Outdoor Explorer - Alaska Public Media

As Autumn descends upon Alaska, Outdoor Explorer is taking a moment to look back at the year so far. This week we’ll be taking a listen to some favorite segments of interviews conducted by our wonderful hosts, including chats with a champion cyclist from Homer, Alaska avalanche forecasters, and an elite outdoor runner. We also hear about the benefits of outdoor activities on mental health and how it can help heal from trauma.

The songs and calls of birds on the lakes and waterways of southcentral are a familiar and comforting soundtrack to summer, including the familiar loon. Just how well these species are fairing is said to be an excellent indicator of the air and water quality and nearby open space.

And that’s exactly why Maxine Franklin, a longtime parks employee, volunteer and loon enthusiast got little worried when she noticed over the summer of 2023 that she hadn’t seen many loon chicks at Nancy Lake State Recreation Area where she was working. She flagged her concern to Tamara Zeller, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, and revitalized an effort to monitor the loon population there.

In this episode of Outdoor Explorer you’ll learn all about loons in Southcentral, hear what the monitoring team is up to and go on a loon adventure with us at Nancy Lake.

HOST: Amy Bushatz

GUESTS:

Tamara Zeller, U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist

Maxine Franklin, former state park employee and volunteer

LINKS:

Hear the different loon calls

U.S. Fish and Wildlife loon website

Lovealoon.org

The Annual Lost Lake Run is an iconic Alaska mountain race traversing the Lost Lake trail in the Kenai Mountains north of Seward. Started in 1992 to raise awareness of Cystic Fibrosis by Marsha Vincent, the original race had 55 participants and has grown to over 700 participants and many volunteers. The registration for the event fills in minutes. The event has raised over $2 million dollars for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, contributing to research that resulted in life saving medications. Host Paul Twardock interviews race director Pat Simpson and board member Sabrina Walker. They discuss their connections to the race, Cystic Fibrosis and the challenges and rewards of organizing a mountain running race on public lands.

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

Pat Simpson, Director, Lost Lake Run

Sabrina Walker, Board Member, Lost Lake Run

LINKS:

Lost Lake Run

Lost Lake Trail Forest Service Information

Skinny Raven turns 30 this year! They are planning an anniversary block party on Saturday, August 17, that will coincide with the Anchorage Mile, one of the competitive events that are part of the Anchorage RunFest weekend. Daniel Greenhalgh and Tasha Heikkila-Adam are co-owners of Skinny Raven Sports and have been with the iconic store from the beginning, in one capacity or another. There have been ups and downs throughout the years, including a point at which the original owner almost liquidated the store and Daniel and Tasha stepped up and bought the business. Skinny then survived COVID, pivoting to an innovative online presence. The store has a culture unto itself and is recognized as one of the top running stores in the nation.

HOST: Lisa Keller

GUESTS:

Daniel Greenhalgh and Tasha Heikkila-Adam, co-owners of Skinny Raven Sports

LINKS:

Skinny Raven website

30th Birthday info

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley is home to a wide variety of parks and recreation lands managed by the state or Mat-Su Borough. From Hatcher Pass down to Jim Creek Recreation Area and out to Denali State Park, there’s plenty happening all year long to make space for a wide variety of motorized and nonmotorized sports enthusiasts, protect the wild spaces many users love, and welcome in both locals and tourists.

So what’s new in Mat-Su and what are you missing by not exploring the Valley more? In this episode we hear from Stuart Leidner, superintendent of the Mat-Su’s state parks, and Hugh Leslie, recreation manager for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

HOST: Amy Bushatz

GUESTS:

Stuart Leidner, Alaska State Park superintendent for the Mat-Su/Copper River Basin region

Hugh Leslie, Recreational Services Manager for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough

LINKS:

Matanuska-Susitna Borough parks and recreation

Mat-Su/Copper River Basin State Parks

Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation

Mat-Su Ski Club

Hatcher Pass Snow Riders

Anchorage's plethora of bike trails provide many possibilities for cycling enthusiasts. Over many decades, individuals and organizations have worked hard to preserve and expand bike trails and routes. This Outdoor Explorer features two events that highlight those efforts. The first half of the show features Bike to Work Day, an event organized by Bike Anchorage. The event consists of around 80 treat stations and 4,000 riders along the bike trails and bike commuter routes in Anchorage in the morning and afternoon commuter hours of May 17, 2024. Stations had food and drinks, swag and information on biking. Host Paul Twardock biked between Westchester Lagoon and the U-Med district interviewing participants, treat station hosts and Bike Anchorage Executive Director Alexa Dobson.

The second half the show highlights the new temporary dedicated bike lane in downtown Anchorage. The lane, a bike only, two way path separated from traffic, runs along 6th Ave. through the heart of downtown. It continues on A Street to connect to the Chester Creek greenbelt. The path creates an easy loop from downtown to the Chester Creek bike path to the Coastal Trail back to downtown. The path is an experiment by the Municipality of Anchorage and the State Department of Transportation to test the feasibility of dedicated bike lanes in Anchorage. Host Paul Twardock attended the dedication of the new lane on May 30, 2024 and interviewed attendees and the people that made it happen.

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

Bike to Work Day commuters

Alexa Dobson, Executive Director, Bike Anchorage.

Downtown dedicated bike lane organizers and dedication attendees

LINKS:

Anchorage Bike Lane Study

Bike Anchorage

Off the Chain

Susitna Bicycle Institute

BROADCAST: Thursday, August 1st, 2024. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, August 1st, 2024. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

Did you know that one of the best professional cyclists in the world is an Alaskan? Kristen Faulkner from Homer is a member of the U.S. Olympic track cycling team for this summer’s Paris games. This week she joins Outdoor Explorer to discuss the finer points of riding a bike inside a velodrome.

HOST: Adam Verrier

GUEST: Kristen Faulkner, U.S. Olympic track cycling team

LINKS:

Kristen Faulkner's website

Team USA Cycling website

Alaskan's adventurous nature can lead down many paths. For some, starting their own business in the outdoors is one. The risks and rewards of traveling through the mountains, rivers, and oceans are similar to being an entrepreneur: exploring new terrain with uncertain outcomes and potentially high benefits. This Outdoor Explorer is part of an informal series featuring Alaskans that started their own business. This episode features Kierre Childers with Revel Treks and Tours based in Palmer, Alaska. Kierre shares her story of becoming a small business owner leading hiking and backpacking trips in Southcentral Alaska.

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUEST: Kierre Childers, Revel Treks and Tours

LINKS:

Revel Treks and Tours website

Instagram

Facebook

Memorial Day may be the traditional first day of summer, but veterans, their families and the loved ones left behind know it’s also about something much bigger—remembering those who lost their lives in service to the nation.

While some mark the day with ceremony, many others honor the lost by taking to mountains and trails. That includes the challenging journey up Gold Star Peak, where a moving memorial site is perched on the rocky top.

Gold Star Peak sits on a slightly angled ridgeline in the Chugach Range, adjacent to Mount POW MIA, west of Pioneer Peak and the Twin Peaks and easily spotted from Mat-Su. It’s a tough climb tackled each year by hundreds of military-connected Alaskans and visitors. Explore why doing something hard outside helps us mark military loss and find out how you can participate.

HOST: Amy Bushatz

GUEST:

Mark DeRocchi, Army veteran and president of The 98 Fund

Mike McCauley, Navy veteran and volunteer with The 98 Fund

LINKS:

The 98 Fund

Gold Star Peak, Inc

It is time for boating! After a long winter kayaks and canoes are finally appearing from beneath piles of snow, rivers are running, lakes are thawing, and the ocean beckons. This episode of Outdoor Explorer is about getting ready for rafting, kayaking, canoeing and other non-motorized paddle sports. Topics include preparing yourself and your equipment for a summer of paddling. We also talk about Knik Canoers and Kayakers, or KCK. The club is instrumental in river conservation, access, and education in Southcentral Alaska. It hosts a safety education meeting, a paddle film festival, Paddle Fun

Day and organizes trips.

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

Jule Harle, packrafting author and instructor

Eric Downey, Knik Canoer and Kayaking club president

Chris Hellmann, organizer of the KCK paddle film festival and KCK vice president

Knik Canoers and Kayakers

Alaska Packrafter School and Jule Harle

American Canoe Association

Alaska Office of Boating Safety

Alaska Pacific University Outdoor Programs

Alaska Sea Kayakers

Alaska Coastal Safety

Fairbanks Paddlers

Paddlers Realm

Things to Luc At: Wilderness Safety and Alaskan Adventure

Turnagain Kayaks