Alaska Adventure: 55 Ways

50 years ago the first edition of 55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska was published, written by Helen Nienhueser and Nancy Simmerman. After five editions Helen’s son John Wolfe and granddaughter Rebecca Wolfe are following in Helen’s footsteps and publishing a new version titled Alaska Adventure 55 Ways: Southcentral Wilderness Explorations. The book will be available in June 1st. Helen, John, and Becca join host Paul Twardock to talk about the genesis of the series and the latest version. Not only will they introduce us to the new book, but they’ll share about researching and writing it as a family. Finally, we’ll learn a little about the 4th annual Prince William Sound Natural History Symposium on May 23rd.  

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

  • Helen Nienhueser, John Wolfe, and Rebecca Wolfe

LINKS:

Alaska Adventure 55 Ways Southcentral Wilderness Explorations

55 Ways on Instagram

Mountaineers Books

Outerspacial mapping app

Alaska Huts

Alaska Long Trail

Prince William Sound Natural History Symposium

BROADCAST: Thursday, May 19th, 2022. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST:  Thursday, May 19th, 2022. 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!

Paul Twardock is a Professor of Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University, where he has worked since 1988. He is the author of Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound and help found the Alaska Sea Kayaking Symposium/Paddle Sport Fun Day. At APU he teaches a variety of undergraduate classes included Sea Kayaking, Recreation Program Design, Nordic Skiing, The Business of Recreation, and Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts.  Paul received his BS in Outdoor Recreation from Western Illinois University, went to work instructing for NOLS in Alaska, then received his MBA from APU.  Paul’s  research includes monitoring of campsites in Prince William Sound and Chugach State Park for human impact, trail use in Chugach State Park, and the Alaska Recreational Boating Safety Incident Database. His passions include sea kayaking, river boating of all sorts, hiking, mountain running, climbing, skiing of any kind, and birding.  One of his last adventures involved a mule ride.

Paul is one of several hosts for Outdoor Explorer

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