In late April 2021, Lewistown, Montana outdoorsman Brad McCardle was enjoying his free evenings in the foothills of the Big Snowy Mountains. He was hunting black bears — which are abundant in the area and legal game — but he wound up finding far more...
Ski resorts in the Rocky Mountain West — even the ones that once felt undiscovered — now seem more crowded than ever. For those of us who moved here to enjoy our winters gliding on the snow and carving turns in fresh powder, the experience...
Jennifer Wicks places two bars of chocolate in front of me and my 14-year-old daughter Tessa. “These are each made with the same recipe of 72 percent cacao and 28 percent sugar,” she tells us. “See if you can tell the difference.” [caption id="attachment_19593" align="aligncenter" width="500"]...
Arguably one of the most memorable and iconic winter experiences of my life thus far was zipping through the Montana wilderness on the back of a wooden sled. Quietly being pulled over ice and snow by an enthusiastic and joyful team of dogs — with...
Like most people, I’d only visited Yellowstone National Park in the summer — when the viewing area and boardwalks that weave around Old Faithful are so crowded that it’s nearly impossible to photograph the marvel of nature without also capturing the hordes of tourists. However,...
In an essay on the history of storytelling, writer Ursula Le Guin posits that, as a species, we have prioritized tales of adventure and action, drama and conflict. Paleolithic hunters returned not just with mammoth meat, but also — and perhaps just as importantly —...
The wind is a river that cannot be dammed up; it flows Through life here in this Chinook country, and you Can embrace its sound or it crazies you. It forever Funnels through that high pass to the Southwest, snaps tall evergreens And bends young saplings to the ground, brings On...
Ryan Busse’s memoir, Gun Fight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America (Public-Affairs, $29), provides an unflinching view into the modern gun industry. The origin of Busse’s connection to gun culture is perhaps similar to that of many Americans: drawn from a family tradition...
As a resident of Big Sky, Montana for more than 20 years, I’ve learned to appreciate all of the recent additions to the area’s commercial landscape. More restaurants and shops mean more choices and, overall, that’s a good thing for those of us who live...
In 1832, at the age of 23, Swiss painter Karl Bodmer was commissioned by naturalist, ethnographer, and explorer Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied to create a pictorial record of what would later be known as one of the most important ethnographic expeditions in North America during...