Never. Give. Up: Angeles National Forest

National Park After Dark

Danielle LaRock & Cassandra Yahnian

Society & Culture, Places & Travel, History, True Crime

4.6 • 5.8K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 84 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When a small Cessna went down in the San Gabriel Mountains in February 1979, eleven-year-old Norman Ollestad was thrust into a fight for his life. Stranded in a blizzard on alpine terrain more than 8,500 feet up, he drew on the skills and grit he’d learned from his father to make his way out.For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodesFor the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to the week’s partners!SelectQuote: Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/npadHello Fresh: Use our link to get up to 10 FREE meals and a free item for life.Smalls: For a limited time only, get 60% off your first order PLUS free shipping when you head to Smalls.com/npad.BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	A father can be many things to a child.
0:04.0	A protector, teacher, rival, friend.
0:07.5	Sometimes he is a source of comfort, other times a source of pressure.
0:12.1	And sometimes he is both at the same time.
0:14.7	The voice of a father can echo long after he's gone, shaping how his child faces the world.
0:20.6	For Norman Olistad, the voice belonged to a man
0:23.4	who believed in testing the limits. Norman's father was restless, adventurous, and thrill-seeking.
0:29.4	He was unwilling to let life be ordinary. From the time Norman could stand on skis or balance on a
0:35.1	surfboard, his father pushed him into the waves, up the slopes,
0:39.2	through the fear. He called him Boy Wonder, and believed that facing your fears, and facing the
0:45.3	unknown, was the only way to grow. At 11 years old, Norman often resented it. He didn't
0:51.5	always want to be pushed into freezing water or down a dangerous
0:54.6	ski run. But when the moment came that would define Norman's life and threatened his own survival,
1:01.0	it was his father's words that he held on to. Never give up.
1:07.7	Welcome to National Park After Dark.
1:33.8	Music Welcome to National Park After Dark. Hello everyone and welcome back to National Park After Dark.
1:34.8	My name is Danielle.
1:36.0	And I'm Cassie.
1:39.1	I feel like it's been a while since we've recorded.
1:46.1	I was going to say it feels a little strange being here, clocking in for our jobs. And I know as a listener, it probably doesn't feel that way because we do our best to make sure we're ahead of things
1:50.7	and always putting out content with only two weeks off a year. But one of those weeks off was
1:56.0	recently for Cassie's wedding. And we just front-loaded so much. And now we're finally back in a routine and a groove. And it just, like, this is the first time we've sat wedding and we just front-loaded so much and now we're finally back in a routine
	...

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