Rich Landers

My daughters don’t care much for blood and guts, and that’s a healthy lesson for a Montana-born hunter-fisherman to learn.

Camping with boys is the same as camping with girls in a global sense. But there’s a world of difference in the details.

My dad gave me an aluminum canoe in 1971 for my high school graduation present. It’s still in the family, mostly retired since we entered the age of Kevlar but earning its keep as a durable roof over our dog pen. Every dent signifies an early lesson learned, and there’s a lot of them.

The wolf serenade had started with a solo, a deep bass introduction to the wildest choral arrangement a human will ever hear.

The pureness of the Bikecentennial mission captured my heart and led me years later to serve on its board as the nonprofit transitioned to Adventure Cycling. I could think of nothing more purely beneficial to civilization and the planet than encouraging more people to ride bikes. I was a wide-eyed Montanan who knew little about the real world except that I wanted to see it. The bicycle was my vehicle to that end, breaking down barriers like a tank.

Pedaling across the United States stands out from my numerous lifetime adventures because of the time invested.

For 16 years after becoming (briefly) the youngest American to summit the world’s highest peak, Jess Roskelley continued to pack his life with achievement – earning income and accolades as a welder, tying the knot with the woman of his dreams and climbing into an elite echelon of American mountaineering – before it all came to a sudden tragic end in the Canadian Rockies.

Grace Yancey might someday write a book about her childhood winters – the igloo playhouse, a breezy three-sided latrine and visitors from around the world at her Little House in the Purcells.

Some of the hottest permits and reservations for summer outdoor adventures at home and abroad are being procured now, in the chill of winter.

Getting out of town to meet farmers and ranchers is one of the responsibilities and pleasures of being a sportsman. But before knocking on the door of a house or shop to ask permission to hunt or fish, you often must pass inspection of a dog.