We the producers who make this podcast have learned a lot since we first started out alive.

In the lessons, have surprised us.

Certainly, we've been indoctrinated to always tell someone where we're going and when to

expect us, and as editors of Backpacker, we know all about the ten essentials.

But the lesson we keep coming back to is that storytelling is healing.

The tales we share are wrought with trauma and we've heard time and again from our guests

that there is relief in the retelling.

It's part of why we do what we do.

So when a listener emailed us to share her own healing journey, we were touched.

Dr. Allison Roy is a licensed clinical psychologist and trauma expert.

She knows a thing or two about long-term mental recovery from a professional standpoint.

But after she and her family encountered a traumatic event while on a hike, they got a whole

new perspective on healing.

I made a decision to survive.

You're in that survival mode.

The idea of dying wasn't in my head.

I knew immediately it was the worst case scenario.

I was in a fight for my life situation.

Whenever you walk out on these trails, you're in their house.

I'm Louisa Almanes and you're listening to Out Alive by Backpacker.

In each episode of this podcast, we'll bring you real stories of real people who survived

the unsurvivable.

...