What to Carry, What to Burn with Blair Braverman

What you'll learn

• 1 (00:00) **Introduction to the Episode** - Sarah Marshall introduces Blair Braverman's new podcast "What to Carry, What to Burn" and her role as guest on the inaugural episode.
• 2 (01:57) **Blair Braverman Opens the Story** - Blair launches her podcast with a framing: "stories about the ways we stay alive," and begins the tale of Ada Blackjack.
• 3 (02:47) **Setting the Stage: Nome, 1898** - The gold rush transforms Nome, Alaska, from a small native village into a chaotic boomtown of 20,000 people.
• 4 (03:48) **Ada's Childhood and First Tragedy** - At age eight, Ada's father is poisoned by rotten meat; she and her sister try to mush him to Nome for help, but he dies en route.
• 5 (05:07) **Ada's Abusive Marriage and Her Son Bennett** - At 16, Ada marries a musher named Black Jack, who is abusive—cutting off her food, beating her, and abandoning her after she has three children (two die young).
• 6 (06:28) **Ada's Life in Post-Gold-Rush Nome** - Now 23, Ada lives in a lawless, drinking town full of failed prospectors; she is shy but has a reputation as a flirt and a stylish dresser.
• 7 (07:53) **The Expedition Offer** - The chief of police tells Ada about a secret expedition hiring a seamstress who speaks English, paying $50/month ($1,600 today) for one year.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app