The Last Frontier Podcast

It’s Halloween on The Last Frontier Podcast, which means it’s time for our annual trip into the world of Dungeons & Dragons. This year, we’re raiding Alaska history to build the ultimate adventuring party. We’ve taken 14 real figures from Alaska’s past, from explorers and mushers to warriors, scientists, artists, pilots, healers, and even a notorious con man, and assigned each of them a D&...

The name Alaska has appeared on some pretty impressive ships in the history of the United States Navy. From an early steam-powered warship, to one of the largest cruisers ever built, to a nuclear-powered submarine carrying enough firepower to alter the course of history, the USS Alaska name has evolved right alongside the state itself. So join us this week as we’re tracing the history of the vesse...

A massive three-masted sailing ship recently pulled into Seward’s harbor, flying the flag of Mexico. It was a sight to behold, and your favorite Alaskan bald eagles even had the opportunity to climb aboard and tour the vessel. Interestingly enough, this wasn’t the ship’s first connection to Seward. So this week, we’re talking about the ARM Cuauhtémoc ...its nearly four decades sailing the world as...

Building anything in Alaska comes with challenges. Mountains, glaciers, rivers, permafrost, earthquakes, brutal winters, and enormous distances have forced engineers to find solutions that simply aren’t necessary in most other places. Yet Alaska is home to highways carved through wilderness, railroads crossing mountain ranges, massive dams, tunnels, bridges, and an 800-mile pipeline stretching fro...

We’ve learned what Alaska’s salmon hatcheries are and why they exist, but do they actually work? In Part 2 of our look at Alaska’s salmon hatchery system, we follow those fish from the hatchery back to the fishery, looking at just how successful these programs have been and the questions they raise along the way. How do you know if a salmon came from a hatchery? Can there actually be too many salm...

How wild are Alaska’s salmon, really? In Part 1 of our two-part look at Alaska’s salmon hatchery system, we bring in friend of the pod Uncle Dave, a marine biologist who spent years managing fish hatcheries for Great Lakes salmon. Together, we dive into what hatcheries actually do, how Alaska’s system compares to other regions, and where the line between “wild” and “hatchery” salmon really begins...

Most people know the wolverine as Marvel's razor-clawed mutant with an attitude problem. But Alaska's real wolverine doesn't need adamantium to earn its reputation. Pound for pound, it's one of the toughest, most fearless animals on the planet...a predator famous for taking on prey many times its size, surviving some of the harshest conditions imaginable, and disappearing into...

Most people associate reindeer with Santa Claus and the North Pole. But long before they were pulling a sleigh on Christmas Eve, reindeer were at the center of one of the most fascinating and controversial chapters in Alaska history. In this episode of the Last Frontier Podcast, we explore the incredible story of how thousands of reindeer were imported from Siberia to western Alaska in the late 18...

On today's episode, we are joined once again by our good friend Jared Fink for a lighthearted episode where we play Alaska Would You Rather. We put each other through 20 uniquely Alaskan dilemmas spanning history, wildlife, geography, outdoor adventure, and life in the Last Frontier. Along the way, we find ourselves debating everything from historical figures we'd like to spend time with...

From frontier saloons to neighborhood hangouts, nightlife has always played a bigger role in Alaska than most people realize. This week, we're joined by friend of the pod and Alaska nightlife expert Taylor Cline to explore how bars and saloons became the social heart of communities across the Last Frontier, and why nightlife in Alaska has always been about more than just grabbing a drink. We...

Fjords are some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth. They are deep glacier-carved waterways surrounded by towering mountains, waterfalls, forests, and ice. But while most people picture places like Norway or Alaska when they hear the word “fjord,” some of the largest and wildest fjord systems in the world are actually found thousands of miles away in Patagonia. On this episode, we compare the...

Tourism in Alaska can be a tricky thing. On one hand, visitors come here for everything that makes this place incredible: glaciers, wildlife, fishing, mountains, and small coastal communities full of character. On the other hand, the people who actually live here still have to grocery shop, get to work, find parking, and somehow keep these communities feeling like home long after the visitors leav...

It’s hard to think of two places in the United States that feel more different than Alaska and Hawaiʻi. One is defined by glaciers, cold water, and long winters, while the other is known for warm beaches, volcanoes, and year-round sun. But despite being thousands of miles apart, and complete opposites on the surface, both places are connected by the same massive force: the Pacific Ocean. On today’...

Alaska and Hawaiʻi might sit far apart, but both places are known for producing remarkable people shaped by isolation, hardship, and the environments they chose to live in. From remote islands in the North Pacific to the isolated settlement of Molokaʻi, these are places that test people, and sometimes, the people who stand out the most are the ones who chose to stay. On today’s episode, we’re buil...

It doesn’t matter if you’re crossing the Pacific, heading out to fish, or just taking a boat around the bay, the ocean has a way of making people just a little bit superstitious. Long before radar, weather apps, or GPS, sailors relied on observation, tradition, and a whole lot of lore to make sense of the sea. Some of those beliefs turned out to be surprisingly accurate… and some of them are just...

It is still March which means spring training for Major League Baseball. On the last episode we stepped up to the plate and went through the American League teams, replacing their mascots with Alaska-inspired counterparts. But that was only the first inning of this two-part series. On today’s episode we turn our attention to the National League as we continue getting creative and educational with...

It is March which means spring training for Major League Baseball. As we do roughly once a year, we tackle some sort of sport league by changing their mascots to their similar themed, but Alaska related counterparts. This year, we made good contact and hit a double which means you get a two parter! On today's episode, we go through the American League teams so please join us as we get creativ...

March Madness is just around the corner for all you basketball fans out there, but for Alaska lovers, this episode is for you. On today’s episode of The Last Frontier Podcast, we’re running our own Alaska-themed bracket. We take 32 iconic things Alaska is known for, put them head-to-head, and battle it out to determine what we subjectively believe is the most iconic symbol of the Last Frontier. Wh...

We wrap up our three-part mini-series with part 3 of our 49 questions interview with born-and-raised Alaskan Jared Fink. In this final episode, we turn our focus to wildlife, climate, and what it really means to live alongside nature in the Last Frontier. What animals do Alaskans respect the most? How many climate zones does Alaska have? And why should you always give the ball to Beast Mode on the...

We continue on with part 2 of our 3 part mini-series where we are asking 49 questions to born and raised Alaskan Jared Fink. On today's episode, we get into history and culture so join us as we delve further into what makes the Last Frontier such a unique place in the world. How did backroom politics play a role is the purchase of Alaska? What does the word remote mean to an Alaskan? And does...

This episode begins a three part mini-series where we ask 49 questions split out among three episodes about the 49th state. Who better to answer than pod fan favorite Jared Fink who was born and raised in the bush of the Last Frontier. While most of us might be smarter than a 5th grader (debatable!), see how your Alaska knowledge compares with someone who had airplane engine oil on his wood stove...

On today's episode, we unpack one of the most influential yet misunderstood laws in America...the Jones Act. From shipping costs to national security, we reveal how the Jones Act came to be and its affects on Alaska and beyond. How does the Jones Act benefit Alaska mariners? Why are consumer prices higher due to the Jones Act? And how does the Jones Act keep those Russian spies away from Alas...

This episode drops on the darkest day of the year. And while most people visit Alaska in the summer months to view some of our incredible wildlife, we got to thinking about how these animals survive the winter months once the crowds leave. So join on today's episode as we delve into some incredible winter adaptations our animals of Alaska have that enable them to survive the cold, dark winter...

While your favorite Alaskan bald eagles are excellent fish catchers, hunting in Alaska is something we have yet to experience. For most folks in Alaska, hunting is more than just a sport, it's a way of life that helps keep the freezer full during the cold, dark winter. Join us on today's episode as we invite friend of the pod Greg Haas on the episode to chat about some of his hunting exp...

Traditional Thanksgiving dishes have historically been hard to come by in the Last Frontier. And with plenty of the state not living on the road system, Thanksgiving meals often don't look like the ones many of us grew up with. Join us on today's episode as we take a look at several common Thanksgiving food items and discuss what their Alaskan counterpart might be. What could possibly re...