225: David couldn't find the cabin

225: David couldn't find the cabin

Author: Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media. August 8, 2025 Duration: 1:36:40
My favorite author is Jack London. His style of writing paints a very vivid picture in my mind. As I read his stories, it feels like I’m right there in the middle of it. One of his most well-known works is titled To Build A Fire. This is the opening paragraph of that story.   Day had dawned cold and gray when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail. He climbed the high earth-bank where a little-traveled trail led east through the pine forest. It was a high bank, and he paused to breathe at the top. He excused the act to himself by looking at his watch. It was nine o’clock in the morning. There was no sun or promise of sun, although there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a clear day. However, there seemed to be an indescribable darkness over the face of things. That was because the sun was absent from the sky. This fact did not worry the man. He was not alarmed by the lack of sun. It had been days since he had seen the sun.   There’s something about the quiet, dark, biting cold of northern Canada that really fascinates me. I’ve lived in cold climates, but nothing like that. When the outside temperature gets to be well below zero, the constant thought is just what you have to do in order to survive.   My guest today is David. He and his partner in this adventure, Scott, dreamed of spending time in those conditions. But what they encountered just in the first few days had them - from one hour to the next – wondering, what else could go wrong?   Video of David and Scott returning to cabin site in 2014: https://youtu.be/NOuuCS0oAYU   Website about David and Scott's experience: https://paradisecreekcabin.com   David’s book, Paradise Creek: A True Story of Adventure and Survival – https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Creek-Adventure-Canadian-Wilderness-ebook/dp/B08KTXZ4S6/ref=sr_1_1   David’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidrscott/   Full show notes and pictures for this episode are here: https://WhatWasThatLike.com/225   Scott’s podcast:  https://notrealart.com/   Graphics for this episode by Bob Bretz. Transcription was done by James Lai.   Want to discuss this episode and other things with thousands of other WWTL listeners? Join our podcast Facebook group at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook (many of the podcast guests are there as well)   Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That Like PLUS.   Try What Was That Like PLUS free: iPhone: at the top of the What Was That Like podcast feed, click on “Try free” Android: on your phone, go to WhatWasThatLike.com/PLUS and click to try it free on any app   Sponsor deals: If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first order + free shipping @IndaCloud with code [WHATWAS] at https://inda.shop/[WHATWAS]! #indacloudpod   Go to ThriveMarket.com/WHATWAS to get 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift just for signing up.   Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns!   Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a moment in many lives when everything changes in an instant-a sudden encounter, a split-second decision, a catastrophic event. What Was That Like-True Stories. Real People. is built entirely around those moments. Host Scott Johnson, alongside Meredith Hackwith Edwards, steps back to let people narrate their own extraordinary experiences in their own words. This isn’t a narrated documentary or a dramatized re-enactment; it’s raw, first-person testimony. You’ll hear the intricate details of surviving a grizzly bear attack, the chilling silence after an engine fails mid-flight, or the profound disorientation of being caught in a public tragedy. Each conversation delves deep, not just into the event itself, but into the emotional and psychological journey that followed. The focus is on the human spirit’s resilience, exploring how individuals process trauma, find courage they never knew they had, and ultimately rebuild. This podcast sits at a compelling intersection of personal journal, societal study, and true human drama, offering an intimate window into realities most of us can scarcely imagine. By listening, you’re granted a privileged seat at a kitchen table conversation where someone is finally ready to share the full, unvarnished truth of what they endured and how it shaped them.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.
Podcast Episodes
253: John was lost in the woods [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:39
Technology is making it more and more difficult to get lost. Right now, I’m here in my home in Florida. I could pull out my phone, type in any random address in, say, Washington state – the other end of the country. Roug…
252: Blake was arrested for pot cookies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:43
There’s a funny thing about being an American. I’ve seen this with some people I know, as well as some of the guests here on the podcast. Living in the United States, it’s easy to have the mindset that the way we do thin…
TQ61: What is the worst second hand embarrassment you've ever felt? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:45
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What is the worst second hand…
STAS14: Chelsea Perkins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:56
Chelsea Perkins created a bizarre plan for murder. But it wasn’t foolproof. Sponsor deals: Visit www.functionhealth.com/WHATWAS or use gift code WHATWAS25 for a $25 credit toward your membership. Visit AuraFrames.com and…
251: Marcy's husband wasn't the same [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:37
If your brain changes, are you still the same person? That was the question behind a 1991 movie titled Regarding Henry. In that film, Harrison Ford played the part of Henry Turner. Henry was a wealthy New York City lawye…
TQ60: What's the most annoying thing people do in public? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:03
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What’s the most annoying thing…
250: Margy did a hoarder cleanout [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:58
Today’s episode has a content warning for discussion of suicide. Have you ever seen pictures or video of a hoarder house, and just wondered, what is going on? I mean, everyone has a different tolerance level for clutter.…
249: Elena's work jet crashed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:04
For a lot of people, flying is a really scary thing. And that fear can come from a few different factors. You’ve heard stories about planes that have crashed (even though it’s rare). You’re gonna be in this metal tube a…
TQ59: What's your irrational fear? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:10
Every other Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What's your irrational fear? L…
STAS 13: The MS Estonia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:53
The MS Estonia sank, and many people died. But what really happened that night? Sponsor deals: Visit AuraFrames.com and use promo code WHATWAS at checkout to get $45 off. If you’re 21 or older, get 25% OFF your first ord…