National Park After Dark - Lost & Found: The Miraculous Survival of Truman C. Everts. Yellowstone National Park

Episode Date: November 10, 2025

Truman Everts, a 54-year-old bureaucrat, joined the 1870 Washburn Expedition to explore Yellowstone. After becoming separated from the group, he lost his horse, food, gun, and blankets. Alone for 37 days, he endured brutal storms, frostbite, a scalded hip, and even a mountain lion. His dramatic survival captivated the nation and helped inspire the creation of Yellowstone as America’s first national park.For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodesFor the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:Instagram: @nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to the week’s partners!BetterHelp: National Park After Dark is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off.Blueland: Use our link to get 15% off your first order.Quince: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.SelectQuote: Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/npad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Close your eyes. Listen to Monday.com. Feel the sensation of an AI work platform. So flexible and intuitive, it feels like it was built just for you. Now open your eyes, go to Monday.com. Start for free and finally, breathe. Expedia and visit Scotland invite you to come step into centuries of history that await in Scotland. Castle Steepton Legend, walk along cobblestone streets. Come share the warmth of stories passed down through generations.

This is a place with a past that is fully present today and all yours to explore. Plan your Scottish escape today at Expedia.com slash Visit Scotland. Picture this. You're dropped into the wilderness with nothing but your instincts. No food, no shelter, no help, just you, the elements, and a landscape alive with unseen. dangers. The wind is biting, the nights are cold, and the terrain is unforgiving. How long could you survive? Hunger gnaws at you, exhaustion weighs on every limb, and the mental strain of being completely alone becomes overwhelming. Water isn't just a convenience, it's a lifeline. How would you find it? Food becomes a daily question. What's safe to eat and what could kill you. Every

rustle in the bushes, every shadow between the trees, could be a predator. How would you protect yourselves from bears, mountain lions, or venomous snakes? Your mind starts to play tricks on you. Hours stretch into days. Desperation becomes a constant companion. You have to make impossible decisions just to keep going. Would you have the skills, the patience, and the sheer determination to survive? Shows like naked and afraid are alone. give us a taste of the struggle, but the real wilderness doesn't cut you any slack. In today's episode, we're exploring one of the most incredible survival stories from the early days of Yellowstone National Park. Before we dive in, though, we want you to ask yourself,

if it were you out there, alone in the wild, how long could you last? And what would it take to survive? Welcome to National Park After Dark. Hello everyone and welcome back to National Park After Dark. I'm Danielle. I'm Cassie. And my answer is not long. Same. Count me out.

If I'm missing for like five days, just assume. The worst. Just assume the worst. Send in the cadaver dogs. I'm gone. I'm in a better place. I think it's entirely dependent on where, of course. And alone is one of my favorite.

I haven't really gotten into naked and the first. too much because I feel like alone is just a little bit more genuine. I agree. Not to take away from the naked and afraid experience because that also does not look easy. But I mean, with alone, you truly are out there by yourself. And alone is a little different because alone, they actually have survivalists on the show who have to go into these Arctic landscapes to survive through winter. And naked and afraid, it's not that it's difficult.

but a lot of these people aren't trained in this. Yeah, or they're just kind of out there. Or they're just some sort of like outdoor enthusiast that on the side will do survivalist training or this or that, but they're not, they don't live and work. A lot of military backgrounds too. Yeah, I could not. I mean, the naked twist is definitely adds to it for sure. But yeah, I don't know.

Not long, especially the bugs would get me, I think, because they're just so frustrating. and when I get frustrated, I can't focus on anything else. And that's a big player. I just saw on the news that Iceland has three mosquitoes. Nowhere's safe except for Antarctica now. Now where it's safe. Yeah. That's the last place that they've.

Yeah, no mosquitoes. Well, you can't move there because our business would fail. I don't know where I would live also. There's plenty of bases down there. You can figure it out. Yeah. The Wi-Fi sucks, though, and I need a business partner, so you're not a half. You're like, sorry, everyone. Listen to Danielle alone for the next six months. I'll be back in the winter. Well, so we're going to Yellowstone today for your story. Lovely, my favorite place, favorite park ever. Yes, I know. And I think that this story is really fun. I'll get into it more. But we're diving into Yellowstone before it was a national park. And we're kind of doing my bread and butter today,

which we're telling a survival story, which I always love to do. So I'm excited for this one. Okay. Well, let's dive into it. Do you ever think about how natural wonders in national parks get their names? Maybe you're driving through Lassen Volcanic National Park when you see a sign for Bumpus Hell Trail and ask yourself, bump as hell, how did that happen? Well, sometimes these places of grandeur are named after indigenous people who lived on the land for thousands of years.

Sometimes they're named after the people who displaced said indigenous people. And sometimes they're named after a guy who got so spectacularly lost, his rescue became the stuff of legend. Imagine you're 54 years old, you can barely see without your glasses, and you've just gone separated from your expedition party and what will later become America's first national park. You have no food, no supplies, and winter is coming fast in the Rocky Mountain Wilderness. And of course, I must mention that the wilderness is filled with grizzlies, mud pots, mountain lions, boiling springs, and geysers that could literally cook you alive. It feels like a video game. It's like when you're just dropped and you're just like, good luck. There's all these obstacles.

Except you don't get three lives and can collect stars to re-up your lives or whatever. Oh yeah, when you get like boosted or whatever. I don't know anything about video games. I shouldn't have even drawn that analogy. For some reason when you said it's like video games, I immediately pictured Spiro from PS1. I don't even know what that is. Really? I don't consider myself someone who knows video games really well, but Spiro was like, Spiro, the Lion King game, Crash Bandicoot, Nintendo, like none?

Banjo-Kazoo-I? Do you remember that one? Kind of. That was my thing. That was my one game. I'm like, I'm going to master this. Mine was Crash Team Racing. That tracks so much. It was my favorite.

I did go to trivia the other night and I learned something about video games. I'll give you the fun fact in case you ever need it in life. The first appearance of Mario in a video game was in Donkey Kong. Oh, interesting. Yeah. Wow. So there's that. The only video game that Banjo Cazoo is my thing and whatever, but I'm so happy because

this proves I've been doing something. in life. So many people have sent me the ad for the new Titanic game that's coming out in January or February. I didn't even know that was happening. Oh, I got to learn how to play PS, whatever it is. Or six? I don't know. I don't know. I'm still on PS2. I need to learn whatever it is going to be whatever console it's going to be on. And I need access to someone with that console because I'm not going to buy it. But, yeah, the new Titanic game is coming out and it looks so fun. What do you do?

Try to survive. The sinking of the Titanic. Interesting. We should do an outsider's live stream of you playing the Titanic game trying to survive. Oh, my God. No. You know those videos of a couple playing a video game or something? And the girls just has a gun and she's just pointing it in the air in circles and running into walls.

Yeah. I don't think anybody wants me to see me do that for an hour. I don't know. You guys tell us. Yeah, you tell us. I kind of want to see it personally. Okay. Anyway, let's go back to Yellowstone.

Oh, anyway, going back into Yellowstone because I think it's definitely a favorite here. and I think maybe it's one of the most well-covered episodes or parks we've done since we started this. That's a good question. I don't know. I don't know. Well, I'm not going to get super into the park because we have talked about it so many times. But for this story, Yellowstone wasn't even officially a park when our story's subject, Truman Everts hit the trail. In 1870, the northwestern corner of the newly formed Wyoming territory was a blank stretch on the,

the map of the continental United States. For thousands of years, this land had become home to numerous indigenous nations. People from at least 26 different tribes lived off the land, but in 1870, few white people had ever seen the geysers and hot springs that defined the region. Mountain men and trappers who passed through spun fantastical tales about boiling lakes, spitting geysers, and petrified forests, stories that were largely dismissed back east. Imagine going out west, in this time and coming back home and be like, you never believe it. There's guys, there's these huge trees, there's mountains that are higher than anything I've ever seen. And everyone's like, that's not true. Yeah. That can't be true. Can't possibly be right. It's like, no,

it looks like this. Yeah. It's a fun time to imagine being in when there's still mystery in the world and not images of every little corner of it easily accessible, which is nice, but also mystery is fun. Yeah, I like to not look up places, pictures of places that I'm visiting too many, so I'm at least a little bit surprised. Yeah, I did that with one of our trips, I think. I looked at the itinerary once and then a year and a half later when the trip came around, I'm like, I've done no investigation into this location at all, and I have no idea what to expect. Like, surprise. Okay, I just tell me what plane to be on, and I'll I'll be there. When I went to, when we went to Antarctica, I didn't, of course, I've seen lots of

videos and stuff of Antarctica and things. But when I saw the route that the ship was doing, I intentionally did not research the locations of Antarctica. We were going because I wanted it to truly be when we pulled in to be the first time I had ever seen any of these places. Yeah. And it totally was worth it. But anyway, all these people are going and no one believes them. that this exists. As the United States neared its centennial, the mountain west remained sparsely populated by colonists and shrouded in mystery. Montana wouldn't become a state for another 19 years, and Wyoming had only become a territory two years prior. Montana State University historian Kim Allen Scott, an expert on the Washbourne expedition, put it this way. Everyone knew there

was something weird in the Northern Rockies, but nobody really knew what was in those particular mountains. It lent a mystique to it. That mystique is still alive today. Yellowstone National Park covers a staggering 3,472 square miles, an area about the size of Puerto Rico. It's a region of incredible beauty and danger. The park sits atop a super volcano, which fuels more than 10,000 hydrothermal features

like geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. Some of these can reach temperatures hot enough to cook a person alive. And that's before we even get to the wildlife. The park is home to bison, cougars, rattlesnakes, and the highest concentration of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. It's a place where the wild is truly wild, a landscape that demands respect and caution. It was into this untamed wilderness that our protagonist, Truman C. Everett's ventured. Everything you want for summer is at Nordstrom Rack stores now and up to 60% off. Stock up and save on the brands you love like Vince, Sam Edelman, Frame and Free People.

Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. Everett's was born around 1816. He was tall, thin, and so near-sighted that he was essentially legally blind without his glasses. A career government bureaucrat, Everett's was no rugged. good outdoorsman. He spent the Civil War tending to wounded Union soldiers and was later appointed

by President Abraham Lincoln as the first federal tax assessor for the Montana Territory, a position he held for years in Helena. But by the summer of 1870, the administration wanted its own man in the job, and Everett's, a middle-aged widower, was unemployed. Enamored with the idea of exploring the unknown alongside Montana's leading citizens, he enthusiastically signed on for what was to be in the words of historian Lee Whittlesey, a sort of between jobs vacation for him. Oh, Whittlesey. In Whittlese, we trust. We do.

I want a prayer candle with Lee H. Whittlese on it, please. Somebody who's crafty and can do that, please make me that. And then you'll have to put it on your shelf behind you so we can see it for every episode reporting. I will. I will. Yeah, my P.O. Box is. You can find out our website. Thanks.

Little did he know this holiday would become a wilderness odyssey of grit, luck, and sheer incompetence that would, against all odds, help lead to the creation of the nation's first national park. The expedition he signed up for was officially called the Washbourne-Langford-Done Expedition of 1870. It was the first professional effort to chart the unmapped northwestern quadrant of the New Wyoming Territory. The party of 19 men, including some of Montana's most respected citizens, left for Four Ellis, near Presente Bozeman, on August 22, 1870. It was led by Henry D. Washburn, the Surveyor General of Montana, and included businessman Nathaniel P. Langford and a military escort under Lieutenant Gustavus Stone. Their goal was to explore the uncharted Yellowstone County as far south as Yellowstone Lake. Langford later wrote that the explorers felt if even half the tall tales about the region were true, they would be, quote, amply compensated for all the troubles and hazards of the expedition.

However, the trip was not easy from the start. Just a weekend, Everett's got sick and had to leave the rest of the party for a few days to recover. Foreshadowing what was to come. By September 8th, the expedition had ascended what is now Mount Washburn, witnessed the wonders of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and explored the geothermal features around mud volcano. They were mesmerized by a particularly large and regular geyser, which they famously dubbed Old Faithful.

Oh, that's where it's name. Yeah. The next day, September 9th, the team was navigating a dense pine forest near the southern shore of Yellowstone Lake. The terrain was horrific, with large tracks of fallen timber, making progress nearly impossible. So they were forced to spread out, each seeking their own path through the thick woods.

Everett's thought he'd found a clear path and kept going, eventually straying out of sight and sound of his companions. According to historian Whittlesey, his horse fell into a big mud hole and that is what got him separated from the rest of the party. Separations like this had happened before, so at first he didn't think anything of it. He wrote on confident he would reconnect with everyone or find their camp. He even came across a pack horse that had gotten loose but decided to leave it, figuring he would find the group first, then return with help to retrieve it. As darkness fell, Everett's realized he was alone, but he still wasn't worried. He later wrote, I had no doubt of being with a party at breakfast the next morning. He selected a comfortable spot, tied up his horse, built a fire, and he went to sleep.

The next morning, September 10th, Everett's awoke at dawn and saddled his horse. The forest was dark and thick, and the fallen pine needles had obliterated any trace of the expedition's trail. He became confused, frequently dismounting to examine the ground for the faintest sign of travel. He came to a clearing and dismounted to get a better look, but didn't tie up his horse, which had become a normal practice for him. But suddenly, there was a startling noise, and Everett's turned just in time to see his horse disappearing at full speed among the trees. Oh, no. Along with everything that he had with him. His blankets, guns, pistols, fishing tackle matches, food and canteens were all gone.

All he had left was the clothes on his back, binoculars, and a couple of knives. Oh, no. Not the best position to be in, but... It's like, I'm alone, and I'm watching my horse right away with literally everything I own. I think in the show alone, you're only supposed to... You can only bring, like, 10 items with you, right? Yeah. Yeah, it's not a lot.

And I think naked and afraid you can only have one thing. In what? I think it naked and afraid you can only be... bring one. No way. Really? Yeah. I think you can pick, like people will pick a knife, pick a lighter, pick, I think it's only one thing. I haven't seen naked and afraid in a long time, but I'm pretty sure it's one. Huh. Yeah. Interesting. Because I always, in the beginning of alone, when they're selecting their gear and kind of going through their pack lists and things, I do that thing where I compare what I would have brought against these season professionals that know way more than I do.

do you measure up? Not good, I guess. But I don't know. Some of the things I feel are definitely needed, but I would have chosen something else. And that's why I'm not on alone and I'm watching it from my couch. It's like you're sitting on your couch warm with heat and a blanket and lots of food in front of you that you picked up at the grocery store and you're like, stupid idiot. I wouldn't have selected a guy with, but who am I?

to say. I would never. Anyway. And then they always lose something. They always lose something and they can never find it. Yeah. And then that's usually their downfall. I'll always remember that one guy who his strategy was he didn't want to burn calories.

So he was like, I'm just going to sit here all day. And he just like slept through multiple journey. He's like, I got kind of far, didn't he? Yeah, he almost won. He was like, I'm going to do the hibernating bear approach. And it kind of worked. I think he was like second or third. Like, there was only like two or three people left when he tapped out.

Yeah, he gained a bunch of weight intentionally beforehand, right? Yeah. Yeah. All so smart. I mean, work smarter, not harder. It's so true. He just made his thing was he just like made his house and then he's like, I'll just be here. wake me up when I'm a finalist.

Yeah. So anyway, he watches all of his stuff right off into the sunset without him. But still, the full gravity of his situation didn't quite sink in. Instead of trying to find the expedition's camp, he spent half the day trying to locate his horse. It was only after this unsuccessful search that the direness of his circumstance began to really take shape. He wrote and posted several notices in an. open space, hoping his friends would find them, and then set off again in the direction he thought that they had gone. As the day wore on, anxiety gave way to the terrifying prospect of another night

alone, however, this time without food or a fire. That night he barely slept, tormented by the screech of nightbirds, the bark of coyotes, the howl of gray wolves, hunker, and fear, but still clinging to the hope of rejoining the rest of the expedition the next day. Girl, winter is so last season. And now spring's got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders. That perfect hang on the patio sundress.

Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear up on that envelope? It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic. When Everett's got back to the place where he had left his notices, he found it empty. No one had come.

And that's when it really hit him, that he was lost. He had no food, no fire, and no way to get either of those things. He was alone in the wild, unknown wilderness, more than 100 miles from the nearest person. Wild animals were all around and hunger nod at him. The feeling of being completely helpless was overwhelming. It was in this moment of utter despair that, a new resolve took hold of him. He would not perish in that wilderness. This single thought he claimed became his mantra. He would not perish in this wilderness. It became a source of life that

revived his hope and energy throughout his ordeal. While Everett's was coming to terms with being lost, the rest of the Washburn expedition was growing increasingly concerned. They had made an agreement that if anyone got separated, they would meet at the southwest arm of Yellowstone Lake. When Everett's didn't show up, they began a search that would last a full week. They set signal fires at night and fired their guns into the air each day, hoping he would see or hear them. They left notes and caches of food for him along the lake. Warren Gillett, a man who was courting Everett's daughter, Bessie, stayed out all night hunting for his potential father-in-law. Which, I mean, I think of that.

And I'm like, what brownie points would you get if you rescued your person of interest father? the wilderness. Oh, you've made it. You've made it. You're in. Yeah. What is she going to say no to you? It's like, you just rescued my dad. Let's get married. Okay. Atticus, please get down. Anyone's watching on YouTube right now, Danielle has a guest on the podcast. My sister's dog just likes to stare very closely to me. And the more I try and push him away, the more he stays. The closer. If you do it more, if you do more him. If you don't move, he can't see you. Very, very still.

See? There it is. Yeah, no, you're in. She's got your contractually obligated at that point. Because now she's going to look so bad if she said no. And no guy can ever compare for your father's approval. Approval. It's like, have you saved me in the middle of the wilderness?

No. It's like my daughter can do better and I know that for a fact. Yeah, yeah. He was like, this is the best opportunity that's ever happened to me. Yeah, he's like, I have to find this man. Yeah. Unfortunately for him, he was even within four miles of him at one point, but he just had no idea. And he never knew how close he really was. Everett's for unknown reasons never made it to the agreed upon meeting point and his potential son-in-law didn't find him. Everett's meanwhile was wandering aimlessly and felt weak from hunger. He felt no cravings, just a growing sense of faintness and exhaustion that he fought off, saying aloud, this won't do, I must find my company. Gloomy thoughts of starvation or a more violent death consumed his thoughts. But he pushed them away, focusing on his immediate needs.

After days scrambling through the forest, he emerged at the foot of a peninsula to behold a magnificent sight. A broad, beautiful lake, which we now know as Heart Lake, glittered in the sun. Everett's dubbed the lake, Bessie Lake after his daughter. A towering peak overshadowed the lake he called Mount Everett's, a name given by Washburn a few days earlier in a gesture that would become ironically prophetic. The landscape was teeming with life, swans, otters, deer, elk, and mountain sheep. As he sat by the shore, his spirits lifted when he saw what he thought was a canoe with a single oarsman approaching. He ran to the beach to meet his salvation, only to have his hopes crushed. An enormous pelican flapped its wings, seemingly mocking him as it blew away. I also mistake pelicans for people in canoes, so I get it. You're not alone, Everett's. It's a common thought.

Mistake. Mistake. But just as this happened and despair had set in, he made a life-changing discovery. While looking for a place to sleep, Everett's noticed a small, bright green. plant. He pulled it up and found a long, tapering root, not unlike a radish. It was thistle. He tasted it and didn't immediately curl over, so he went for it. This was his first meal in four days. Overjoyed, he devoured the thistle and fell into a deep sleep under a tree. Everett's rest was short-lived, however. He was violently awoken by a loud, shrill scream. This was the unmistakable screech of a mountain lion

at very close proximity. Everett's yelled back and scrambled up the tree, climbing as high as he could for safety. When he looked down, he saw that a cat was sniffing and growling right where he had just been sleeping moments before. For what felt like hours, a terrifying standoff ensued. Everett screamed, broke branches from the tree, and hurled them down at the pacing animal. The mountain lion circled the tree, lashing its tail, and growling. Then Everett's tried a new tactic. He stayed completely still and quiet. He clasped the trunk of the tree and sat perfectly still and the lion went silent too. The quiet was almost more terrifying because now he couldn't see where this mountain lion was. After what seemed like an eternity, the mountain lion gave one last scream and took off into the forest. And Everett's was safe, exhausted but alive. He climbed down and to his own disbelief fell asleep in the very same spot he had been sleeping before.

He's like, that was crazy. That was a close one. I'm so tired. I'm exhausted. To sleep in the exact same spot but this mountain line was just hunting you in. I mean, yeah, he's sleepy. What are you going to do? He's a guy who could fall asleep anywhere.

Yeah. He is also starving, right? So he probably doesn't have a lot of energy to. I think my line of thinking would be somewhere along the lines of, what are the odds that's going to come back to this one spot? thought. Yeah. And depending on the tree, it's probably pretty hard to sleep in a tree. And I feel like I'm not really sure behavior-wise what was going on there, but mountain lions are excellent climbers. So if it really wanted to get him, it could have. It could have very easily.

So I'm not exactly sure what was going on there. But it feels like the mountain line was just done with him. So I feel. Obviously he was safe. Oh my gosh. That's actually. Probably True. It might be very true. I'll never forget. It was huge.

You'll never believe the size of it. The amount of posts that have been on my seemingly every page except for, I will say, except for when I lived in Colorado, because it feels like Coloradoans are pretty well-versed in one amount of mine truly looks like. But every Facebook community page that I have ever been a part of, at least quarterly, there are pictures of what is very clearly a bobcat and people losing their minds that it's a mountain lion and there's one I will never forget. I think I took a screenshot of it because it was so funny crazy to me. Couldn't be more apparent that it was a bobcat, maybe even a house cat

that had like a chop tail. Yeah. And this person was so adamant that it was a mountain lion. And it was in Manchester, New Hampshire. I'm like, get this is, this is why we can't have nice things. This is why we have mountain lions because it's just so embarrassing. And I know, you know, not everyone can clearly identify wildlife, but there's a distinct difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. And just please, they're not on Elm Street in Manchester. Also, there's a huge size difference between them, bobcats. I mean, they're big if you put them next to a house cat, but they're not big.

Their markings are different. Their ear shape is different. Their tails are different. Their body composition is different. Their fur is different. You know, I was giving people grace and now I'm not. The more I think about it. It's like if you think a bobcat is a mountain lion,

we need to have a serious anatomy conversation. We need to talk. Hey, can I talk to you for a second? It's like, come over here. I just want to talk. Can I talk to outside for a second? I say that to Al whenever he's making me mad. I'm like, can I talk to you outside for a second?

We'll be like in our living room. Gets his attention real quick though, right? It does. He says it to me too, though. And it's kind of just a running joke now. Well, let's give, what is it, Everts? Everts. Everett's.

Let's give me a little grace for now. We'll see what else he does. Everts. Everts. I don't know, though. He's on thin ice with me. He thought a Pelican was a person. Yeah.

So was it even there? Who knows? We are, we're just taking his. word for it. Which isn't reliable. So take this entire story with a great stuff. Did we make this up? You decide. Please continue. This encounter with the mountain lion was a turning point for him. It drove home the brutal reality that Everts couldn't wait around hoping to meet with the rest of the group. He had to escape on his own. But a new challenge presented itself. And that was the weather. A dreary storm of snow and rain set in, and the wind pierced the tears in his clothing. For two days, as the storm raged,

Everts sheltered under the branches of a spruce tree. While laying there, exhausted and starving, a small bird hopped within his reach, and he grabbed it, killed it, and ate it raw. As he crunched down on the bird, he thought, what a delicious meal for a half-starved man. I mean, yeah, all the birders are cringing. I know. Got to do what you got to do to survive. On the morning of the third, day, the storm finally began to ease. Everts set his sight on the streaming hot spring near the base of Mount Everts about 10 miles away. But before he could reach them, the storm returned with a vengeance. Cold, wet, and shivering to the bone, he pressed on until he finally stumbled onto the heated ground. There, he collapsed, letting the warmth of the earth seep into him. Thistle

roots were plentiful, and a small boiling spring became his makeshift pot for cooking. For seven days he remained there, wrapped in a constant cloud of steam that kept him alive and warm, even as it slowly cooked him in a relentless vapor. It's like kind of sitting in a sauna and just like never leaving. Yeah, because if you leave, it's the other extreme. Yeah, you're in the freezing or you're kind of like slowly cooking yourself alive. But I thought that this was a good point to add a little fun fact, because bison also rely on Yellowstone's hot springs during the winter. So I wrote a little thing about that. So when the warmth melts the snow exposing grasses, it actually provides crucial food and some bison even eat the soil to get the minerals that are

provided by the hot springs. The steam and heated ground create a little extra warmth, though their thick coats make it unnecessary. It is just kind of, I think it's just nicer. They don't necessarily need it, but it's kind of like a finding solace and really extreme winters that Yellowstone has. And streams fed by the thermal areas often stay ice-free, making travel easier for them. Yet, these hot spots carry risks too because thin crusts can collapse and a bison misstep could send it tumbling into scalding water. Did you see the, not to bring the vibe down, but did you see that video that was circulating like a couple months ago of that wildlife photographer in Yellowstone who is filming bison? And, and

And one fell into a boiling pot, hot spring, and just repeatedly would, like, struggle to get out and then slide back in and struggle to get out and slide back in until it finally cooked alive. Oh, my God. No. I'm like, okay. I know that's nature doing its thing and what are you going to do? And how are you going to pull a bison out of a? And you shouldn't. You can't.

No. But to sit there and film it for five minutes or more was... Yeah. Okay. I got the gist of it. I don't need to see it completely the process. I mean, it's really what happens each winter. Yeah, I know.

As it does happen. And that poor kit, oh my God. I know we talked a lot about various deaths in Yellowstone in one of the very, very earliest episodes. Like, I think episode like 11. Yeah, it was... But most recently, there was a, I believe he was a college. student a couple weeks ago that lost his life in one of the hot springs. I hadn't heard that. I hadn't heard that. But it's so important to realize that these are

not like your normal hot springs that you can jump into and bathe in. Like they are geothermal features and they are literally hot enough to bring you alive. Yeah. Ready to soundtrack your summer? With Red Bull Summer All Day Play, you choose a playlist that fits your summer vibe the best. Are you a festival fanatic? A deep end DJ. a road dog or a trail mixer. Just add a song to your chosen playlist and put your summer on track. Red Bull Summer All Day Play. Red Bull gives you wings. Visit redbull.com slash bright summer ahead to learn more.

See you this summer. Well, Everett's reported that during this time, his mind was consumed with one thought. And although he had this warmth, what he really needed was fire. He knew he couldn't survive another storm without it. and it was his only defense against wild animals. He recalled everything he ever read about making fire, but none of those methods seemed within reach. As he considered his options,

a gleam of sunshine lit up on the lake and a thought flashed through his mind, the glass from his binoculars. He quickly dismantled it, removed a lens, and focused the sun's rays through the glass and onto a piece of dry wood. As the smoke rose and a spark ignited,

he was elated because now he had both food and fire. I have created fire. I did it. Did you ever in elementary school take a magnifying glass and try and light things on fire? No. I used to do that. I remember in elementary school I would take a magnifying glass out on the playground and I would try. But I think I would try to light like the pavement on fire, so it never worked.

What? I just wanted to see if it worked because I had heard about it in science class. And I never successfully did it, thankfully, because I think starting a fire on your school playground is not. They would have forgiven you. You would have been a child. Yeah, but I think I would have gotten in trouble for sure. It's like, hey, can you not light our school on fire, please? Yeah.

We know you learn this in science class. You're like, okay, I'm a arsonist in the making. And then I'm going to go home and play whatever fast. car video game. Crush team racing. Yeah, crash team racing. Two sides. Going back into the story, Everett's stay at the spring was prolonged by another

mishap. While asleep one night, as we had talked about with the bison, he rolled over, broke through the thin crust of the hot spring, and severely burned his hip. This new injury, combined with his festering frostbitten feet that he had gotten from the storm, caused him nonstop pain. Everett's also had another problem. He had lost both of his knives. So instead, he sharpened the tongue of a buckle from his vest to use as a substitute.

What did I say? They always lose stuff. Always. Every time. Okay. This is innovative, though, to use a buckle that you have on your vest and just sharpen it. Yeah. And you're like, he's making due for a man with no survival skills, pretty much.

No, he is, he's doing great. he's just you have one job and it's to stay alive and to do that you need the only supplies you have it's not like you have to keep track of a bunch of your supplies literally all your supplies you lost well that's not you just have two knives yeah you have two knives to yeah keep track of all this stuff it's not like your hands are full with it just keep the knives in your pocket like keep your pants job so anyway he sharpens the tongue of the buckle um to use as a substitute. And with this new tool, he cut the legs from his boots and made a pair of slippers. Then he mended his torn clothing with a thread unraveled from a handkerchief and tried to make a

fish hook from a pin in his coat. So he's getting really innovative here. He's using like all these little things he has with him. And he's like, okay, how can I use this to help my survival? After a week at the Springs, Everett set out again, this time with a new plan. He decided the shortest route to safety would be to cross the mountain barrier to the settlement. in Madison Valley. It was a decision that he would come to regret. After a day of drudging through timber heaps and thickets, he made camp for the night, keeping his fire alive by constantly waving at it. That night, the burn on his hip was so inflamed, he could only sleep sitting up. At one point, tossing and turning in his sleep, he fell forward into the fire, badly burning his hand. So his hips

burnt, now his hands burnt, he's starving, frost-bitten feet. Okay, I'm, well, okay, I'm putting together, we've been doing this long enough that I pick up on certain things that you drop early on. And you kind of harped on the fact that he is nearsighted. He is near sighted. And relies on his glasses heavily. He does. And he still has those, though, right? He does.

Okay. Despite his injuries, Everett's continued on, eventually finding a camp last occupied by the rest of the expedition. He found no no and no food. But he did find a dinner fork which proved invaluable for digging roots and a yeast powder can that he used as a cup and dining pot. It was here that a bit of anger set in. He couldn't believe they forgot to leave him any food. But he never considered they might have cached it in spots that he had already passed. As it turned out, the expedition had left food for him right on the beach where he found the fork and can, but he just happened to never find it.

Dejected, Everts followed what he thought was the party's trail. That night, he built a shelter of pine to protect himself from the wind. Later, he woke to the sound of cackling flames. His shelter and the adjacent forest had caught fire while he was sleeping. He escaped with his life, but his hair was cinched off. He also lost his precious buckle tongue knife and his fish hook. So his hair is burnt. His hand is burnt.

His hip is burnt. and his feet are frostbun. And he's probably significantly underweight. I don't know how much time has passed. Yeah, he's starving. He is starving as well. So he's in rough shape. Yeah.

After the fire, he abandoned the search for a trail and aimed for the lowest notch in the Madison Range. But when he finally reached the base of the mountains, his heart sank. It was an endless succession of inaccessible peaks and precipices. Scaling them was clearly impossible. It was at this moment of... deep despair that Everts experienced the first of many hallucinations. An old clerical friend suddenly appeared before him and advised him to turn back.

It said, go back immediately. There is no food and the idea of scaling these rocks is madness. Everts argued, but the apparition insisted it was his only chance. Delighted with the idea of a traveling companion, Everts turned back plotting a course down the Yellowstone River. Oh, third man factor. That's what I thought of immediately. I'm like he's experiencing the third man factor for sure.

God, that was one of my favorite. Do you remember what number it was? No, I don't. I remember I wrote it when I lived in Evergreen. I think it's called the third man factor, right? No, I remember I titled it Spirit or Science, the Third Man Factor or something like that. Episode 146. Yeah, so if you guys are interested more in what this phenomenon is, Daniel did a really cool episode on it and really

dives into it. So he's experiencing this hallucination, third man factor that's kind of helping him out. He's stoked. He has a friend, even if it's not real. And his truck became a blur of days nights. Everts lost all sense of time. And even though he was starving, he felt little of hunger or pain. His waking hours were struggle, but his sleep was filled with luxurious dreams of feasting at the finest restaurants in New York and Washington. Like you're laying out in the wilderness, just dreaming of the best meal you ever had. The best meal you ever had. ever what would yours be what would you dream about hmm what would i dream about i feel like i would dream about desserts okay like one of those dense flowerless chocolate cakes yeah with like the

molten lava or like the molten lava chocolate cakes with the warm fudgy like you know who does that so good that's like so underrated it's not the best of new york or whatever you just said dominoes does like amazing molten lava cake i don't I didn't even know they did that. Oh, my God. I just know their cheesy bread, which I would maybe also dream about. I've had their cheesy bread from time to time, but the molten lava cakes are where it's at for Domino. Interesting.

I didn't even know that that was an option. Fun fact, in college, my mom. Like, we still had a joint account or something. Or she had, like, admin access to my, I don't know what. She was helping fund my life, of course, when I was early on in college. And she looked at my account. And I don't know if she was being fresh or if she really thought that something was wrong. But she was like, hey, I'm not sure like if someone took your card or if there's something going on, but there's so many dominoes charges.

Like, why are you eating molten lava cakes and dominoes every day? It was a buff. No, I was addicted to the buffalo chicken sandwiches and molten lava cakes. That was like what I lived on. That's how I survived college. Somebody took your card. and is solely spending money of Domino's. I think it was her way of just being like,

stop fucking doing that. It's like, this couldn't be you. This is ridiculous. Yeah, totally, mom. Yeah, no. Someone totally took that card. Yeah. I found it, though, so you don't have to.

Don't cancel it. Don't cancel it. I found it. Right. So anyway. But it wasn't me. Shout out. I haven't had them in so long.

Maybe I'll have. Maybe I'll have one tonight. night. Do you have a dominoes near you? I do. I think. I do. Do it. Send me a picture. No, I'll have one delivered to you because you need to experience it for yourself. Dominoes does not deliver here. So you're going to have to like overnight it via UPS or something. No, it won't be as good. It's got to be when I visit, we can do it. We can do a girl's night sometime and we'll get dominoes. And they come with two. So it's perfect. Like you can have one. Oh, I'm dreaming of...

It's like we're not even starting. We're dreaming as well. Oh, well, this grand scenery that he had been in that had once filled him with awe now really, truly felt like it could be his demise. His thoughts turned to his daughter and the divine protection he felt that was guiding him through the trails. His hallucinations became more frequent and complex. His own arms, legs, and stomachs, stomachs, transformed into traveling companions he would converse with for hours. His stomach was particularly troublesome, constantly registering its complaints about the thistle root diet. Imagine your burnt hand gets a face and is talking to you.

Yeah. I'm having a hard time. What is thistle root? Do you know? Thistle root is. I'm picturing chives. I know that's wrong. It's more like how it said it was more like beats, like similar when you pull them up.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. I see. I'm looking up a little bit here. Interesting. I would never think to eat this, but again, I. Desperation.

I mean, it looks like it's a thing. It's just funny to me that he found this one thing and that like hasn't tried anything else. I mean, I guess don't. I'm not saying to stop eating that. but like nothing else. Well, he knows it works. He probably doesn't have knowledge about anything else. He doesn't want to risk getting sick. He knows that this is like doing the job. But even Lake, like he didn't try to fish. Well, he did with the fish hook. That's true. That's true. He does have the fish hook. Well, I'm giving him shit. He did. He lost it. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories and the book to scroll. Green favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L.

Every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. Going back to his story, when Everett came across a warm spring swarming with minnows,

oh, going into his food sources, he caught some and ate them raw. Luckily, he immediately vomited them up, saving him from what would have been a painful death from mineral poisoning. What? Everett's wandered on, a walking skeleton, his skin clinging to his bones. When he passed Tower Falls, he found a hollow tree he recognized as a bear's den. Somehow, he saw it as inviting as a couch, built a circle of fire around it, and he slept there like a baby. It's like, oh, perfect, a bear den.

Couldn't be more. What could go wrong? Everts finally left the forest for the open country. One morning, after snowfall, he completely lost his bearings, and he eventually found the river again and set out one last time his supply of thistles dangerously low. A few days later, while ascending a steep hill, Everts collapsed from exhaustion. He slept for an unknown amount of time before scrambling to his feet and continuing on. That night, as he gathered wood for a fire, he made a horrifying,

discovery. His glass lens to start the fire was gone. He felt that his only chance of survival had been lost. He lay down by the woodpile, convinced his struggle was over. But as calmness returned, he summoned he summed his memory and concluded he must have lost it where he had collapsed earlier that day. He staggered back five long miles through the darkness and in the morning found the lens right where he had slept. It was, he said, the most joyful moment of his entire journey. The next day, another storm set in. Everts was convinced he had to keep moving, so he snatched a lighted branch from his fire and stumbled on. But that afternoon, while gathering sticks, the branch went out. As the clouds blocked the sun, he sat down with his lens and his last piece of wood, his life

depending on a single gleam of sunshine. A moment passed, the cloud moved, and we were, and we were, with trembling hands, he lit a fire. When he woke up, a raw gusty wind penetrated his bones and a coldness, unlike anything he had ever experienced, overcame him. He stumbled blindly on, knowing death was knocking on his door. Just then, a thought flashed across his mind. I will be saved. Struggle on, came an encouraging whisper. Grooping along the side of a hill, he saw a sharp reflection of polished steel. He looked up through half-closed eyes to see two inviting faces. Are you, Mr. Everts? One of them asked. Yes, all that's left of him, he replied, and fell forward into the arms of his rescuers unconscious. It's like, no. No, wrong guy. Keep on moving.

Imagine. It's like, no. And he's like clearly emaciated burnt. And it's like, oh, never mind then. It's like, okay, sorry to bother you. fun guy. John Yellowstone Jack Barrett and George A. Prichette were two mountain men who had set out in search of Everts after his friends and Helena offered a $600 reward for his recovery. They found him on October 16th, 37 days after he'd gotten missing, more than 50 miles from where he had gotten lost. This man with absolutely nothing survived for 37 days. That's incredible. I know we've been giving him a lot of crap, but that is such an accomplishment. Yeah. Like we said at the beginning, five days. Topps. Count me out.

37 for this man. That's incredible. In some of the harshest landscapes around, you know, it's not, it's no easy thing. The men had actually been tracking what they thought was a wounded bear. Barnett later recounted, when I got near it, I found it was not a bear and for my life could not tell what it was. It did not look like any animal that I had ever seen, and it was certainly not a human being. Everts was a horrifying sight. Delirious and crawling on his hands and knees, his clothing was in shreds, he had no shoes, and the balls of his frostbent feet were worn down to the bone. Oh my God. On top of that, he weighed about 50 pounds. No. 50 pounds? That's the weight of a small child.

He's literally skin and bones at this point. Barnett and Prachette nursed him back to health. They moved him to a miner's cabin where he was given a bed and broth made from freshly killed game. His recovery was complicated by the fact that the fibrous thistles had turned into a solid mass in his stomach, and he was in excruciating agony. A passing hunter provided an unlikely cure, a pint of rendered bear oil, which acted as a powerful laxative. The next day, Everett's was pain free and on the path to recovery.

Must have been such a rough night. I don't even want to imagine what that was like. Just filling your guts out quite literally. Poor guy. After his rescue, Everts was given a gala banquet at the fanciest restaurant in Helena. The kind of food he'd only dreamed of and his fever's hallucinations was overflowing. However, Everett's gratitude wasn't as overflowing as the food he was given. When he was told about the $600 reward offered,

for his recovery, Everts refused to pay, claiming he could have made it out of the wilderness on his own. Honey, no. Please, you were 50 pounds and you were lost when you were found. You had bones for feet. You weren't going to make it. You didn't good. You did great. You made it 37 days, but you weren't going to find your way out in time.

That thistle thing in your stomach? Yeah. No. You weren't going to do it. His rescuers never saw sent to the money. And Jack Barnett later said, quote, he wished he had let the son of a gun roam. Oh, okay, that's harsh. Well, hold on a minute.

So somebody else said that he would pay $600. His friends offered. But I think when he was found, his friends were like, all right, you can cover that. They saved you. Yeah, it's like, I didn't ask. Yeah, that's unfair. It is a little unfair. I think that's unfair.

But also, I mean, it sounds like from everything that he was pretty wealthy and could have paid it. Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, there's also that. I don't know how to feel about this guy, I guess. Well, maybe the next thing will help you. Okay. Mount Everts, the peak that overlooks mammoth hot springs, was named in his honor by expedition leader Henry Washburn.

But Everts wasn't pleased. He preferred to be memorialized by the more majestic peak. he had climbed near the south arm of Yellowstone Lake, now known as Mount Sheridan. He even petitioned for name change, but was denied. Okay, I'm swaying into the dislike category. Yeah, it's like you're getting a mountain named after you, which I didn't look this up, but I would bet almost anything has an indigenous name. Right.

That you are taking. And you're getting this name because you survived for 37 days and they picked this beautiful mountain and you're like, that one's not good enough. Yeah, it just feels a little. ungrateful. For sure. Ungrateful vibes for sure. I mean, you survived 37 days. That's amazing. And you made it. But here's a scala. Full of food. Yeah, here's a gala. And the dominoes lava cakes that you could ever wish for. Not good enough. No. News of Everett's improbable survival became a national sensation. His firsthand account of the ordeal, 37 days of peril, was published

and Scribner's monthly and captivated the country. Combined with a national lecture tour by his expedition companion Nathaniel Langford, the story of Everts' survival lent great publicity and support to the growing movement to establish a national park at Yellowstone. And in 1872, Congress created what many call the world's first national park. In 1872, Everts was offered the first superintendent job at the newly created Yellowstone National Park. But he turned it down because there was no pay, which is valid, but I also feel like he probably didn't want to go back. Yeah. She's like, I've had enough. Thank you for the

offer, but I'm going to pass. Wasn't he a tax collector? What is he doing being a superintendent? Yeah, he had no experience. I feel like they were just giving it to him because he survived there for so long. It was more of like an honorary position or something. It seems like. It seems that way. Well, either way you didn't take it. So I guess. The job instead went to Langford, and in a final quirky twist, the thistle on which he survived on is now known as Everts Thistle. But it's spelled incorrectly because it is, it's Everts the Thistle, but his name is Everts. So it's E-V-E-R-T-A-Postrophe S instead of S-A-A-Postrophe. A misspelling that is oddly fitting to a man whose story is super messy, but also a man who, who, it was a

appreciative of anything else named after him. The final thing was miss felt. So close. So close. He almost had it. Everts left at the frontier and moved back east, settling into a quiet life with the U.S. post office. He eventually remarried and fathered a child.

And this probably is the last solidifying thing that we probably don't love, Everts. But he fathered a child with his 14-year-old wife when he was in his 70s. So if you need to be a child. One last reason to not love Everts. You know, I'll give you your accolades for surviving and that's it. Yeah. God, that is so disgusting. I know people say like, it was of the time.

And it's like, no, it's disgusting. It's still a 70-year-old person and a child. Like, it's always been disgusting. We just didn't talk about it then. Oh, my God. Women or children just suffered in silence. Yeah. And it was just like considered the time.

Oh, God. Wow. So anyway, he dies in Maryland. Finally. He dies in 1901 at the age of 85, having outlived the perils of Yellowstone by more than 30 years. Wow. What a story. That's an interesting story.

And I feel like it's one that's not, I mean, it's not untold. Of course, there's books and people write about it. But I feel like it's one of the lesser talked about survival stories. Well, it feels kind of, I feel almost as if a lot of the survival stories we tell are of people who have put themselves out there in situation. Like they were already camping or on an excursion or doing this thing and they were prepared in some way. And they got injured or lost from there and at least had some sort of preparation. This guy just feels like he just accidentally wound up there and had to figure it out. Yeah, like he was on a next expedition, but it seems like he was probably there heavily relying on the expertise of other people. Yes. Yes. And then it was like, oh, shoot. I know I have to figure this out. Yeah. I mean, kudos to him for for it really is a story that shows that humans are just programmed to survive and we'll figure it out in any way that they can. It doesn't matter. And so resilient. Yeah. And resilience and just innovation and just getting it done.

in any way that they can. And I truly don't think he would have made it that much longer. But it's great that he had faith in himself. I mean, it just goes to show like the links that men will be like, oh, no, I could have done that. I could do that. It's like, I was fine. You were 50 pounds, sir, and you didn't have skin on your feet anymore. It did.

When I read that part, though, it did remind me of the story I just covered recently where the little boy was in a plane crash and he had to get off the mountain and his hands were so frostbitten that it was down to his bone and he just didn't even really notice or care in the moment because he was in such a survival mode. Yeah. And it was a little reminiscent of that where it's like yeah, that had happened. But like I mentioned throughout the story, he wasn't feeling or paying attention to the pain for the most part. He was just, I think his body was just too tired to feel it maybe. And he was just so trying to survive that it just didn't matter until. Yeah, but I mean, this guy had the gift of retrospect and when he's healthy and back in society.

Oh, yeah. When he's back and he's like, I would have survived. Like, sir, come on. Just say thank you. Just say thank you and move on and accept the mountain you've been given. And 37 days is an incredible feat. It's fine that you didn't make it out on your own. You did make it to a spot where someone could find you. Yeah. Whatever. I mean, it's a cool story and I'm glad that you told it because I love Yellowstone history so much and it's interesting to hear a historic survival story because I think it's hard because a lot of them aren't well documented or we just get fragments and bits and pieces of them and I think most of the survival stories you've told have been relatively more recent. So this

one was fun. Yeah. Cool. Well, thank you everyone for hanging out and listening to us talk again for however many weeks this has been, four years worth. And we'll see you during our next episode. In the meantime, enjoy the view. But watch you're back. Bye, everyone. Bye. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you love National Park After Dark and want to hear exclusive bonus stories, join us on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Patreon subscribers have access to our National Park After Dark book club, live streams, Discord, and much more. If you prefer to watch our episodes, video episodes are now available on YouTube. If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite listening platform.

And to follow along with all our adventures, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X at National Park After Dark. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you may not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressives save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with discount that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed,

who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary. Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes. At First Citizens Bank, we roll with your goals. Because we're built for what you're building. Fit for your ambition. For citizens back.