Bird Woman Falls ©Bert Gildart: Falcon Guides, produced by Globe Pequot Publishers, has just released the first in a new series called “Pocket Guides,” in this case a Glacier National Park Pocket Guide. Though the books are small, measuring about 5 ½ by 4 inches, they pack a great deal into the 91 pages-and I [...]

Airstream and Snow-packed Lookout Pass ©Bert Gildart: Yesterday, as Janie and I crossed Lookout Pass (separating Montana from Idaho), we discovered a new substance. Natives call it snow (rhymes with glow) and in places it was so deep that it towered over our Airstream. We quickly discovered the substance is wet, very cold–and that at this time [...]

Cinnamon Teal pair ©Bert Gildart: Question: What does creating good photographic opportunities share in common with finding an outstanding fishing hole? Answer: Generally, you don’t share the opportunities with the rest of the world, particularly when a friend has created the opportunities. In this case an Oregon photographer agreed to share a photo blind with me, one that [...]

So, my friend Lisa is always telling me that there's so much to Mill Creek, and really, I've never really gotten it. I mean, I pretty much just go to the Wicked Crag, and it doesn't seem all the extensive. So where was all this fabled climbing?

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Santiam River and Guide Eric Smith ©Bert Gildart: Our Northwest Outdoor Writer’s (NOWA) Conference, held in Salem, Oregon, is over for yet another year, and again, Janie and I leave with some vivid memories. We’re in agreement that the most significant presentation was John Martin’s overview of global warming. The title of his talk was “Climate [...]

Janie at Airstream Work Station ©Bert Gildart: We’re in Salem, Oregon, attending the Northwest Outdoor Writer’s Association. The convention includes lots of seminars, and perhaps most importantly, enables us to make new contacts and renew acquaintances with old friends. The convention also provides supporting members with the opportunity to acquaint us with new products. Two days ago [...]

Yesterday I decided I needed a change of pace, so I decided that I was going to do a classic road bike ride here in Moab. The ride is about 65 miles and it goes up past Mill Creek (5000 foot gain), then loops around through Castle Valley (past Castleton Tower) and down the river road, past Big Bend.

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World’s Eighth Wonder? ©Bert Gildart: Though most of us have probably never heard of Burney Falls, Theodore Roosevelt, probably our most noted conservation president, pronounced the hundred-yard long lip with its thousands of plunging rivulets “One of the wonders of the world.” Our acquaintance with this northern California park, known officially as McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial [...]

So, the big exciting news of the week is that I've decided to call it quits on Learning to Fly until fall. Temps are heating up here in Moablandia, but that's not really a good excuse. Actually, I think the crack has gotten bigger. No, really. Everytime I go to clip I can feel my ringlocks sliding out. It's terrifying, and really, the only possible explanation is that the crack has grown.

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©Bert Gildart: When Janie and I departed the Amargosa Opera House in late February I was happy with the photographic opportunities that had presented themselves. I’d met a group of Vietnam Veterans who had come to know Marta Becket well. One of the men introduced me to Ms. Becket, and she allowed me to [...]