The Alaska Long Trail | Outdoor Explorer
This week on Outdoor Explorer we dive into the Alaska Long Trail. It would connect Seward and Fairbanks via a multi user trail system.
Backcountry skiing
KSKA: Thursday, Feb. 9, at 2:00. Backcountry skiing comes in many varieties. On the next show, we’re looking at two extremes. On one end are the alpine daredevils who look for the hardest, steepest, most dangerous lines. On the other end are the touring skiers exploring our glorious mountain scenery by the most practical means available. These two ways of looking at skiing are for different personalities and different kinds of athletes with different goals, but Anchorage is prime for either option.
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Outdoor photography
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be discussing outdoor photography with mountain photographer Charlie Renfro. There's a lot to talk about. Later in the show, we’ll be talking with Gus Schumacher, an Anchorage cross-country skier who recently won gold at the World Junior Championships.
Thanks for listening!
Snowkiting
You see them zipping around Turnagain Arm and in the backcountry. Brightly colored kites and their human drivers adorn Alaska's airspace, harnessing the wind to power an extreme sport. Host Charles Wohlforth and guests will talk on all things kiting.
KSKA: Thursday, Mar. 27 at 2:00 p.m.
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Getting kids and adults outside
Now that the snow has melted, the pavement is dry, the trails are almost dry, and endless daylight has arrived, more Alaskans are spending more time outside. This week on Outdoor Explorer we are talking about how to connect kids with the outdoors. And, in anticipation of Bike to Work Day we will talk to the folks at Bike Anchorage and find out what they are doing to make Anchorage more bike friendly.
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.
Women’s athletic events
KSKA: Thursday, February 1, at 2:00 & 8:00 p.m. The next Outdoor Explorer focuses on women, and specifically events for women athletes. The Alaska Ski for Women is coming up soon, and after that the Gold Nugget Triathlon, and there are others too. We’ll be talking with competitors and organizers to find out what these events are like, how they feel different from co-ed races, and why it is important to have events specifically for women.
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Mountain biking in Eagle River and the Mat-Su
KSKA: Thursday, April 13, at 2:00 p.m. Probably, like a lot of cyclists in Anchorage, you know our trails pretty well, especially the ones closest to home, because that’s where you ride on a regular basis. But bikes these days can go a lot farther than that. On our next show, we’re talking about mountain biking opportunities beyond the bowl, including in the Mat-su and on the brand new trails just finished near Eagle River, at Mirror Lake.
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Hiking the Chugach
This week's show puts together four guys who love hiking these trails and know them well, an author, two trail managers and your host. We'll talk about our favorite hikes while we put together a trail guide on the air.
KSKA: Thursday 7/25 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Fishing Charters
Taking a fishing charter from a small boat harbor is a classic Alaska experience. It’s a time to bond with friends and family, to enjoy the thrill of excellent fishing, and it's a way for many Alaskans to stock their freezers for the winter. This week on Outdoor Explorer, we're taking our show on board a fishing charter outside of Homer. Host Charles Wohlforth gets the rundown on new halibut regulations in effect this year and an insider's perspective on what makes a fishing charter fun and successful.
KSKA: Thursday, August 14, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Hiking the Chugach
The next time your head gets filled with the clutter of life, take off for the mountains. Anchorage is unique because you can spend the day stressing out in traffic or at the office, and find yourself de-stressing in the alpine high country an hour later. This week we're revisiting one of our favorite shows from last summer. Tune in while we put together a Chugach trail guide on the air.
KSKA: Thursday, August 7, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Backcountry Gourmet
You don’t have to be a genius chef if the people you are cooking for are hungry enough, which is one reason why freeze dried food tastes so good at the end of a day backpacking. But there’s so much more you can do.On the next Outdoor Explorer, we'll hear from two backcountry cooking experts to talk about ideas, tools, and the yummiest stuff you’ve ever tasted out under the sky.
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 2, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Revisiting Endurance Athletes
KSKA: Thursday, July 14, at 2:00 and Thursday, July 21, at 8:00 p.m. Jennifer Pharr Davis hiked the Appalachian Trail in 46 days, averaging 47 miles a day. David Johnston finished the 350-mile Iditarod Invitational in four days, running on snow. They’ll both join us as we try to understand what makes ultra-endurance athletes tick.
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Health, healing and the outdoors
Most of us are aware of the physical benefits of being active, but what about our mental health? On the next Outdoor Explorer we will be talking to three people who use the outdoors and exercise for their health, but in very different ways. We talk about the role it plays in moving through the grieving process, its role in managing lifelong, chronic illnesses, and how it can improve mental health.
Thanks for listening!
Talking about the economic impact of outdoor activities with Lee Hart of the Alaska Outdoor Alliance
On this Outdoor Explorer, our guest will be Lee Hart, Executive Director of Alaska Outdoor Alliance, an organization that advances the political and economic power of outdoor recreation in Alaska. The outdoor economy is an under-
recognized economic driver in our state with the average Alaskan spending almost $5000 per year on outdoor gear and services.
Noise and light pollution
KSKA: Thursday, April 20, at 2:00 p.m. One way of thinking about wilderness is to remember what’s not there. Wilderness is never crowded, or full of artificial noise or electric light. Noise and light would cover up the good qualities in nature - the delicate sounds and the bright stars and aurora of a winter night. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re looking at the problem of keeping the wilderness quiet and dark, which unfortunately takes some effort for us, in our bright noisy world.
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Artists in nature: Bill Brody and Klara Maisch
Next time you snap a picture with your smart phone of beautiful scenery, think what it would take to paint it. This Outdoor Explorer features two artists, Bill Brody and
Klara Maisch, who spend weeks in one spot painting what they see and feel.
Funding your outdoor lifestyle
Enjoying the outdoors can be done on a tight budget or with all the latest gear and gadgets. All you really need is a pair of shoes and a sense of adventure. But what about when you want to go on a big trip or you need to upgrade your jacket? On this Outdoor Explorer our guest is financial planner and outdoor enthusiast Mike Branham. We talk about finding balance between your outdoor pursuits and saving for your future, ways to maximize your gear budget, and more.
Revisiting Coastal Brown Bears
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 24, at 2:00 p.m. Our region of Alaska happens to be the best place in the world for ordinary people to get out in the woods and see lots of gigantic bears. While the coastal brown bear are gorging on the salmon that make them so large, they don’t pay attention to anything else. Visitors to certain streams can get very close. We’ll talk about that experience, and the life of the bears.
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Ski jumping in Anchorage
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking about ski jumping with the Anchorage Ski Jumping Club. Our guests will be Karen Compton and Zak Hamill. Karen has been instrumental in the recent dramatic growth of the Anchorage Jumping Club, and she’s also a parent of two ski jumpers. Zak Hamill is the Club’s program director and head coach.