Luc Mehl. Photo with permission from the owner. 
Luc Mehl. Photo with permission from the owner. 
Luc Mehl packrafting the Matanuska River. 
Luc Mehl backcountry skating in Katmai. Photo courtesy Luc Mehl.
Trip planning and risk analysis are keys to safe and successful outings, whether it is a day hike or an extended trip far from medical help. Alaska’s vast expanse, large and cold rivers, challenging weather, wild animals, and scarcity of emergency response resources add to the need for responsible and thoughtful trip preparation and execution. On this Outdoor Explorer we look at near misses and accidents from this past summer of 2021, then look forward to trip planning for this coming winter and next summer. Our guest is Luc Mehl. Luc spent a significant part of his youth in McGrath, Alaska, and has traveled throughout Alaska in all seasons as an adventurer, wilderness athlete, scientist, and educator. Besides hosting a popular trip planning website he is the co-author of the new book The Packrafting Handbook and is an avid wilderness Nordic skater and skier. He shares his insights and thoughts on trip planning and risk analysis, aiming to help us become safer in the outdoors.
HOST: Paul Twardock
GUESTS:
- Segment 1: Luc Mehl, co-author of the new book The Packrafting Handbook
LINKS:
- Luc Mehl’s Website, where you can purchase his book
- The Packraft Handbook
- Reviews of The Packraft Handbook on GoodReads
- American Packrafting Association
- American Whitewater Accident database
- Avalanche.org
- Alaska Avalanche School
- Alaska Avalanche Information Center
- Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center
- Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center
- Nordic Skate-Southcentral Alaska Facebook Group
BROADCAST: Thursday, November 11th, 2021. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, November 11th, 2021. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
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Eric Bork, or you can just call him “Bork” because everybody else does, is the FM Operations Manager for KSKA-FM. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the FM broadcast. He produces and edits episodes of Outdoor Explorer, the Alaska-focused outdoors program. He also maintains the web posts for that show. You may have heard him filling in for Morning Edition or hosting All Things Considered and can still find him operating the soundboard for any of the live broadcast programs.
After escaping the Detroit area when he was 18, Bork made it up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he earned a degree in Communications/Radio Broadcasting from Northern Michigan University. He spent time managing the college radio station, working for the local NPR affiliate, and then in top 40 radio in Michigan before coming to Alaska to work his first few summers. After then moving to Chicago, it only took five years to convince him to move back to Alaska in 2010. When not involved in great radio programming he’s probably riding a bicycle, thinking about riding bicycles, dreaming about bikes, reading a book, or planning the next place he’ll travel to. Only two continents left to conquer!
