Category Archives: Hiking

Skiing at Zero Cold Thirty

Posted on January 12, 2013 by westerner54

Saturday, January 12, 2013.    Really cold.   Like 400 degrees below zero.  Fahrenheit.  Dang. I forgot to put on sunscreen. When the steam from the cement plant is doing this, you know it’s a pretty serious inversion.  But we’d decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Owl Creek Cabin in the Flathead: Maybe Winter’s OK After All

Posted on January 7, 2013 by westerner54

Feeling like you want to rough it, but just a little?  Not up to hauling everything on your back and skiing miles to get to a cold cabin in the woods?   Want to cook on an electric stove and plug in … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Travel | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Snow and Solitude: A Yellowstone Solstice

Posted on December 24, 2012 by westerner54

Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone National Park,  December 21, 2012, 4:43 p.m.  The shortest day of the year has just ended, and the long night is beginning. We are the only campers in Mammoth Campground on this calm and silent winter solstice.    … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Yellowstone | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments

Looking Back: The Best Outdoor Moments from 2012

Posted on December 20, 2012 by westerner54

You know those perfect moments when it feels like time is standing still?  When you are totally immersed in your surroundings and nothing exists but the sounds and smells and sights of the “right now”?    For me, capturing that moment … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Life, Montana, Nature, Outdoors, Yellowstone | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

Mexican Lime Jerky, Sweet and Spicy Jerky, and Snowshoeing in the Cold

Posted on December 10, 2012 by westerner54

8 below zero this morning, which meant that my plans for a long snowshoe along the Continental Divide might need rethinking.   So instead of subjecting my husband to hours of whining, I suggested a shorter trip and an afternoon making … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Hiking, Montana, Outdoors | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Countdown to the the Solstice

Posted on December 3, 2012 by westerner54

The dark, cold, windy days of November and December are hard to love.  I crave the light, and these days that keep getting shorter and shorter are a true test of my resolve to live in the moment.    I count … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Life, Nature, Outdoors | Tagged , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Time I Didn’t Fall into the Canyon

Posted on November 13, 2012 by westerner54

I don’t think you’d call me a cavalier, “throw caution to the wind” type of person, especially when I’m heading out into the backcountry.  I doublecheck lists, check the weather, and seek out all the information I can find about … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Hiking, Nature, Southwest hikes | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

OK Ira Glass, This is Not a Guilty Pleasure. But it’s Still Embarrassing.

Posted on November 3, 2012 by westerner54

Ira Glass, in the New York Times Book Review, August 16 2012: “I don’t believe in guilty pleasures, I only believe in pleasures. People who call reading detective fiction or eating dessert a guilty pleasure make me want to puke. … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Humor, Outdoors, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Bear Trap Canyon: After the Burn

Posted on October 22, 2012 by westerner54

Bear Trap Canyon is a swell early or late season hike: it warms up early in the spring, and stays warm longer in the fall than hikes up in the mountains.  The hike follows the Madison River through the Lee … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Montana, Nature, Outdoors | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

What’s the Shortest Distance You Can Hike and Still Be Tough?

Posted on October 16, 2012 by westerner54

Here’s a lesson:  if you suggest a weekend backpack, and remember a beautiful spot that you visited years ago, and you want to impress your tough hiking friends with this swell hike, it might be a good idea to actually check out a map … Continue reading →

Posted in Backpacking, Hiking, Montana, Nature | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments