The Last Frontier Podcast

Hard to get to, but worth the effort, today's episodes delves into the wonders and beauties of Southeast Alaska. With most areas not accessible by road, air and sea are the two main ways to access this remote part of Alaska. We invite Erin Kennedy on the podcast today to talk about her six years working as a cycle and glacier guide in SE Alaska and why you should add it to your list of places...

Football season is upon us and while most people are busy drafting their fantasy football teams, we invite friend of the pod Jared Fink on the program today for our first annual fantasy Alaskan wildlife draft. Learn about the incredible species that grace our airways, terrestrial lands and ocean depths as we debate what animals you the listener would be most interested in seeing during your future...

Sengen Meyer is a student at Cornell University up in Alaska on an internship. With a degree focus and personal interest on the topic of sustainability, she joins us to discuss a difficult topic to navigate as we delve into the world of climate change and environmentalism. What does sustainability actually mean? How is Alaska being affected by the ever changing world? And what should be the mascot...

Salmon are one of the more iconic species that pop up when thinking about Alaska and so for today's episode, we invited on marine biologist David Meuninck, who has spent four decades working with salmon hatcheries, to talk all things salmon. A member of the michiana Beer Reviewers who sponsor our beer review of the episode, he is affectionately known as Uncle Dave and he brought lots of great...

Hillary and Norgay the first to summit Everest, Lewis and Clark venturing out into the wild, wild west, Armstrong and Aldrin taking that giant leap on the moon...there's something inspirational about imagining yourself in the shoes of the great adventurers of a past time. As the world gets smaller, large scale expeditions are harder to find, but Alaska is still ripe for them. On today's...

One of Alaska's biggest traditions is the running of the annual Mount Marathon race every July 4th and today's episode discusses the history, description and overall brutality of the 2nd longest annual mountain race in the world dubbed the world's toughest 5k. We invite Denali mountaineering guide Jack Delaney on the episode to discuss his personal experience guiding the tallest mou...

The Sikuliaq is one of the most advanced research ice breaker vessels in the world and Mike Stewart is one of the most advanced humans we have in Alaska. Put the two together and you get advanced pod. Take a journey with us as we explore the life of Mike including his time working on the Sikuliaq. What type of research does a vessel like that do? Is it easier to break the ice with someone who has...

A new paddle sport has been trending and we've brought on a pro who has the fever for it. After working as a white water kayaking instructor, Brian Wright traded in his kayak for a packraft and is on the cutting edge of exploration in the Last Frontier setting eyes on places not yet explored. Does a first descent count if nobody knows about it? Can white water truly be less intimidating than...

There are a plethora of boat captains out there in the world, but very few have had the honor to be asked to take out a sitting United States President on a joy ride. On today's episode, we invite Joshua Jackson on the podcast to discuss his journey from green deckhand to owner of his own boat company including the incredible experience of being asked to take President Obama into Kenai Fjords...

Breaking out of our sea kayak guide spotlight bubble, we invite white water raft guide Sid Smullen on the episode for a truly entertaining experience. From rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to guiding trips through Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Sid navigates us through the rapids of life as a raft guide. Join us as we review another solid beer, learn about Sid's D&D...

Summer season in Alaska has begun! Alaska tourism is poised to make a big comeback this summer, but employees of the tourism industry had to shake things up this past year due to the global pandemic. Friends of the pod Cara and Russ ended up sticking around Alaska for the winter and we treat this episode as a winter recap to discuss how the pandemic shaped their lives this past year. Are Alaska to...

Traveling to Alaska can be a big endeavor for a big state. Taking questions from you the listeners, Andrew and Danny tackle the many FAQs of Alaska tourism to help you plan your next big vacation. How many National Parks does Alaska have? When are the whales around? Is it always cold up there? Find out all this and more as we discuss our favorite glacial experiences while reviewing Alaska's 4...

Covid-19 and the travel industry did not make great bedfellows in 2020 and the effects will still be felt in 2021. We invite our main sponsor, Sunny Cove Kayaking owner, Stephanie Millane back on the podcast to discuss her experience purchasing a seasonal tourism business right before the apocalypse and find out how summer 2021 is shaping out. Enjoy! Local Beer of the Week: Porcupine Island Porter...

Imagine yourself growing up in a place so remote the only way to access your town was by plane! Guest Jared Fink joins us to discuss the ins and outs of living out his childhood in the bush. But not before we do our own March Madness favorite beer style bracket and a side by side beer review comparison of two separate years of the Alaskan Brewing Company's Smoked Porter. Join us for a wild ri...

As we continue Phase 2 of our podcast reset, we put co-host Danny on the hot seat! We learn about his status as a potential TikTok sensation and explore his past from the crossroads of America to the Magic Kingdom of Disney World. Listen to learn his very interesting background and how it helped him end up in Alaska. Enjoying our podcast reset with our upgraded production quality? Learn in this ep...

After recording all of our previous episodes last summer to shoot out every two weeks during the winter, we hit the end of our run and it is time to get back in the recording studio! Welcome to Phase II of The Last Frontier Podcast! Having invested in better podcast equipment, join us as we reset our program with new and improved audio and take a deeper dive in this episode into the background of...

Arthur and Jen started off as solo kayak guides and now travel the world and work in amazing places; most recently guiding bear viewing tours in Katamai and Lake Clark National Parks. We'll talk bear safety, exciting bear encounters, and much more on this episode of The Last Frontier Podcast.  Local Beer of the Week: Hefeweizen by: King Street Brewing Co. [www.kingstreetbrewing.com] Music By:...

Alaskan winters have many upsides and downsides, but for all of us here at The Last Frontier Podcast, it's one of the highlights of the year. For many though, ourselves included, winter can be tough without the proper techniques to take care of ourselves and stay happy. That's why we're talking with Monika today, a mental health specialist in Seward, AK who's also worked in rem...

Deckhanding on a small wilflife boat is quite the opportuinity, and all of us have enjoyed working with this week's guest, Hallie, so much. If you've ever wanted to work at sea, or are curious about some of the coolest wildlife encounters out there, make sure to tune in this week! Local Beer of the Week: Hibernale Belguim Style Sour Barrel Aged Dark Ale (ole!) by: Denali Brewing Co. [www...

Tanya has lived quite the life, volunteering in Africa to help elephants, working as a captain up North on the Slope, and as a wilflife captain and guide here in Resurrection Bay. But her story doesn't stop there, tune in to find out even more!  Local Beer of the Week: Berry Milkshake IPA by: Alaskan Brewing Co. [www.alaskanbrewing.com] Music By: Blackwater Railroad Company [www.blackwaterrai...

First-year guide and neurobiology major, Ashley takes us through what it's like to make the decision and then the drive up the Alcan to Alaska for the first time, and what her most memorable stories are from her first summer on the water.  Local Beer of the Week: Spruce Tip Saison by: Devil's Club Brewing [www.devilsclubbrewing.com] Music By: Blackwater Railroad Company [www.blackwaterra...

Take a trip out to Kenai Fjords National Park with Calley, one of the many memorable small boat captains of Seward. Calley worked her way around the world and up to becoming a 100-ton captain, but still enjoys every single day at sea. Currently operating in the National Park, she is one of the VERY few who continue to operate through the icy winters of Alaska.  Local Beer of the Week: Bearpaw Rive...

Today we chat with Cara W. and dive into probably the most famous event in Seward, the annual July 4th Mount Marathon race. We'll also talk about one of the most asked questions Alaskan guides get on tours, 'What do you all do if there's an earthquake, and do they really happen that often?!' Find out this and more on this episode of The Last Frontier Podcast.  Local Beer of the...

Today we chat with Mike T. a long-time ranger for Kenai Fjords National Park, and local expert on our favorite subject, iceworms. Mike answers some of the most asked questions by our guests and incites us with new knowledge about the glaciers which surround us here in Alaska.  Local Beer of the Week: Fallen Angel by Midnight Sun Brewing (www.midnightsunbrewing.com] Music By: Blackwater Railroad Co...

Guide Spotlight this week features world-traveler, dungeon master, mailman, English teacher, kayak guide, and much more, Russ White. Guides can be very diverse and interesting people, and this week we'll talk with one of the most. Dabble in professional sports, celebrity sightings, and Dungeons & Dragons with us this week on The Last Frontier Podcast. Local Beer of the Week: Bitter Monk B...