Uinta Triangle

EPISODE 1 -- Eric Robinson wanted to hike the world’s greatest trails. He was happiest when spending weeks in the wild, and he often went out alone. Eric’s wife, Marilyn Koolstra, supported him in this goal. But the situation changed when Eric went missing on a solo trek to the Cascade Saddle in New Zealand. This episode traces the origins of Eric Robinson’s passion for trekking, the past traumas he tried to soothe in nature, and the midlife romance that brought Marilyn into his life.  

Field recordings of nature sounds are woven through the Eric Robinson story in the Uinta Triangle podcast. In this bonus episode, podcast producer Jenny Ament and host Dave Cawley nerd out about field recording tools and techniques. Find out what it takes to haul microphones deep into the backcountry, to capture audio of wild places.

EPISODE 2 -- Eric Robinson forges a new friendship on the John Muir Trail, while an old friendship frays under stresses of the trail. From the High Sierra to the Himalaya, Eric’s aspirations in the outdoors continue to grow. His wife, Marilyn Koolstra, accompanies Eric on some of his adventures. But a rift emerges when Eric insists on going out alone after a few close calls with death in the mountains.  

Isn't it dangerous to hike solo? News reporter Shara Park questions Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley about the risks and rewards of heading into the backcountry alone. Together, they see how Eric Robinson's drive to tackle long trails came from a place of deep longing he couldn't deny.

EPISODE 3 -- Eric Robinson doesn’t show up at the end of the Uinta Highline Trail. Eric’s friend reports him missing, kicking off a search-and-rescue mission. Marilyn Koolstra, meanwhile, feels powerless to help her husband from half a world away. Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley sets off on his own solo hike, looking for clues about Eric’s disappearance.  

Late in the summer of 1940, a government surveyor named Lynn Simmons vanished near Lamotte Peak in the High Uintas. Crowds of searchers scoured the mountain wilderness but never found any trace of Lynn. Over time, his case was forgotten by all but a few relatives. In this bonus episode, Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley connects with Lynn's family to bring his memory back to the forefront.

EPISODE 4 -- The wife of missing trekker Eric Robinson flies halfway around the world, from Australia to Utah, in search of her husband. A rural sheriff struggles to organize an effective rescue across the vast expanse of the High Uintas Wilderness Area. An unlikely meeting along the Uinta Highline Trail brings Eric’s friends into contact with some important new allies at Dead Horse Pass.  

The word "Uinta" is foreign to many people, but not to native speakers of the Ute language. Larry Cesspooch, a member of the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, shares what the Uinta Mountains mean to himself and his people. Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley also asks for Larry's help in learning the meaning of other Ute placenames, which are critical in helping keep the Ute language from becoming extinct.

EPISODE 5 -- As news coverage of the search for Eric Robinson spreads, a Boy Scout leader tells of spotting Eric far off the Uinta Highline Trail. This encounter along Yellowstone Creek raises questions about Eric’s state of mind and expands the search area to include an even greater swath of High Uintas Wilderness. Was Eric lost? Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley poses a new theory.  

A 3-year-old boy wanders away from camp in the Uinta Mountains, leading to a panicked search. Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley covered the case of Benjamin Myrup's disappearance when it happened. In this bonus episode, Dave revisits the case years later to learn what Benjamin's parents experienced behind the scenes of the search.

EPISODE 6 -- The last glimmers of hope fade as the search for Eric Robinson enters its final stage. The Duchesne County sheriff, running out of time and money, makes one last push to find him. Searchers brave the weather and the wilderness in the hopes of sending Eric’s wife, Marilyn Koolstra, home to Australia with answers about her husband’s fate.  

Eric Robinson's disappearance left a void in the lives of the people who loved him, most notably his wife, Marilyn Koolstra. Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley joins Marilyn in a visit to Valkstone Primary School, where Eric worked as a groundskeeper during his retirement, to reflect on his life and legacy.

EPISODE 7 -- Marilyn Koolstra returns home to Australia without any answers about what happened to her missing husband, Eric Robinson. As months turn to years, she’s forced to accept the awful reality of his death at some unknown place in the Uinta Mountains. But an accidental discovery in those mountains will one day stun everyone involved in the search for Eric.  

Cases of missing people are sometimes solved by the random discovery of bones in the backcountry. Hunters and hikers stumble across human remains in the most unexpected of places. Utah Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Deirde Amaro and Chief Medical Examiner Investigatigator Dr. Cory Russo share advice for what to do if you ever discover human bones far from civilization.

EPISODE 8 -- Eric Robinson took 77 photographs on his last hike. Those images, recovered with Eric’s remains in 2016, tell the story of what he experienced on the Uinta Highline Trail. They also contain clues about why Eric diverted from the trail in his final hours. Dave Cawley follows those breadcrumbs to the brink in search of answers.  

Every step in the backcountry brings risk. Some risks can be anticipated, avoided or mitigated. Others are inherent to the experience of adventuring outdoors. Hiker and mountaineer Art Lang joins Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley for an outing to the High Uintas, where they discuss the "objective hazards" Eric Robinson faced during his Uinta Highline Trail crossing. Art imparts his perspective and wisdom about the best way to build experience and knowledge, so you can adventure safely.

EPISODE 9 -- Marilyn Koolstra embarks on an unexpected pilgrimage to the place where her husband, Eric Robinson, lost his life in the Uinta Mountains. The journey into the wilderness tests her physical, mental and emotional limits. But Marilyn doesn’t travel alone. Friendships forged through tragedy help carry her through to the end.  

Eric Robinson took his final photographs at the base of Dead Horse Pass on the Uinta Highline Trail. The name "Dead Horse" is literal: the rocks below the pass are littered with the bones of perished pack animals. But who first coined the name? Uinta Triangle host Dave Cawley suggests it came from a pioneer painter named George Beard, who was one of the first people to carry a camera into the heart of the High Uintas.

An Aussie who loves hiking solo goes missing in the rugged mountains of the American West. Dave Cawley, the investigator behind the podcast COLD, heads into the wild to answer the question: What happened to Eric Robinson?