5 Great Things to do in Autumn
Go Fishing
by Greg Lemon
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Fly fishing in Montana
Photo by Jeremy Lurgio
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The mountains beyond the trees have first-of-the-year snow on their peaks. Somewhere in the deep canyons bull elk are bugling challenges to each other. Many of the local sportsmen have traded their fly rods in for their bow and arrows. I’m holding out though.
My attention is focused on the trout rising in the gentle current seam across the river. For six months these fish have been attacked by every kind of fly sold at the local shops. Guides with clients from all over the world floated over these trout. Some of those clients could fish, most couldn’t. But for about 180 days, these fish saw nonstop boats, Orvis waders, felt bottom boots and any variety of dangly flies. That they’re here at all is a wonder.
But the hoards of summer are gone. Autumn on the river is a time of solitude. Fishing is technical and the trout are wary – catching them takes long, fine leaders, small flies and a soft touch. Fly-fishing Montana’s rivers in the fall is more Buddha than Baptist; more Mozart than Metallica; more Crown Royal than Old Crow.
I move slowly toward the rising fish, which are now slightly upstream from me. I creep into deeper water and soon it’s lapping against my waders above my waist. I shake out some line and softly, gently false cast enough to reach 10 feet above the top fish.
One last cast. As I bring my rod forward and give a slight pull with my left hand – just enough of a double-haul to get the thin 5X tippet and size 18 blue wing olive to turn over. Magically the fly lands in the thin foam line ushering insects down to the pod of rising trout.
I mend. The fly twitches only slightly. My heart starts to beat faster. This is the crescendo.
A fish rises about six feet downstream of my fly. I flinch. But the music in my mind continues to build. I hold my breath.
My fly disappears with a swirl of fish and water. I lift my rod high in the air and there’s an explosion on the surface. The big finish has begun. With the pirouettes of a ballet dancer and the jerks of a wild bronc, the fat brown trout fights the line, rod and tiny fly. I let him wear out and after a few minutes he’s ready for his final bow and then release.
Hike With Llamas
by Susi Sinay
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Hiking with Llamas in Montana
Photo by Susi Sinay
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One of the greatest pleasures of fall is hiking the Montana backcountry. Most seasonal visitors have left, trails are cool and quiet. When I explore the backcountry near my Livingston home, I prefer to take items of comfort and outdoor luxury such as an extra blanket, bird books, big sleeping bag, fishing poles, cooking gear, good food instead of that freeze-dried stuff, as well as a nice bottle of wine. Now, if you think that I load all that on my own back, you are mistaken! My llama friends carry everything without complaint.
Believe me, there’s nothing more enjoyable than strolling down the trail with only your binoculars weighing you down and your llama companion following right behind you with your gear safely attached to his back. He, too, loves to go hiking and looks around taking in the smells and sounds of the forest and mountains. He calmly crosses the stream behind you, hikes up the mountainside, and settles down patiently while you eat your picnic lunch, take a nap, or set up camp.
Over thousands of years, indigenous people of the South American Andes have been breeding the llama to become exactly that: a surefooted, good-natured pack animal. Well-trained llamas are easy to handle and walk at about the same pace as a person, which, combined with their calm disposition and gentle personality, makes them enjoyable hiking companions. Weighing between 300 and 400 pounds, a llama is much smaller than most equine packers. Their impact on trails is much less than that of a horse. In camp, they can be tethered and staked easily, and as a bonus, the llama’s natural alertness makes him an excellent camp guard. I always sleep well in camp when my llamas are near.
In Yellowstone National Park, you need to get a backcountry permit and stick to stock sites (Backcountry Office phone # 307-344-2160) for overnight camping. No permits are necessary in National Forests. A number of llama breeders in Montana sell untrained llamas or experienced packers. If you are not ready to own llamas yourself, there is the option to contact llama owners who rent their pack llamas after a thorough screening of the potential renters (for instance Susi’s “Free Spirit Llamas” in Livingston
406-222-2592; Dave Smith’s “High Prairie Llamas” in Roberts 406-445-2057). Both will provide llama handling information and a short packing class.
For fully guided, multi-day llama treks, contact Yellowstone Llamas at 406-586-6872 or 406-586-1155 in Bozeman; Great Northern Llama Company at 406-755-9044 in Columbia Falls. Well, what are you waiting for? Get that camping gear out of your garage and get ready for a new hiking experience. The llamas are waiting!
Rent a Forest Service Cabin
by Connie Myslik MacFadden
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Forest Service Cabin in Montana
Photo by connie Myslik MacFadden
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A weekend or a few days in the wilderness without sacrificing a bed, protection from bugs and bears, and the warmth of a wood stove on cool fall nights? Without paying the usual cost of a rustic Montana cabin or hotel room? Yes - it’s possible in a Forest Service Cabin!
Over the past few years I’ve enjoyed retreating at least once to a dozen or so of the twenty-four rustic Forest Service cabins scattered throughout the Gallatin National Forest. I love the wilderness settings, the chinked logs, the old wood stoves, the simplicity of chopping wood and carrying water. No TV or radio, no phone, no computer. Just trees and meadows, birds and wildlife, and quiet - a chance to be alone or with friends without the distractions of everyday life.
Each cabin name — Battle Ridge, Fox Creek, Window Rock — brings back memories of special experiences. Sitting by a campfire atop the knoll on which Little Bear cabin perches, I’ve cheered spectacular fourth of July fireworks as they lit up the sky over the Gallatin Valley. I’ve been snowed in at Little Bear, still one of my favorites even though it was also the site of an unfortunate pepper spray accident.
Last November I drove to Window Rock cabin up Hyalite Canyon for a solitary weekend retreat, not realizing that ice and snow were already covering the ground at the higher altitude. I had forgotten to bring propane for the lantern and, surrounded by forested mountains as that location is, it was pitch black and well below freezing by 5:30 p.m. A hot fire in the wood stove quickly warmed the cabin, and I snuggled into my sleeping bag early, comforted by the presence of my chocolate lab, Sophia. We cut our stay short and returned home the next day, just as snow began to fall in earnest.
Every cabin is unique. Some are small, with one set of bunkbeds, and others have two sets of bunkbeds and a loft, sleeping six or eight people. All are equipped with a wood stove, ample supply of wood, kitchen essentials, table and chairs, and an outhouse. It’s possible to drive to many cabins throughout the summer, and some through the winter. Others require a hike or horseback ride in; cross country skis or snowshoes can reach a few in winter.
You supply food, water, sleeping bags or bedding, and items from a list sent when you make a reservation. At the end of your stay, you’re responsible for filling the wood box (axe and maul supplied), sweeping and mopping the floors, and leaving the cabin in even better condition than you found it.
There are 102 Forest Service cabins in Montana. Visit or call your local Forest Service Ranger Station for complete information, or go to www.reserveusa.com, which handles all reservations except for three days before a desired stay. Or you can reach reserveusa (if you’re patient) at 1-877-444-6777.
Eat a Slice of American Culture
by Cindi Ott
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Pumpkins in Montana
Photo by Peter Fay
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Autumn is the season of pumpkins. Pumpkins conjure up images of spooky Halloween spirits, majestic harvest scenes, and the historic Thanksgiving feast of the pilgrims. When we eat pumpkin, whether it is in the form of pumpkin soup, ice cream, candy or the most beloved pumpkin pie, we connect to these images and historic legacies in a very personal way. We make them part of ourselves. Joining with others, we build personal traditions and, in the case of pumpkin pie, a sense of national heritage. While pumpkin is arguably one of the most commemorative of American foods, any food can carry deep meaning. Take steak, for example. Many visitors to Montana eat steak during their stay here not only because the beef is good and fresh but also because it connects them to the place and all that it represents from cowboy culture to wide open spaces.
So while food provides the nutrition we all need, it is more than just something we eat. Food links people to a region, to a country, to family, to ethnic groups, to the past, and to other consumers. Food is a way of articulating cultural identity. Although we might lose some of the connections to the natural world when we revamp and repackage food from its original form, we nevertheless connect ourselves to the land, the crops, the animals, and the producers. So, in more ways than one, it matters what we eat.
In the case of the pumpkin, Americans’ appetite for the vegetable not only perpetuates cultural traditions, it also shapes the contemporary landscape and rural economies. The increasing popularity of the jack-o’-lantern and pumpkin pie has led to the proliferation of small family farms to which this iconic harvest symbol has long been attached. The limited demand of the crop, the need to rotate pumpkin fields annually to avoid plant disease, and prohibitive long distance transportation costs, all encourage its production by small-scale producers for a local market. So when you are traveling “o’er the river and through the woods” to visit one of Montana’s pick-your-own pumpkin farms this season, keep in mind the vegetable’s connections to history, culture and place as well as its delicious aroma and flavor.
Montana Pumpkin Farms
Common Ground Farm
Arlee, MT
406-726-2900
Ben’s Pumpkin Patch at Fox Meadow Farm
Hamilton, MT
406-961-1789
Escape From Adulthood - Halloween Costumes
by Mike Garverick
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Montana play
Photo by Levi Baker
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Sad as it may seem that most childhood activities get left back in our childhood, there is, however, one activity you can still partake in from your childhood. And that is Halloween.
Getting dressed up for a costume party is the ultimate escape. That’s why you did it when you were a child. For one day you got to be what you wanted to be when you grew up — a fireman, a soldier, Mighty Mouse.
I can remember my father taking me trick or treating for the first time. Rather than spend money, we tried making a costume by cutting a few eye holes in a bed sheet so I could haunt around town. Sure, a king-size bed sheet may have been a little too long for a five year-old to properly maneuver around in, but a few cuts and bruises were well worth the sweet candy reward that awaited me at each and every house.
Then in high school when the neighbors ran you off their porches with witches’ brooms because seventeen is maybe a bit too old for trick or treating, you threw a costume party. The jocks dressed like their favorite pro athletes, the girls came as ballerinas and angels, and the kids who played Dungeons and Dragons finally looked normal out of the basement.
Costume parties are for the creative, and the creatively impaired alike. Some of the best costumes I’ve seen have been self-made. But if you don’t have a flare for the creative, there are many shops that are more than happy to rent you a killer costume. And if you can’t make your own and you’re still waiting on those lucky lotto numbers to afford a rented costume, I have not met a man yet who couldn’t wrap a bed sheet around his body and go as the Almighty Caesar.
But it doesn’t stop with just ourselves. We dress everything up. Our lawns become eerie graveyards, dogs can be disguised as little devils, and even a rusted out ‘76 Buick flies down the road like the Bat Mobile.
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