Tom Choate came to Alaska in the in the late 1950’s exploring and climbing, and is still at it. He was a ski infantryman for the Air National guard, the first ranger naturalist in Mt Mckinley National Park, now Denali National Park, climbed or tried to climb Denali in 1963, 1983, 1993, 2003, and in 2013 became the oldest person to summit Denali at the age of 78. His other significant climbs include the South Face of Sunlight Peak in the Chugach Mountains in 1967, Bellicose Peak in 1990, Mount Torbert in 1988 and has many first ascents around the world. He has hours of stories and shares some of them and his ideas for a successful long life of adventure on this episode of Outdoor Explorer.
HOST: Paul Twardock
GUEST: Tom Choate
LINKS:
Tom Choate Biography
BROADCAST: Thursday, December 1st, 2022. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, December 1st, 2022. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
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
