Bert Carlstrom 
I have been thinking a lot about the Scots. Were there Scots in Montana? If so, why did they not leave a lasting mark on the Montana identity? Why, for example, do Montana Universities offer Irish Studies, but no Scottish Studies? Turns out, this is a theme across the West. While many Scots and Scots-Irish … Read more
Lolo Peak trail doesn’t actually lead to Lolo Peak. The trail switchbacks for 3.6 miles through beautiful lodgepole and larch forests and steep meadows to Carlton Ridge. Along the way, breaks in the trees offer stunning vistas as range after range of mountains tumble away in all directions. To the northeast, the jagged Missions cut … Read more
Dressed in fringe-laden buckskin and wielding a guitar, Jack Gladstone spoke with a deep resonant voice and loomed tall on the split log stage. Granted he seemed more giant because I was probably six or seven at the time, but it wasn’t hard to imagine him getting a football scholarship to the University of Washington. … Read more
Last weekend was not the rainiest most miserable camping trip I’ve ever been on. It was rainy, sure, but far from miserable. We went to Ashley Lake, about 25 miles west of Kalispell. Although surrounded by Flathead National Forest, there are quite a few private homes on the lake, which surprised me. After driving for … Read more
The most seductive phrase in the English language is “Breakfast Served All Day.” Pair this with “Homemade Huckleberry Milkshakes” and you need look no further for your next meal. We found exactly such a place while driving through Lakeside: the Homestead Café. Part café, part antique store, everything is for sale at the Homestead. We … Read more
Everyone has a unicorn—a prize they desperately want that keeps eluding them. For some it is climbing Mt Everest or K2 or sailing solo around the world. For us, it is summiting Ch-paa-qn Peak (formerly Squaw Peak), a 3.5 mile long hike approximately an hour west of Missoula. With less than 2,000 feet of elevation … Read more
Markers, monuments and interpretive centers scattered around the state bear witness to the time that the Lewis and Clark expedition spent in Montana. President Jefferson charged the expedition with the exploration of the Missouri River, with the hope that they would find the mythical Northwest Passage, a water route that would connect the Atlantic to … Read more
Recently, Outside Bozeman ran an article in which they compared “Old Bozeman…when people were few, traffic was nonexistent, and real estate was available to folks without hedge funds.” To the Bozeman of today. In doing so, they stepped right into the middle of what I call the Norman Maclean Paradox. A quintessential Montanan, Maclean … Read more
The lounge car of the train, with its arching tinted windows, chrome inlays and sturdy vinyl seats evokes a mid-century glamour. Occasionally a conductor will stroll through, stomach straining the buttons on his vest, one thumb tucked into a vest pocket, importantly checking the big round face of the watch at his wrist, calling … Read more
Designated in 1910 as the nation’s 10th National Park, the grandeur of Glacier has attracted visitors for centuries. The Blackfeet Indian tribe that dominated the plains east of the mountains frequently wintered in the wooded valleys of what is now Glacier National Park, and considered the area around Two Medicine sacred. The Kootenai, who made … Read more
