Armchair Explorer

In this second episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we head for the Sky Islands: isolated mountain ranges that rise out of the desert like islands from a sea. This is the most biodiverse region in North America, where jaguars and ocelots still roam and more than half of the continent's bird species have been recorded.
We take a nature tour with one of the country's foremost naturalists and survival experts, then head for Mount Lemmon, passing through six ecological zones in just 35 minutes. In terms of natural habitats, that's the equivalent of traveling from Mexico to Canada. At the top, we rope up for a Native American-led rock climb to hear what this remarkable eco-system means to the people who have lived here for thousands of years.
This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Sky.
Episode Highlights:
Islands in a Sea of Desert
You may never have heard of the Sky Islands, but naturalist Vincent Pinto says there's nowhere on the continent more alive. From hummingbirds and hawks to jaguars and golden eagles, life is everywhere in these mountain islands and the sea of grass between them. Take a nature tour with Vincent and discover this ecological wonder for yourself.
The Art of Seeing
Walk the trails of Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary as Vincent teaches the art of truly seeing nature. Meet a rabbit that eats its own scat, a plant that smells like grandpa's couch, and the smallest butterfly in North America.
Stone Age Survival
Discover how to turn a rock into a knife sharp enough to use as a scalpel, taught by a wilderness survival expert who has consulted for TV shows including Marooned with Ed Stafford.
Navajo Heights
Travel to the top of Mount Lemmon with Diné (Navajo) climbing guide Aaron Mike, and hear why climbing is how he feels most connected to his heritage, and to the stories his people tell about the land.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Recorded entirely on location over ten extraordinary days, this immersive documentary podcast follows a road trip designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more) and his team at Armchair Productions.
To find out how you can take this exact road trip yourself, go to wondersofaz.com.
Thank you to our guests:
Vincent Pinto, Ravens-Way Wild Journeys and Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary: ravensnatureschool.com
Aaron Mike, Altitude Mountain Guides: altitudemountainguides.com

FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA:
Instagram: @visitarizona
Facebook: @visitarizona
CREDITS:
The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions for Visit Arizona.
Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

There is a moment in every great adventure when the world shifts beneath your feet. For explorer Charlie Walker, it came in a Siberian supermarket, comparing brands of pasta at minus 38 degrees, when his phone buzzed with a BBC alert: Russia has invaded Ukraine. He was about to begin a 600-mile solo trek through northern Russia, crossing some of the most remote, frozen wilderness on Earth. The official advice was to leave as soon as possible. He chose to stay.
On Thin Ice is the story of what happened next. A journey across a Siberian Zimnik, a frozen winter road through silent forests and tundra, past Gulag towns and disappearing indigenous villages, into the heart of a country at war with itself as much as with its neighbour. It is a story of extraordinary human warmth in the coldest place on Earth, of state surveillance and midnight knocks at the door, of weeks spent in a Russian prison cell, counting days up instead of days down. And it is a story, ultimately, about the nature of truth and a mirror it holds up to all of us.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Stranded in Yakutsk
Hear how Charlie found himself in Yakutsk the morning Russia invaded Ukraine, standing in a supermarket comparing pasta packets when his phone buzzed with the news that changed everything.
Siberia’s Ice Road
Travel with Charlie along the Zimnik, one of Siberia’s frozen winter roads, through total whiteout, wolf tracks, blinding cold, and drunk lorry drivers navigating in the dark without headlights.
The Coldest Place on Earth
Discover the warmth hidden in the coldest place on Earth: Sakha women who dressed Charlie in traditional ceremonial costumes, fed him horse blood sausage, danced with him, and sent him off with a shaman’s blessing the next morning.
Imprisoned in Putin’s Russia
Find out what it feels like to be arrested, tried, and imprisoned in Putin’s Russia, and how Charlie spent nearly four weeks in an Arctic prison cell, counting shuffling footsteps from one wall to the other.
FIND OUT MORE
Charlie Walker’s book On Thin Ice is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook. Find it wherever books are sold.
Explore Charlie’s other expeditions and books at cwexplore.com
Follow Charlie on Instagram: @cwexplore
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FOLLOW US
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Website: armchair-explorer.com
CONNECT WITH US
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CREDITS
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at Armchair-Productions.com
Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

In this first episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we walk among the ancient cactus forests of Saguaro National Park. Then we saddle up at White Stallion Ranch for legendary guns, dusty arenas and a campfire under the stars with a cowboy poet. It's a journey into the heart of one of the most remarkable deserts in the world, and into the mythology of the American West that this landscape helped shape.
This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Desert.
Episode Highlights:
The Desert Miracle
Hear why Ranger Jordan Camp from Saguaro National Park calls the giant saguaro a "miracle of the desert," and discover the extraordinary biology behind one of nature's most remarkable survivors.
The Symbol of the West
Find out how a cactus that grows only in the Sonoran Desert became Hollywood's defining image of the Wild West, and why the real desert is nothing like the movies.
Guns of the Wild West
Step into the armory at White Stallion Ranch as the resident gunslinger and raconteur lays out some of the most legendary weapons in American history, from the Colt revolver made famous by Wyatt Earp to Billy the Kid's fast-draw pistol.
Team Penning
Get into the heart of the action as Aaron, mic'd up and in the saddle for the first time, attempts to herd cattle on horseback at White Stallion Ranch. Spoiler: the cows were not impressed.
The Keeper of the Fire
As the sun drops behind the Tucson Mountains and the saguaros turn to silhouettes on the horizon, gather around a campfire with cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton, and hear a song about memory, tradition and what it means to keep a flame alive.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a road trip you can take. Recorded entirely on location over two extraordinary weeks, Wonders of Arizona follows a new, bookable itinerary designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more), told through the voices of the people who know these places best. Hear it first, then make the journey your own.
To find out more go to:
USA and Worldwide Listeners: wondersofaz.com (https://www.wondersofaz.com)
UK Listeners: search up Wonders of Arizona at HaysTravel.co.uk (https://www.haystravel.co.uk/destinations/americas/rest-of-usa/arizona/wonders-of-arizona/wonders-of-arizona/) ... Or phone: 0800 408 4048.
FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA:
Instagram: @visit_arizona
Facebook: @arizonatravel
CREDITS:
Thank you to our guests:
Ranger Jordan Camp, Saguaro National Park
The whole team at White Stallion Ranch (WhiteStallionRanch.com)
Cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton (BuckHelton.com)

The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions
Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

At the start of every season, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming
up on Armchair Explorer, play some of their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most
excited to share. A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, and two people telling travel tales down the pub, our Pathways episodes are your guide to choosing your adventures with us.
Season five episodes:
SEVEN WONDERS: Join us On Location for a 2,000-mile road trip in search of the Seven Wonders
of Arizona. Play cowboy at White Stallion Ranch beside Saguaro National Park, stand on the rim
of Meteor Crater, the best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth, and hike down into the
Grand Canyon to touch rocks 1.8 billion years old.
SIBERIA INVASION: Explorer Charlie Walker sets out to walk the frozen rivers of Arctic Siberia
and meet the people who live in the coldest inhabited places on Earth. Then, just as he lands,
Russia invades Ukraine, and his months-long journey becomes a story nobody saw coming.
ICE AGE TRAIL: We hike the Ice Age Trail, one of America’s least-known long-distance footpaths.
It follows the edge of the last Ice Age across Wisconsin, where a glacier up to a mile thick
carved out kettle lakes and forested hills. Plus, we paddle by canoe into the wild North Woods.
UNWILDED: Aaron hangs out with adventurer Alastair Humphreys in the UK to talk about his
new book, Unwilded, and why adventure is about your mindset, not your geography. It’s also
the reason Aaron climbed a tree.
PLUS: Our first ever game show, Two Travel Truths and One Travel Lie. Can producer Jason spot
the fake fact about Japan, Iceland and Finland?
ALSO COMING UP IN SEASON 5:
Hiking in Slovenia, an igloo festival in Quebec, long-distance trekking in Japan, a tapas safari in
Spain, a night in a former asylum that’s now a hotel, and Providencia, Aaron’s secret Caribbean
island.
***
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Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton
presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design.
Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Rising over 1,000 feet straight from the red desert of Australia's Northern Territory, Uluru is one of the great wonders of the world. At sunrise it glows pink, gold, and amber. At dusk, it forms the backdrop to one of the most spectacular sunsets you will ever see. But that's just scratching the surface. What most visitors never discover is that the real wonder of Uluru lives in the stories, and culture, of the people for whom it is not just a wonder - but a part of them.
In this Bucket List episode, Kylene Randall, a traditional custodian of Uluru and member of the local Anangu people, takes us deep into the Aboriginal heart of this extraordinary and sacred place.
We'll discover the ancient creation law of Tjukurpa, hear the story of the Stolen Generation and how Kylene's grandfather found his way home, walk the stories at the base of Uluru, learn hands-on bush skills and traditional culture, and find out what the four pillars of Anangu wellbeing might teach us about how to live our lives too.
This is a journey into the soul of Uluru and the people who have kept watch over it for more than 30,000 years.
Episode Highlights:
Walk the Stories at the Base of Uluru
Travel with Kylene on an indigenous-led walk around Uluru, hearing the story of the Mala people, their ceremony, their fight, and the lessons it contains.
Hear the Story of the Stolen Generation
Learn how Kylene's grandfather was forcibly removed as a small child, spent his life searching for his mother, and ultimately found his way back to his culture - and how that extraordinary act of resilience changed her life and continues to inspire her work today.
Experience Culture Hands On
Discover what it's like to make traditional tools, learn bush medicine from native plants, dig for honey ants, cook kangaroo tail on a fire, and spend a night on country beneath a sky full of stars.
The Four Pillars of Holistic Wellbeing
Hear Kylene's grandfather's teaching on the four things that make us complete - family, country, spirit, and law - and why, when we are disconnected from any one of them, we cannot truly thrive.

FIND OUT MORE
This Bucket List episode is the second in our series on Australia's Northern Territory. If you missed the first - Into the Wild: A Road Trip Through Australia's Northern Territory - go back a few episodes in the feed. Together they make an extraordinary two-week itinerary that finishes right here at Uluru.
To experience Uluru with Kylene and her family, visit talikatu.com or follow on Instagram at @talikatu
PLAN YOUR TRIP
We designed this itinerary with a company called Down Under Endeavours, who specialise in authentic Australian adventures — wide open spaces, real wilderness, and the kind of local characters you'll be telling stories about for years.
Armchair Explorer listeners get $500 off any trip. Head to downunderendeavours.com/armchair and use the code ARMCHAIR at checkout.
You can literally book this exact trip or design something entirely your own. You can book from anywhere in the world, and even if you're just dreaming right now, the website is worth a visit. The dream is half the fun.
Know Someone Who Needs This?
If this episode moved you - and it will - do us a favour and send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Hit the share button in your podcast app, it takes about ten seconds, and it makes a genuine difference to the show.
FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com
CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show and continue to bring these stories to you.
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions.
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.