, and had multiple near-death experiences, including almost running out of food during a snowstorm. But he lived to tell the tale.
On today's episode, I sit down with Kevin Fedarko in the woods of Bellingham, WA to hear the remarkable story of his relationship with the Grand Canyon, his journey to uncover the human-made threats it faces, and what he learned along the way - through pain, misery, humiliation and laughter.
GUEST:
Kevin Fedarko, NYT best-selling author of A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
We’ve been nominated for a Signal award! A real honor. This award would mean the world to us and help us reach even more listeners. If you’d like to vote for us, click here. Voting closes October 15, 2026.
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.
THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. Writing for this episode by Christopher Preston. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.
Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! We’re also on TikTok! Check us out @chris.morgan.wildlife.
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bears in swimming pools… in Los Angeles? Of course I had to find out more.
I've been studying bears and working with them in the wild for over 30 years, and I thought I'd seen it all. Polar bears in Canada, grizzlies in Alaska, Andean bears in South America. But I never thought I’d be racing to see a family of black bears lounging in a pool in a swanky LA neighborhood.
A lot of my work is about keeping bears and people away from each other. Avoiding bear-human conflict. Bears belong in the wild, doing wild things surrounded by roots, berries, and forests… not hanging out with inflatable unicorns in swimming pools. But these LA bears are doing just that. And as you’ll hear, opinions about it run the gamut.
On today’s episode, I travel to LA to get to know these famous pool-loving bears, and see if it is possible for bears and humans to live side by side. What happens when bears make our home their home?
We’ve been nominated for a Signal award! A real honor. This award would mean the world to us and help us reach even more listeners. If you’d like to vote for us, click here. Voting closes October 15, 2026.
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.
THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. Writing for this episode by Christopher Preston. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.
Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! We’re also on Tiktok! Check us out @chris.morgan.wildlife.
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to THE WILD!
All around the world, humans are getting up close and personal with wildlife. In Los Angeles, black bears are playing with floaties in swanky backyard swimming pools. Mountain lions are dodging cars trying to get across 10-lane highways. In subarctic Norway, generations of Eider keepers are bonding with vulnerable ducks.
But when is getting too close to wildlife too far?
Join host Chris Morgan for Season 8 of THE WILD, where he'll travel the world to meet the people defending space for wildlife, from deep in the wilderness to their own backyards. How can wildlife, wild places, and humans share our beautiful planet?
New episodes of THE WILD come out starting on October 6, 2026.
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.

THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.
Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We lost a good friend a few days ago. A friend of the owls, and a man who made a real difference for them.
I was very lucky to spend time with David Johnson for an episode we did about his delightful burrowing owls a few years ago - an experience that’ll always stay with me. David was a kind and inspiring man. He looked like an owl - inquisitive, wide-eyed, and full of magic, and possibilities.
David Johnson passed away on June 15th from cancer. So in his honor, we’d like to share the episode we did that featured his work with burrowing owls.
David’s owl work continues through the Global Owl Project and the people all over the planet that he brought into the world of these magical creatures that he loved with all his heart. Including the hundreds of young people he inspired to DO something for owls - so many of them are professional experts in the field now.
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You look amazing, you look beautiful. Those are the words of Victor Glover, pilot of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission. He spoke those words less than a month ago on his trip to the moon. His way of describing our planet as he peered out the window of his space capsule and took in the view. I couldn't think of a better message than that as we reshare our special episode to celebrate our planet. So I hope you enjoy and happy Earth Day!
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.

THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.
Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.