Writing About Alaska
KSKA: Thursday, Nov. 3, at 2:00 p.m.
The next Outdoor Explorer will be focusing on writing about Alaska. We'll have two of Alaska’s best and most successful authors in the studio, each of whom have told stories that take into account the terrain and landscapes, the myth and grandeur of the state, in both fiction and in non fiction.
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Revisiting Wildlife Hazards in Context
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 27, at 2:00 p.m. On the next show 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?
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Revisiting Rockhounding and Fossils
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 20, at 2:00 p.m. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we'll talk about rockhounding with folks who get serious about geology. We’ll also spend time with scientists who find real treasures, the fossils of dinosaurs that once lived in Alaska. LISTEN NOW
Fun with Wheels
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 13, at 2:00 p.m. We’re going into new territory with the next show, with bike polo and skateboarding. We’ll hear an interview with a former x games champion from Alaska who eventually came back and opened a board shop here to pass on the sport to another generation, and with a polo player who travels with bikes to play.
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The Equinox Marathon and other extreme Fairbanks events
KSKA: Thursday, Oct. 6, at 2:00 p.m.
The Equinox Marathon is one of the most challenging anywhere, as it climbs up over Ester Dome in Fairbanks. We’ll also hear an interview recorded in Fairbanks with a trails volunteer, who’ll tell us about the many routes and races that make that community a great place to visit.
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Handling Wild Game
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 29, at 2:00 p.m. On the next Outdoor Explorer we’ll be talking about the skills and planning necessary to properly field dress wild game and then get it to a processor. We’ll also talk about the cooking skills to make wild game delicious and healthy for your family.
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River Safety Techniques
KSKA: Thursday, September 22, at 2:00p.m. and Thursday, September 29, at 8:00p.m. Alaska’s rivers are the best path to see the backcountry for non-motorized adventures, traveling in relative comfort and seeing the grandeur of Alaska. Still, cold moving water in remote areas can also be dangerous. Every summer, we hear stories of tragedies and of near misses on Alaska’s rivers and in this episode we'll tackle that topic head-on.
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Collegiate Skiing
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 15, at 2:00 p.m. Budget cuts have forced the University of Alaska to look at eliminating sports, potentially making Alaska the only state without collegiate athletics, including its' ski team. On the next show we’ll hear interviews with the alpine and nordic coaches at UAA. We'll also speak with the director of the skiing program at APU. We’ll learn a lot more about a subject we haven’t covered before on the show.
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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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Foraging for Edible Foods in AK
KSKA: Thursday, September 01, at 2:00 and Thursday, September 08, at 8:00 p.m. Alaska may not be a huge farming state, but it is full of food, and not only for meat eaters. The woods and beaches are rich in edible plants and fungus that can be delicious and not difficult to find. As we’re going to learn on the next show, many of Alaska’s edible plants are extremely common and preparation is easy.
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National Parks Exploration
KSKA: Thursday, Aug. 25, at 2:00 p.m. On this Outdoor Explorer we’re saying happy birthday to the national parks by airing the show on the 100th anniversary of the creation of National Park Service, which takes care of some of the nation’s most dramatic and valuable wilderness. We’ll hear a little about that history and how the centennial is being celebrated during the show, but our main emphasis is on the parks themselves.
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A Conversation with Holly Brooks
KSKA: Thursday, Aug. 18, at 2:00 p.m. Holly Brooks is one of Alaska’s favorite athletes because she was a regular person, an adult with a job, who became a member of the Olympic team - twice. We spend the entire next hour of Outdoor Explorer talking with Holly, learning about her recent retirement, and a new phase in her life as a counselor and coach.
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Taking a trip to Sitka
KSKA: Thursday, Aug. 11, at 2:00 p.m.
Charles took a road trip-- or rather a ferry trip-- to Southeast Alaska last month, and while there recorded an edition of Outdoor Explorer on the town of Sitka. This historic community is the best place for an Alaskan to take a vacation without leaving Alaska because the boating and wildlife viewing are incredible. We’ll also get to hear about the area’s surfing scene and science education.
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Revisiting Coastal Brown Bears
KSKA: Thursday, Sept. 24, at 2:00 p.m. Our region of Alaska happens to be the best place in the world for ordinary people to get out in the woods and see lots of gigantic bears. While the coastal brown bear are gorging on the salmon that make them so large, they don’t pay attention to anything else. Visitors to certain streams can get very close. We’ll talk about that experience, and the life of the bears.
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Revisiting Rowing
KSKA: Thursday, July 28, at 2:00. Last summer Charles was contacted by the Anchorage Rowing Association to row crew in the Dave Thorsness Challenge, a regatta mostly for beginners, as well as getting a couple of rowing lessons to make sure he could do it. For this week's show, we're going back to hear the result, as Charles took a recorder along on this aquatic adventure.
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Revisiting Paragliding
KSKA: Thursday, July 21, at 2:00 and Thursday, July 28, at 8:00 p.m.
Probably everyone has imagined flying like a bird at one time or another. But these days, you can do more than dream. Paragliding makes soaring up in the sky into a regular weekend activity. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re going to learn about what paragliding feels like, how you do it safely, and ways to gain entry into the sport.
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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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Adventures in Halibut Cove
KSKA: Thursday, July 07, at 2:00 and Thursday, July 14, at 8:00 p.m.
Charles Wohlforth
Different Wheeled Machines
KSKA: Thursday, June 30, at 2:00 and Thursday, July 07, at 8:00 p.m. Something about human-power, pedals and wheels inspired inventors, and if you spend much time on Alaskan trails, you will see some odd contraptions rolling by. On the next Outdoor Explorer, I’m talking to guys who would like to convert you and everyone to recumbent bikes and unicycles.
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AK Sports Hall of Fame 10-Year Anniversary
KSKA: Thursday, June 23, at 2:00 and Thursday, June 30, at 8:00 p.m. If any place needs a sports hall of fame, it’s Alaska. Our athletes do the impossible and for the last 10 years, we’ve remembered and celebrated their accomplishments with the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll hear about the anniversary of the hall, and talk to two inductees.
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