Release date: 10/24/19

In Idaho, Shebbie takes a big leap and learns to let go.

Inside The Episode: Idaho

History:

Known colloquially as the “Gem State”, Idaho earns it’s nickname from being one of the least populous regions in the United States, with abundant natural beauty instead taking center stage.

In fact, Idaho has several of the largest unspoiled natural areas in all of North America, with the Frank-Church River Wilderness being the largest contiguous protected wilderness region in the United States, at over 2.3 million acres.

Idaho is famously home to dozens of state and national parks including it’s share of Yellowstone National Park, which was the first park ever established in 1872.

A popular misconception holds that the term “Idaho” is a Shoshoni word meaning “the sun comes down from the mountains.” In truth, the origin of the state’s name actually remains a mystery. More than likely, the name was merely the inventive product of George M. Willing, an eccentric congressional lobbyist, who first used the name in an attempt to get the region admitted as a United States territory in the early 1860’s.

The name stuck however, and to this day, Idaho remains synonymous with unspoiled beauty and stands as a last bastion of the grander of the American West.

BASE Jumping:

BASE Jumping came into popularity in 1978 after filmmaker Carl Boenish filmed several jumps made by extreme sports enthusiasts from the granite cliffs of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The jumps inspired others to follow and soon afterwards jumpers began to leap from locations all over the world.

` The term BASE Jumping is actually an acronym, B.A.S.E., representing the four kinds of fixed structures from which Base Jumping is typically undertaken: building, antenna, span, earth (cliff).

Though most jumpers originally used skydiving equipment, the increasing popularity of the sport has led to the development of technology and equipment specific to fixed-jumping.

Due the lower-altitude nature of its jumps, BASE Jumping is one of the most dangerous extreme sports in the world, with some studies suggesting fatality rates as high as 1 in 60 participants. It is perhaps precisely for this reason that daredevils and extreme athletes continue to be drawn to the sport in increasing numbers.