Leigha Horton & Travis Norman of Silvae Spiritus dig into the ritual and physiology of thermic cycling: the practice of combining sauna with cold therapy and how it can help us stay close to nature in the winter months as days get colder and darker. For more about Silvae Spiritus visit silvaespiritus.com. For the other sauna experiences mentioned visit openairoutpost.com, cedarandstonesauna.com, www.littleemberco.com. This episode is brought to you by The Open Air Outpost, a nature retreat with tiny cabin just 2 hours from the Twin Cities. Experience winter at the Outpost with a Goodland wood-burning hot tub and a spacious wood-burning sauna (built by SotaSauna). Use the coupon code “podcast” for 10% off your stay.

Tim Clemens, who goes by the handle mnforager, is known for his educational posts on all things related to harvesting wild foods, be it plants, mushrooms or insects - and often in an urban setting. Today we dig into the practice of urban foraging, the art of eating insects or entomophagy, Tim’s first-ever hunting experience and what happens when you move from observer of nature to participant with nature and how that informs a growing nature ethos.

Inspired by the conversations with our incredible guests, we’ve created a nature escape to help you put all of the great wisdom and advice shared on this show into action. It’s an 18-acre sanctuary where the woods meet the water on a private, non-motorized lake in western Wisconsin. We’ve just opened a luxury tiny cabin for you to unplug, unwind and restore yourself. Listeners of this podcast can get 10% off a stay using coupon code “podcast” and for July and August 2023, can get 20% off using coupon code “podcastsummer” Learn more and book your nature experience now at openairoutpost.com

Swedish American writer Linda McGurk is the author The Open-Air Life and There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather. In episode 17, she shares some of the fascinating Scandinavian histories that gave rise to the Nordic concept of Friluftsliv and how it’s practiced today - from troll forests to barefoot walkabouts to forest cemeteries.This episode is brought to you by The Open Air Outpost, a nature escape with luxury tiny home and glamping options just 1.5 hours from the Twin Cities metro and 2 hours from Madison, Wi. Learn more at openairoutpost.com

Ep 16 is a very special and very musical episode of Open Air Humans! The Okee Dokee Brothers are a Grammy Award-winning bluegrass and American roots children's music duo of Joe Mainlander and Justin Lansing. They’re known for their joyful brand of music that that inspire families to spend more time outside. In 2012, the duo won a Grammy for their adventure album Can You Canoe, which was created during a month-long paddle down the Mississippi River. They followed with two more adventure albums Through the Woods and Saddle Up - also created on wilderness adventures. In March of 2023, they released their new album Brambletown and are currently touring in support of it. In this discussion, we hear about the inspiration behind their music with live performances of songs including The Life That’s In You, Church of the Woods and The Great Grandmother Tree. Themes explored include the interconnection of all living things, how to “lose yourself in the woods to find yourself again” and the need for more spiritual and ritual experiences in modern American society.You can download the music of the Okee Dokee Brothers including their latest Brambletown from anywhere you stream your music and you can learn more about the band, watch videos and order their latest on vinyl at okeedokee.org.And for a special treat, Joe is releasing a new Spotify mix called The Church of the Woods, which can be found here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4oYoDSKvLxNWpw4ImSPuIl?si=26ea82e4b6664041&nd=1

In episode 15, Dexter Patterson, who enthusiastically extolls the many benefits of what he calls bird joy through his exuberant online presence, The Wisco Birder, shares how paying closer attention to winged creatures forever changed his life. He’s now on a mission to inspire other people to slow down, look up and let the magic of birding bring all of us the joy it brings him. If you’re ready to get out there and experience all that bird joy has to offer, follow along with Dexters birding adventures and tips on IG at @wiscobirder - and if you’re in the Madison Wisconsin area you can even get out with Dexter by joining up with the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin.

Can looking closer at the natural world help erase our fear of death? In episode 14, naturalist Emily Stone shares how observing the small miracles of death and renewal in plants, mushrooms and animals has affected her feelings on the subject. We learn how a tree becomes more alive after it has died and get a welcome dose of poetry from Mary Oliver. Emily is the education director at The Cable Natural History Museum in northern Wisconsin and writes a weekly column called Natural Connections, in which she transports readers into a magical world where nature is wilder than fiction. You can find an archive of Emily’s weekly column at: cablemuseumnaturalconnections.blogspot.com/ or you can purchase one or both of her Natural Connections books from any major bookseller. You can also listen to her column in podcast form by searching Natural Connections in Apple Podcasts or wherever you’re listening now.

In Episode 13, an invitation to go on a nocturnal excursion and experience the enchantment of night time in the forest. Today’s guest Chris Salisbury is the author of Wild Nights Out - The Magic of Exploring the Outdoors After Dark. It’s an inspiring, hands-on guide for adults and kids of all ages to go adventuring in the dark. In this far-ranging discussion, Chris shares how to attune our senses to the darkness, what we might find in the night and how the dark can act as mental and physical medicine for the modern human.

In episode 12, naturalist Emily Stone Emily shares stories about the wonderous interconnectedness of plants and animals of the Northwoods, many hidden in plain sight. She also shares a really fun way you can see the natural world in an entirely new way with a UV light when you head out into the field and forest after dark. Emily is the education director at The Cable Natural History Museum in northern Wisconsin and writes a weekly column called Natural Connections, in which she transports readers into a magical world where nature is wilder than fiction. You can find an archive of Emily’s weekly column at: cablemuseumnaturalconnections.blogspot.com/ or you can purchase one or both of her Natural Connections books from any major bookseller. You can also listen to her column in podcast form by searching Natural Connections in Apple Podcasts or wherever you’re listening now.

In episode 11, Linda Black Elk shares her transformative experience with and expansive knowledge of indigenous plant medicines and foods. As an indigenous ethnobotanist working at the intersection of plant medicine and food sovereignty, Linda shares her experience regarding the unacknowledged sentience of plants and how they’re always communicating with each other and with us - if we’re open to looking and listening more closely. Follow Linda @linda.black.elk