To Build a Fire

To Build a Fire

Author: Scott Johnson & Glassbox Media. September 26, 2025 Duration: 1:03:05
When I started this podcast more than seven years ago, the primary factor was based on just one fundamental concept: the impact of a good story.   For each What Was That Like main episode, you hear a story. The guest is telling the story of what happened. Many of the stories are traumatic, many include loss and grief, and there are those that are happy as well. Even the heavy stories often end on a positive note. But the common factor is that they are all things that actually happened. The guest is talking about an actual thing that they experienced.   The story you’re about to hear in this episode would fall into the category of fiction.   In a recent episode, my guest was David, and he was talking about being in the extremely cold north, and not being able to find a cabin that he knew was nearby. That one is episode 225, called “David couldn’t find the cabin”. In that episode, I opened with the first few lines from one of my favorite short stories – To Build A Fire, by Jack London. Reading just that short section made me want to read the full story again.   And that’s what I’m doing in today’s episode. Jack London is my favorite author, and I love this story because he really puts us in the mind of this man, and his thought process, and his range of emotions.   So we’ll first have a quick break for a couple of sponsors who make the show possible, and then we’ll get into this story. Please enjoy this amazing work by Jack London… To Build A Fire.     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   Try Mint Mobile for 3 months, for just 15 bucks a month - MintMobile.com/WHAT   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
TQ42: What crazy thing have you seen happen at a wedding? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:12
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 crazy thing have you seen…
223: Ross was shot while sleeping [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:37:08
In an ideal world, children should be able to trust their parents. After all, it’s the grown-ups in the family who are responsible for the kids. No child should ever have to worry about safety when mom and dad are around…
222: Scott was locked up in a foreign jail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43:19
As human beings, we are often very protective of our own sense of personal justice – and injustice. When I was a child, I had a teacher who – to me – seemed very unfair. If one of the kids in the class did something like…
TQ41: What movie traumatized you as a kid? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:33
Every 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 movie traumatized you as a kid?…
STAS 5: Amanda Eller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:15
Amanda just wanted to go for a short trail run. Life had something else in store for her. Get every episode ad-free, AND get all the Raw Audio exclusive episodes to binge, by joining the other listeners at What Was That…
221: Brandon is a 911 dispatcher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:29
What do heart attacks, car accidents, and murder usually have in common? Most of the time, when any of these things happen, someone calls 911. It’s one of the most reliable things we have – whenever there’s any kind of e…
TQ40: What did you throw away that you wish you had kept? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:04
Every 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 did you throw away that you wis…
220: Dan is a pre-prison consultant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:42:38
There was a time in his life when Dan was in a pretty difficult situation. He was facing something that most people don’t ever have to go through. Even though he was not a violent person, and he certainly was not any kin…
219: Maggie saved her dog [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:50
When you live up north, where the winters are really cold, one of the best times of the year is the day when you feel spring coming. That first hint of warmer temperatures. With the time change, there’s longer sunlight a…
TQ39: What's the most amazing coincidence you've experienced? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:51
Every 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 amazing coincidence…