The Blue Tarp

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  This will be our last episode for season five. As is often the case, we are going to close out the season with a few topics that we wanted to make sure we covered.  Today, we’ll discuss solo winter climbing, changes on Denali, and advice for aspiring mountaineers from experts.  Whether you’re an...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  So far this season, we’ve covered many aspects of climbing Denali, including how harrowing expeditions can be when they go wrong.  Today, we’re going to hear from Alaskan climbers, most of whom have been on the mountain many times, about some of the scarier situations they’ve faced while on North...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  This season, we’ve heard many stories about climbing Denali. Whether they were stories of triumph, tragedy, or something in between, one thing has been true about nearly all of them. They are stories of men on Denali.  Today, we will change that. While mountaineering was, and to an extent still i...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  We are now past the halfway point in our season about mountaineering on Denali, North America’s tallest peak. Today, we’re jumping forward in time once again, but instead of covering an entire era of climbing in the Alaska Range as we have with previous episodes, we’re going focus on the year tha...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  Unlike previous seasons of this program, the episodes so far have been primarily a chronological history lesson of mountaineering on Denali.  Today, we’ll continue to tell some of that history by looking at a period of innovation in routes to climb Denali in the 1940s and 50s. Some of those attem...

In this episode, we’ve covered many firsts. The first team to summit, the first airplane used as part of an expedition, the first team to reach both summits, and, unfortunately, the first known fatalities on Denali. In our next episode, we’re going to move forward in history to a time when airplanes were much more common, and the discovery of a new route would change the course of mountaineering h...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as usually told by those who lived them. Today, most of our stories will not be first-hand, since we are delving into the early history of documented attempts to climb Denali. That said, they form an important chapter in the history of mountaineering and its ties to the area.  Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s roo...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Thank you for joining us as we kick off season five. This year, our theme is climbing Denali.  North America’s highest mountain is a constant presence in the lives of the folks who live here, and most years more than a thousand people come here to attempt to reach the summit.  Support the show

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This is the last episode of our fourth season, which we have dubbed Susitna Valley origin stories. Over the course of the season, we have explored a variety of reasons that led people to relocate to the area. To close out the season, we wanted to highlight those who didn’t choose to move here, but...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’ll hear stories from people for whom even Talkeetna was too crowded. Instead of the hustle and bustle of the booming metropolis of Talkeetna, they opted to live in the communities further north alongside the Alaska Railroad, or, as the locals call it, Up The Tracks. Whether you’re an old...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’ll hear about people who came to the area to live a remote lifestyle.  Whether they came as part of the Homestead Act, other agricultural programs, or simply on their own, they have made the Susitna Valley their home. We invite you to join us as we hear their stories. Whether you’re an o...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  So far in this season about arrivals in the Susitna Valley, we have covered the first people to arrive here, whose ancestors are still here, all the way up to people who have recently finished their first winter in the area.  There have been many waves of immigration to Alaska, and today we want...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. In this episode, we’re continuing our exploration of stories from locals who thought they were coming here temporarily, but ended up calling the Valley home.  Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone. Support the show

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. As we focus in Season Four about how local residents found their way here, a common trend emerges fairly quickly.  Many who call this area home didn’t intend for that to happen when they first arrived.  In fact, that story is so common, that we’re going to need two episodes to really dive into it....

This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Our fourth season is focusing on Northern Valley origin stories, how people found themselves here at various points in history.  In episode one, we heard about the first peoples to live in the area.  For this episode, we’re switching things around and speaking to folks who moved here very recently a...

This is the Blue Tarp, stories from the Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Our fourth season focuses on Susitna Valley origin stories.  Everyone who lives here today got here, somehow. To begin this season, we hear about the people who lived here for centuries before the first person of European descent arrived. Support the show

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  This will be our last episode for season three, which has focused on women in aviation.  As we wind down this season, we want to take a look at the very recent past, as well as how women are shaping the future of flying in this part of Alaska.  Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s ro...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  In our last episode, we heard stories about some of the scariest moments our interviewees experienced in their time within the aviation community.  This time, we want to flip that around and hear about the good times–their proudest moments and favorite memories.  Whether you’re an oldtimer or a n...

NOTE: This is an updated version of Episode 6.  When initially published, we inadvertently left out part of Robin Spaulding's story.  That section, which begins around 17:35, has now been included. This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  This season has focused on women in aviation.  Thus far, we’ve heard stories of triumph, adversi...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  In this season, we’ve been focusing on women in aviation.  For this episode, we’re going to focus on a job unique to the area, effectively running a small airport seven thousand feet up North America’s highest mountain.  Whether you’re an old-timer or a newcomer, there’s room under the blue tarp fo...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  On this episode, we’re going to hear what it means to be a woman in a community that is often viewed as being rather male dominated.  Whether you’re an old-timer or a newcomer, there's room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.  Support the show

This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  On this episode, we’re going to begin our look at local air services and the various roles that women have played in making aviation in the area what it is today.  Whether you’re an old-timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone. Support the show

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. For this season, we’re focusing on aviation in the area, particularly the stories told by and about women in the field.  The first episode of season three was less focused on the Susitna Valley than usual, but we felt it necessary to provide some context as to how a large influx of women got into...

This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  Thank you for listening to this episode, which marks the beginning of our third season, which will focus on women in aviation. Support the show

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them.  As we wrap up our second season focused on events in the Northern Susitna Valley, we are coming back to Talkeetna.  Specifically to the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar just off Main Street to hear about when the circus comes to town and how complex love can be.  Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newc...