Summer 2013

Wherein an experienced and erudite fisherman shares his wisdom from over 60 years on the water, which is essentially this: lose the attitude, pal, and eat a damn fish once in a while. Let me begin by assuring the wary and…

A misadventure on the Gallatin. A few summers ago, my girlfriend Jo and I were beat up from biking trails beyond our ability and conceived a yen to float the Gallatin from the mouth of the canyon to Gallatin Gateway. We…

It sounds corny, I suppose, but I believe that there’s a place for each of us. Call it destiny, fate, or providence—the innate magnetism in all of us that tells us where we fit in the world. Some people search a lifetime…

The parking lot promises a crowd. You remember last year, the cars and SUVs at the head of the canyon. You saw the windshields shining before you turned down the dirt road and you gulped. Cars from everywhere, cars from the…

Class IV means churning rapids, dangerous rocks, and high waves. Anything less than powerful and precise maneuvers means swimming—or worse. And “Wilderness” means no cell phone service, no roads, and no real easy way to fix…

Measuring the wounds of outdoor adventure. For guys, scars are proof of adventure, daring, experience, and ruggedness—unintended tattoos announcing their manhood. But for ladies, it’s a little different. Our outdoor battle…

Wrapping a trout in tin foil might be nice when you’re out camping, but when you bring your catch home, try something a little more exciting. Here’s one of our favorite recipes for fresh-caught fish: hemp-seed-crusted trout…

For many of us, summer means one thing: hunting season is near. But months of lazy fishing, floating, and summer barbeques do little to keep one’s skills sharp come opening day. Like anything, preparation and forethought…

Heeding the call at Hollowtop Mountain. What is it about white lines? Those winding strings of pearl, sinuous rills weaving down mountainsides, carving and cascading through rock like storm clouds harnessed to a rolling…

The annual Tour de Hyalite.There are 14 of us lined up at the Grotto Falls trailhead on a cold Saturday morning. The clouds are thick, and you can just about see your breath. There should be that nervous tension that hangs…

It is day three of backpacking in the Beartooths. I’m authoring from inside the butter-yellow walls of my Marmot tent alone. Not because I’m a misanthrope, for I do like mankind (those who promote American Idol singers as…

Exotic locations just a short drive away. For most families, the word “exotic vacation” conjures up images of a luxury resort near an azure sea, sipping tropically themed cocktails on a white, sandy beach. Mom is lounging…

This summer, cool off. On those blazing summer days in Bozeman, sometimes all you want is to grab a swimsuit and some beer and go in search of sweet relief. There are a number of places to swim around Bozeman if you’re…

The entire length of the Gneiss Creek Trail traverses 14 miles through the Madison Valley. The trail, which lies mostly within Yellowstone National Park, connects the Gallatin with Madison Canyon and the Madison River. This…

With such little time before it starts snowing again, it’s important to do the very best rides around Bozeman. This bucket list is meant to pique your interest to get out and explore new areas by bicycle. For further…

Making the most out of Music in the Mountains. Live music is like nothing else. The sound is raw, the lights are blinding, the volume is cranked, and nothing tastes better than an $8 Bud Light after a couple of hours of…

Need a two-day getaway, but don’t want to blow wads of dough or spend hours on the road? Then pack a few things, shut off the cell phone, and head south to Ennis, where a laid-back and fun-filled weekend awaits—all within…

“Dad, there’s a rock at the bottom of the ‘V,’” said Jesse, age seven. She knew that we would follow the deeper, glassier water into the steeper gradient. She made sure that we avoided the boulder as well as a likely…

Catfishin' with a fly rod. A little thumbing your nose at convention is good for the soul. Especially at times like this, when a nine-foot Heddon #35 bamboo fly rod made 85 years ago is used to fling a large weighted…

From time to time the river would expel a pronounced “gurgle” as water rushed into a pocket created by the infinite droplets moving in their mysterious ways. She listened from the bank and watched the water pass by. Where…

Greed, selfishness, and a plain-ol’ “I got mine, screw you” mentality is making itself more and more apparent in Montana when it comes to fishing. The situation often involves big-money yahoos locking up land access to…

History of the "M". One thing’s pretty certain this spring: If your story takes place in Bozeman, there’s a big, whitewashed letter decorating the mountains that serve as your backdrop. At least, if those mountains include…

Perhaps you’ve come to Montana to stay at a local resort for a week, attend a family wedding event, or possibly you’re a “local” with out-of-town friends visiting. In each case, you’ll probably consider going to Yellowstone…

Most of our outdoor adventures are enhanced with a canine companion, and options for dog-friendly recreation seem limitless. A well-intentioned owner can take a dog for a run around Peets Hill, a hike up Triple Tree, or a…

Bear was having a good day. He was finishing a late-afternoon jaunt along the Nordic ski trails in Hyalite Canyon on Friday, March 22 with Mandy Woodmansee and her boyfriend Grant Ellison. The eight-year-old black lab / pit…

While the blooming green landscape around town is beautiful in the summertime, it invariably means that allergy-inducing pollen will assault us until fall. We breathe in pollen, and it triggers our immune system which tries…

The last of the sky’s bruised-purple tint has faded to black, and now it’s anywhere from eleven at night to four in the morning. The miles and hours pile on top of each other until it’s impossible to tell what time it is.…

The season of barbeques, boating, tanning, and floating is finally upon us. Summers in Montana are priceless—we’re surrounded by endless beauty and are lucky enough to call this home. Since I’m a personal trainer and a gym…

Want to improve your primitive skills? Look no further. Here are a few local schools that can help you survive when the economy finally collapses for good.PAST Skills Wilderness School – Bozeman. These classes promote the…

Author’s note: what follows may possibly be viewed as veering into the realm of the apocalyptic, conspiracy-theory-ranting lunatic. If it is taken that way, it is outside of the intent of the author—or maybe not. Let’s say…

There are a lot of annoying critters out there, both wild and domestic—packrats, mice, magpies, roosters, raccoons, possums, porcupines, and poodles to name a few. But as far as sheer destructiveness goes, nothing in my…

The beloved Bozeman summer… are you stand-up paddleboarding yet? Kayaking? Fly fishing? Going to beer and food tastings with other happy Bozemanites? If your answer is no, we can help. With so much happening in your Bozeman…

Catch this! Over a quarter of the state’s angling occurs here in Region 3 with seven premier wild trout streams, more than 90 fishing access sites (FAS), and some splendid high-mountain lakes. As the peak of fishing season…

With the landscape around us so vast, and a world of technology and information at your fingertips, why constrain your composition to a tiny rectangle in your camera viewfinder? At this point in your photography obsession,…

Enter the outdoors: a timeless arena. Where the unswayed earth reveals itself by sunlight on stone and wind sweeping through wooden fingers.Climb up through forested mountainsides. Dance in the summer heat and mingle under…

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ~William ShakespeareIt was like a bad first date. Someone should say something, but nothing comes out. We’d covered all the basic topics of conversation—what do you do for work…

The summer sun beats down on us on this early July morning in the parking lot. The trail sign reads “Daily Creek.” Four- and two-legged companions mill around the stock trailer, getting ready for the hike. Those with two…

Dorms were a luxury that evening, muddy floors and all. My hankering for the last Hershey Bar in camp led to desperate things: 100 push-ups later, it was mine—a simple pleasure hard-won through sweat equity, perseverance,…

Get your dose of Montana summer concerts. Is there anything better than sipping a cold one, kicking back with your favorite people, and enjoying an outdoor concert as the summer day draws to a close? Montanans love to…

The sun is shining, the birds are singing—and Bozemanites everywhere are warming up at starting lines around the state. To help you decide how to spend your speedy summer, here are three of our favorite races.BozeMonster…

We Montanans have a lot to be proud of when it comes to contributing to our nation’s conservation legacy: Montana is home to two of America’s most beloved national parks—Glacier and Yellowstone. Adjacent to these parks are…

From the roaring whitewater of spring to lazy, late-summer floats, rivers help narrate the story of Montana. They define our landscape, irrigate our crops, and protect our wildlife; they’re a primary source of recreation…

Over the years, many attempts have been made to keep rods fishin’-ready, while still safe from common catastrophes. PVC, rubber-snubbers, magnets, and all other manner of safe-keeping have been contrived to protect these…

Barefoot running had always seemed to me like a way for companies to sell us creepy hybrid glove-shoes, so I stayed loyal to my cushy sneakers… until I slipped into a pair of Merrell’s Bare Access Arc 3. These shoes are…

Just because you like to climb mountains, your athletic capabilities don’t necessarily carry over to solid footfalls on a steep, scree-heavy descent. Thankfully, Lowa’s Mauria GTX mid-rise hiking boots have your back—and…

Dogs love it when you pull off their collars and let them run light and free, as nature intended—especially when said collars are sopping from a dunk in the river. Alas, those pesky leash laws necessitate a quick return to…

After 11 years in a 13.5-foot, standard-floor raft, I had a good idea of what I wanted in a new boat. It had to be a self-bailer, have removable thwarts, and since my family was bigger, it needed to be longer and wider.…

Summer means sunshine and vigorous physical activity—and if it’s a well-made but no-frills pair of shades you’re after, check out the Revo Harness. The craftsmanship is solid: Serilium polycarbonate lenses for durability…

It didn’t take long for Scarpa to earn the same solid reputation for hiking boots as they’ve enjoyed with climbing shoes and ski boots for decades—and the Kailash Trek GTX could be why. I’ve tested more footwear than Imelda…

The Yeti Tundra 65 now has a permanent spot on my raft. Built by outdoorsmen, it’s constructed to fit perfectly in the frame, and the 65-quart size is great for a one or two-day float. There’s plenty of room for cans of…

Have you ever enjoyed a Dutch-oven dinner and wanted to learn to cook one yourself? Well, Carsten Bothe’s Dutch Oven: Cast-Iron Cooking Over an Open Fire (Schiffer Publishing, $30) is the perfect cookbook to get you started…

Google Earth is awesome, no doubt, and that fancy GPS of yours is not to be scoffed at—but there’s nothing quite like unfurling a map on the kitchen table and letting a world of adventure appear before you. And that’s…

Yellowstone Yesterday and Today (Golden Valley Press, $45) provides a captivating photographic history of Yellowstone Park. Photographer Paul Horsted recreates historic photographs of Yellowstone, illustrating how the Park…

If you tend to walk around with your face buried in your cell phone, oblivious to the world around you, then The Tao of Survival (Gibbs Smith, $19) is not for you. According to author and former Special Forces soldier James…