The Blue Tarp

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Season 5 Finale Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This will be our last episode for season five. As is often the case, we are going to close out the season with a few topics that we wanted to make sure we covered. Today, we’ll discuss solo winter climbing, changes on Denali, and advice for aspiring mountaineers from experts. Whether you’re an old timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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Episode 7: Close Calls on Denali Jun 09, 2024

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This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. So far this season, we’ve covered many aspects of climbing Denali, including how harrowing expeditions can be when they go wrong. Today, we’re going to hear from Alaskan climbers, most of whom have been on the mountain many times, about some of the scarier situations they’ve faced while on North America’s highest peak. We welcome you to join us as we hear about bad weather, rescues, and close calls. Whether you’re an old timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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Episode 6: Women on Denali Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This season, we’ve heard many stories about climbing Denali. Whether they were stories of triumph, tragedy, or something in between, one thing has been true about nearly all of them. They are stories of men on Denali. Today, we will change that. While mountaineering was, and to an extent still is, a male-dominated activity, plenty of women have made an impact in the Alaska Range. Today, we will hear from a few of them. Whether you’re an old-timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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Triumph and Tragedy in 1967 May 11, 2024

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. We are now past the halfway point in our season about mountaineering on Denali, North America’s tallest peak. Today, we’re jumping forward in time once again, but instead of covering an entire era of climbing in the Alaska Range as we have with previous episodes, we’re going focus on the year that saw the largest tragedy to date on the mountain as well as its first winter ascent. Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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Climbing Denali in the 1940s and 1950s Apr 28, 2024

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Unlike previous seasons of this program, the episodes so far have been primarily a chronological history lesson of mountaineering on Denali. Today, we’ll continue to tell some of that history by looking at a period of innovation in routes to climb Denali in the 1940s and 50s. Some of those attempts were successful, while others resulted in tragedy. Whether you’re an old timer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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Early Firsts on Denali Apr 13, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we’ve covered many firsts. The first team to summit, the first airplane used as part of an expedition, the first team to reach both summits, and, unfortunately, the first known fatalities on Denali. In our next episode, we’re going to move forward in history to a time when airplanes were much more common, and the discovery of a new route would change the course of mountaineering history in the Alaska Range.

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Early Attempts on Denali Mar 30, 2024

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as usually told by those who lived them. Today, most of our stories will not be first-hand, since we are delving into the early history of documented attempts to climb Denali. That said, they form an important chapter in the history of mountaineering and its ties to the area. Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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Climbing Denali Today Mar 16, 2024

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Thank you for joining us as we kick off season five. This year, our theme is climbing Denali. North America’s highest mountain is a constant presence in the lives of the folks who live here, and most years more than a thousand people come here to attempt to reach the summit.

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Season 4, Episode 8: Growing Up Here Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This is the last episode of our fourth season, which we have dubbed Susitna Valley origin stories. Over the course of the season, we have explored a variety of reasons that led people to relocate to the area. To close out the season, we wanted to highlight those who didn’t choose to move here, but were either born in the Susitna Valley or moved here with their families as children. Some have been here ever since, and others have left and returned later. We invite you to join us as we hear their stories, because whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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Season 4, Episode 7: Up the Tracks Jun 10, 2023

Show notes

This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’ll hear stories from people for whom even Talkeetna was too crowded. Instead of the hustle and bustle of the booming metropolis of Talkeetna, they opted to live in the communities further north alongside the Alaska Railroad, or, as the locals call it, Up The Tracks. Whether you’re an oldtimer or a newcomer, there’s room under The Blue Tarp for everyone.

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