Alaska weather: going to extremes

Denali Park, Alaska – The Nenana River is at the 4th highest level it has ever been, and rising. Including this high water event, for 4 out of the last 5 years the Nenana has reached at Top 5 all-time mark. But it’s not just rain that is coming in extremes. On the other end of the spectrum, fire is ravaging the state at record levels this decade as well. Read more

Damming the Susitna

Susitna River, Alaska – With some of the biggest whitewater anywhere, only a handful in the world have been down Devil’s Canyon of the Susitna River. This week I’ll be talking to three of them to see how they feel about the possibility of two dam dams turning one of the wildest places on earth into a reservoir. Read more

Teaching kids to kayak

Otto Lake, Alaska – There’s nothing like watching people progress in a sport as difficult, and as scary, as whitewater kayaking. Watching a bunch of fearless kids pick it up is even more rewarding. For the next week, I’ll be watching five teenagers go from wide-eyed and worried to gung-ho paddlers in the second annual Denali Kayak Camp. Read more

The river to recovery

Killik River, Alaska – Only four months removed from a devastating ski accident that left him partially paralyzed, Ben Johnson is preparing to guide a commercial raft trip through the mountains of the Brooks Range. From August 7th through August 17th, Ben will be guiding a paddle boat down the Killik River in the northwest corner of Gates of the Arctic National Park. Read more

Chulitna River: floating below The Great One

Chulitna River, Alaska – This story has taken me a while to write. How do you describe a place with busy and fun whitewater, unbelievable fishing for king salmon, and absolutely epic views of the most massive mountain in North America? I still don’t know how, but I’ll start with the name, Chulitna, the river of sticks. Read more

Hiking Hatcher Pass, by Alicia Compton

Hatcher Pass, Alaska – One of the most beautiful places to hike in the state is also one of the most easily accessible. Hatcher Pass can be accessed from either Palmer or Willow on the Glenn or Parks highways. My first time to Hatcher Pass was from the Palmer side, a drive through green countryside, and beside a clear, swift stream. Read more

The test of rugged: Crow Pass Crossing

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Girdwood, Alaska – What would make a person run 26-miles over a rugged mountain pass, down fields of sharp scree, across patches of snow and through a swift, glacial river? All before noon. Though they were running through grizzly country, it wasn’t for being chased by a bear that these people punished themselves. They just like to run. Read more

As Americans stay inside, our parks suffer

Denali Park, Alaska – “Blame the conservationists,” says The Economist, for the continuing decline in wilderness recreation amongst Americans. Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t it conservationists like Teddy Roosevelt that we have to thank for the national park system to begin with? People not getting outside and connecting with nature is a long-term problem with long-term consequences, but we’re not going to find any solutions by positing it as a development vs. conservation issue. Read more

Hiking down the Savage

Denali Park, Alaska – Denali National Park is best seen in 3 or 4 days on a backpacking trip. But for those who don’t have the time, or who don’t want to spend the day bouncing down the park road in a school bus, Savage River offers an easily accessible day-trip version of the park that is hard to beat. Read more

Nenana River Festival ‘08

Denali National Park, Alaska – For 31-years, the Nenana River Festival has filled Denali with boaters from all over the state to race and surf down the icy waters of one of Alaska’s greatest rivers. But with a need for new energy, the longest running festival of its kind in Alaska nearly didn’t happen this year. Read more

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