Subsistence and Climate Change
The changing climate is shifting seasons and wildlife habitat in Alaska, altering the plants, trees and berries on the landscape, and creating unfamiliar patterns in the ocean, with the location and abundance of fish and marine mammals. We’ll talk about how these changes are affecting the subsistence way of life practiced by Alaska Natives, whose traditions developed in a more stable ecosystem.
KSKA: Thursday, Nov. 13, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Caving in Alaska
The caves of Prince of Wales Island are magnificent and truly weird. Alaska has deep, complex caves that have never been fully explored. And there are many caves of ice, too, with incredible shapes and colors, that are constantly changing. Join us to talk about exploring caves in Alaska, caves of rock and of ice.
KSKA: Thursday, Nov. 6, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Glacier Trekking
A huge proportion of Alaska is covered with ice. A lot more than has towns and cities or anything man made on it. That’s a lot of country to explore, and its truly beautiful, like another world.
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 30, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Babies in the Elements
Little ones love recreation with their parents, and love playing in the snow. But a baby can also be a burden on a winter outing, and keeping them safe and warm is any parent’s biggest concern. Join us for a talk on babies in the elements - we've got two parents in the studio who are experts on keeping kids safe and happy in the outdoors.
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 23, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Sifting Through The Goods: Ski Swaps
Ski swap time is upon us. It’s become a season in Anchorage, when used gear comes out of the garage and goes on sale in these giant rummage sales, which can be as competitive as a Walmart on Thanksgiving. But is this really a good way to get quality gear?
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 16, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Winter Public Use Cabins
Visiting a remote cabin in the winter opens the backcountry as you can't experience any other way. Climb out of your toasty sleeping bag to see a brilliant dome of stars far from city lights, maybe with the aurora. We’ll talk about winter time trips to Alaska’s public use cabins. It’s time to plan outings you’ll do on skis and snowshoes a couple of months from now.
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 9, 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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Surfing & The Turnagain Bore Tide
The bore tide in Turnagain Arm is an amazing phenomenon that is seen few places in the world, a wall of water that rushes in on a clockwork schedule, vast and intimidating. So… why not surf it? On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll meet some of the hearty folks who ride that big wave, and talk about surfing the remote shores and big waves found all over Alaska’s coast.
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Geocaching
Geocaching is sort of like outdoor treasure hunting, and it's getting really big in Anchorage. Host Charles Wohlforth recently gave it a try with his daughter. They had an iPhone app and a mission to look for hidden caches logged on a website powered by GPS equipment. The result? A fun, and somewhat addicting, new hobby. Join us on air to learn more about geocaching.
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 18, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Ultra-Endurance Athletes
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. Their accomplishments are almost super human. How do they get that way, and what makes them go?
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 11, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Preserving Wild Food
Fall is in the air and it is time to put up the food you caught and gathered over the summer so it will last you till spring. On the show, we’ll roll up our sleeves and get down to the details about the best ways to butcher, smoke, can, and freeze what you caught and picked over the last few months, and the next few weeks, so that when the snow flies you can taste a little of the summer and make the most of your harvest.
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 4, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Hunter Education
There's a lot to know to be a successful hunter or angler, and not everyone learns it from a parent or family friend. That's especially true for women, who may not have been treated as potential outdoors people as girls. As the fall season begins, we will explore the opportunities for hunter education, including classes created for women, and learn what it is that you really should know.
KSKA: Thursday, August 28, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Matanuska outdoor gems
You can’t always assume the places you love to recreate will still be accessible for the next generation, especially on the edges of urban Alaska where development happens rapidly. The Matanuska Valley contains some of our favorite places. We'll discuss the work being done to conserve it by a private non-profit organization, and about fun spots like Bodenburg Butte, the Palmer Hay Flats, and the many other hiking, biking, hunting and fishing areas to enjoy.
KSKA: Thursday, August 21, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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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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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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