One of the most significant moments in parenting, for us 21st century types for whom proliferation of the species is both an abstraction and a choice, is mourning the trappings of your pre-kid life as they are filed and filtered away, never to be seen again. With an infant around your life will become totally […]
Category: Backpacking
The best, the worst, and the unsung backcountry sites of Glacier NP
Glens Head, a mere B grade site. If you want to backpack in Glacier National Park you must pay, both in dollars ($7 per person, per night adds up) and in logistical effort. The park generally and the backcountry in particular has gotten noticeably more crowded in the past 8 years in which we’ve been […]
Birthdays
Two years ago Little Bear was born on M’s birthday. Today we’re celebrating that fulfilling and challenging time, and looking forward to a few quiet days in a little corner of civilization and then the backcountry. See everyone on the other side.
The Crown-Welcome Loop
When it comes to consistently spectacular routes, with no filler miles whatsoever, this is the best route I’ve done in the Bob. Bar none. The limestone cliffs and reefs are truly special, from the way Welcome Pass is tucked into a surprising break to the walls behind the Green Fork meadows devolving into stacked pinnacles […]
Cairn Carto maps
Disclaimer: M knows that the 4th or 5th fastest way to my heart is via a free and nifty-looking trucker hat. A while ago the folks at Cairn Cartographics asked me to take a look at their new Glacier/Waterton map before it went to print. In exchange they gave me a few free maps and […]
MTI Vibe v. Astral V-8: packrafting PFDs
The Astral V-8 and the MTI Vibe are PFDs you’d use for similar things, and have similar attributes with only a few distinct yet significant differences. They are both class III vests with 15 pounds of buoyancy, both weigh about the same (20 oz for the V-8, 24 oz for the Vibe), and both cost […]
The ugliness of family packrafting
One of the relatively few regrets I harbor when it comes to trips not done concerns the summer of 2014 and the Smith River. 2014 wasn’t the biggest snow year Montana has seen, not by a long shot, but the spring was cool and exceptionally wet and the water table kept getting pumped full all […]
