Playback: The Tree At the End of the World

Overheard at National Geographic

National Geographic

Science, Society & Culture

4.5 • 10.1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 June 2022

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Deadly seas. Hurricane-force winds. A punishing journey to the tip of South America is all in a day’s work for Nat Geo Explorer Brian Buma. But Craig Welch, a reporter who calls himself a “normal human being,” also tagged along—and found that a miserable expedition makes for a heck of a story. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? Read Craig’s story about the wind-blasted journey to Cape Horn and see photos of the remote, otherworldly landscape at natgeo.com. Forests are the key to protecting the planet, and they need our help. Subscribers can read more of Craig Welch’s reporting in a special issue of National Geographic all about forests. Also explore: At an estimated 5,400 years old, a Patagonian cypress may set a new record for the world’s oldest tree. But some scientists aren’t convinced the math checks out. High-altitude snow and ice are disappearing much faster than previously assumed, according to climate research in another extreme environment—Mount Everest, called the “roof of the world.” If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, it's Amy Briggs.
0:05.0	Today we've got something special for you.
0:07.0	We're revisiting one of our favorite stories about good old fashioned exploration.
0:11.0	Also, since we first aired this episode two years ago, there have been some updates.
0:16.0	I'll tell you about those after the show.
0:18.0	Alright, buckle up, and here we go.
0:21.0	A lot of the people who work at National Geographic are cool, you know?
0:28.0	Craig Welch is a writer for Nat Geo.
0:31.0	I mean, they're big time adventurers and they're kind of swashbuckling, and I'm anything but that.
0:37.0	I'm like, you know, I'm afraid of everything.
0:40.0	I'm experienced and very little, and I feel like I'm a pretty good representation of a normal human being.
0:49.0	Trust me, Craig is pretty cool too.
0:52.0	He covers the environment, and his job has taken him to all seven continents.
0:56.0	But last year, one assignment pushed him to the limit.
1:00.0	Craig set off for one of the most remote places on Earth, Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America.
1:07.0	It has some of the roughest winds in the world.
1:10.0	The seas are swirling all the time.
1:13.0	You know, they're on Cape Horn.
1:15.0	There is a monument to the thousands of sailors who have died trying to get around Cape Horn.
1:22.0	And we were about to go there on a small wooden boat, captained by a guy who'd never been there before.
1:27.0	And, you know, I tried to trust people because, you know, this is their world, and I'm entering into it.
1:35.0	But I'm also in my head screaming, really? Do I really think this is a good idea?
	...

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