What makes an outdoor expedition successful? Most trips in the outdoors, whether one day or two weeks, are enjoyable and fun, that's why Alaskans, even on wet summers like this one, flock to the outdoors. But some outings turn into epics and even tragedy. On this Outdoor Explorer host Paul Twardock talks about what makes a good expedition happen with retired Denali Mountaineering ranger Daryl Miller and current South District Ranger for Denali National Park Tucker Chenoweth. They discuss what made some of their expeditions succeed despite life-threatening weather and what they've learned advising and observing expeditions on Denali.

Alaska author Don Rearden grew up in Southwest Alaska living and observing rural life. His books "Raven's Gift," a novel, and "Without A Paddle," a collection of poems, reflect his Alaska experiences and life. Don also co-authored books featuring two of Alaska's professional military rescuers. Don joins host Paul Twardock to discuss Alaska's culture, history and environment and how they influenced his writing.

On this Outdoor Explorer host Paul Twardock welcomes Will Taygan with the Chugach Mountain Bike Riders and Rene Dervaes with the Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers to discuss what is happening in Mat-Su Valley and Chugiak/Eagle River and the upcoming Alaska Mountain Bike Summit.

Joe Kurtak embodies a modern day Alaskan. He was raised at a remote mining camp in eastern California, went to college, then came to Alaska in 1971 for a summer job. He quickly fell for everything the Great Land had to offer, especially its geology. Joe worked for 40 years mapping Alaska's geology while working for both private firms and the federal government. Along the way he also pursued his love of skiing and sea kayaking. On this Outdoor Explorer Joe shares his wealth of knowledge of Alaska's geology, including Prince William Sound, and some of his many adventures with host Paul Twardock.

On the next Outdoor Explorer our guest is Nicole Chamberlain and the Meowtaineer, Petra the Adventure Cat. Petra is a Siberian Forest Cat, well-adapted to the cold, and Nicole has taken her on many adventures on the snow and the water. They recently spent time at the Sheldon House in Denali and Petra became the first cat to ski on the Ruth Glacier.

This Outdoor Explorer features the book "Wheels on Ice," a collection of stories from the gold rush to present day. The book is a compilation of stories edited by Jessica Cherry and the late Frank Soos. Jessica and author Andromeda Romano-Lax join host Paul Twardock to discuss the book and its stories.

On this Outdoor Explorer we're joined by author Alison Mariella Dèsir. Her book unveils the running movement as being centered around and represented by White people, not only ignoring the foundational work and performances of Black distance runners but also not acknowledging that running while Black can be dangerous.

Peg Tileston has been active in organizations including the Alaska Center for the Environment (now called the Alaska Center), the Alaska Women’s Environmental Network, the Alaska Conservation Foundation, the Alaska Water Resource Board, Trustees for Alaska, the Alaska and Alaska Common Ground. She has also been on the board of Chugach Electric Association, the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Council, and the Anchorage Recycling Task Force to name a few. She has received numerous awards including being inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. Along the way she explored much of Alaska. She joins host Paul Twardock to discuss her many contributions and adventures.

This 200-mile race makes its comeback this weekend taking riders from Sheep Mountain Lodge to Valdez! This week on Outdoor Explorer, we talk with president of the board of directors, Sara Wendling about all things race details and catch up with the a few members of the 1wheel1ders, a unicycle team that will be participating in this years race.

People come to Alaska for a variety of reasons. Award-winning photographer Mark Kelley came with the hopes of meeting a whale, and almost 50 years later, he’s still here. On this episode of Outdoor Explorer host Martha Rosenstein and Kelley talk about the challenges of photographing wildlife in Alaska, turning his passion into a career and what it’s like to return to a special spot year after year to observe and photograph bears.