Climbers and fishermen seem predisposed to becoming philosophers, driving their daily lives between guide lines emblazoned in their brain chemistry from epic memories. “Thanks for the belay on that project deadline, man.” “Chossy meeting, eh?” “Watch your presentation, she’s pretty spooky this time of day.” etc. But skiers keep it simple. To a skier, it’s […]
“There’s more to life than fly fishing. In fact, real life offers, and demands, a lot more. And that’s a good thing. Because fly fishing can get really boring. Unless, well, you’re actually fly fishing.” – An anonymous truth ~ I love to fly fish. The satisfaction I get out of casting a rod, or […]
I’ve been on the Teton Crest dozens of times. I’ve trekked along, and astride it, on several backpacking expeditions. And I still experienced a bunch of firsts on this last traverse, in September/October of 2010. Here are my most memorable: There wasn’t a cloud in the sky the entire time, except the little one you […]
Handrails are substantial geographic features that can be used for navigation. You might follow a stream, or a fence line, or a ridge. These are all types of handrails. My two favorite wilderness handrails are both about “a 5 days’ walk” in length: The Wulik River in the Alaskan Arctic, and the Teton Crest in […]
Jorden Lake is perched near the western terminus of the Beartooth High Lakes Trail, which you’d infer to be popular simply because the trail is named on the old USGS maps. In July, I walked the High Lakes Trail west from Island Lake and saw only 9 people, 6 of which were day hikers near […]