Encore: Donner Party | In Their Footsteps | 4

Against The Odds

Wondery

Cassie De Pecol, History, Society & Culture, Dolby, Mike Corey, Dolby Atmos, Atmos

4.7 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 9 January 2024

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In December of 1846, a small group split off from the Donner Party in a desperate attempt to find help. The party, known as the Forlorn Hope, endured the bitter Sierra Nevada winter, trekking roughly 100 miles in 33 days. The route the party took remained unknown for decades. Until 2020, when ultra-runners Bob Crowley and Tim Twietmeyer completed a seven-year odyssey. Together they mapped and retraced the path they think was taken by Forlorn Hope. Today, Tim and Bob join host Mike Corey to share how they managed this incredible feat of endurance.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	From Wonder, I'm I'm Mike Corey, and this is against the odds. Over the last three episodes.
0:15.0	I'm gonna do you told the story of the Donner Party, which was
0:28.9	stranded while crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains to start new lives in California.
0:34.0	They camped in the snow in hastily built cabins.
0:37.5	They ate their oxen and then their pets.
0:40.5	And then they ran out of food.
0:43.0	In December of 1846, a small group left the camp to make a desperate run for help.
0:49.0	This party, known as the Forlorn Hope, traveled about a hundred miles in 33 days,
0:55.0	under circumstances that make my guests today shake their heads in disbelief.
1:01.0	Tim Tweetmeyer and Bob Crowley are no slackers when it comes to covering long distances on foot.
1:08.1	Both men are ultra-runners, running 50 to 100 miles or more is what they do.
1:15.0	Over the course of about seven years,
1:17.0	Bob and Tim researched the route they think the rescue party took in 1846,
1:22.0	and they retraced it themselves in the winter of 2020.
1:26.1	Bob Crowley and Tim Tweedmeyer, welcome to Against the Odds.
1:30.7	Yeah, thank you, Mike.
1:31.4	We're thrilled to be here. Thanks, Mike. This is a great story. Can't wait to talk about it.
1:34.8	Tim, let's start with you. I know you're quite well known in the ultra-running world for some pretty
1:39.8	amazing accomplishments, including completing the Western States endurance run, which is 100 miles, and also doing it in under 24 hours. And not just that, you've done it about 25 times. So that race probably has a small piece of your heart, yeah?
1:56.0	Yeah, well, the finish line of that trail is about a half a mile from my house,
2:00.0	maybe a mile, and so it's just kind of my home turf, and it just became something that I
2:05.5	continued to invest in over the years as I matured as a runner, and it's a great trail. It's a fantastic tour this year and
	...

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