Molly Rettig, KUAC - Fairbanks

Yukon Quest mushers have surpassed a major milestone in preparation for running next month’s race. Tons of race food and gear were dropped off over the weekend for shipping to checkpoints along the thousand mile route between Fairbanks and Whitehorse. Download Audio

Gold is in Clutch Lounsbury’s blood. His grandparents took the Valdez Trail up to Fairbanks during the Gold Rush, and Clutch was on a cat before he could walk. He’s searched in creeks, canyons, and underground. He’s sluice boxed, dredged,and hard rock mined all over the Interior and the Arctic. Today he lives in Ester above an 800-foot mine shaft in the hillside. Download Audio

Fairbanks didn’t attract a lot of young, single ladies in the ‘60s. Ritchie Musick was 24 when she first came to Alaska to escape city life in southern California. She found all the adventure she dreamed of–hauling water, mushing, and moose in the backyard. Fifty years later she has the same frontier spirit, though she finally got plumbing. Download Audio

John Davies came to Alaska in 1967 to study geophysics and climb mountains. Twenty-five years later he was making laws in the Legislature. Along the way he’s faced floods, volcanic eruptions, and a battle over state income taxes, learning a lot about the tectonic plates and the people who have shaped Alaska. Molly Rettig talked to John Davies for this series about life in Fairbanks before the pipeline boom. Download Audio

Everyone’s heard about the rapidly retreating sea ice in the Arctic. But if you’re a scientist, how do you actually study what is happening out on a frozen, moving ice cover? Listen Now