Patagonia has just launched a podcast, Patagonia Stories. In each episode,

host our Chana Rom will explore how we gather knowledge and ask questions about our relationship

to each other in the natural world. Questions like, how are lessons passed down through generations

to help us feel at home? What barriers prevent us from acquiring natural wisdom? How can we adapt

in the face for rapidly changing climate? There's so much more to come. You can find the first season

of Patagonia Stories wherever you get your podcasts.

You're listening to The Derback Dary, a production of Duck Tape Than Beer, with additional support from

Kuat Racks because you love your bike, athletic greens, the daily drink for healthier you,

and kicking horse coffee, wake up and kick ass.

Hey everyone, just a heads up. The first story in today's episode contains a

brief mention of self-harm. Please take care while listening or feel free to skip ahead.

I became a teenager during the pandemic, which made the glory of becoming a teenager

unremarkable. No big celebration, no friends. For more September than I can remember,

I spent my birthday on the South Fork of the American River in California, just an hour away

from my home in Lake Tahoe. We would camp for a weekend with a large group of friends and family,

floating rapids, having dance parties by moonlight and playing. Restructions were still pretty

tight in September 2020, and because my dad is an emergency room nurse, our family was still being

pretty cautious. But we had created a corn team with my parents' best friends and their two kids,

and we were together all the time. The day before my 13th birthday, our corn team headed to the

American River for an abbreviated celebration. To my surprise, an amazing gift awaited me there.

My very own raft, red as a rose. I christened her the red pearl. Our family had been

rafting practically my whole life, but I had never had my own boat. On a river trip earlier

...