Many hikers and backpackers search out areas off the beaten path.

There's something, a luring, about visiting a trail or a lake or a summit that few other

humans get to see.

We covet peace and solitude, and we thrill at the idea of having a campsite, swimming

whole or waterfall all to ourselves.

But tranquility comes at a price.

Secluded beauty tends to be safeguarded by challenging terrain.

And when things go wrong, it's hard to tell the difference between solitude and desolation.

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 a 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.

I saw the ropes sift through the rappel ring, and I couldn't do anything.

Learn what went wrong, what went right, and how you can escape if the worst-case scenario

happens to you.

There is no way we would find anybody alive.

Something Jacob Ballard aim grew up in the Phoenix area.

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