Summer 2006

Secrets of fishing the Yellowstone.It would become a perfect day. One of those rare days when the air feels neither warm nor cool; not clammy, but not noticeably arid either. An air temperature so ideal that until you think…

An early-summer walkabout—that’s what my wife Lucy and I had in mind that bright Montana morning. We left Gardiner, the little town of 850 people on the Park’s northern border, and drove two-and-a-half miles north on the…

A.k.a., the Gallatin Range.Next time you look south of Bozeman, to the mountains that border our beautiful valley, consider what you are seeing. Rising in a riotous mass of sharp peaks, craggy ridges, and vast alpine…

When I mailed my first Jim Bridger Trail Run application in during the spring of 2003, I really did have the full intent of actually training for it. But I had no idea what I was getting into, as the “trail” part of the…

Sending out the week with some gas.As we make our way to the grandstand, the red-blooded energy of the track comes alive. The smell of grilled burgers and hot dogs. The rumble of engines revving in the pits. We fidget in…

Not every mountainous region in the world is blessed with the quality of life we enjoy in Montana. The people of Nepal and Tibet, for example, are so bad off in places that they lack access to education, clean water, and…

Make your next shopping trip an adventure. Patagonia stores usually creep me out. Around here, the line is often referred to as Patagucci, and the pricey goods are worthy of the slang. I’ve been to several of their retail…

I’ve seen a small god among the birds. It’s their grip on things. I’ve watched them even after death holding the wire, an absurd little foot clenched above, leaving the rest to dangle the way of all flesh. Others worship…

A tribute to a fishing friend. I lost a lifelong friend recently. We grew up together in a small town in central Illinois. It’s one of those places that you can’t wait to leave when you’re old enough, but continually find…

Make it a western summer.Summer in Montana means rodeo, and there are plenty of boot stompin’, knee slappin’, bronc bustin’ events to choose from. Nearly every weekend you will find some of the West’s finest cowboys and…

Youth baseball in Bozeman.As the sun warms the Gallatin Valley and the only visible snow lingers high in the mountains, look closely as you wander around town—signs of area athletes are everywhere. Roof racks have traded…

Few people know that when Rudolph Diesel debuted his namesake engine in the 1890s, he ran it on peanut oil. Diesel’s vision was to find uses for non-petroleum fuels so that small businesses could compete with the large…

Backpacking through Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica last April, Mariann Van Den Elzen ran into three folks from the Bozeman/Big Sky area. The following week, in Puerto Viejo, two Missoulians on bikes stopped her to…

The dilemma of access and excess. As I slowly wind down the labyrinth of new roads from another exclusive clubhouse-to-be nestled high in the last best waste, my eyes are drawn to the mocha-tinted meltwater snaking down…

Considerations for the ultimate match.The snow has melted and the warm weather has arrived. For many of us, that means one thing: biking season is here! Biking has become a way of life in southwest Montana. Some bike to…

Ranger cabins for every mood. Ranger cabins have a long and illustrious record in southwestern Montana. They once housed very lonely rangers who did lots of scientific work and occasionally single-handedly fought raging…

Summer is here—it’s time to break out the barbeque, dust off the flip-flops, pop open a cold beer, and round up your friends. Summer's arrival also marks the beginning of the Copper River salmon season. Almost 300 miles in…

Southwest Montana's most convenient gems. 1. Canyon Ferry Lake, south of Helena Pull up your pop-up and break out the folding chairs. Canyon Ferry is a multifaceted recreational destination. Set your spinner rods up in…

An interview with the king of energy. In late April, the Emerson Cultural Center hosted the looping, beat-boxing one-man-band known as Keller Williams. Keller wowed the sold-out crowd for almost three hours, creating…

Put the pavement behind you. Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. –Ralph Waldo Emerson I’m sitting a few hundred yards above the M, looking at the valley floor through my…

Not your ordinary girls' club.Team WinS stands for Women in Sports. It’s not just a club for women who run the fastest mile, the longest race, or climb the highest peak, though they certainly appreciate having these gals in…

Scott Creel, an ecology professor at MSU, is a masters runner (over 40) who destroys competitors of all ages. The 2003 U.S. 50k trail champion has won ultramarathons and trail races at the national level and is seven-time…

Thanks for the opportunity to contact you concerning your super magazine. I now look for it! I just wanted to drop you a short note concerning a letter from Misdemeanor Marvin of the Gallatin County jail (Summer 2005).…

Giving a damn around the Gallatin Valley.I belong to a community. The baristas at my favorite coffee shop know I don’t actually like coffee. They have already begun pouring the milk before I can squeak out, “short skim…

After its shellacking of Burlington, Bozeman’s ready for another match. Next up: Flagstaff, Arizona, situated high in the San Francisco Peaks and home to the Big Sky Conference’s own Northern Arizona University. Close to…

Tom Walker is taking me into his “mood room.” It’s a dim area containing four or five hot tubs, plants, water that is changing colors, funky music, and a star-scape light fixture that gives the place a planetarium-like feel…

Looking for a different kind of road race? Want both an upper-body and an aerobic workout? Curious to hear some gravelly grunting and groaning? Your opportunity comes around on July 8 at the Drop ‘n Trot, a fundraiser for…

In the summer, my 86-year-old mother’s year-round battle with urbanized deer reaches its peak. Deer are very fond of some of her favorite plants: snow peas, lettuce, hybrid roses. She’s rigged a tall fence around a space in…

Let your exasperation at the gas pump serve as a reminder to attend the Corporation for the Northern Rockies’ (CNR) Sustainability Fair in Livingston on July 8. The event focuses on the full spectrum of sustainability, from…

Four-wheelin' in Flathead Pass.Flex your frame, test your traction, and abuse your brakes on a road less traveled: Flathead Pass. This pass crosses the north end of the Bridger Mountains, and connects the Gallatin and…

The first annual Storyhill Fest is two-day, two-night event featuring Montana Outdoor Science School workshops, guitar workshops, hiking, yoga, late-night campfire enjoyment—all along the shores of Bozeman’s own Hyalite…

A trip with Absaroka-Beartooth Outfitters. It’s a bright summer morning as my wife Mary Pat and I drive east on I-90 toward Big Timber. Just outside Livingston we watch a man on horseback move cattle across a sprawling…

Joe Gutkoski knows the Gallatin Range as well as anyone. After leaving the military, he worked for the Forest Service for 32 years, including 13 as a smoke jumper. He retired from the Forest Service in 1982. Joe is also…

This past January the second complex of Western Outpost opened, offering a variety of shops from home furnishings to a lighting showroom. The Western Outpost began in April 2004 as four cowboy-oriented shops specializing in…

The raw truth about blisters.A blister is your skin going postal. When held in too close contact and rubbed the wrong way over a prolonged period without relief, a blister forms, and the metaphorical government employee has…

Summer playtime injuries.Why is it that in summer months we have more elbow pain? The answers include tennis, golf, fishing, and many other repetitive-strain disorders, from drinking beer to pulling weeds.The elbow is the…

947 - Total number of Yellowstone bison killed this past winter3,500 – number of bison in Yellowstone herd, according to a March 2006 estimate by Park officials0 – number of captured Yellowstone bison tested for…

Get ready for hunting season. Many folks believe that procrastination is the key to flexibility, and although that may be true for issues pertaining to duties at the office, chores around the house, and any number of items…

If you’ve ever tried to sift through your foggy memory to recollect the details of a past outdoor excursion—which fly you used, where that bear den was, or the extra cam you wish you’d had on that gnarly crack climb—then it…

Basic bike maintenance for a longer-lasting ride. The combination of water, grit, and mud on your drive train will shorten the life of your parts. Keep your bike clean! Follow these steps for a longer-lasting bike:1. Bathe…

Yes, we reviewed a book with “A Love Story” in the title. But it was worth it. Chasing Montana: A Love Story by Lori Soderlind is an autobiographical story about a New Jersey woman who quits her reporting job to retrace the…

Busted gear is a real problem—it’s not cheap to replace and sometimes they just don’t make what you like anymore. It’s especially terrible when you have to cut a trip short because of it. This is why we like Don’t Forget…

Tying the drowned salmonfly.There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to timing the salmonfly hatch in southwestern Montana. However, the Fourth of July in Livingston generally arrives with clearing water on the…

Life can be lighter after children. A solo hike across Montana’s Beartooth Range is an exhilarating experience. However, the ability to share the wilderness with your spouse and children is a crown-jewel-of-life experience…

A Super Opportunity for HuntersWin the hunt of a lifetime! For the first time ever, five lucky hunters will win a SuperTag license to hunt moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, elk, or deer in any hunting district in Montana…

No rip-snortin’, self-respectin’ Western movie would be without them. Our cowboy hero, his horse shot out from underneath him, one cartridge left in his six-gun and one swallow in his canteen, staggers across the burning…