Anchorage Bike Trails
KSKA: Thursday, May 19, at 2:00 and Thursday, May 26, at 8:00 p.m.
Anchorage people love their bike trails. Still, while we want more, the trails we already have are worn out in places, and one trail had a bridge collapse. On the next Outdoor Explorer we’ll be talking with folks responsible for the paved bike trails, as well as a mastermind of the fun, world class single track mountain bike trails at Kincaid Park and on the Hillside.
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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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Arctic Warriors
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about Arctic Warriors and the skills they learn and practice. We have two officers in the studio whose military training has helped them make it through Alaska’s harshest weather. One was on a caribou hunt on North Slope when the weather took a dangerous turn. The other led a successful Denali ascent over the summer. What does the military teach about surviving outdoors? We’ll get into that question on this show.
KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 29, 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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Non-profit bike programs
KSKA: Thursday, July 13, at 2:00 p.m.
On the next show we’re learning about a couple programs started by leaders in the cycling world to help young people become fit, confident cyclists. In the first half of the show, Lael Wilcox, an amazing athlete of world caliber, will be talking about her adventure with middle school girls. In the second half, we’ll learn about a new bike school, which aims to teach bike repair skills, and to turn underprivileged kids into bike riders and racers.
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A Denali Himalaya connection
Denali and the Himalaya have attracted mountaineers since the early 1900s. Many climbers, including Alaskans, got their start on Denali's bitterly cold and windy slopes, then moved on to the Himalaya. This show features Steve Mock with the Denali Rescue Volunteers, the Alex Lowe Foundation, and the Khumbu Climbing Center.
Arctic Traverse: A Brooks Range Journey | Outdoor Explorer
Michael Engelhard decided to hike and paddle from Canada to Kotzebue — a lifelong goal. His memoir is a mix of travelogue, history and more.
Trail building in Alaska: Summer of 2021
Trails are one of the primary infrastructures in the outdoors. They lead us to destinations or are
an end unto themselves. Trails provide opportunity for observing nature, getting exercise, and relaxation. Trail building in Alaska has come a long way since people went straight up the fall line. On this week’s Outdoor Explorer we will discuss the summer of 2021 trail building projects and how to get involved.
Duck Hunting
Duck hunting season begins September 1, a day that kicks off an outdoor tradition like no other. We’ll have guests who are getting ready for opening day with all the trappings of the sport, talk about hunting memories and traditions, and touch on conservation issues and changes in the land and the sport.
KSKA: Thursday 8/29 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm
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Learn about local climbing, cameras & what’s up with bears lately?
KSKA: Thursday, December 14, at 2:00 p.m. 2017 will be remembered in part as the "Year of the Bear" in Southcentral Alaska. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll talk about why we had scary and tragic incidents, and why far more bears were killed in Anchorage than usual. For something a bit more fun, we also have a segment on rock and ice climbing, a sports that is exploding in popularity, with great opportunities to learn inside and out.
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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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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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Wrangell-St. Elias backcountry
This edition of Outdoor Explorer comes to you from the backcountry of Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Earlier in the summer, Charles flew with friends to a mountain pass in the massive, incredibly spectacular Wrangell mountains where they spent an extended weekend on dayhikes in the alpine environment, near the Russell Glacier. We'll learn about the park, the trip, and how you can do a backcountry adventure in this amazing park.
KSKA: Thursday, August 6, at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
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Travel School #2: Parks of California
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we will continue the series Travel School with Jodi Harskamp and Neal Stanbury and their children, Tui and Leif. We will pick up their journey as they leave Oregon and begin exploring the parks of California. But just as they get started, they encounter trouble.
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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Denali Highway & Tangle Lakes
While tourists ride the buses into Denali National Park, Alaskans are driving, cycling, hiking and canoeing the other Denali -- The Denali Highway, an unpaved road to the wilderness leading from Paxson through the Alaska Range to Cantwell. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll learn about this spectacular alpine route, the incredible outdoor opportunities, and the archeology of the place. Ancient people left evidence of the some of the earliest human travel in the Americas.
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Small Game Hunting
Small game can be an entry for young people into hunting, but it’s also is a tradition for sportsmen going back centuries and shows up in classic literature from all over the world. On the next Outdoor Explorer, the topic is hunting upland game birds and small mammals.
KSKA: Thursday, Dec. 4, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m.
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Gathering and foraging in Alaska
Late summer and fall are the time for picking blueberries, hunting for mushrooms, and getting ready for winter. Gathering edible berries and plants has many benefits besides their great taste. Jackie Qataliña, Tony Perelli, and Dana Diehl join me, your host Paul Twardock, to discuss what their favorite edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms are, their uses, the physical and emotional benefits of foraging, and ethical considerations.
Yukon River
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 08, at 2:00 p.m. The Yukon River, almost 2000 miles long, is a great place to explore in a canoe or raft. On our next show, we’ll be covering river floats from Whitehorse to Dawson City, down to Eagle, onward to Circle, and down to the Dalton Highway Bridge. We’ll also be learning about the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve, an unusual national park unit that spans more than 100 miles of the river, with the nature and history that’s found there.
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80 years of climbing, skiing, and boating with Sepp Weber
Sepp Weber has climbed, skied and kayaked for 80 years, mostly in Alaska. Join him and your host Paul Twardock as Sepp shares his stories on Outdoor Explorer.