Dark Winter Nights

Chris Huizenga tells how a sunny day with his daughter on the river gave him accidental pets that became a too-big part of his life, and Griffin Thissel loses something under the lake ice that he never expected to get back.

Two Alaska storytellers dealing with frustrating mysteries are featured on this episode of Dark Winter Nights, True Stories from Alaska. Richard Mustain tries to stop his freight truck for a man on the side of the road one dark, blustery night. And Polly Napik Andrews pines for stability as she goes from foster home to foster home with her sister, but eventually solves the mystery of how a family can be whole.

Rachel Osborn is ready to fight to protect her family, and Karl Monetti converses with a wolf in the wilderness, then, years later, dines with a river rat who’s been away from other humans too long.

Life-long adventurer Dick Griffith was on the Dark Winter Nights stage twice. His recent death made us want to share these awe-inspiring and sometimes funny moments he shared with host Rob Prince.

Jamy May Wagner discovers a giant woolly mammoth tusk sticking out of a river bank and Matthew Sturm’s climbing companion insists he’s going to summit the mountain or die…or both.

One man tries to feed 60 people with frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving and a woman discovers you shouldn’t just burn wood for fun in Alaska.

Dave Runfola and his family and friends suffer an unthinkable tragedy and learn how to grieve that loss in an Alaskan way.

Anne Lilley tries to sleep at night under an ant farm made of voles and Gwen Helms accidentally bearsprays her maid of honor.

Laura Reed gets rescued by the US Army and Melissa Shippey misses her exit while mushing in the backwoods of Alaska.

Dave Frey gets trapped in the wilderness with four boys from the Fairbanks Youth Facility medium security jail and David Bowen sees something in a reclusive student that no other teachers have seen.