Summer 2021

Editor's note: This page comprises several segments of a large feature on the Gallatin County Search and Rescue program. For the other segments, click here. When to call, when not to call. Gallatin County Search and Rescue…

A horseback trip in wild country. Eating fresh crab cakes in the Montana wilderness, 20 miles from the nearest motor vehicle, is not for everyone. First of all, you can’t even see the ocean from here. Secondly, some people…

Forward, Together by Erica Lighthiser, deputy director of the Park County Environmental Council Several years ago, my husband rented the Ibex Cabin for a surprise date night in the Crazy Mountains. The grandparents babysat…

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Meals outside taste so much better. There’s no better way to fully immerse oneself in the outdoors than a camping trip with good friends. Abandoning the amenities of home life is both liberating and daunting, and nothing…

Comparing the merits of water bottles. Gone are the days of canteens and bota bags—water-bottle options abound nowadays, with dozens of styles, shapes, and materials from which to choose. O/B reviewed the most popular…

An eerie after-dark encounter. “The night was clear, and the moon was yellow, and the leaves came tumbling down.” That, purloined from the 1958 Lloyd Price song “Stagger Lee,” sets the scene for the night of my encounter…

Calling out the worst among us. Sometimes nature calls at unsuspecting moments. Say, when you reach the base of a climb and gaze up into a daunting and uncertain vertical future. Or when scouting a nasty rapid that’s way…

Stuffed backstrap makes a stellar summertime supper. From a hunter’s standpoint, the summer drought may seem grueling. But from a culinary perspective, it provides a convenient and uninterrupted occasion to explore diverse…

A candid account of climbing on Mount Cowen. Our first trial arrives at the trailhead. It’s not clear whether we’re still on the road or in a pullout; a few cars are stationed irregularly across the uneven dirt so we park…

Streamside mischief on the fly. Like many anglers, I take my dogs fishing with me. The older one knows the drill pretty well: stay on the bank, don’t swim in the holes until I’m done, and don’t help with the release. The…

Backcountry travel with young'uns. Older people often talk about their regrets in life, how they wish they would’ve spent their youth more adventurously. I doubt that I will ever be one of those people. Before we got…

Hiking Sphinx Mountain. Rising high above the Madison Valley, punctuated by deep, wide ravines on all sides, stands Sphinx Mountain. If you drive Hwy. 287 in the daylight, you’ll be hard-pressed to miss it. This near-11,…

Following Hemingway through Yellowstone. The steep, snow-covered mountains near Cooke City, at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, have long drawn visitors from around the world to ski, snowmobile, fish,…

Image by BLM / Bob Wick

Small-scale stewards of the Gallatin Valley. Farmers produce valuable goods, of course; but also conserve soil, the conserve water, they conserve wildlife, they conserve open space, they conserve scenery. —Wendell Berry…

Managing Bozeman's biking surge. With 800 miles of trails to manage and many different user groups to accommodate, the Bozeman Ranger District has a lot on its plate. But recreation is just one part of the picture. The…

Making backcountry meals more flavorful. We’ve all experienced it: the end of a long day out on the trail met with dried potatoes or instant ramen, leaving you unsatisfied and undernourished for the next day’s efforts. But…

All about Montana's most prolific predator. The most efficient predator in southwest Montana isn’t the grizzly bear, wolf, or mountain lion. It doesn’t have huge claws or fearsome fangs. Its body isn’t covered by fur or…

Considering altitude for canine companions. Practicing veterinary medicine in Big Sky, at up to 10,000 feet of elevation, I see and treat many cases of pulmonary edema, altitude sickness, and heart disease in horses and…

The fine art of falling. Summertime: the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the mountains are calling. If you answer that call with vigorous running or biking, at some point you are probably going to fall or…

The importance of your pelvic floor. The infamous Madison float that will go down in the annals of pelvic-floor history occurred on a Saturday in 2020. First float of the season, returning to the car on a beautiful hot…

An update on the Bozeman Municipal Watershed Project. No matter the season, flocks of Bozeman-area residents and visitors converge at the Sourdough trailhead to bike, hike, ski, run, and stroll over lunch, after work, or…

Sharing Montana in a new era of outdoor recreation. My family, along with just about everyone else, looks forward to summer mornings on the Madison River. The water in many parts of the lower Madison is warm, shallow,…

What to look for in the night sky. Summertime is a great time to stargaze. Whether sitting around a crackling campfire or lounging in your own backyard, the nights aren’t going to get any balmier than now. Fortunately,…

"Scuba Steve" built an outdoor subculture from the ground up. When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself. —Jacques Cousteau From a distance…

A recap of the Bridger Foothills Fire. The backbone of the Bridger Mountains looks a little different than it did this time last year—8,224 acres different, to be exact. The shock to most folks came with an apocalyptic…

A flatlander adapts to mountain country. Nowadays, you don’t have to climb a mountain to learn about mountain climbing. There are plenty of other places to earn an education: clinics, videos, articles, books... you name it…

A guide to outdoor battle cries. The battle cry is something we all have in us. From the gladiator arena to mountaintops, from the football field to whitewater, each one has its time and place. Varied in form from eloquent…

Strange fish sightings in the Gallatin Valley. Southwest Montana is home to an abundance of apex predators, with grizzly bears, mountain lions, and wolves all sharing the same landscape. And if recent reports are true,…

Yellowstone is NOT the Serengeti of North America. Yellowstone Park is our region’s pride and joy. Even though most of its land is in Wyoming, we Montanans like to claim it as our own. Recently, there were substantiated…

A guide to outdoor hipsters, part four. This guy... he’s back for a final lap through the Bozone. Look for him on his bike, adjusting his kneepads and admiring his viper sunglasses from the camera of his cellphone. How to…

Before I met you,trotting nonchalantlyalong the barbed-wire fence,I was already in love with your name—Alces alces, words to speak in the mountainsif you become lost& want to know the way. Because I do not know the way…

If you’re hiking ‘round the Bozonesay hello to Cathy G,a petite pal of mineit’s likely you will see. Triple Tree, Hyalite, Sourdough—on trails with names so sweet.It’s astonishing the miles she logsupon those tiny feet.…

The Multi-Day Meal Plan takes prepping and packing food off your hands, eliminating the guesswork when counting grams for lightweight backpacking trips. Choose from an assortment of pre-set kits, or customize your own…

Lightweight frame. Wrap-around polarized lenses. Slip-resistant nose and ear pads. Those were the top criteria when I started my search for new, active sunglasses. And I found it all in the Parallel 2 from Smith, plus the…

The Orvis Clearwater is designed to be a versatile catch-all style rod at a value price—and that's exactly what I'm finding it to be. I went with the 9-foot 5-weight. Whether it's a big catch, small fish, wide river, or…

Start looking and feeling like a pro with the new Sling Pack from Orvis. This pack is thoughtfully designed with efficiency in mind to create a seamless fishing experience. I can easily store everything I need for a long…

With their line of innovative and convenient outdoor pizza ovens, Ooni has succeeded in bringing homemade, top-notch pizza right to your back yard or campsite. The Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven is compact and…

I’ve fished small creeks with steep, slippery slopes for years. My old wading boots fit well, but the felt soles were not ideal for hiking through a variety of rocky, difficult terrain, and once wet they filled with water…

Don’t get caught on a long run or ride without an easy source of energy on hand. GU’s Roctane drink mix gives you a blend of carbohydrates from non-competing metabolic pathways, a healthy dose of electrolytes, and small…

For those of us who like shade and comfort, GCI’s SunShade Rocker is a lifesaver. The adjustable sunshade enables you to easily control exposure. Have trouble sitting still? The glide feature lets you keep on rockin’.…

I’m not typically one to invest money in sport-specific clothing, but when I tried on the Grünerlem 1/2 from Maloja, I instantly saw the appeal. This quick-drying, moisture-wicking shirt is a great choice for just about any…

The Fuornm shorts from Maloja are designed for biking, and they indeed proved to be great to ride in. But I’m not ashamed to say that I’ll wear them for just about any outdoor outing. For one, they’re as comfortable and…

This nifty gadget allows you to cleanly remove the tops of aluminum cans, converting them to cups. While making re-using easy, the Draft Top also improves the experience of drinking. Instead of sipping my après beverage…

Like a good knife, a good tomahawk is a joy to hold (and behold, for that matter), and the Jenny Wren Compact by CRKT feels as good in the hand as any hatchet I’ve held. Compact but stout, with good balance and sharpened…

One of the biggest issues outdoor photographers face is camera availability. Storing it in your backpack is easy, but it comes at the expense of quick access. With the Capture Clip, however, the pack never leaves your back…

The search for a great bike daypack ends with the Dakine Seeker 10L Hydration Backpack. Separated compartments and storage pockets provide ample room for a first-aid kit, basic repair tools, raincoat, emergency supplies,…

Summertime is river time, which means piles of water gear—life jackets, helmets, towels, and other assorted, often-wet items—all stuffed into a bag for transport. With its water-resistant fabric and mesh panels, the Purest …

Yellowstone Park teems with life, from single-celled microorganisms to majestic megafauna perched atop dramatic snow-covered slopes. This is diversity and vibrancy at its finest—and nowhere is it better summed up than in…

The wait is over—at long last, there’s a new edition of the popular TerraTopo trail map (Global Positions, $12), a hiker’s and angler’s guide to the Beaten Path area of the Beartooths. With East Rosebud and Mystic Lake near…

For any devout fans of Norman Mclean’s A River Runs Through It, Home Waters (Custom House, $26) is a must-read. Penned by Norman’s son John, this nonfiction account chronicles Norman’s connection with the land, waters, and…

A good quotation book is a treasure chest for the mind, full of precious jewels that sparkle and shine, setting the mind afire. Earth, My Dearest (Hatherleigh Press, $12.50) may contain a few tinhorn trinkets—it reminds me…

As a kid growing up in Florida, I collected coins, and was particularly fascinated by the buffalo nickel. The 1913 shiny coin featured a Native American on the front and the profile of a bison bull on the back—its…