Katrina Blair grew up in Durango and became enamored with wild plants and wild places. She moved away for college, but returned to fall in love with the land and its people. She took up residence in a tepee to live close with the Earth. David Siegrist lives in a 750-square-foot yurt near Turtle Lake. He has had an interest in alternative living styles since he was a child, and he says that living in a yurt has allowed him to connect with his surroundings and the weather in a unique way. Shana Little was born and raised on a cattle farm in rural Texas but has moved a number of times, always wanting to live in small confines. For Little, tiny living represents three things: a love of small spaces, great interior design and being debt-free. She has been able to design the home of her dreams – a tiny home built by Rocky Mountain Tiny House.

Durango Diaries

Season 5, Eps. 4: Living Off the Grid

A sexologist and sex columnist, a Fort Lewis College public health student who manages the @hornythesexbox Instagram account and a public health employee share some of the lighter and more serious questions they encounter about sex.

Season 5, Eps. 2: Sex ed

Three local comics share stories about how they got into the business and what it's like to be funny.

Season 5, Eps. 1: Comedians

As our population ages, no one seems to be slowing down. We hear from three retirees who are still pursuing active lifestyles. Storytellers include: John Montle, 87, retired more than 20 years ago. At that time, he moved to Durango, stopped being a workaholic and quickly became what he calls a hike-a-holic. Montle stays active either spending time with his four kids, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren or playing golf, volunteering in the community, hiking, and as soon as the snow hits, you’ll be able to find him on the slopes skiing. Growing up, the women in Diane Legner’s life were not allowed to “glow” (perspire.) She fled to Colorado, where “glowing” is encouraged, and worked as a physical therapist. She began teaching Pilates in 1994, a practice she continues to teach at age 80. As a teen, Major Lefebvre was one of the top skiers in the country, earning a spot as an alternate for the Olympic ski team. In 1969, he began skiing at Purgatory Resort, a ski area he helped build. Now retired, he skis about 110 days on the mountain each year.

Season 4, Eps. 6: Forever Young

Three photographers share the stories behind their favorite photographs and how they work to create the perfect frame. Storytellers include news photographer Jerry McBride, nature photographer Frank Comisar and portrait and wedding photographer Allison Ragsdale.

Season 4, Eps. 5: Photography

Local advocates share stories of how small movements can grow. Storytellers include Bears Ears advocate Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, Great Old Broads for the Wilderness Executive Director Shelley Silbert, City of Durango Sustainability Coordinator Imogen Ainsworth and Durango Cannabis Company co-founder and champion of environmental business practices Nic Borst.

Season 4, Eps. 4

From Chinese medicine to crystal therapy, acupuncture or cannabis therapy, Durango is home to a variety of alternative health options. Acupuncturist Sydney Cooley, naturopathic doctor Nicola Dehlinger and Reiki and crystal therapy practitioner Teresa Jantz, all advocates of alternative medicine, share their stories.

Season 4, Eps. 3: Alternative medicine

Historians share some of the most interesting crimes from Durango's past. John Peel will discuss the 1907 murder of a Secret Service agent; Robert McDaniel will cover a shootout between the editors of two rural newspapers in 1922; Sharon Greve, historian for the Durango Police Department, will discuss interesting crimes from the department's archives.

Season 4, Eps. 2: Historical crimes

Susie Welch When a Continental Airlines plane traveling from Denver to Durango crashed in January 1988, nine people died. Durango resident Susie Welch was one of just nine survivors. She will share her experience. Jeremy Bird Jeremy Bird has been skiing at Purgatory since he was six and eight years ago he started backcountry skiing. In early 2017, while skinning up a mountain, he triggered an avalanche that pushed him over a 40-foot cliff and buried him under 5 feet of snow. He will share how he survived this ordeal. Andrew Albosta Great Lakes native Andrew Albosta and his wife moved to Durango nearly 20 years ago to climb and ski. A veteran climber, last year he fell 40 feet during a climb, resulting in internal bleeding, a broken pelvis and a fractured elbow. He will share how he forged forward after the fall.

Season 4, Eps. 1: Survival stories

Wayne McGee, 95, was drafted during World War II and joined the Navy. After radio school and amphibious training stateside, he went to serve overseas, mainly in the Marshall Islands, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa and Iwo Jima, where he watched the raising of the American flag by service members from his ship at sea. Eric Greene, 90, grew up as a Jewish child in Germany. After spending two years as a refugee in France, he immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12; soon after, his parents and sister were killed at Auschwitz. Drafted by the Army during the Korean War, he was sent back to Germany in 1950, where he worked with radios and served as a translator. Stan Crapo enlisted in the Navy after during the Vietnam War. He was trained as a hospital corpsman. In December 1968, he arrived in Vietnam where he served as medical personnel for the Marines, who didnt have their own. He served there for less than a year. Shoshona Darke joined the Army National Guard her senior year in high school with medic as her mode of service. She was activated for the Gulf War during her first year of college and spent her 21st birthday serving in Iraq. Upon returning, she finished nursing school and has worked for 26 years as a nurse and in management. Gunnery Sgt. Nathaniel Burford enlisted in the Marine Corps during his senior year at Fruita Monument High School. He has served in Okinawa, Japan; Camp Pendleton, California; was deployed to Ramadi and Fallujah, Iraq, in 2005 and 2006; and to Afghanistan in 2011. He is currently the Marine Corps recruiter for Southwest Colorado.

War veterans

People with a passion for the groups and organizations they participate in will talk about why they do what they do and how other people can get involved. Daryl Hinderer was hooked once he played the sport of pickleball and credits it with changing his life. The game is designed for players as young as 9 or as old as 90. Gloria Macht joined the Society for Creative Anachronism 15 years ago. The SCA is a historical education group that studies, researches and recreates the Medieval World. Scott Gibbs, vice president of the Durango Railroad Historical Society, with other members restores freight cars and shares the history of the rails. For more information or to sign up for emails about upcoming sessions, email durangodiaries@durangoherald.com

People with a passion

Bullying is pervasive in our social media culture and can have devastating impacts. Three locals share their experiences with bullying and offer advice on what can be done to help prevent it and limit its impacts. Storytellers include: Robbie Patla, 16, is a junior at Animas High School. At age 12, Robbie began experiencing social exclusion. In high school, his struggles increased. As a sophomore, he began to seek positive peer relationships, quality mentors, trusted adults and pro-social activities and he grew to become a leader for his peers. Suzie Null was bullied in the eighth grade. The bullying increased from name-calling to threats to a physical altercation in front of an entire class. While Null stood her ground, everyone else stepped back. Now an associate professor of teacher education at Fort Lewis College, Null will discuss how those actions, or lack of action, by others affected her. Shane Nelson, a humanities teacher at Animas High School, has tasked himself with helping the youth of La Plata County. In 2018, he created Project Basecamp, a school-based suicide-prevention and character-development program designed to prevent mental crises, encourage students to advocate for themselves and build strong bonds between students. Sponsored by Kroegers Ace Hardware

Bullying

Sometimes we need a shift in life. Three residents who made a career change will discuss making the transition to a new profession and the joys - and pitfalls - that came with those new roles. Storytellers include: Nancy Utter was a land-use planner for La Plata County for two years before becoming a consultant. Unhappiness with her career path led her to take a chance, follow her passion and go to medical school to pursue a degree in naturopathic medicine. After graduation, she returned to Durango, where she has been practicing for 20 years. Nicolas Cofman was a bush pilot in Africa before becoming a dentist. After surviving a plane crash in 2011, Cofman attended dental school in Phoenix while his wife and children stayed in Durango. After graduating, he moved back and got a job as a dentist at the practice in which he was a patient. Sean Jackson's career began in journalism on the Western Slope. While working for area newspapers, he also worked on and around full-sized trains. In 2005, he left his full-time journalism job to join the Durango train car shop as a rail car inspector and mechanic and has advanced to car shop foreman.

Second Acts

Three women who work in mostly male jobs will share their stories about breaking through and working in jobs they love.

Women breaking through

Many Western Slope residents spend their lives chasing the next natural high. These adrenaline junkies share their stories. Bee Alaine Mathis enjoys getting dirty all over the Four Corners. A 33-year-old, below-the-knee amputee, Bee is in her last semester of college and is relishing all her outdoor activities, including a recent trip to climb Mount Cotopaxi. Sean Englund’s favorite hobby is highlining, which is simply slacklining, but at greater heights; it allows one to be in an air space that no one else has ever been. He also has a passion for rock climbing, ice climbing and mountain biking. Dave Farkas is a transplant from Canada whose passion for the outdoors started at a young age. Since the early 1990s, he's worked as an outdoor professional guide and athlete who takes clients whitewater kayaking, climbing and skiing.

Adrenaline junkies

At The Durango Herald, we tell the stories of our community each and every day. On Durango Diaries, we share the stories of your neighbors, coworkers and family. Each week we focus on a different topic and invite local storytellers to share their experiences.

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Durango Diaries

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