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

For as long as humans created art nature has inspired us. From cave paintings in France to Indigenous art in Alaska to western artists like Rockwell Kent artists and their work celebrate the wonders of the natural world. The Forest Service's Voices of the Wilderness program continues the tradition with an artist in residence model of service and art. Individuals apply to the program and if accepted spend a week or more in a Wilderness or Wilderness Study Area with wilderness specialists. During that time they help with service projects and work on a creative piece that is then shared with the agency and the general public. On this Outdoor Explorer host Paul Twardock discusses the program with Barbara Lydon, program coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service; Marybeth Holleman, author and poet; Youpa Stein, multimedia artist; and Klara Maisch, painter. We learn about the program and the work they created from the inspiration they got during their time with the program in the wilderness.

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

Barbara Lydon, program coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service

Marybeth Holleman, author and poet

Youpa Stein, multimedia artist

Klara Maisch, painter

LINKS:

Forest Service Voices of the Wilderness

Marybeth Holleman

Klara Maisch

Youpa Stein

Barbara Lydon

Prince William Sound Natural History Symposium