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The CRUX: True Survival Stories

The CRUX: True Survival Stories

By: Kaycee McIntosh Julie Henningsen Bleav
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 Are you drawn to thrilling survival stories where characters overcome impossible odds? The Crux: True Survival Stories is your podcast. Join us for gripping tales of resilience and invaluable insights into wilderness survival and the mindset needed to overcome adversity. Hosted by Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen, both passionate about wilderness and medicine, our podcast is fueled by real-life stories and the pivotal moments that determine life or death outcomes. Tune in for captivating narratives that entertain and educate. Airing every Monday!Kaycee McIntosh, Julie Henningsen Social Sciences
Episodes
  • They Did What They Had to Do: Nineteen Days in the Idaho Wilderness | E 225

    They Did What They Had to Do: Nineteen Days in the Idaho Wilderness | E 225
    Mar 30 2026

    On the morning of May 5th, 1979, four residents of Estevan, Saskatchewan boarded a small Cessna bound for Boise, Idaho on what was supposed to be a day trip. By that afternoon, the plane was down in a remote canyon in the Salmon River Mountains, two of the four passengers were dead, and two badly injured survivors were completely alone. No gear. No supplies. No rescue coming. What Donna Johnson and Brent Dyer did over the next nineteen days to stay alive is one of the most remarkable — and least known — survival stories in North American history. This episode does not look away from any of it.

    Timestamps:

    01:07 Crash Begins In Idaho

    03:15 Meet The Passengers

    05:28 Weather Route Decision

    07:12 Impact And Injuries

    10:51 Losses And Isolation

    12:18 Search Misses Them

    12:58 Cold Hunger And Journaling

    15:25 Unthinkable Choice

    18:25 Decision To Walk Out

    21:53 Nineteen Day Escape

    23:24 Rescue And Home News

    24:30 Puppy And Lawsuit Fallout

    27:01 Faith Legacy And Closing

    Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

    Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

    Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    REFERENCES

    Johnson v. Pischke, 108 Idaho 397, 700 P.2d 19 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1985)

    Gzowski, Peter. The Sacrament. Atheneum Books, 1980.

    "We Had to Eat Him and We Did." Maclean's, June 11, 1979.

    Timson, Judith. "Survival on Faith and Human Flesh." Maclean's, October 6, 1980.

    "Father's Protective Instinct Led to Miracle in Idaho Mountains." Regina Leader-Post, May 26, 1979.

    "Pair Walk Away from Crash Site." Lawrence Journal-World, May 26, 1979.

    "Air Crash Survivor Recounts Ordeal." Brandon Sun, June 1, 1979.

    Penn, Alix and Carmella Lowkis. "ICE Part II — The Crash of the Skyhawk." Casting Lots: A Survival Cannibalism Podcast, December 2020.

    Emilson, K. When Memories Remain, 3rd ed. Perpetual Books, 2018.

    "Brent Dyer Survived a Plane Crash — Extraordinary Lives." YouTube, DoxNM, 2017.


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    32 mins
  • The Body Recovery: Fatal Cave Dive at Bushman's Hole | Disaster Strikes E 224

    The Body Recovery: Fatal Cave Dive at Bushman's Hole | Disaster Strikes E 224
    Mar 26 2026
    In this episode of the Crux podcast's Disaster Strikes segment, hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen delve into the harrowing story of Dave Shaw, a technical diver who tragically perished while attempting to recover the body of a fellow diver, Deon Dreyer, from the depths of Bushman's Hole in South Africa. Listeners are taken through the extreme dangers of cave diving, the physiological and equipment challenges faced at extreme depths, and the sequence of events that led to Shaw's death. The narrative also touches on the ethical debate surrounding the attempted recovery, the impact on the diving community, and the lessons learned from this tragic incident. 00:00 Introduction to Disaster Strikes 01:04 The Fatal Dive of Dave Shaw 01:46 Understanding the Dangers of Cave Diving 06:19 Dave Shaw's Background and Diving Career 10:14 The Discovery of Deon Dreyer's Body 11:56 Planning the Recovery Dive 14:37 The Final Dive 19:01 The Fatal Spiral Begins 19:10 Shaw's Descent and Initial Struggles 19:59 The Unexpected Buoyancy Challenge 20:46 The Entanglement and Panic 22:51 Shaw's Final Moments 25:01 The Aftermath and Recovery 26:58 Debates and Controversies 34:23 Changes in Diving Practices 36:28 Unresolved Questions and Legacy 38:01 Conclusion and Reflections Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ Primary Sources: Zimmermann, Tim. "Raising the Dead." Outside Magazine, August 1, 2005. Main investigative article, extensive detail on Shaw and the incident Finch, Phillip. Diving Into Darkness: A True Story of Death and Survival. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008. Book-length treatment of the incident with detailed accounts Mitchell, SJ; Cronjé, FJ; Meintjes, WA; Britz, HC. "Fatal respiratory failure during a 'technical' rebreather dive at extreme pressure." Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, February 2007; 78(2): 81-6. Medical/forensic analysis of Shaw's death Dave Not Coming Back (2020). Documentary film. Features Don Shirley's firsthand account and helmet camera footage Secondary Sources: Wikipedia: Dave Shaw - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Shaw Verified biographical details, dates, equipment specifications Wikipedia: Deon Dreyer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deon_Dreyer Verified details about Dreyer's death and recovery Wikipedia: Boesmansgat - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boesmansgat Geographic and depth record information All That's Interesting. "The Tragic Story Of Dave Shaw" https://allthatsinteresting.com/dave-shawDive-Scuba.com. "Dave Shaw: The Full Story of the Bushman's Hole Diving Incident" https://www.dive-scuba.com/dave-shaw-incident/South China Morning Post. "Dead diver fulfills his last mission," January 13, 2005 Contemporary news coverage from Shaw's home base News24 (South Africa). "Divers' bodies 'unexpected,'" January 12, 2005 https://www.news24.com/divers-bodies-unexpected-20050112Divernet. "Dave Shaw died from carbon dioxide black-out" https://divernet.com/scuba-news/dave-shaw-died-from-carbon-dioxide-black-out/InDEPTH Magazine. "The Aftermath Of Love: Don Shirley and Dave Shaw" https://indepthmag.com/the-consequence-of-love-don-shirley-and-dave-shaw/Technical Diving Forums (ScubaBoard, Yorkshire Divers) Contemporary discussions and firsthand accounts from support divers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    40 mins
  • Trapped in Quicksand: 2 Hours vs. 6 Days | E223

    Trapped in Quicksand: 2 Hours vs. 6 Days | E223
    Mar 23 2026

    Quicksand isn't a movie prop. It's real, it looks completely normal, and it happened to two men in the past three months — one in a frozen Utah canyon, one in a Florida mud pit. Austin Dirks is an experienced thru-hiker with thousands of backcountry miles. He stepped into what looked like an inch of water in Arches National Park and couldn't move for two hours. Andrew Giddens disappeared on Valentine's Day and wasn't found for days — shoulder-deep in saturated clay at an industrial site, invisible from 20 feet away. We cover the science of why quicksand traps people, why fighting back makes it worse, and what actually works — plus a 2026 NPS safety alert for Glen Canyon that's worth hearing before spring break. If you ever find yourself sinking, stop. Just stop.

    00:00 Podcast Introduction

    00:30 Quicksand Nightmare Setup

    02:29 Utah Canyon Incident

    06:06 Rescue In Courthouse Wash

    08:00 Quicksand Myths Explained

    08:44 How Quicksand Works

    12:18 Rescue Tactics And Physics

    14:17 Self Rescue Tips

    15:17 Zion Subway Survival

    18:20 Florida Mud Pit Case

    21:40 Entrapment Survival Mindset

    22:20 How Long Was He Stuck

    23:27 Deputy Spots The Truck

    24:49 A Face In The Mud

    25:57 Two Hour Extraction

    27:31 Aftermath And Medical Risks

    29:15 Is Quicksand A Real Risk

    30:55 Where Quicksand Forms

    31:48 Warning Signs And Probing

    32:53 Smart Moves If You Sink

    34:43 Calling For Help Fast

    37:32 Why Stillness Wins

    41:34 New NPS Quicksand Alert

    43:07 Final Takeaways And Resources

    Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

    Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

    Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

    Resources
    • Austin Dirks / Grand County Search and Rescue — local Utah news coverage, December 2025
    • Andrew Giddens / Putnam County Sheriff's Office — Palatka Fire Department statement, February 2026
    • Ryan Osmond / Zion National Park — Utah DPS rescue records, February 2019
    Science
    • Daniel Bonn et al., Nature — "Granular media: how to pull out a foot" (2005)
    Safety & Alerts
    • National Park Service — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area quicksand safety alert, March 2026 — nps.gov
    The Broomway
    • Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Broomway
    • BBC Travel — "This desolate English path has killed more than 100 people" — bbc.com/travel
    • Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways (2012)
    Crisis Resource
    • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 — 988lifeline.org

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    43 mins
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