As a speculative fiction writer who focuses on eco-fiction, I've always loved the mysterious, morbid, magical, and macabre, especially when combined with an evocative wilderness setting. Imagine my excitement when I stumbled across a podcast right up my alley: the wonderful National Park After Dark. This podcast is hosted by two amazing young women, formerly veterinary surgical technicians, who have hiked many of our national parks and now delve deeply into the darkest corners of those untamed spaces. Cassie and Danielle do meticulous research to prepare spellbinding tales of some of America's wildest places, backstories of the backwoods. They started this journey with an emphasis on true crime, but their repertoire has evolved: they've expanded beyond creepy serial killers and unsolved murders into survival stories that defy belief, gruesome animal attacks, paranormal encounters, Native American tragedy and triumph, and uplifting examples of naturalists fighting to preserve wild lands and species. They even venture beyond U.S. borders to cover captivating ground in parks of other nations, taking us to Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Canada, and South and Central America. Their willingness to pursue, capture, and share a feral adventure with their podcast audience knows no boundaries!

There's a lot to love with this podcast. Cassie and Danielle are diligent researchers and gifted storyellers, for sure. But best of all: their rapport and banter make every episode fun as well as educational and enlightening. It feels like you're curled up beside a campfire on a trail in some remote, tree-lined clearing — with a thousand stars shining overhead and wind whispering in the leaves — while two dear friends spin tales that make you shiver between chuckles. You can even imagine a few cryptids (maybe BigFoot?) crouched just beyond the firelight, enchanted by the drama, the trauma, and the desperate need to hear how the story ends.

If you enjoy the outdoors, and the wonders woven into the fabric of the natural world, you owe it to yourself to sample NPAD. You won't be disappointed. I'll wager that you, like I, will be addicted and bingeing episodes while you follow your own trails!