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Fall 2019

Features

  • Ross Peak, Bridger Mountains, Bozeman, Montana
    Places: Mountains

    The Many-Sided Massif

    A photographic study of Ross Peak.  It’s not the highest point in the Bridgers. It barely falls within the range’s ten-tallest summits. But for whatever reason, we’re drawn to Ross Peak. Perhaps its counter-intuitive…
  • Montana State School Trust Lands, Hunting, PLWA
    Activities: Hunting

    Make a Statement

    Gaining access to school-trust lands.  While the debate over public-lands access has hit the mainstream, the issue has been brewing for decades. Even back in the 1950s, recreationists argued that Montana’s 5.2-million…
  • Tom Reed, Southwest Montana, Parenting
    Activities: Fishing

    A Horse for Clare

    Raising a daughter in the mountains of Montana.  When you were tiny and squalling, I carried you out to the horse pasture and we stood among them and listened. As soon as we were in them, among them, you quieted. Switched…
  • Grizzly Bears, Bear Attacks, Montana, Hunting, Todd Orr
    Activities: Archery

    A Bad Day in Bear Country

    On October 1, 2016, Todd Orr was attacked by a grizzly bear—twice. This is his story.  It was an early-fall morning as I began my hike up into the high country of southwest Montana. Three miles in, I spotted a sow…
  • Ron Brunckhorst, Mountain Climbing, Southwest Montana
    Activities: Ice Climbing

    An Open Book

    Local climbing legend Ron Brunckhorst.  Enigmatic climber, route developer, guidebook author, local legend: for more than 40 years, Ron Brunckhorst has been quietly exploring Montana’s vertical realm of rock and ice. In…

Departments

  • Banana Creme Pie, pastry, caramel sauce, Autumn recipe
    Culture: Food & Drink

    A-Peeling Pastry

    Making banana cream pie.  The cooler temps of fall always bring with them the desire to dine on comfort foods, savory and sweet alike. Autumn’s rich palette seems to incite cravings held at bay through the stifling heat of…
  • Bull Moose, Madison River, Montana
    Activities: Fishing

    True Tales: Raging Bull

    A moose and an angler square off.   It was a blustery afternoon in late October. The weatherman predicted that the sun and mild temperature early in the day would give way to late showers. It looked like he was right as…
  • Mimi Matsuda, Montana Artist, painting
    Culture: People

    Instant Impact

    Artist Mimi Matsuda talks inspiration.  Montana’s stunning landscapes and abundant wildlife have long inspired a variety of artists, from painters to poets. It was no different for Mimi Matsuda, whose whimsical work has…
  • Shooting, Ammunition, Lead exposure, Copper Ammunition, Health
    Activities: Hunting

    Lead Astray

    Switching to copper rounds.  It was late summer when my fiancé Lisa and I began planning her first pronghorn hunt. Casually, over an elk-steak supper, she announced that she would not be using lead ammunition to harvest an…
  • Manhattan, autumn drink, beverage
    Culture: Food & Drink

    Big-City Sippin'

    Making a Manhattan.  As colder temperatures become the seasonal norm, there is a noticeable shift in the consumption of spirits, from clear liquors such as vodka, gin, and tequila to darker ones such a rye, bourbon, and…
  • Frazier Basin, Geology, Bridger Mountains
    Activities: Hiking

    Beach Bodies

    The fossils of Frazier Basin.  Living in Montana gives us easy access to beef, wild game, and freshwater fish. However, few people realize that millions of years ago, lobster and other marine life lived in the warm,…
  • Skiing, training, winter, Bridger Bowl, Fitness, Health
    Activities: Backcountry Skiing

    Eccentric Approach

    Strength training for ski touring.  Screaming hip flexors, cramping calves, tight shoulders, breathless climbs in the skintrack—we’ve all been there. Ski touring combines demanding aerobic output with uphill-specific…
  • Rock Climbing, Fall, Lower Madison Walls
    Activities: Rock Climbing

    Autumn Ascension

    Classic fall climbs.  Ahhhh, fall: when the weather goes from surface-of-the-sun hot to deep-space cold in a flash. To stay in orbit on the chilly fall days, you’ll want to head to a crag where you can drink in those ever-…
  • Osteoarthritis, Dogs, Canine, Bozeman
    Culture: Dogs

    Dogs' Years

    Osteoarthritis in canines.   Most Bozeman dogs lead an active lifestyle, taking part in all the outdoor activities the rest of us enjoy. For both people and pets, as we age and recover from injury, we’re sometimes…
  • Humbug Spires, Pioneer Mountains, Southwest Montana, Autumn
    Places: Mountains

    Amble On

    Fall is for the road. This autumn, I think I’ll head west on I-90 to retrace an exploration of more than 20 years ago when my daughter and I happened upon a scrap of Montana history that remains in my mind like a half-…
  • Hunting Season, Hunting, Bozeman
    Activities: Hunting

    Paint the Town Red

    Living where people hunt.  Try as they might, there’s one thing newcomers will never change about Bozeman: this will always be a hunting town. Elk will always bugle come September, grouse will always scatter at the sight…
  • Kenetrek, Rapid Rifle Covers, Stone Glacier, Skyblade Knives
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Hometown Hunting

    Gear up with these local companies.   Finding quality hunting gear can be just as challenging as bagging an elk. With so many options, and with standards changing all the time, how do you know where to start? Luckily,…
  • Gallatin Valley, Fresh Produce, Canning
    Culture: Food & Drink

    Can It

    Extending the harvest's bounty.  After a summer harvest, there’s an abundance of produce to consume. Our growing season is short, but you can extend your consumption of local produce by canning, all while gaining health…
  • Bowhunting, Elk, Bozeman, Montana
    Activities: Archery

    Dream vs. Reality: Bowhunting

    Hunting the wily wapiti. Few pastimes elicit as visceral a response as hunting elk with bow and arrow. It’s at once ancient and modern, both art and sport, as challenging as it is rewarding. And for the few hearty souls…
  • Hiking, Dogs, Bozeman, Montana
    Activities: Hiking

    Chain the Monkey Brain

    And think like a dog.  I saw a cartoon showing a person and a dog hiking in the woods with thought bubbles juxtaposed over their heads. The caption read, “Why your dog is happier than you.” The dog’s thought bubble showed…
  • Public Lands, Stewardship, Public Access
    Culture: Lingo & Etiquette

    A-Holes Among Us

    A plea for better stewardship.  I always boast about Bozeman, about the public land and the freedom to roam. I boast about the gratitude the locals have for the landscape. While we’re fortunate to live in a wild and…
  • Gallatin Valley, Fall, Bozeman, Montana
    Culture: Season Opener

    Lessons of the Fall

    Finding peace in transition.  "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." —Oscar Wilde In Montana, when the nights settle softly into frost and aspens blaze behind a half-cocked autumn sun, there…
  • Nature Photography, Photography, Bozeman, Montana
    Training: Photography

    Au Natural

    Nature-photography basics.  When you see a stunning photo of a picturesque Gallatin River or a bugling bull elk on a misty morning, it can be hard to tell on the surface how much work went into its creation. Spoiler alert…
  • Activities: Fishing

    The Not-So-Secret Weapon

    Tying the Shakey Bealy.  As the rising sun crests the mountains, anticipation sets in. Cool, crisp air fills your nostrils as you rig your rod, taking added caution to ensure that every knot is flawless. It’s fall in…
  • Training: Astronomy

    Light Show

    Celestial gatherings in the autumn sky.  Fall is rendezvous time. Birds flock and head south. Bison and elk head for lower elevations. Cattle are rounded up for their winter pastures. The sky offers a rendezvous of its…
  • Hot Tub, Hunting, Bozeman, Montana, Yellowstone Club
    Activities: Big-Game Hunting

    Wet & Wild

    Hot-tub hunting takes off.   What, exactly, is hot-tub hunting? Well, it’s just as it sounds: killing wild game from the steamy, aquatic comfort of your spa. First conceived in Texas, as a tongue-in-cheek option on private…
  • Gear, Organization, Garage, Bozeman, Montana
    Gear

    Galleries of Gear

    Bozeman’s version of performance art.   In Bozeman, a gear garage (or shed or room or wing, as the case may be) is a badge of honor. The more varied the contents, the more esteemed their owner; the more ingenious the…
  • Navigation, Survival, Bozeman, Montana
    Training: Skills & Safety

    The Lost Art

    Relearning the map & compass.   We have become the ET Phone Home generation. Don’t get that reference? Google it. It means we are so dependent on our phones that we are lost without them—in some cases, literally. How…
  • Lower Madison, Madison River, Fly Fishing, Montana
    Activities: Fishing

    A Lower Standard

    Fall fishing on the lower Madison.  Fly fishermen tend to have impossibly high standards. Their tools of the trade alone are the pinnacle of angling technique, and between their ethics and their antics, it’s hard not to…
  • Lava Lake, Hiking, Fishing, Spanish Peaks, Lee Metcalf Wilderness
    Activities: Hiking

    Liquid-Hot Hiking

    The Trail to Lava Lake.  The tumbling whitewater of Cascade Creek rushes down between Jumbo Mountain and Table Mountain into Lava Lake, a 40-acre tarn formed by a landslide damming the creek. The forest-lined lake sits in…
  • night running
    Activities: Running

    Shed a Little Light

    Stay visible while running.  If you’re a road runner, you understand the importance of visibility. You need to make sure that drivers notice you, especially in the fall when sunrise and sunset line up with morning and…
  • Big Sky Biking, Fall, Southwest Montana Trails, hiking, trail-running
    Activities: Mountain Biking

    Hummocks & Uplands

    Biking Big Sky’s basics.  Winter comes early to the Madison Range, which is why we’re grateful for the trail development in Big Sky’s Meadow Village. If you’re itching to sneak in some singletrack before the powder piles…
  • Whitefish Bike Retreat, Whitefish Trail, Whitefish, Montana
    Activities: Mountain Biking

    Retreat to the North

    Fall mountain biking in Whitefish.  Certain bucket-list items never get checked off. They move from one sheet of paper to the next, always written in ink but never struck through by Sharpie. On my bucket list, that item…

Gear Reviews

  • Review: Schnee's Kestrel
    Gear: Apparel

    Review: Schnee's Kestrel

    When I got my Kestrel boots from Schnee’s, I pulled them straight out of the box and went on a 25-mile backpack. It wasn’t the most challenging hike ever, but it had a little bit of everything, including mud, rock, water,…
  • Redington Prowler Pro Outside Bozeman Review
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Redington Prowler Pro

    Like other frugal fishermen, I refused to replace my beloved wading boots, instead modifying them with sheet-metal screws, duct tape, and other jury-rigging, season after slippery season. Until this year, when I discovered…
  • Review: Nemo Spike
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Nemo Spike

    Nothing beats chasing elk through the high country—and nothing’s worse than being caught in a nasty squall five miles from camp. Unless, of course, you packed along the Spike tent by NEMO. This clever little shelter is…
  • Review: Zenbivy Bed 25
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Zenbivy Bed 25

    When I opened Zenbivy’s ultralight sleep system and saw instructions for a video tutorial, I was skeptical. Why do I need instructions to sleep? But after snoozing on the Bed 25 all summer long, I’m a convert. Zenbivy’s…
  • Review: Lowa Aerox
    Gear: Apparel

    Review: Lowa Aerox

    The Aerox GTX Lo Surround is a multifunctional trail shoe that combines Gore’s Surround concept with Lowa’s direct-injection midsole ventilation channels to give the foot 360 degrees of breathability. Combine that with an…
  • Review: Kammok Kuhli Pro
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Kammok Kuhli Pro

    When backpacking, an easy way to lighten the load is to carry a tarp instead of a tent—and if you choose the Kammok Kuhli Pro, you won’t sacrifice much in terms of comfort, either. Hypalon-reinforced anchor points make for…
  • Review: Orvis Upland Softshell
    Gear: Apparel

    Review: Orvis Upland Softshell

    When upland bird hunting, you face a variety of conditions, from open fields to nasty brush. Orvis’s Upland Hunting Softshell Pants repeatedly rise to the occasion. The outer shell is water-resistant, plus an extra layer on…
  • Review: Gregory Wander Youth
    Gear: Equipment

    Review: Gregory Wander Youth

    Gregory’s Wander 50 is youth-focused, but its features and durability are comparable to adult packs. It’s designed to grow with young adults and its adjustability is a stand-out feature. Youth packs are often one-size-fits-…
  • Review: DNX Bars Grass-Fed Beef
    Gear: Nutrition

    Review: DNX Bars Grass-Fed Beef

    Gorp and Clif Bars may stop a growling stomach, but nothing pleases the trail-worn palate like an old-fashioned hunk o’ meat—which is where the DNX Grass-Fed Beef Bar comes in. Various flavors exist; I like the Beef &…
  • Review: Soundcast VG1
    Gear: Misc

    Review: Soundcast VG1

    Whether it’s an all-day float or one last hoorah at your favorite swimming hole, music goes a long way. For a bomber bluetooth speaker that won’t fizzle out from a few splashes, check out Soundcast’s VG1. Light and compact…
  • Car Camping, Bozeman, GSI Outdoors, Meat Shredz
    Gear: Misc

    Review: Camp-Cooking Gear

    Upgrade your outdoor kitchen.  The height of camping season may be over, but it isn't too late to check out some new kitchen products for your outdoor kitchen. Here are a few of our favorites. GSI Outdoors Destination…

Additional Articles

  • Grizzly Bears, Southwest Montana, Population Growth
    Nature

    Bearing Witness

    Making sense of grizzly-bear encounters in southwest Montana.  One of the paradoxes of bear and human safety is that the practices associated with successful hunting inherently put hunters at a higher risk of encountering…
  • Bear Spray Training, Tactic, Bozeman
    Activities: Hiking

    Battling the Bruin

    Guns vs. bear spray.  One of the most perilous hazards of hiking or hunting in western Montana is finding yourself between a grizzly bear and her cubs. In this worst-case scenario, you must think and act fast. Preparation…

Book Reviews

Outside Bozeman Fall 2019

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