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The correct questions
In the weeks before we were set to leave Montana mid October had settled into a stubborn, even egregious Indian Summer. The kind with short, sharp, clear, and mild days that are good for doing just about anything, except packing. The only time outside I got that day was walking from and to the office…
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2016; 10 photos
The first thing I can remember about 2016 was not sleeping, at least not for more than 90 minutes at a stretch, in early January during Little Bear’s rather spectacular six month sleep regression, which coincidentally or not happened on a trip to Iowa. That has been the first story of the year, the extent…
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The skinnies
After spending a certain amount of time outside coherent rules emerge. Erosion shapes the land in a defined manner, and one can generally predict what is going to happen downstream and downhill. The slot canyons of the Colorado Plateau redefine, or perhaps enrich and ensubtle, the rules of the land and how they work. Just…
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A more complete treatise on ‘mid selection
This post from three years ago has proven to be one of my most popular, all time, and due to the volume of correspondence I receive on it and what I’ve learned since it is due for the an update. What follows is the text of that post, amended and altered as needed. There are…
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Seek Outside BT2 v. Silvertip
I do not think I could overstate how enjoyable, educational, and flattering the past month at my new job has been. Enjoyable because the crew at Seek Outside operates with both integrity and joy in equal measure. Educational because, whatever I may or may not know about using gear outside, there are many things about…
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Three strikes for sheep
This past week I received my annual call from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to check in on how hunters did hunting certain species. How many days in the field, how many animals seen, how many animals killed, and where are all relevant questions for future planning. I’ve become accustomed to these calls, I look…
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The DST
A flat tarp isn’t always the shelter I pick, but it is my favorite. Most of the time I like the un-futzing of a mid for severe weather and pitching on snow, but like most people I’ll take a calm night with a colorful, visible sunrise 4 times out of 5. For that a tarp…
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How to get free gear
I’m finally on the other side of the coin. As one of the main folks at Seek Outside who sifts through and arbitrates requests for free stuff from the media and general public, I have in the last few weeks gotten to sit in the seat I used to be looking at from a distance,…
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Re-entry
When coming back into a new pursuit it is a good idea to give yourself plenty of leeway, so that the inevitable mistakes don’t seem too big a deal, and so the inevitable stress doesn’t lead to further screwups. I did moderately well at the first, and rather better at the second, during 24 hours…
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Why I like the desert
Like most Americans, or indeed most contemporary humans, I spent a lot of time reading about the desert before I experienced it firsthand. I have some hazy memories of a family swing through the Colorado Plateau of Utah when I was eight, spotty visions I can now place as the chopped steps on the traverse…
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Bedrock & Paradox 
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