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Glacier backcountry permits for 2016
Over the past few years summer backcountry permits in Glacier National Park have been increasingly problematic. An antiquated mail-in reservation system has combined with a sharp increase in applications to create a situation which was no good for anyone. Prospective backpackers were stuck waiting until well into May or even early June to receive confirmation…
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The Best Snowshoe binding yet
Snowshoes have two reasons to exist: miles which cannot be skied due to terrain, circumstances, or lack of skill; and trips where the snow miles are exceeded by non-snow miles, as snowshoes should not require anything other than ideal hiking shoes. Because this second reason accounts for the overwhelming majority of my snowshoe use, I…
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610 pack, the evolution
My best, conservative, estimate is that since 2009 I’ve built roughly 30 backpacks, and owned a further ~20, which were either purchased retail or given to me for review or prototyping. This is a large number, especially considering that at the moment we only (!) have eleven packs in house, a mere two of which…
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Forest Service cabins of Montana
You should know about the forest service cabins in Montana. Retired patrol cabins, ranger stations, fire lookouts, and private residences which have gone into public hands, they’re one of the great secrets of public lands recreation in North America. Why am I writing about these cabins now? Because the Forest Services takes reservations a half…
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Dumb parent questions
“Don’t you love him more than you thought you’d ever love anything?” is a question I’ve been asked a number of times since Little Bear was born. At least as often as not by people who would never in any other context consider making any but the most banal inquires into my inner workings. I…
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2015 in 12 photos
January: hunting Chamois and Tahr in New Zealand February: backpacking the Heaphy Track March: early, early season packrafting on the South Fork of the Sun April: animals everywhere in the North Fork of the Sun May: my favorite route across the Bob, yet June: M is really, really pregnant; and it’s hot July: Little Bear…
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Holiday roasted venison leg
This is a spectacular, spectator friendly, no-holds barred recipe for special occasions. I made it for solstice last weekend and aside from the visceral and personally satisfying rare backstrap the day of the kill is the best way I’ve ever had venison. Since the very young buck I shot with Little Bear came home whole,…
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Why we chose a Double Duck
There are more expensive, more practical, as well as more blingy or more frequently used gifts, but from the day over 5 years ago, when I unwrapped my first, to today I’ve not found a more exciting thing to unbox than a new Alpacka raft. Our newly expanded family got a Double Duck for a…
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Little Bear gets indoctrination
And then we saw the moose. Clouds had rolled in between 2am, when I went out to piss off the porch, and a little after 9am, when we left the cabin. In the middle of the night the milky way had stretched from behind my shoulder out to down near my toes, my urine had…
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Bedrock & Paradox 
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