{"podcast":{"title":"Two Chicks with Hiking Sticks","slug":"two-chicks-with-hiking-sticks-7330857","podcast_index_feed_id":7330857,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68117c6753ed555148b0c2af","website_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/two-chicks-with-hiking-sticks","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1745975842577-cb79c7a1-6d1a-40f3-967d-87f30a5302c2.jpeg","author":"Monica Gonzalez and Susan Resendez","episode_count":64,"summary":"Two Chicks with Hiking Sticks is a podcast that aims to entertain and educate about the outdoors through experiences that will empower us to explore the rich intersections of culture, history, and the natural world. We really appreciate your support over these last few months. We've had comments from several of you asking about merchandise and we heard you! The Two Chicks with Hiking Sticks storefront is now open and we'd love it if you would consider supporting our endeavor to inform and educate about our cultural, historical, and natural world by buying a t-shirt or sticker or pin to help spread the word by buying a t-shirt or sticker or pin. If you see something you like on the storefront but would like it more personalized, send a direct message and we'll do our best to accommodate your request! Thank you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-24T04:20:29.815720+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/two-chicks-with-hiking-sticks-7330857"},"episode":{"title":"Dark Sky Parks","slug":"dark-sky-parks","published_at":"2026-06-25T15:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/two-chicks-with-hiking-sticks-7330857/dark-sky-parks","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/two-chicks-with-hiking-sticks-7330857","url":"https://twochickswithhikingsticks.com","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68117c6753ed555148b0c2af/e/6a30a1860592e82545d3c609/media.mp3","summary":"Have you ever actually seen the Milky Way with your own eyes? Not a photo — the real thing, overhead, arching across a pitch-black sky? If not, this episode is for you. Susan and Monica dive into the world of Dark Sky Parks — what they are, how places earn that designation, and what it actually takes to visit one and see something that will genuinely blow your mind. 🌠 IN THIS EPISODE: • What a Dark Sky Park actually is (and why 99% of Americans have never seen a truly dark sky) • The 5 types of Dark Sky designations — parks, reserves, sanctuaries, communities & urban night sky places • How a park becomes certified — the 1-3 year process, the Bortle Scale, and what it all means • How many dark sky places exist in the US and worldwide • Why 70% of wildlife species are nocturnal — and why protecting dark skies matters for animals too • The visitor protocol: moon phases, red lights, dark adaptation, what to pack & what NOT to do (Susan's headlight story 😬) • McDonald Observatory's Star Party near Alpine, TX — a great local option! • Book recommendation: \"Stikky Night Skies\" by Laurence Holt — a beginner-friendly star guide we loved • App recommendation: Stellarium Mobile • Plus: telescope farms, buying a star, and a book giveaway coming soon! ⏱️ CHAPTERS: See below ↓ 📚 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: → Stikky Night Skies by Laurence Holt (part of a series of books) → Stellarium Mobile Star App (free) → McDonald Observatory Star Party — Fort Davis, TX (~$25/person) → DarkSky International: darksky.org 🏕️ NOTABLE US DARK SKY PARKS: Joshua Tree · Arches · Bryce Canyon · Death Valley · Big Bend · Zion · Great Basin · Mammoth Cave 🎙️ Two Chicks with Hiking Sticks covers the cultural, historical, and natural wonders of the world around us. New episodes regularly — subscribe s…","meta_description":"Have you ever actually seen the Milky Way with your own eyes? Not a photo — the real thing, overhead, arching across a pitch-black sky? If not, this episo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1732,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/two-chicks-with-hiking-sticks-7330857/episodes/dark-sky-parks/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/two-chicks-with-hiking-sticks-7330857/dark-sky-parks.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}