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Summer 2020

Features

  • Trail Running southwest Montana Bozeman Gallatin
    Activities: Running

    SoWeMo

    Traveling fast, far, and on foot through the rugged backcountry of southwest Montana. A mix of blood, sweat, and mud soaked into the shoes of four runners as they began their descent from Hyalite Peak. It was the 25th of…
  • alpine lake montana landscape
    Activities

    Epic Outings

    Five all-day adventures for the summer season. At times it feels like Bozeman residents are in some sort of arms-race to extremity. Everywhere you look, people lope or bike along, checking heart-rates and Strava times.…
  • alpine fishing landscape
    Activities: Fishing

    Angling at Altitude

    Pursuing cutthroats, goldens, and grayling in thin air. Stumbling out of my tent in the soft light of dawn, I wondered if the fish would be in a similar less-than-lucid state. At 8,400 feet, deep in the Gallatin Range, our…

Departments

  • night sky astronomy stars galaxies
    Training: Astronomy

    Giants in the Summer Sky

    What to look for this season. The Big Sky has some big players in it this summer, with the largest planets in our solar system holding court during our brief and balmier nights. After the sun goes down and it (finally)…
  • storm lightning strike safety
    Training: Tips & Tricks

    Thunderstruck

    How to avoid a lightning strike. Unfortunately, there’s no way to guarantee you won’t get struck by lightning. Every bolt of lightning contains about five billion joules of energy, which is enough to power the average home…
  • running training partners Montana
    Training: Injury Prevention

    Push & Pull

    Essential ingredients for running and climbing. As the snow melts, the trails dry, and the long summer days offer “send burns,” we can all benefit from reflecting on our upcoming goals. Whether it’s a weekend ridge…
  • nutritional supplement diet vegan
    Culture: Humor

    Runner's Digest

    A new all-natural metabolic aid. With shelf-upon-shelf of nutritional health supplements to choose from, it can be difficult to know which is right for you. But what if there was an all-natural, sustainably harvested,…
  • bison rut buffalo fight
    Training: Photography

    Raging Bulls

    Photographing the bison rut. The bison rut, from late July through August, is an extreme and physically exhausting period for Yellowstone’s bulls, where they lose up to 10% of their bodyweight. The challenges are constant…
  • rafting gallatin river access
    Culture: Conservation

    River Renovation

    Gallatin access points get a facelift. Ever since the mid-’90s, when Paul Maclean took shadow-casting mainstream, scores of anglers have descended upon our little corner of paradise. Many set up shop along the banks of the…
  • mountain biking stone creek bangtails Montana
    Activities: Mountain Biking

    Happier Trails

    A private-public partnership in the Bridgers. If you’ve visited a Bozeman-area trailhead in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed something: they’re all crowded. This past spring, when schools and workplaces were…
  • canoe camping montana float river sunset
    Activities: Canoeing

    Wet Dreams

    Overnight canoe trips around Bozeman. In the summer, when the weather is warm and our outdoor playground abounds with opportunities for adventure, there appears a strange sense of urgency. How much can we cram in before…
  • land ownership public private Manhattan Montana
    Culture: Conservation

    Animal House

    The public benefits of private lands. As we extol our public lands—of which we can be justly proud—let us not overlook the importance of private working lands. For these are the most valuable lands in Montana, in terms of…
  • osprey falls yellowstone park waterfall Montana
    Activities: Fishing

    Our Time

    Yellowstone Park in the year of the Bug. This past spring was a rough one, but one silver lining for inhabitants of southwest Montana (along with '90s-era traffic and elbow room during the salmonfly hatch) is the…
  • dog training trail hiking
    Culture: Dogs

    Training Day

    Introducing your puppy to the trail.  If you think about it, hiking with your dog can subject her to the same maneuvers as an agility course—jumping and weaving between obstacles, maybe even balancing on a log bridge. …
  • skiing the great one Bridgers naya nuki
    Activities: Skiing

    Chute Show

    Skiing the Great One. ’Tis the season for the Great Northern Couloir of Naya Nuki; aka, the Great One; aka, TGO. Where, on the Fourth of July, Bozeman skiers assemble en masse, like fishermen at the Mother’s Day caddis…
  • predator meat gun defense humor illustration
    Culture: Humor

    Packin' Meat

    A breakthrough for bear defense. For decades, there have been just two choices for active bear repellants: firearms and bear spray. Now, there’s a third—a compact pistol that shoots canisters of fragrant, exploding meat…
  • photography flying raptors
    Training: Photography

    Enraptored

    Photographing birds of prey. Our Montana skies are full of raptors: red-tailed, rough-legged, sharp-shinned, Swainson’s, and Cooper’s hawks; American kestrels; bald and golden eagles; ospreys and turkey vultures; harriers…
  • swimming dog pet hazards
    Culture: Dogs

    Doggone Dos & Don'ts

    Summertime hazards for dogs. With the long-awaited summer season comes sunny days, green grass, and river trips. We have the benefit of living in a beautiful area filled with outdoor activities that are fun for us all, and…
  • whitefish fish species sustainability drawing illustration
    Activities: Fishing

    Mighty Whitey

    In defense of trashfish. As marked by the publication of Isaak Walton’s Compleat Angler in 1653, people have been getting fishing line tangled in branches for at least three and a half centuries. Catch-and-release angling…
  • pronghorn conservation FWP Montana
    Culture: Conservation

    More for Montana

    20 years of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. If there’s anything the year 2020 has reminded us so far, it’s that life is more complicated than it used to be.  The past 20 years in southwest Montana have brought new…
  • Hebgen fly tying fly fishing Montana lake
    Training: Fly Tying

    Hebgen Bronzie

    A small fly for big trout. If you’re not privy to Hebgen Lake’s chironomid (lake midge) hatches, treat yourself. Swarms of buzzing gnats entice the trout—if you listen closely, you can actually hear the hum. And Hebgen’s…
  • yellowstone river wild scenic Montana landscape
    Culture: Conservation

    Liquid Legacy

    Keeping our rivers wild and scenic. It is hard to over-exaggerate how much Montanans love rivers. From Class V rapids to 50-mile riffles, rivers are the arteries that pump life into our state’s outdoor heritage, recreation…
  • running helmet gear runner
    Activities: Running

    Protect Your Joggin' Noggin

    Running helmets hit the market. These days it’s easy to imagine that everyone in the world has suffered a major head injury. Just join a protest or political rally—it’s like being in a live-action infomercial for TBI.…
  • drawing Illustration flower black eyed Susan
    Culture: Arts & Culture

    Signified

    Under a Montana sky, blue-black with smoke from August fires,the weight of my line unspools, pushing away from the fly rod   in cursive loops. Where the water calms, the cliffside shimmersin the creek’s mirror, looking…
  • drawing illustration four bears tree landscape
    Culture: Arts & Culture

    Aesthetics Precede Ethics

    The doors of the brook trout’s pink gills open and close as it wriggles in my palm, back  yellow and black, variegated like coral. Light appears  at the fish’s exposed sides, and the sound of water  collects in backwash…
  • bozeman competition face off Montana illustration drawing
    Culture: Humor

    Face-Off: For the Record

    Tallying the spoils of war. The quarterly face-off—it started in 2006, when Bozeman, then a smallish Montana mountain town, felt its oats and started squaring off with similar towns across the country. We came out swinging…
  • dutch oven cooking campfire cast iron
    Activities: Camping

    Pass the Dutchie

    Cast-iron cooking over the campfire. From the campfires of adventurous explorers across the Rockies to the great chuckwagon trails, cast-iron camp ovens have been an integral part of forging the American experience. Paul…
  • horseback riding Montana Absaroka Beartooth Outfitters fishing
    Activities: Fishing

    The High Life

    A bucket-list fishing trip. Most anglers dream of a true backcountry fly-fishing experience. Getting away from the bumper-boats on busy rivers and the crowded roads of the summer season; climbing high into the mountains…
  • clean water purification filter backcountry
    Training: Tips & Tricks

    Clean & Clear

    Water-purification options. Few things ruin the outdoor experience like intestinal parasites. Though the symptoms of Giardia often don’t set in for a while, when they do, you’ll wish to High Heaven you’d been more careful—…
  • chanterelle mushroom foraging Montana
    Culture: Food & Drink

    Eat Your Woods

    Foraging while you play. Like locally sourced food? Summer’s a great time to keep an eye out for organic grub in the area to supplement camping dinners, post-hike barbecues, and fishing trips. Foraging—from the Old French …
  • mountain peak summit adventure Montana trail run
    Activities: Biking

    Power Picnic

    Suffering through summer. A few years ago, I rolled out of my car at 2:30am to tackle the Grand Teton in one day. After a successful jaunt up the Owen-Spalding route, I drove into Jackson to enjoy a few beers with some…
  • adventure travel van fishing trip camper
    Activities: Camping

    Van Go

    Caving in to creature comforts. It didn’t sink in until I began to fill the cooler with ice. Wait a second. We don’t need a cooler. This thing has a fridge. And so began a series of adjustments, from our normal car-…
  • trail diet exercise recover rest lunch outdoors montana
    Training: Tips & Tricks

    Back on Track

    Three tips to a faster recovery. After a long, muddy spring, it’s finally time to hit the trail. Since summer goes by in an instant, you want to make the most of it, and no one likes passing up a hike or ride from being…
  • Pony Montana
    Culture

    Show Pony

    The story of a one-horse town. They say he stood five-foot-two, based on Civil War military records, but his character and perseverance must have made up for what he lacked in height because the man called Tecumseh Smith (…
  • climbing Natural Bridge boulder valley Montana
    Activities: Rock Climbing

    Ouzeling Along

    Leisurely climbing at Natural Bridge. On a warm and cloudy Saturday April morning, we pack up the truck and head for Natural Bridge. It’s south of Big Timber, in the Custer-Gallatin National Forest, and was named for a…
  • tobacco root mountains pony montana mason lake
    Activities: Hiking

    Outside Pony

    Pick your poison near Pony. The area around Pony overflows with outdoor opportunity—whether you’re a hiker, biker, climber, skier, or angler, there’s tons to keep you busy for a day, for a weekend, or all summer long.  …
  • northern pike Montana
    Activities: Fishing

    Trout Is Out

    Don't overlook Montana's other fishy options. A gleaming trout may be the holy image of fishing in Montana, but there are a lot more species swimming around our pristine waters. Consider these other fish for a fun catch…
  • Kelly Ranch bozeman montana
    Culture: The New West

    Rural Respect

    Be considerate of private landowners.  The weekend looked to be a beaut. Cup of coffee in hand, I contemplated how to enjoy the great outdoors after a long work week. Suddenly the dog bristled and growled. Heading out…

Gear Reviews

  • dog food bowl pet kurgo collapsabowl
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Kurgo Collaps-a-Bowl

    Hot and dry—that’s summer in Montana. On those long hikes where water’s scarce, keep your hound hydrated with the Collaps-a-Bowl by Kurgo. Strong and sturdy, it holds a whopping 24 ounces and flattens for easy storage after…
  • hammock tent camping
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Crua Hybrid Tent

    When sleeping solo, I’ve always preferred a hammock—except when it’s raining, in which case a tent is the superior option. Crua’s Hybrid puts the best of both into a single, choose-your-own-elevation package. On the ground…
  • biolite campstove cooking
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Biolite Campstove 2

    With the ability to turn fire into electricity, the super-slick Biolite Campstove 2 brings the caveman back to the future. The stove creates a vortex of smokeless flame for a portable campfire that can cook your meals and…
  • GSI knife set cooking
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: GSI Santoku Knife Set

    If you’re not a chef, you can now pretend to be, with the GSI Outdoors Santoku Knife Set. A durable organizing case secures a 6” serrated knife, 6” Santoku chef’s knife, 4” paring knife, soap-dispensing bottle, cleaning…
  • orvis fishing waders
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Orvis PRO Waders

    With the exception of July and August, if I’m fishing, I’m in waders—so having a comfortable pair is a priority. Orvis has long been my go-to brand and they’ve impressed me again with their PRO Waders. With room for gear,…
  • dry bag boating gear SealLine
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: SealLine Pro Zip 70L

    Eventually, every canoe tips. And the unpleasantness of this eventuality is inversely related to how much you prepared for it. Meaning, stuff all your clothing and bedding in dry bags—and make ‘em good ones. SealLine’s 70L …
  • ruffwear dog harness
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Flagline Dog Harness

    We all need a leg up once in a while, especially dogs rock-hopping behind us high up in the mountains. Which is where the Flagline harness from Ruff Wear comes in. Lightweight, with a long, load-dispersing design, the…
  • selvatica hiking shoe
    Gear: Apparel

    Review: AKU Selvatica Mid GTX

    The AKU Selvatica Mid GTX boots are the most comfortable, supportive, and efficient hiking boots I’ve tried to date. Lightweight and agile, they are designed to allow a natural range of motion in the feet for maximum…
  • klymit fishing raft boat
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Klymit Litewater Dinghy

    Weight and bulk usually prohibit boats at highland lakes, but that’s not the case with the Klymit Litewater Dinghy, which weighs only 35 ounces and stuffs to the size of a water bottle. It inflates quickly with a clever…

Book Reviews

Outside Bozeman Summer 2020

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