Swan Lake Area Canoe Trails
This is a great time of year to be canoeing on the Swan Lake Canoe Route, when the leaves are turning and the fish are active in the cool weather, in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll also be talking about floating the easy Swanson River, which may be the best float for beginners in our region and great for families. This is a show about one of the best areas to take your first self-guided wilderness trip.
KSKA: Thursday 9/19 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Gold Mining
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 9/5 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Duck Hunting
![Photo by US Fish and Wildlife Service](https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Sport_bird_hunting_duck_hunting.jpg)
Berry Picking
The feel of the air at night has changed. Fall is coming. Time for berry picking. It’s been a great year for berries across Alaska, and on today's show, we will talk in detail about where, how, and what to pick, and how to handle your harvest with experts on the art, science, health and culinary details of berries, and share the warm feeling of this wonderful family tradition.
KSKA: Thursday, 8/22 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Off The Grid Life
A cabin off the grid is a private place in the wilderness where the noisy world is far away and the soul of Alaska close at hand. On the next Outdoor Explorer, our host comes to you from his own off-the-grid cabin on Kachemak Bay. Guest Donna Massay will join us from the Trapper Creek area. And we’ll learn about the power, water and communication technology that makes off the grid life easier to do these days.
KSKA: Thursday 8/15, at 2:00 and 9:00 pm
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Fish Camp
On the next Outdoor Explorer, our topic is fish camp. Native Alaskans all over the state go to riverside fish camps for the summer to harvest salmon, and as part of an ancient way of life. And a lot of commercial fishermen have fish camps at setnet sites, where they catch the fish going by, they make a little bit of money and to live and sustain themselves in wild places.
KSKA: Thursday 8/8 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
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Sailing
![](https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/27309_329247898589_3476098_n.jpg)
Hiking the Chugach
![](https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/800px-Peters_Creek_backtounry_below_Mount_Rumble.jpg)
Dip Netting
![](https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DipNetBeach2004.jpg)
Fireweed 400
Close to the middle of nowhere, on the Glenn Highway at Sheep Mountain Lodge, 750 cyclists will take off for a race to Valdez, 200 miles away, an amazing highway ride, largely downhill, across some of Alaska's most beautiful country. And then the most competitive among them will turn around and ride back up the mountains another 200 miles to the starting point. We're focusing on the Fireweed 400, a unique, inspiring and fun summer event for the best cyclists and for a bunch off ordinary mortals who just want to challenge themselves.
KSKA: Thursday 7/11 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Mount Marathon
During the 2012 Mount Marathon race, two runners were terribly injured and one disappeared, never to be found. Organizers hope this year’s race is safer, without losing its adventurous edge. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk about the new rules, and about the joy of mountain running and competition with two of the best in Alaska, plus a race organizer. Also new for this week's show, host Charles Wohlforth is in Homer, at KBBI.
KSKA: Thursday 6/27 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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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. On the next Outdoor Explorer the topic is glacier travel. We’ll be talking with a guide who takes newbies on glacier treks, a photographer who specializes in glacier journeys, and a glaciologist who goes to work on glaciers, and knows how they’re made.
KSKA: Thursday 6/20 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Weekend Pilots
Imagine getting up on Saturday morning, hopping in your plane, and going anywhere in Alaska. It’s the ultimate way of getting outdoors in a huge wilderness with unlimited opportunities. We’ll be talking with weekend pilots about their expensive and challenging hobby, and what makes it worthwhile. What would you like to know about learning to fly, or even owning your own plane? Where would you go if the sky was the limit?
KSKA: Thursday, 6/13, at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Sea Kayaking
On the next Outdoor Explorer we’re talking about sea kayaking in Prince William Sound. It’s a short drive from Anchorage, and it’s one of the most famous places to paddle on Earth. Many of us have great memories of paddling trips in the Sound. Others would probably like to try it but aren’t sure how to go about it, to be safe, and to break away on your own. Join us to share the feeling of silence in a quiet cove in the sound, and the practicalities of how to get there.
KSKA: Thursday, 5/30, 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Memorial Day Clamming
Memorial Day is upon us, and with it, huge minus tides in lower Cook Inlet. Excellent clam tides are hitting at the same time as the starting weekend of the summer season. But razor clams have been scarce of late. We’ll have a researcher trying to find out why, as well talking about how to pursue razors, and going after steamers and butters, too. Biology, food safety, digging, camping, cooking. You'll even hear some secret recipes on the next Outdoor Explorer.
KSKA: Thursday, 5/23 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Fishing Forecast
![© Jim Lavrakas / Far North Photography](https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bigfish.jpg)
Pack Rafting
A pack raft is a raft you can fit in a pack, and it opens up Alaska in a way that few other inventions ever have done. For skilled paddlers, the raft eliminates the barriers presented by rivers, lakes and even bays when crossing country. But there’s a lot to learn to be safe. We hear from a famous trekker and pack raft pioneer, and a business owner who teaches pack rafting.
KSKA: Thursday 5/9 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Summer Camp Planning for Kids
![hoonah camp 2012_AB Girl Scouts](https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/hoonah-camp-2012_AB-Girl-Scouts.jpg)
Denali Climbing Season Begins
On the next Outdoor Explorer: Climbing North America's highest peak. The first climbers of the season are beginning their attempts on Denali. And in a few weeks, base camp on the Kahiltna glacier will become an international village of mountaineers. Host Annie Feidt will be joined by Denali climbing guides and a National Park Service climbing ranger on the next Outdoor Explorer.
KSKA: Thursday 4/25 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Spring Bird Festivals
![Mike Kenney surrounded by shorebird flock. Photo by Milo Burchman.](https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/B_SBFL_0325_FFSS.jpg)