Volunteering in the outdoors
Volunteering in the outdoors is a great way to contribute to the quality of our outdoor experiences, and is rewarding in itself. More and more land managers rely on volunteers to maintain the quality of trails, pull invasive weeds, and monitor campsites. On this week’s show we’ll be talking about opportunities to volunteer in the outdoors.
The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolf’s Final Journey
On this Outdoor Explorer, host Lisa Keller is joined by Tom Walker, author of the book "The Wanderer." In less than 6 months, Wolf 258 traversed almost 3000 miles in Alaska and Canada. His amazing journey, documented through his GPS tracking collar, is the subject of a story that mixes what we know about his movement with speculation on what he was doing during his travels.
Remote power & visiting Spencer Glacier
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about about remote power. Solar panels are small and portable enough now that it makes sense to take them into the backcountry to charge batteries, extending your electronics and communications indefinitely. My guest is also an expert in setting up remote power systems at cabins, technology that is advancing to make power in your remote site much simpler. Also, we'll hear about climbing and rafting on and around Spencer Glacier.
Thanks for listening!
Anchorage Park Foundation
This week on Outdoor Explorer host Lisa Keller speaks with Beth Nordlund, the executive director of Anchorage Park Foundation. The organization acts as a steward of our public trails and parks and is involved in many high-profile projects, including The Moose Loop and inclusive playgrounds.
Swimming Alaska
In this Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be joined by Sheryl Mohwinkel, Melinda Greig and Jenny Kimball, open water long distance swimmers. This summer they swam the Nancy Lake Canoe Trail System, becoming possibly the first people to swim the traditional canoe route. Their future swimming adventures in Alaska are even more ambitious.
The life of Richard Nelson
On the next Outdoor Explorer, our guest is Hank Lentfer, author of the book “Raven’s Witness: The Alaska Life of Richard K. Nelson.” Richard was Alaska’s Writer Laureate from 1999 – 2001, but he is maybe best remembered for his National Public Radio show “Encounters” that was centered around the sounds of Alaska.
Outdoor Explorer: Catching up with Kikkan Randall and the year ahead for Anchorage’s nordic ski club
On this week's Outdoor Explorer, our guest is Olympic gold medalist Kikkan Randall. When Randall was young, she participated in Junior Nordic, a popular Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage program. Now Kikkan has returned to her roots as the new executive director of the organization.
The Tour of Anchorage ski event
KSKA: Thursday, Feb. 16, at 2:00 p.m. One of the biggest and best events of the Anchorage winter is a ski race that crosses the whole city, held the same weekend as the Iditarod start. It’s the Tour of Anchorage, and it’s coming up soon, with some of the nation’s best skiers and plenty of regular folks who just want to go the distance.
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Avalanche Safety
They say the most important piece of safety equipment outdoors is your brain, and that is particularly true with staying alive in avalanche country. We'll address the most dangerous backcountry hazard with an avalanche prediction expert and an educator who specializes in tuning up that safety gear inside your head. We’ll talk about how to recognize danger, how to prepare for winter travel in the backcountry, and when to stay home.
KSKA: Thursday 12/12 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Rick Steves and The Art of Europe
On this show, our guest is Rick Steves. If you’ve watched public television in the last 20 years, you likely know him from his travel shows Rick Steves Europe and Travel with Rick Steves. Our discussion covers how he turned his passion for travel into a business as well as climate change and travel, why it’s important to say yes to travel opportunities, and his new show The Art of Europe.
Arctic Valley Ski Area
Arctic Valley ski area has been in operation since 1941. On the next Outdoor Explorer we will be talking about the the future of the ski area and its importance to the community. We discuss the new concession agreement that will allow the Anchorage Ski Club to continue to operate the ski area as well as the resurrection of the Arctic Valley Ski Team.
Thanks for listening!
Winter Sports and Climate Change
If winter defines us as Alaskans, as skiers and outdoor enthusiasts, what happens when we start to lose winter? Strange weather is becoming the new normal and we’re forced to adapt to climate change, because we don’t have a choice. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we'll look at what that means from scientific and a practical perspective.
KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 22, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Rickshaw Run across India
This week’s Outdoor Explorer features the Rickshaw Run Across India. Three Alaskans travelled 1800 miles across India in a motorized tricycle using their skills
developed in Alaska’s wilds.
The Alaska Long Trail
On the next Outdoor Explorer, Lisa will be joined by Alaska Trails board secretary Chris Beck, former Governor Tony Knowles,
and videographer Max Romey. They are all part of an effort to develop the Alaska Long Trail, an endeavor that would add Alaska to the list of epic thru hikes such as the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail.
Alli Harvey, outdoor writer, and artist in Anchorage
On this next Outdoor Explorer, our guest is Alli Harvey, outdoor columnist for the Anchorage Daily News.
Her columns often explore the connection between happiness and outdoor adventure. Alli is also a
landscape artist and is about to start her next adventure in her new mobile art studio and gallery, an
Airstream trailer that she will take on the road to the places she wants to paint.
Raising an Outdoorsy Family
On the next Outdoor Explorer we explore a different kind of lifestyle - one in which families orient their lives to their outdoor interests rather than to school and community. We’ll talk to folks who have made that leap, and weigh the pros and cons of a radical family investment in your outdoor passions.
KSKA: Thursday, June 25, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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An interview with Dr. Mikhail Malakhov
KSKA: Thursday, July 20, at 2:00 p.m. The main guest for this show is one of the world’s greatest polar explorers. Dr. Mikhail Malakhov has skied to the North Pole 16 times, including an expedition in 1995 when he made it there and back unsupported. Malakhov is leading an expedition to retrace some of the greatest expeditions of Russian America, a project he has been working on since 2009. It’s a great year for it, as we mark the 150th anniversary of the Alaska Purchase, when Russia sold Alaska to the United States.
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Performing in an emergency
How and why do we react the way do when we encounter a stressful situation in the outdoors? Deb Ajango joins us to discuss physiological responses and how to train to perform in an emergency.
Gray Whale Migration
One of the first signs of spring in coastal Alaska is the appearance of gray whales, who pass our way on their annual journey from Mexico to the Bering Sea. Along our uninhabited shores, the whales get a lot more privacy than they do down south, but you can see them from boats and coastal towns, and tour boats from Seward go out to view the whales through April. On today’s show, we’re talking about going out to see the whales this spring, and the biology of the whales and their amazing migration.
KSKA: Thursday, April 9, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Revisiting being alone in the wilderness
Whereas having somebody else along is often safer and more fun, solo trips into the wilderness can sometimes be the most memorable. Whether by choice or necessity, these experiences offer a chance to get to know oneself better. In this episode we'll talk about what it’s like being truly alone in the great outdoors. This episode first aired in January of 2015.
Thanks for listening!