Peter Gwin

Hey picture people, the first new episode of Overheard at NatGeo Season 3 drops today (link in bio) AND I’m especially psyched to share the news that the incomparable Amy Briggs, @briggsinspace executive editor of National Geographic History, has joined our pod squad as a new cohost and my partner in audio adventures! Three crucial things about Amy—1. She’s a history Jedi, don’t even go there, she’ll crush you with dates and facts like you don’t know. 2. She’s got a really strong Zoom game—with a cat who loves to video bomb. 3. She’s got some mind-exploding episodes to share this season—buckle up internet. Also, want to give big props to our other new pod squader—Laura Sim, who produced the Towers of Ladakh episode, available now wherever you get your podcasts.

I see the bees among the cherry blossoms and feel the first warm breaths of spring. But my thoughts are in the high frozen mountains, among the snow leopards.

No, that isn't an emergency flare sent up by the Chicago Bears as their playoff hopes disintegrate...it's actually police dashcam video that captured a large meteorite hurtling into Lake Michigan in 2017. That event set in motion an insanely cool project by a group of scientists and teenagers at @Adlerplanet to see if they could find it on the lakebed. That's the subject of this week's episode of #OverheardNatGeo, link in my profile. (Spoiler alert: the scientists say it's definitely not Kryptonite...I asked.)

So...it’s been a minute since my last post. Quick update is I’ve got a new side gig as host of our new podcast Overheard at National Geographic (link in my profile). This week’s new episode is about how beavers are invading the Arctic, which frankly doesn’t surprise me one iota. I’ve been suspicious of beavers for years. #OverheardNatGeo #dontblamethebeavers #NatGeostaff

“In the desert I had found a freedom unattainable in civilization; a life unhampered by possessions, since everything that was not a necessity was an encumbrance.” -Wilfred Thesiger

Apparently there’s a wedding in seat 21G.

I really hate it when this happens. #unexpectedmountainadventures

“In daytime we investigate, but at night believe.” --Henry James Slack, The Ministry of the Beautiful

"There have been other tracks that separated the men from the boys. This is the track that will separate the brave from the weak after the boys are gone." --Driver Jimmy Thompson describing Daytona International Speedway

Photo by @fritzphotos / words by @petergwin on assignment for @natgeo James Harrison (@jhharrison92 ) used to hate needles—HATE them. But after 15 punishing seasons in the NFL, the New England Patriot linebacker, who on Sunday will play in his fourth Super Bowl, has learned to love them. Well maybe not love them, but he loves what they do for his 39-year-old body. Last spring photographer Fritz Hoffmann and I spent several days in Arizona documenting Harrison’s offseason routine, which includes a variety of therapies to help reduce the pain and soreness that comes with his famously intense weightlifting sessions. He told us that former teammate James Farrior got him to try acupuncture for the first time. “He said, ‘Dude, try this. You're going to feel great.’ I'm like, 'Dude, (screw) needles.' But I did it, and it worked. So, I said, OK, I'm going to have to deal with the needles.” Since then, Harrison’s acupuncturist, Lisa Ripi, flies in from New York for weekly sessions. The day we were there, she inserted more than 400 needles at different points all over his body. He seemed to barely notice, checking his phone and reading on his laptop as she slid in the needles. Some go as deep as three inches into his dense muscles. Ripi says this promotes blood flow and speeds recovery after a workout. It’s a technique that remains controversial among medical professionals. “If it makes me feel good and I play good, that's all I need,” said Harrison. “I don't need no scientific proof. I don't need no studies. I don't need none of that.” For more on Harrison's health routine check out

Two new flight attendant recruits for @emirates

Photo by @fritzphotos // words by @petergwin on assignment for @natgeo New England Patriots linebacker James Harrison (@jhharrison92 ) knows about pain—KNOWS about it. For nearly two decades he has been delivering and receiving devastating blows on NFL fields. This afternoon, at age 39, he will step onto the field for today’s AFC Championship Game as the oldest defensive player in professional football. (His teammate @tombrady is a year older and among the oldest offensive players.) Last spring, he let photographer Fritz Hoffmann and me visit him in Arizona to document his workouts (lots of power lifts) and meticulous health routine (no alcohol, refined sugar, or processed carbs). In between weightlifting sessions, we asked him his secret for playing such a violent game at such a high level for so long. “Ain’t no damn secret, man. HARD WORK, lots of hard work!” Well that, and a lot of attention to caring for his body. Harrison spends about $350,000 a year employing a team of specialists, including massage therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors, who help manage the punishment his body endures. One of them is Codi Hoos, a massage therapist who uses cupping, an ancient therapy practiced for centuries in China, to reduce muscle soreness. I mentioned to Harrison that scientists are skeptical about cupping and some of the other treatments he uses. Harrison shrugged. “All I know is before I get treated, I HURT, and after, I feel better.” For more on Harrison's health routine check out