On January 26, 1972, 22-year-old Serbian flight attendant Vesna Vulović survived a 33,000-foot fall without a parachute when JAT Flight 367 exploded over Czechoslovakia, setting a world record that still stands today. Her miraculous survival and subsequent life as a pro-democracy activist made her an enduring symbol of human resilience until her death in 2016.

Join host Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen recount the incredible tale of 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault. In November 1961, what began as the Duperrault family's dream vacation to the Bahamas aboard the yacht Bluebelle turned into a nightmare that left Terry Jo alone at sea for four days. Her miraculous rescue would expose shocking secrets about decorated war hero Captain Julian Harvey and reveal the dark truth behind one of the most chilling maritime tragedies in history. Content warning: Contains descriptions of violence toward children.

When 11-year-old Norman Ollestad Jr. walked away from a plane crash in the San Gabriel Mountains during a blizzard, his survival story was just beginning. After watching his father die, Norman faced nine hours alone on an icy 8,600-foot mountain with no winter gear, no food, and no rescue coming. This is the remarkable true story of how a boy's lost childhood became his lifeline, and how sometimes the most demanding lessons are the most important ones.

In this episode of the Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen delve into the harrowing story of Ryan Wardwell's three-day ordeal trapped behind a waterfall at the Seven Teacups in California. Despite hypothermic conditions, Ryan's resilience and survival instinct kept him alive long enough for an incredibly complex multi-agency rescue operation to succeed. The hosts discuss the advanced technical skills required for navigating the Seven Teacups, an expert-level canyoneering route that has gained dangerous popularity through social media. They also cover the tragic 2024 drowning of three experienced canyoneers in the same location, emphasizing the perilous nature of hydraulic water conditions and the importance of preparedness and situational awareness in wilderness adventures.

This week's story is about the incredible Emma "Grandma" Gatewood, who became the first woman to solo hike the entire 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail in 1955. At 67 years old, this Ohio grandmother completed the journey wearing canvas sneakers and carrying only a homemade denim bag, blanket, and shower curtain - proving that extraordinary achievements don't require extraordinary gear. After surviving decades of domestic violence, Gatewood found freedom on the trail and went on to hike it three times total, inspiring countless hikers and helping save the Appalachian Trail through the national attention her story generated.

The Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosted by Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen, recounts the dramatic survival story of Calena Gruber, a seven-year-old girl from Seattle. During a sailing camp in Miami's congested Biscayne Bay, a commercial barge collided with the small sailboat Calena was on, causing it to be dragged underwater. Despite suffering severe injuries and being trapped under 60 feet of steel and construction equipment, Calena displayed extraordinary resilience and presence of mind to escape. Sadly, three other young sailors did not survive. The incident exposes critical failures in maritime safety protocols and regulatory gaps, particularly the lack of licensed operators for tugboats under 26 feet. The podcast also discusses the psychological and physical challenges Calena faced during her recovery, the importance of stringent safety measures, and the remarkable resilience of children in traumatic situations. The episode concludes with insights into sailing program safety and calls for regulatory reforms in maritime operations.

In this episode, Kaycee McIntosh narrates the harrowing true survival story of Eric Murda, a 43-year-old irrigation contractor from Florida. On July 17, 2022, Eric decides to clean up litter near Lake Manatee, inadvertently finds himself lost in the swamp, and makes a fatal mistake by swimming across the lake at night. An alligator attacks him, tearing off his forearm. The story chronicles his three-day fight to stay alive in the hostile wetland environment, battling pain, disorientation, and various threats like venomous snakes and disease-carrying mosquitoes. Eric's will to live leads to his eventual rescue, transforming him into a motivational speaker who shares his experience to inspire others. The podcast episode also delves into survival strategies, critiquing both Eric’s critical mistakes and his incredible mental toughness.

Tony Peniche shares how his casual backyard BBQ idea accidentally went viral and became the Pacific Northwest Survival Games - a survival competition that now attracts TV celebrities and has a reality show in development. As a serial entrepreneur turned survival event organizer, Tony discusses creating competitions that use pressure and anxiety to simulate real emergencies, where surprisingly amateurs often outperform seasoned survivalists. The episode covers event logistics, survival skills training, and Tony's journey from marketing consultant to survival community leader.

This episode tells the story of a 67-year-old woman who was attacked by a bear on an Anchorage hiking trail and dragged into the wilderness. After she managed to call 911, rescuers used advanced drone technology to locate and save her. The podcast explores the rescue operation, how drones are transforming wilderness search and rescue, and provides practical survival tips including bear safety and preparedness advice.

During this episode of The Crux, Julie Henningsen tells us the remarkable true story of six Tongan teenagers who survived 15 months stranded on a deserted island in 1965. Unlike the fictional chaos depicted in "Lord of the Flies," these real boys created a cooperative and well-organized community that demonstrated humanity's capacity for collaboration under extreme circumstances. The episode covers their survival challenges, resourcefulness, and ultimate rescue by an Australian sea captain, highlighting themes of friendship, ingenuity, and resilience in the face of adversity.

In this episode of The Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosts tell the story of Stairwell A - the only escape route left intact in the South Tower after Flight 175 struck on 9/11. When faced with conflicting information about whether to go up or down, 18 people made the critical decision that saved their lives. The episode follows Brian Clark's heroic rescue of Stanley Praimnath and explores how split-second choices and trusting your instincts can mean the difference between life and death.

On July 26, 2003, a lightning strike on Grand Teton's Exum Ridge killed one climber and left 12 others injured at 13,000 feet, triggering what became known as the most spectacular rescue in American mountaineering history. Jenny Lake Rangers executed a dangerous helicopter rescue operation using short-haul techniques to evacuate climbers scattered across the cliff face, including one man hanging upside down for over four hours. This Crux True Survival Stories episode analyzes the critical decisions that led to the tragedy and the extraordinary technical skills required to save lives in extreme mountain conditions. The rescue operation influenced modern mountain rescue protocols and remains a landmark case study in wilderness survival and emergency response.

In March 2012, former Marines and best friends Ken Henderson and Ed Cohen watched their boat sink beneath them in minutes, leaving them stranded 50 miles offshore in the frigid Gulf of Mexico with only life jackets and their unbreakable bond. After 30 hours battling hypothermia, hallucinations, and treacherous currents, Ken faced an impossible choice: stay together and both die, or leave his dying friend to swim for help. Ed's final words—"Kiss my babies for me"—became both a heartbreaking goodbye and a sacred promise that would define Ken's survival and forever change both families.

This podcast tells the tragic story of the Steiner family from France who visited White Sands National Park in New Mexico during August 2015, starting a challenging desert hike at noon in 101-degree heat with only two small water bottles despite park warnings recommending a gallon per person. Both parents died of heat stroke after splitting up on the trail, but their decision to ration their limited water by giving their 9-year-old son double portions of every sip ultimately saved his life, making him the sole survivor of what was meant to be their dream American vacation.

Hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen explore the dramatic 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama, where Captain Richard Phillips was held hostage by Somali pirates for five harrowing days. They uncover the controversial truth behind the Hollywood hero story, the Navy SEAL rescue operation, and why modern piracy poses a greater threat than ever before.

This episode tells the incredible true story of 19-year-old Jean Hilliard, who in December 1980 crashed her car in rural Minnesota during a blizzard and walked two miles through -22°F weather to reach help, only to collapse just 15 feet from safety. She lay frozen solid in the snow for six hours and was found stiff as a board, yet miraculously survived with no permanent damage or amputations, baffling medical professionals who still can't fully explain how she lived through what should have been certain death.

In 2002, 23-year-old French snowboarder Marco Siffredi vanished while attempting to snowboard down Mount Everest's deadly Hornbein Couloir. This episode explores the tragic story of an elite extreme athlete whose obsession with conquering Everest's most dangerous descent led to one of mountaineering's most haunting mysteries.

A Georgia dialysis tech goes on a work trip and ends up trapped in the Sierra Nevada for 24 days. What happens next involves medical MacGyvering, multiple blizzards, and one woman refusing to let the mountains win.

This episode explores the harrowing 2000 kidnapping of four young American climbers - Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden, Jason Singer Smith, and John Dickey - while they were attempting first ascents on granite walls in Kyrgyzstan's remote mountains. The world-class athletes were taken hostage by Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan militants and held for six terrifying days before escaping when Tommy Caldwell pushed their lone guard off a cliff. The hosts discuss how this traumatic experience shaped each climber's life differently, with Tommy channeling it into becoming one of the world's greatest climbers despite later losing a finger, while Beth struggled with PTSD that affected her marriage and climbing career.

Get ready for a jaw-dropping tale that sounds like Hollywood fiction but is 100% real. On June 10th, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390's cockpit windscreen explosively blew out just 13 minutes after takeoff, literally sucking Captain Tim Lancaster halfway out of the aircraft at 17,000 feet. For 22 agonizing minutes, he was pinned against the fuselage—outside a commercial airliner traveling at 400 mph—while his heroic crew desperately held onto his legs and fought to land the plane. Hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen break down this incredible true story minute-by-minute, revealing how tiny maintenance errors cascaded into a life-or-death emergency, the extraordinary physics that should have killed the captain in minutes, and the split-second decisions that saved 81 lives. Warning: You'll never look at airplane windows the same way again.