I work for the Hobby Shop. In my spare
time I built this personal site dedicated to the great outdoors. I
give tips, experiences, and reviews throughout the site.
I grew up in Montana. I loved it. Montana is a tough place
to make a living but it is a great place to grow up. Our
family had a cabin since I was little. We spent a ton of
time there. Every chance we had to get away, whether it be
summer or winter or in between we were on the hills or
valleys doing something.
My great-grandfather
homesteaded areas of Montana. My grandfather and father
worked in the mountains on ranches for much of their
lives. Most of my generation is tied a great deal to the
outdoors. We love the mountains and the wild. We love
animals and any adventure associated with being away from
city life.
In Boy Scouts we had an
awesome leader. He promoted spending time outdoors and
taught us how to enjoy and protect the natural areas we
visited. I have found many ways to excuse myself to the
mountains in any stage of my life.
I'm not sure what it is about the outdoors but to me they are a
form of great therapy. Whether I be adventuring about, sitting
in pondering thought on a stream bank, or fast asleep in a
sleeping bag I find that I am affected greatly. I enjoy working.
I enjoy school. I enjoy my home. However, the beauty, life and
variation of nature call to me and bring me peace and
relaxation.
While going to college, I found
that the more time I spent in the mountains away from
civilization, the better I did in class and the better I learned
what I needed. As a pre-college youth I remember the same to be
true. Now that I am married and past those stages I still find
that much of my personal health and happiness are tied to the
amount of time spent in nature.
Many people find they are at
peace in nature. Whether it be climbing a mountain, biking a
path, or any other of the many activities that occur in the
outdoors, they find they can escape and "get away".
Group after group has established outdoor-based organizations
for addiction recovery, self help, youth correction, etc. Why?
The outdoors heal.
As a Boy Scoutmaster I loved the
opportunities to go camping with other leaders and the boys. We
learned many lessons when the video games, music, buildings,
etc. of life were taken away. I had some great learning and
teaching opportunities. On one occasion, a young man who had
been in trouble at home and in school on a frequent basis began
asking questions. We were sitting around a camp fire and there
was a silence that we were all enjoying. Only the crackle of the
fire were heard. The young man was never much of a participant
but the questions he asked were actually quite profound and
showed a lack of experience in life. The quiet, non-distracting
environment allowed him to open up. As leaders we asked him
questions and guided him along to find the answers he sought.
There is much to be said when the soul can experience natural
quiet and peace.
So, why do I write about personal
outdoor therapy? Perhaps, because I love the outdoors. Perhaps, because I want
others to experience what I have. Perhaps, because I know there
are a lot of problems out there that could be resolved with time
spent away - in an environment selected with the sole purpose of
"getting away". Perhaps, I haven't been out in a while
and need it...
There is nothing better to me than sitting atop a
mountain looking out over a lake with wild flowers on the banks
and some wild animal roaming around. I love the fresh air and
cool water. I love snowy peaks and a challenge to achieve some
goal like a hike or a caught fish or a climb. I enjoy being atop a peak looking
over some small plain into a valley. I enjoy the view of a
couple of ridges and a water fall or two. I love to be away from
the smog and hustle of the city. I love the smell of a camp fire
and the twinkle of a starry night. I love the variety of seasons
and the way life grows against the elements. I love the signs of
deity found in nature. I love the peace and wonder of the great
outdoors.
As a young man it was always my dream to own a vehicle of
my own that I could take to the hills that would do what I
wanted. Let's just say that since we have gotten our
Toyota Tacoma I have not been let down. We have been able
to go anywhere, take kids along and have a blast. I have
become a huge Toyota fan since. Now, I realize that there
are some out there (including my dad) who are American
made consumers. While I claim to being American made in
heart I find that it is hard to beat the abilities of our
foreign compact truck. It is very agile, tough, and has
plenty of power left over after climbing the toughest
climbs.
In high school I got my first mountain bike. I rode it to
death by the time I was a Freshman in college. I got my
second bike and it has had a ton of changes done to it
because of its use. As I type this it sits outside covered
in mud from my last ride and it is ready for more. I named
this bike Rex. It just looks like a Rex. Anyway, I have
gone out with several different biking buds and found that
it makes a huge difference in the experience if both
partners are of equal shape and riding style. We have
ridden runs from the continental divide in Montana to the
Uinta trails in Utah. Every day of college I road to and
fro from campus to stay in shape. Since, I have not been
so fortunate. My job does not allow for the consistent
riding so in the summer I will have to catch up.
To get into biking, you
should understand there are several types of riders. There
are the casual riders, the adventurous riders, the
"think I'm extreme" riders, and then there are
extreme riders. Nothing cracks me up more than riding a
trail in shorts and a tee and passing some winded,
never-been-in-shape rider with a $2500 bike, all the gear
and his camelback sucked dry. A casual ride is someone who
has a standard, inexpensive bike and loves to go for a
jaunt. Their bike is comfortable and used from time to
time. There is the adventurous rider who has a nicer set
of wheels but not too spendy. The rider understands
his/her limits and frequents the runs. The "think I'm
extreme" rider pays way too much for his gear and
bike and way over dresses for the occasion. The extreme
rider is good and they buy the gear to be good and
they succeed at the runs that make them good. See Getting
Started...
As a kid I never had much interest in fishing. It was too
slow paced. Now, I love it. It is just the right pace for
an escape. I am a spinner fisher. I love the silver
Panther Martin size 8 or 10 (keep in mind the smaller the
number the larger the hook). I am also a catch and release
fisherman. I pinch all of the barbs on my hooks and let as
many go as possible, only eating the ones that won't
survive.
I have tried fly fishing
and live bait fishing and found some interest in both.
But, personally, I find that there is way more action and
fun in a spinner.
A couple of years ago I was
sitting in class and not pleased with that fact. I got
home, ripped through an assignment and head for a favorite
fishing hole. I got there and saw 3 other guys there all
fly fishing. I passed one guy and asked about his luck
(polite fishing talk). He hadn't caught a thing all day.
Turns out none of them had. I rigged my trusty Panther
Martin size 10 and cast away. I was on a slow reel and
BAM! I was hooked. I began reeling to the distaste of all
of my favorite-spot-invading friends. I got my trout to
the bank and let him go. Not 10 minutes had passed before
I had a second fish. within a half hour I had caught 4
fish. On the third fish two of my competitors had left. I
packed up and decided to leave as well. I went back to my
studies well refreshed. That is my fish story for the day.
Near one of my favorite
places on earth is a pond. Sometimes the fish will take
anything you throw them. Sometimes they won't take a
thing. On one spring morning I spent 3 hours fishing the
pond. I couldn't keep the fish off the hook (silver
Panther Martin size 10). I had caught 50 trout in 3 hours
and didn't kill a one. My goal soon became to reel
in my lure without catching a fish. I have tried the pond
since and only caught several. Sometimes I think it is the
luck of the day.
My grandfather tells a
great fish story. He lived near the ocean. He and a buddy
would fish any moment they could get to the coast. One
night they went out on a boat. They baited their hooks and
started in on their stories. Right away they caught a
fish. Casting again they caught another and another. By
the end of the night they claim to have caught hundreds,
as in multiple hundred! One one occasion, they were in a
meeting with some high profile men. The one friend had
been around the men some and had never told the story. My
grandpa decided to tell his story and found that he was
somewhat rejected because of his tale. One of the men
said, " In this arena we do not tell wild fish
tales." My dejected grandfather's buddy just grinned.
To this day he swears the tale is true. See Getting
Started...
As a Boy Scout I learned that hiking can be an absolute
blast. We would go camping frequently and hikes were often
parts of the trip. One of our adventures was a 50-mile
hike in the south western mountains of Montana. About 10
scouts set out with 3 or so leaders. I believe we took
about 6 days and enjoyed some fishing, games, and a lot of
camp fire stories. As we came around a bend we saw a huge
herd of sheep and on top of the hill just outside the
trees was the herder's camp. As we walked along we saw a
black object running toward the sheep. The sheep began to
scatter. All of a sudden, BOOM! and the object changed
direction for the trees. It was a bear and it was trying
to get away. We hiked up to the camp and saw where it had
dropped. The herder had finished off. That night we camped
in the trees, considerably more nervous than we had been.
Well, we all made it back safe and have the patch to tell.
I suppose I prefer the day
hike to the overnighters. To me it is more high adventure
to show up somewhere, hike uphill till I'm about read to
drop and I've seen most of the country side and then turn
around and with the last bits of energy hike down hill to
the truck. We have made many day hikes including the 16-18
mile round trip hike to Mt. Timpanogos in Utah. The Uintas
are beautiful. There are many places in Montana that have
my attention as well.
I think the biggest thing
about hikers is that they keep the land as pristine as
they found it. There is little more irritating than
finding a pop can in the middle of the most beautiful
country.
An uncle of mine land locks
the mouth of a canyon. The lake at the top of the canyon
is rarely touched by anyone but family. I would claim that
as one of my favorite places on earth. It requires a
considerable hike and has a great reward at the top. You
can pack a few matches and eat fish (which are not that
hard to catch) and swim in the lake (only in the middle of
the summer because it is ice-cold year around because of
the snow runoff).
Hiking is something that
costs nothing accept the fare to get out of town. It is
enjoyable and great for the photographer.
One night in college three of us were studying calculus in
the math building. We were about to go insane so we
started talking about alternatives to study. One of the
guys (we are very good friends now) had been a rock
climbing instructor and had all the gear. Well, we took
off for a spot that was close by. We got to the top of the
climb and he began to anchor in to make a rappel. The
other person in our party was a girl and she was game for
anything. This was my second experience on the face of a
cliff in an official venture. I had done a rappel as a Boy
Scout and it was in broad daylight with a lot of people
around. Other than that, I had monkeyed around before but
not to this level of climbing.
The huge difference here
was that it was mid-night, I had no idea where the bottom
was and the next closest person for medical aid was a good
half hour away. He got done tying in and said,
"You're up!" pointing to me. He showed me how to
get geared up and told me he had done the run before and
that it was easy. My only thought was, "Hmmmm."
I got started down the
cliff and it wasn't too bad. I got to a part where the
wall was concave and I hung there spinning around so that
I could see the lights of the city. I looked down and
could see nothing. As I got to the bottom of the rope I
could feel it flinging around below. I was close to the
end and I wasn't on the bottom yet. I looked down and
could see the end of the rope about 18 inches from my
hand. I was out of rope! I yelled up to him and his reply
was, "well, you have two choices: you can climb back
up or you can drop." My arms were already out of gas
because I was so nervous. There is no way I would have
climbed back up. Little did I know that my "pal"
knew that the drop would only be a foot or so. I found the
courage and let go. I was pleasantly surprised to find the
ground so quickly. I yelled up to him and he just laughed.
The girl came down and then he followed. We hiked back
around the drop and I found I was hooked in climbing and
rappelling.
So, since, I have been the
guide for multiple youth groups in Montana and in Utah. My
siblings and parents have all gone and we have enjoyed the
challenging times.
Climbing is an art. It is a
blast and a great challenge. There is always a better run
and always a tougher route. See Getting
Started...
Generally,
the goal in the outdoors is to stay dry. However,
sometimes a good nature bath is refreshing. Usually,
people freeze their tails off when they take a dip in
the outdoors.
Midsummer one year
several buddies of mine and I went on a day hike. The
hike was 9 miles one way and at the top there was a
place called Emerald lake. It is found at the base of a
glacier. The glacier bottom sits in the water and slowly
melts away. Well, a couple of us thought we were really
hot because of the sun beating down on us. We stripped
down to the shorts and took a plunge into the VERY cold
water. We hit the top of the water and came out as fast
as we went in. We came out shivering and sputtering. We
snapped a picture and put on our shirts and shoes as
fast as frozen limbs would allow.
We have also dipped in
several other lakes, usually to prove that we were men.
Only once have I really enjoyed swimming in a lake. It
was when I was younger and in the middle of the summer.
As kids we were all playing in a pond we frequent. It
can be very refreshing.
As a Boy Scout we had to
do the mile swim. I hated that. It was cold and
miserable but we got the badge to show.
One thing that is very
important when deciding to swim in any body of water not
protected by a life guard is to make sure there are
multiple people around and that there is some way of
providing safety to those in the water.
Whether it be flora or fauna, wildlife is by far the most
exciting aspect of the outdoors. Very few experiences
is like that of hiking along, coming over a knoll and
walking into a herd of elk. Or watching two coyotes blaze
across a hillside chasing one another. I have always had a
great interest in tracking animals down without them
knowing I am there and watching them in their habitat.
On one occasion, my cousins
and I were camping out and just about to fall asleep.
Three of us were in the tent after eating and putting out
the fire. Suddenly, our senses became very in tune in the
quiet forest. We could hear footsteps all around us. They
were heavy and there were a lot of them. We could hear
snorting and hoofing at the ground. One of the unknown
bodies brushed our tent and scared the life out of us.
Slowly we unzipped the tent door and we could see and
smell the shadowed bodies of a herd of elk. They were
everywhere. Now elk rarely approach a campfire or anywhere
with the scent of humans but the wind must have been just
right for the direction they were coming. The next morning
we tracked them until we caught up to them bedded down.
What a sight.
Once, my cousins and I were
building a fort in the hills. We heard the shale above
break and fall. We looked up and a black bear was making
its way across the hill side.
My family was up on a
mountain looking out over the rest of the valley when we
spotted a mountain goat just below.
Once we were walking back
from a fishing hike and as we came down the valley on a
narrow road we heard a sound that strikes instant fear. A
mountain lion was on the prowl and let out a scream. We
became very anxious and made way for the nearest truck we
could find.
Once, a friend of the
family had a coyote call and hid in some brush on a hill
next to our cabin. He was tucked into a cove and as he
made the call we could see the coyotes come out and down
to him. Suddenly, he jumped up and screamed and they took
off like wildfire.
While bouncing along in a
truck with my dad and grandfather once we came over a hill
and saw about 200 head of elk. They had been spooked by
some other people and were barreling over the pass into
the trees.
I used to move sprinkler
pipe as a kid. One early morning I almost stepped on a
tiny spotted fawn in the alfalfa. It was hiding out and
not expecting me. I had seen the mother earlier that
morning pop up and run off.
I have found a great deal
of peace just strolling through a forest of pines. I love
the smell. Sage brush also has a smell that is familiar to
me. The bitterroot reminds me of grandma. Tall grass
reminds me of the fields in front of our cabin.
In short, I love the
wildlife of the outdoors. I don't think I'll ever loose
the exhilaration of seeing a majestic elk, watching a
bounding deer, hustling back to a vehicle after hearing a
lion, watching a bear lumber along, or any other of the
experiences to be had in the outdoors.
