Winter Camping

Steve McGann

Winter is the season of dramatic contrasts: the dazzling light of sun on snow, then the full dark of 5PM; the wonderful warmth of a room with a fireplace and the numbing cold just outside the front door; the gaiety of a holiday group, and the…

Trees of December

Steve McGann

Trees are a big part of this season of the year. Christmas trees, Yule logs, branches and greens for wreaths, all get attention. Seems like a good time to write about them and all the other trees, the ones still out in the forest. As a kid, I am not…

The 12 Hour Walk

Steve McGann

Over a year ago, I heard about a book titled The 12 Hour Walk, by Colin O’Brady. I read some reviews and the account of one person who had done this walk on trails around Bozeman. The book reviews were positive and the experience of the walker…

Navigation Don’t Get Lost

Steve McGann

As Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” I choose to interpret the Hall of Fame catcher and philosopher as meaning to forge on, to boldly go, without hesitation. But when you begin, it does help to have an idea…

River Ramblings

Steve McGann

Connected But Random Water Thoughts

Deadly Yellowstone

Steve McGann

In the forward to the new short story collection, Deadly Yellowstone, editor Lise McClendon describes the stories as amusing, scary, mysterious, even fantastical. She does not mention entertaining, but they definitely are that. The collection…

Owner’s Manual for Yellowstone Park

Steve McGann

The first couple of times that I toured Yellowstone Park I entered and departed from the Wyoming gateways. Hey, on the initial trip I was a little kid in the back seat of my grandfather’s Chevy and the second time, a clueless college kid…

The Bob Marshall Wilderness "The Bob"

Steve McGann

“... Recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain... ” These inspiring words from the 1964 Wilderness Act are a mantra for those who appreciate…

Our State Parks

Steve McGann

I recently read a news story about the American Prairie Reserve donating land to the State of Montana for establishing a State Park at the confluence of the Judith River and the Missouri. It was mentioned that this would be Montana’s 56th…

Terminated and Traumatized

Steve McGann

This opinion was contributed after our editorial deadline had passed, we included here in the Recreation section. The United States of America is being dismantled in plain sight. The new administration has authorized unelected, sometimes even…

Top 10 Walks In The Park

Steve McGann

Bozeman is surrounded by mountain ranges, rivers and creeks, and vast open farm land. Farther afield there are wilderness areas, large lakes, and state and national parks. Drive out of town in any direction and amazing natural areas are close at…

Top 10 Montana Books

Steve McGann

There is a family joke that, to get me to pay attention to something, it is necessary to put it in a list of the best, the top ten, or the classic of whatever is being considered. This is probably true, though I will not click on a catalog of…

Tap ‘er Light

Steve McGann

Last November, in a baffled state of mind, I gazed at a political map of Montana and realized the reason for one of the sparse blue sections. Hoping for some inspiration, some hope, I searched the bookcase for a biography of the most respected…

Beyond the Cold and Dark

Steve McGann

Embracing the Quiet of Winter

Been There, Done That Got The Hat

Steve McGann

The saying, “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt” mildly pokes fun at people who did stuff and, even before they could brag about it you knew about their exploits, because their t-shirt advertised it. They had been to parks, climbed…

Yellowstone Park Boundaries

Steve McGann

Yellowstone Park forms a rectangle of land in northwest Wyoming. Mostly. The Congressional Act that set aside Yellowstone as a National park listed the boundaries in miles from certain landmarks, then stipulated the meridians thus encountered. The…

Hiking Footwear

Steve McGann

The story goes that on the approach to a Himalayan climb in the late 1970s, a couple of the American climbers decided that wearing their huge waffle-stomping boots made no sense. They made the long approach hike in sneakers. At that time, exercise…

Hyalite: 50 Years in the Mountains

Steve McGann

Driving to the end of the road and walking off into the mountains is a wonderful thing. I have been doing it for a long time. There is such a sense of freedom, and something else—a bit of daring, as if it might not be quite legal. I mean, there…

Top 10 Bozeman Bike Trails

Steve McGann

We have been riding our bikes in Bozeman for many years, for pleasure and exercise, errands and commuting. The growth of our city has made this both harder and easier. It is harder, of course, because of much more traffic. I never did ride on Main…