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OR, the Rorshach test
The Outdoor Retailer tradeshow is happening, right now, and I am not there. The show is early this year, making conflict with the birthdays inevitable. A frequent comment about OR is “I’d rather be out hiking/climbing/etc” which I find both understandable and peculiar. Obviously we made such a choice this year, but as yesterday wore…
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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…
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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.
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The miracle of 2017
Summer has emphatically arrived in Montana, with a solid week of highs in the 90s and little wind or thunderstorms to break things up, but enough lightning strikes in the broader neighborhood to get one worrying that August might justify its seed with a burly crop of fires. It was in brief an ideal time…
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Floating with the bear; what we’ve learned
Our Double Duck has been one of the essential kid purchases. That one boat can fit all of us, gear for 4+ days, and be under six pounds is remarkable (it’s lighter and packs smaller than the modern Yukon Yak). That said, it has acute limitations which heavier, bigger volume multi-person boats would not; namely…
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Shameless capitalism in 2017
First, for my own shameless commerce update: you can still purchase some nifty stickers, or Packrafting the Crown of the Continent, at the store. Sticker purchases have proven highly subject to direct exposure here; whenever I put up a notice like this one sales spike. Guidebook sales have been steady since the launch in early…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Bedrock & Paradox 
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