What If the Hero's Journey Is the Wrong Story? With Heather Hansman

What If the Hero's Journey Is the Wrong Story? With Heather Hansman

From The Trailhead by UltraSignup

August 4, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

Heather Hansman discusses the complexities of women's narratives in outdoor sports and mythology.

Heather Hansman is an award-winning outdoor journalist, an Outside columnist, and the author of Downriver and the bestselling Powder Days. Her new book, Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild, is out now. In this conversation: the therapist who mapped the heroine's journey, and the very famous mythologist who told her women don't need one; Georgie White swimming Grand Canyon rapids in 1945 in tennis shoes and a couple of hard candies; why there always seems to be exactly one available spot at the top for a woman, and what that has to do with the way we talked about Rachel Entrekin winning Cocodona outright; topophilia, or what happens when the love of your life turns out to be a landscape; and whether the American myth of the lone tough guy summiting the mountain is, frankly, a pretty boring story. This episode is brought to you by LMNT. Go to drinklmnt.com/UltraSignup for a free sample pack with any order. Featured race: the Bear Canyon Trail Run in Sandy, Utah, on Saturday, October 10. Formerly the Corner Canyon Ultra, now with a new name and a new course. The 11 Mile Classic climbs over 4,000 feet in five miles, the 20 Mile…

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Guest: Heather Hansman

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Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild, Downriver, Powder Days

Places: Sandy, Utah

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