Outdoor Explorer - Alaska Public Media

Aaron Leggett, President of the Native Village of Eklutna, photo courtesy Aaron Leggett. This show is a follow-up to a show that aired in February of 2021 about Chugach State Park. We found a few paragraphs in the 2016 Management Plan about the First People to arrive in the Anchorage area intriguing. We will learn more about the seafaring First People who first discovered the Upper Cook Inlet and...

Heather Caldwell Sarah Histand On this show, our guests are Sarah Histand and Heather Caldwell. Sarah is a mental health professional as well as a fitness trainer and we talk about easing the transition of both your brain and your body from summer into winter. We cover some important areas of strength and fitness to focus on as you think about winter sports as well as how a less frantic summer can...

The Teaming With Series, photo courtesy Jeff Lowenfels. Jeff Lowenfels, Lord of the Roots, photo courtesy Jeff Lowenfels DIY Autoflowering Cannabis book, photo courtesy Jeff Lowenfels. This show is about exploring your own backyard and who better to tell us all about what’s out there than my guest, Jeff Lowenfels. Jeff has written a weekly gardening column for the Anchorage Daily News since 1976,...

Mike Branham On this show, our guest is Mike Branham. Mike is a financial planner with a passion for the outdoors. We talk about how you can fund your outdoor adventures and save for your future, why it’s important to find a balance between these things, as well as some ideas for maximizing your dollars when it comes to the gear and gadgets you need (or think you need) for your outdoor hobbies. Al...

Tony Perelli and Becky King with morels_Photo: Tony Perelli Mushrooms Raina picking blueberries. Understory. Highbush cranberries. 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 host Paul Twardock to dis...

Lee Bolling’s book “Welcome to Earth Fellow Human”. Lee Bolling. Lee Bolling riding in Anchorage. The Anchorage Bowl is known for its trail networks, and many residents and visitors think our various trail systems are one of the city’s best features. During this Outdoor Explorer , we’ll be talking about one element of the city’s trail system: The soft surface trails built over the past fifteen yea...

St Elias the trench, photoby John Bauman. Russell base camp, photo by John Bauman. Mt Deborah basecamp igloo, photo by John Bauman. Bauman Kayaking 1 Paddlng the Katmai Coast 1992, photo by Paul Twardock. Bauman Kayaking BaumanKayaking2 Alaska has thousands of world-class outdoor men and women. Most have gone about their business without fanfare or notice, sharing their adventures with a few frien...

This episode of Outdoor Explorer first aired on May 14, 2020. In the fall of 2020, it was submitted to the Alaska Professional Communicators 2020 – 2021 Communications Contest where it won first place in the category of “Special Programming – Radio.” First-place state winners are automatically submitted to the National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest. The awards ceremony for the...

A paddle boarder on Goose Lake, wearing a life vest. Children in a kayak on Goose Lake, wearing life vests A fishing boat on the ocean. Paddle boarders all wearing life vests and protective clothing. Summer has arrived and that means it is time to go boating. Alaska has around 34,000 miles of coast line and 365,000 miles of rivers with people living, working, exploring and enjoying them. But, some...

The Stan-Kamps on the last leg of their journey in Utah, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp. Leif and Tui Stanbury with Nukka at Capitol Reef National Park, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp. Tui and Leif Stanbury at Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp. Leif and Neal Stanbury at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp. Tui and the snow Buddha, phot...

Most accidents occur for similar reasons: not being prepared, poor equipment, being in a rush, and lack of skill. Some accidents, however, are unpredictable. Learning from others is a great way to avoid the perils of being outdoors. Whether it is talking to friends, watching documentaries, or reading one can learn how to be ready for a particular activity or outing. Emma Walker, author of Dead Rec...

Tim Gravel Gina Shively On this show, we are talking about enjoying coffee in the outdoors. First, you’ll hear from Tim Gravel who is the co-owner of Kaladi Brothers Coffee about his favorite backcountry coffee brewing method as well as some other ideas for making coffee on your next camping trip. Then you’ll hear from Gina Shively who is a pilot and an avid outdoorswoman about her attempts to fin...

A tool at work. Photo from MatSu Trail Parks Foundation. A trail near Kachemak Bay Alaska Trails Volunteers Trails at Kincaid Park, photo by Paul Twardock. A trail crew near Kachemak Bay. A trail crew near Kachemak Bay Trails are one of the primary infrastructures in the outdoors. They lead us to destinations or are and end unto themselves. Trails get us through the bushes and into the high countr...

The Stan-Kamps at Horseshoe Bend in the Grand Canyon, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp. The Stan-Kamps at the Nevada-Arizona State Border, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp. The Stan-Kamps at the Southernmost Point on the Continental USA, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp Tui, Leif and Neal Stanbury sledding at White Sands National Monument, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp Camping platform in the Flamingo Park Eve...

Drones, or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), are becoming more common in Alaska and elsewhere every month. This past year they were one of the hottest selling outdoor retail items with sales growing around 12% annually according to thebusinessresearchcompany.com. In Alaska, drones are quickly becoming a part of the outdoor experience. The research, photos, and videos they enable help scientists, la...

The Stan-Kamps at Half Dome in Yosemite, photo courtesy of Jodi Harskamp. Tui and Leif Stanbury looking out over Yosemite, photo courtesy of Jodi Harskamp. The retrofitted truck before the accident, photo courtesy of Jodi Harskamp. The truck after the accident, photo courtesy of Jodi Harskamp. Tui Stanbury with a giant pinecone, photo courtesy of Jodi Harskamp. Leif and Tui Stanbury on a giant red...

Sepp Weber, photo by Paul Twardock. Sepp Weber has climbed, kayaked, and skied for at least 80 years, and is still at it! Sepp’s first experience in the American Arctic was kayaking across Canada and down the Yukon. Shortly afterward he took a job coaching skiing at Arctic Valley. In his long and active life, he did the first ski ascent of Denali and Mount Logan. His trips involved paddling and sk...

Neal Stanbury, Tui Stanbury, Leif Stanbury and Jodi Harskamp at Crater Lake, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp. The retrofitted truck, photo courtesy of Jodi Harskamp The truck’s pantry, photo courtesy of Jodi Harskamp Sticker designed by Tui Stanbury to commemorate the family’s travels, photo courtesy Jodi Harskamp When Alaska Airlines Captain Jodi Harskamp took leave due to the pandemic and her child...

For the past year, the Coronavirus Pandemic has been canceling sporting events all around the world. But the organizers of North America’s biggest ski marathon, the American Birkebeiner, were determined to find a way to hold the race anyway, and they were resolved to do it safely. The American Birkebeiner Ski Race takes place every February in northern Wisconsin, and it usually attracts over 10,00...

Hank Lentfer, Griselda Landa-Posas, and Richard Nelson at Lake Minichumina, photo by Davyd Betchkal. Richard K. Nelson and the cover of Raven’s Witness The Alaska Life of Richard K. Nelson, courtesy of Hank Lentfer. On the next Outdoor Explorer , our guest is Hank Lentfer. His book “Raven’s Witness: The Alaska Life of Richard K. Nelson,” won the 2020 Banff Mountain Book Grand Prize after winning b...

Emotional intelligence contributes to healthy relationships and successful adventures. Personal traits such as knowing your strengths and weaknesses, self-control, empathy, and social skills help individuals and groups make better decisions and work well together. Outdoor literature and lore are full of epic stories and tragedies caused by poor decision-making, many times due to lack of the traits...