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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Wildflowers
One of the great joys of hiking in Alaska is seeing the plants and flowers, watching how they change as you pass through different ecosystems and elevations, and learning the names and characteristics of the species you see. The mountains and woods where we hike are always beautiful, but when you understand what you are seeing the pleasure is greatly increased. Join host Charles Wohlforth and guests to learn more about Alaska wildflowers.
KSKA: Thursday, July 31, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Chilkoot Pass
This week's Outdoor Explorer comes to you from the Chilkoot Trail, the infamous route used by Klondike gold rushers during the late 1800s. As you walk the trail, signs of that crazy gold rush period are evident, but even more impressive is how a century has erased much of the gold rush's footprint. Host Charles Wohlforth and friends take on the 33-mile trail over five days of hiking.
KSKA: Thursday, July 24, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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McKinley Disasters
In 1967 the Wilcox Expedition attacked Mount McKinley with 12 young men. Only five came back alive. The disaster was the worst in the history of the mountain, and changed many lives and the way people thought about climbing it. Two authors have recently released books on the event, and both join us on the show to rehash what they remember from the deadly event.
KSKA: Thursday, July 17, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Minimizing Your Impact
"Leave only footprints" -- it's an ambitious philosophy. Most of us who recreate outdoors like to think we do a good job of this. We pack out our trash. We travel across landscapes with a light footprint. But how good are we? We'll have some experts in studio to talk about what it really means to leave no trace -- from scattering your fire circles to packing out human waste. Minimizing your impact in the outdoors helps ensure others who travel after you get the same wilderness experience.
KSKA: Thursday, July 10, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Historic Alaska Expeditions
Alaska’s outdoors people may think they’re tough, but how about paddling 40 days in a dugout canoe in the rains of Southeast Alaska in October and November, dressed in wool, without modern gear? That’s what John Muir did, and his writings about the experience changed science and started the Alaska tourism industry. On the next Outdoor Explorer, join host Charles Wohlforth and guests to talk about Muir's historic expedition and others. What these guys did will amaze you.
KSKA: Thursday, July 3, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Gold Prospecting
It’s a fair bet that the stampeders who flowed north during the Klondike Gold Rush never thought of mining as recreational, but the hunt for gold is something people do for fun, as well as profit. We’ll find out how and why modern recreational miners persist in sifting Alaska’s streams with pans and other obsolete equipment, going after glittering flakes of gold, and hoping for something much richer. It’s a hobby that gets them outdoors, and it’s a treasure hunt.
KSKA: Thursday, June 26, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Mayor’s Marathon and other marathons
The marathon is the pinnacle of physical challenges, an event that few are able to finish, much less excel in. But more and more people are taking the challenge to train and to run 26.2 miles, and this weekend Anchorage’s oldest marathon is taking place, the Mayor’s Marathon, which also includes a half-marathon. Join host Charles Wohlforth and guests to discuss tips and training advice, and also the philosophy of the race. Why do something that is so hard?
KSKA: Thursday, June 19, 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Bringing Your Dog Along
Our biggest dog park in Anchorage seems to be Chugach State Park. On any sunny day on the trails into the mountains, you will encounter a lot of dogs and their people. Host Charles Wohlforth and guests will talk about enjoying the outdoors with your dog, fun stuff you can do, what to be careful of, and how to avoid being a jerk around non-dog people.
KSKA: Thursday, June 12, 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Orienteering and Wilderness Navigation
Navigating and avoiding getting lost is a bottom-line requirement for spending time in the wilderness. It’s also a sport and a source of competition. We’ll learn about orienteering, and along the way get tips about how to know where you are when you’re traveling in the backcountry. Navigation can be an interesting puzzle, and it can also save your life.
KSKA: Thursday, June 5, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Kachemak Bay Water Trail
The poet Homer called the ocean a "whale road." Some people in the town of Homer seem to have a similar inspiration. They are inaugurating a water trail on Kachemak Bay. Join host Charles Wohlforth and guests to learn more about the Kachemak Bay Water Trail, which is about to have its grand opening in early June.
KSKA: Thursday, May 29, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Bug Season Arrives
You’ve seen the t-shirts. The ones with a picture of a mosquito with the caption “Alaska state bird.” Mosquito season is upon us. Join host Annie Feidt and two entomologists to talk about what's biting us. We'll also learn about the ecological role the buzzers and biters play in Alaska's ecosystem.
KSKA: Thursday, May 22, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Cause-Driven Events
Athletic events in Alaska often have a purpose. The heart run, the ski for women. We look at cause-driven events, and why they’re important to the people involved and to the entire community. Host Charles Wohlforth is joined by a bicyclist who lives with diabetes and rides to help raise money to fight the disease, and a runner who got inspired by Leukemia survivors to help get others involved.
KSKA: Thursday, May 15, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Birdwatching at the Coastal Refuge
In Anchorage you head for the mountains, but on the other side of the city there is another wild habitat to explore, summer and winter: the coastal wetlands that extend from Potter’s Marsh to Ship Creek. We’ll talk about the swampy, muddy shoreline of Anchorage, and the many birds and animals that live there.
KSKA: Thursday, May 8, 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Wildlife Hazards in Context
The terror of being attacked by a bear is a nightmare for many outdoors people, and a lot of time is spent worrying and planning for it. We’ll put wildlife hazards in context. What should you know to be safe, how can you improve your chances, and why aren’t you thinking about all the other things that could get you, and that are a lot more common. Join us for an opinionated discussion.
KSKA: Thursday, May 1, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Planning Summer Trips With Kids
Taking kids on an outdoor vacation can be the most rewarding and memorable time of your life. And the most stressful. Ever been without a campsite with hungry, tired kids when its getting past bedtime? Now THAT’S an extreme sport. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about family trips. Host Charles Wohlforth wrote a book on the subject and he is joined by two other authors of advice on family travel in Alaska and taking kids outdoors.
KSKA: Thursday, April 24, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Getting Ready for Paddling Season
The ice will soon go out soon on our lakes and rivers. The sea otters are ready to pose for our pictures. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re getting ready for paddling season. Host Charles Wohlforth and guests will be talking about canoeing, kayaking, rafting, rivers, lakes and the ocean -- gear, safety, planning and packing. We'll be dreaming about the trips we would love to take, and talking to folks who have done them.
KSKA: Thursday, April 17, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Art Inspired by the Wilderness
Alaska’s beauty inspires artists and sometimes overwhelms them. It’s hard to convey how you feel about our spectacular country. But its an important part of the wilderness experience. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about wilderness art with artists who have made expeditions to pursue their work, sponsored by some of our public land agencies. Host Charles Wohlforth will be joined by a writer, photographer and a mural artist to talk about expression outdoors.
KSKA: Thursday, April 10, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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Whaling
The Inupiaq people of the North Slope have hunted bowhead whales for at least 1000 years. As spring arrives, they will once again be building trail on the sea ice and building camps to launch umiats of oogruk skin, armed with harpoons and 19th century bomb guns. On the next Outdoor Explorer, host Charles Wohlforth and guests calling in from Barrow will talk more about how Eskimo whaling is done and what the tradition means.
KSKA: Thursday, April 3, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 pm.
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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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