The Wild Life: Wilderness adventure and lifestyle

A History Lesson on a Kindred Spirit....

2011-05-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

This winter we had epic snowfall in the Yellowstone region- even now (late May) in the high country- snow pack is being added to the mountains, and spring run-off is just getting going. Needless to say, all this snow is going to create massive river flows in the upcoming weeks.

So, in preparation for the upcoming season I have been looking for historical accounts of other epic winters in the Yellowstone region and reading up on them. The winter of 1887 is known as the hardest winter on record in Montana. Huge snow accumalations and bitter cold temperatures plagued the Northern Rockies that year, in fact Montana ranchers lost 80% of their cattle herds due to starvation and exposure!

It was that brutal winter (1887) that the US government decided to launch the first offical sanctioned winter exploration of the interior of Yellowstone Park! Chosen to lead the expedition was Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka- a US Army officer. Schwatka it turns out was a real kindred spirit of mine! Before his Yellowstone assignement he had acheived notoriety for his dogsledding and rafting exploits.

In 1878–80, at the behest of the American Geographical Society, Schwatka led an expedition to the Arctic to look for records left on King William Island by members of the infamous "lost" Franklin expedition. Traveling to Hudson Bay by a schooner, Schwatka's team then went north from Hudson Bay "with three sledges drawn by over forty dogs, relatively few provisions, and a large quantity of arms and ammunition."

They traveled with Inuit, visited sites of Franklin Expedition remains, and found a skeleton of one of the lost Franklin crewmen. Though the expedition failed to find the hoped-for papers, it was regarded as "the longest dog sled journey ever made both in regard to time and distance" at that time. The expedition lasted eleven months and four days and traveled 2,709 miles (4,360 km)by dog team. It was the first Arctic expedition on which the whites relied entirely on the same diet as the Inuit.

Just a few years later in 1883, he was sent to explore the Yukon River by the US Army. Going over the Chilkoot Pass, his party built rafts and floated down the Yukon River to its mouth in the Bering Sea, naming many geographic features along the way. At more than 1,300 miles (2,092 km), it was the longest raft journey that had ever been made at that time.

However, even though Schwatka had extensive experience traveling in brutal and harsh climates, the epic Yellowstone winter got the best of him. The 29 day tour of the park on snowshoes covered nearly 200 miles, with temperatures varying −10F to −52F below zero. Sadly, Schwatka didn't make it through much of the expedition, the cold and altitude had gotten to Schwatka and he had to abandon the tour after a few days. The expedtions leadership was then taken over by Frank J. Haynes.

Haynes and three other men decided to continue on visiting both the lower, upper geyser basins and Yellowstone Falls before trouble struck. The party got stranded for 72 hours on the slopes of Mount Washburn in a frigid and blinding snowstorm with little or no food or shelter. They almost perished. Despite the problems on Mount Washburn however, Haynes returned with 42 photographs of Yellowstone in the middle of winter, the first ever taken during that time of year- making the Schwatka Winter Expedition of 1887 a success.

Fun for Kids in Yellowstone....

2011-05-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yellowstone is an extremely cool place for kids.

But with almost 3500 square miles of lakes, geysers, canyons, and hot springs, there’s too much to see in one short stay. So, Here are
Ten Cool Things For Kids in Yellowstone National Park

1. Dragon’s Mouth Spring

How can you resist telling your kids that a dragon lives in a cave near a mud volcano? It doesn’t take much imagination to think that this cavern, with its growls and thumps, and spitting steam, might just hold a real dragon.

2. Fishing Cone

It’s probably just a tall tale, but the story goes that the early trappers and explorers would catch fish in Yellowstone Lake, swing them directly into the Fishing Cone geyser just off shore, and have a meal of boiled fish in just minutes. “Hook and cook,” they called it. Like the dragon cave, another cool sight that will fire up the imagination.

3. Old Faithful Inn

Old Faithful Inn
What kid won’t love the largest log hotel in the world? Just walk inside the 100-year-old Inn’s lobby, with its four stories of lodgepole pine balconies and 500-ton stone fireplace, and your kids might just want to sit for awhile. Preferably in one of the many handmade wood rocking chairs. Better yet, stay in one of the Inn’s rooms. Prices are reasonable, and the food in the dining room is first-class.

4. Fountain Paint Pots

Fountain Paint Pots

This is what I remember best from my own childhood memories of Yellowstone. The short half-mile trail is the perfect primer for the various thermal features you’ll see throughout the park. It’s a little bit of everything, with numerous geysers, bubbling mud pots, hot springs, and steaming fumaroles. With all that activity in a small space, it’s kind of watching a three-ring circus.

5. Dangerous Animals

Your kids might not be impressed by the thousands of bison that roam all over the park until they see the signs warning that these animals weigh up to 2000 pounds, run over 30mph, and think nothing of skewering a camera-toting tourist on the end of its horns. They can be extremely dangerous. Same goes for the grizzly bears, wolves, moose, elk, and badgers. But worry mostly about the bison (sometimes called buffalo), because they will be all around you.

6. Junior Ranger Program

The Junior Ranger program at Yellowstone is one of the coolest of all the National Parks. It gets the kids involved in all sorts of activities involving wildlife, ecology, geology, hiking, and education. If they complete the program, kids get an official Junior Ranger patch. Best of all, they learn something while having fun.

7. Stagecoach Rides

From Roosevelt Lodge in the northern part of Yellowstone, you can take a trip to the past with a rattling, bumpy ride on an old west stagecoach, just as visitors did back at the turn of the century. The ride lasts an hour and is quite reasonably priced at $8 for kids, $10 for adults. A nice way to soak up the scenery.

8. Upper Geyser Basin
Geyser watching
You want geysers? This is where you’ll have your fill of them, as the basin contains over 150 geysers. That’s the highest concentration of geysers in the world. Walking through this alien landscape makes you feel like the Earth’s crust could burst open in a cataclysmic hydrothermal explosion at any moment, totally ruining your dinner reservations at the nearby Old Faithful Inn Dining Room later that night. But seriously, this is the best place for you and your kids to see geysers going off right and left. Many of them, such as Castle Geyser, Grand Geyser, and Riverside Geyser are highly predictable, so you can figure when and where you need to be for the show.

9. Grand Prismatic Spring

Not everything in Yellowstone bubbles, growls, and erupts. Grand Prismatic Spring is simply a gigantic pool of steaming water. In fact, it’s the largest hot springs in the United States. You have to see it for the beautiful colors, from deep blue to orange to green to red, produced by different species of bacteria living in the water. It makes for an interesting biology lesson for everyone.

10. Old Faithful

Old Faithful Geyser
You know this would be on the list. How could it not be? It’s the most popular feature in Yellowstone, and is the park’s defining symbol. The area around Old Faithful is crowded, commercial, and noisy, but it’s still very cool. The geyser usually erupts on a predictable schedule, roughly every 90 minutes. Up to 8,000 gallons of scalding hot water shoots upwards of 185 feet while busloads of tourists “ooh” and “ahh.” On our last visit to the park, my kids and I made a game of running to watch Old Faithful go off. Staying in the nearby Inn made that easy for us, and we ended up viewing eight eruptions during our weekend at Yellowstone.

How to tell the difference between a Black Bear and a Grizzly Bear

2011-04-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

Grizzly Bear

Color varies from blond to black. Often medium-to dark-brown legs, hump, and underparts with light-tipped (grizzled) fur on head and upper body.

Average weight is 500 pounds for males and 350 for females. Males may weigh up to 800 pounds.

Height is 3.5 – 4 feet at shoulder when on all fours, and 6 –7 feet when standing upright.

Distinctive shoulder hump is actually muscle mass that enables powerful digging.

Rump is lower than shoulder hump.

A dished-in profile between eyes and end of snout helps distinguish grizzlies from black bears.

Ears are round and proportionately small.

Front claws are 2-4 inches long, usually light colored.

Black Bear

Colors include black, brown, blond, cinnamon, and rust. The most common snout color is light brown.

Average weight in the West is 100 – 300 pounds, with males usually larger than females. Males may weigh up to 400 or more pounds.

Height is 2.5 – 3 feet at the shoulder when standing on all fours and 5 feet standing upright.

Rump is higher than front shoulders. Does not have a shoulder hump/muscle.

Face profile is straight; muzzle is long.

Ears may be long and prominent.

Front claws are less than 2 inches long, dark colored, sharp, curved, and good for climbing. Claw marks do not always show in tracks.

What to do if you encounter a Bear...

2011-04-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the last strongholds for the great land predators of North America, mountain lions, coyotes, wolves, black bears and Grizzly Bears all still live in the region and are thriving. Of all the predators in the area, nothing stikes fear in the hearts of vacationers and vistors to Yellowstone like bears.

Whenever you travel in bear country, you have to accept the basic reality that you may encounter a bear. The tips on these pages will help reduce the likelihood of meeting Master Bruin, but at the same time, you need to be prepared for what to do when the unexpected occurs.

If you are in open country, use binoculars to scan the horizon to look for bears. In more forested landscapes, be sure to make lots of noise and keep a mental inventory of climbable trees (just in case). Remember, black bears are agile climbers, and grizzlies have also been known to climb short distances up trees. To be safe, you should look for trees that will allow you to get at least 10 m (33 ft) above the ground. Don't forget that bears can charge at 50 km/hr (30 m.p.h.). You'll need some time to climb that tree.

Situation 1 - Bear has not detected your presence and is more than 100 m (350 ft) distant.
Don't announce your presence if the bear has not seen you. If possible, retreat slowly and give the bear plenty of space. If you have the opportunity, you should retreat and leave the trail to the bear. If you must continue, back off a short distance, and give the bear time to leave the area. You should also do a wide detour quietly and quickly downwind to avoid problems.

Situation 2 - Bear has detected your presence, but is more than 100 m (350 ft) distant.
Your goal here is to act in such a way as to allow the bear to identify you, but to also let it know that you are no threat. Speak calmly so that it knows you are a human (their eyesight is quite poor). They will often quickly give ground to you once they identify you as human. If the situation permits, back away slowly, keeping a close eye on the bear. Otherwise, you may wish to detour around the bear, but in this case, detour upwind so that the bear can get your scent. Keep talking calmly. Waving your arms may help it identify you as a human.

Situation 3 - Bear has detected you and shows signs of aggression
If you have followed the advice listed above, hopefully you have a bit of distance between the bear and yourself. You'll need to Assess the situation. Are you dealing with a black bear or a grizzly? Are there cubs involved? Are there climbable trees nearby (and do you have sufficient time to climb them)?

Do Not Run. You can't outrun a bear so don't even try. Despite rumours to the contrary, black and grizzly bears can outrun a human on ANY terrain, uphill or down. People will tell you that you should run downhill when chased by a grizzly. This is simply a myth - don't try it!

Try to retreat slowly. Back up slowly and try to put more space between you and the bear. Talk calmly so that it can identify you as human, and slowly back up. Keep your backpack on as it can provide protection if necessary. Don't make direct eye contact, but keep a close look at the bear as you back away.

Climb a tree if available. If you have enough time, and the bear continues to move closer, take advantage of a tall tree to climb. Remember, black bears are strong climbers as well. Grizzlies have also climbed short distances up trees after people. You want to get at least 10 m (33 feet) high to reduce the chance of being pulled out of the tree. Even though some bears can come up the tree after you, the hope is that they will feel less threatened, and thus less likely to chase you up the tree.

If the bear charges you. Bears will often bluff charge before attacking. This is designed to allow enemies to back down before the bear needs to actually make contact. It evolved as a way to prevent encounters with enemies and it may provide you with an opportunity to back away.

Use your pepper spray. This is a last resort. Pepper spray is only good at very close range (5 m or 15 ft). Wind will reduce this effective range even farther (and may blow the spray back into your face). If the bear approaches within this range, point the spray at its eyes and discharge the contents. Hopefully, this will either disorient the bear to allow you to escape, or at the very least deter it from attacking. Once you have partially discharged a canister of bear spray it should be discarded. While the spray may deter attacks, the smell of pepper can act as an attractor.

If a black bear (or any bear that is stalking you) makes contact. If the attack escalates and a black bear (or any bear that appears to have been stalking you) physically contacts you, fight back with anything that is available to you. Black bears tend to be more timid than grizzlies and fighting back may scare the bear off. In addition, if a bear is stalking you than you are in a predatory situation and fighting back is your only option. This also applies to any attack at night as these may also be considered predatory in nature.

If a grizzly makes contact. As above, if you believe the bear to be stalking you, fight back with everything you have. In general though, playing dead in a daytime grizzly encounter tends to reduce the level of injury sustained by most attack victims. Many grizzly attacks are defensive in nature, and playing dead may show the bear that you are not a threat. Keep your backpack on as it will provide added protection. The best position is to lie on your side in a fetal position. Bring your legs up to your chest and bury your head into your legs. Wrap your arms around your legs and hold on tight. You may also lie on your stomach, backpack on, and place your hands behind your neck to protect that vulnerable area. Do not play dead until the last moment. Staying on your feet may allow you to dodge, or divert an attack.

After the attack. Once the attack has ended, remain patient. After a few minutes, try to determine if the bear is still in the area. If the bear has moved on, you should make your way towards assistance as quickly as possible.

Swiftwater Rescue Technician

2011-04-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

Whitewater rivers are inherently dangerous places. But, when you analyze the risks versus the rewards- canoeing, rafting and kayaking are definetly worth it- rivers are natures highways and they transport you through some of the most beautiful country on earth! In all reality driving the roads to get to the river is usually more dangerous than the river itself!

At River Source Rafting, we take your families safety seriously. Thats why he have the most highly trained guides on the river! All of our guides are trained as Swiftwater Rescue Technicians. Our founder, Jason Matthews is the only raft company manager or owner in the region that is certified to teach/instruct/certify people to be Swiftwater Rescue Technicians, we are very proud that we go above and beyond any mandated requirements, or our competition to be the areas premier river running operation.

Swiftwater Rescue Technician: For River Professionals

This three day-24hr. course is designed to meet the needs of professional river guides and is a must for recreational river runners and anyone finding themselves working on or near the water. This intensive 24 hour class has four hours of classroom instruction followed by two and a half days of developing and practicing skills on the river.

Course Curriculum Summary:
Identifying River Hazards
Rescue Philosophy/Liability

Self Rescue
Tethered Swimmers / Contact Rescues

Throwbag Deployment
Boat Based / Shore Based Rescues
Strainer Swimming
Shallow Water Crossings

Foot and Body Entrapment
Knots
Boat Pins

Mechanical Advantage and Technical Rope Systems
Quick, Smooth, Effective Rescue Technique

We are offering this class to our guides and the general public June 10-12,2011

Wilderness First Aid

2011-04-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

River Source Rafting and Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures both operate in fairly remote places. Thats why we do everything we can to minimize the risks to our clients, and to insure that our staff is the best in the business.

One source of pride for us, is that all of our guides are trained in Red Cross Wilderness First Aid, or higher for responding to backcountry emergencies. Our founder, Jason Matthews is the only guide in the area that is certified to teach/instruct/certify others in Wilderness First Aid- this insures that all of our guides are trained to the very highest standards. Rest assured that when your family does a trip with us we will do everything we can to make it a great one!

Training for Emergencies in Wilderness and Remote Environments

Whether you’re a scout, an outdoor enthusiast or you work in a remote environment, our Wilderness and Remote First Aid course gives you the skills you need to respond to an emergency when help may be delayed.

Topics include:

- Primary and Secondary Assessments
- Head (Brain), Neck and Spinal Injuries
- Heat-Related Emergencies and Hypothermia
- Altitude-Related Illnesses, Allergies and Anaphylaxis
- Bone and Joint Injuries and Burns
- Wounds and Wound Infection
- And more!

The course is based on the Boy Scouts of America Wilderness First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines and offers enhanced content and topics to meet OSHA’s Best Practices for Workplace First Aid Training Programs. The program offers flexibility for organizations and their instructors to adapt the course to varying environments.

We will be offering this course to our employees and the general public June 4th and 5th. Please call (406)223-5134 if your interested

A Howling Good Time....

2011-04-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

Wolves are a symbol of Wilderness, but here in the Yellowstone region they are much more than symbolic- they are controversial. But, no matter which side of the fence you stand on regarding wolf issues, you'll still enjoy this blog entry... I am going to start with how and where to see wolves on your own- then share a hilariously funny story about Wolf Watching....

I am amazed at how many people I know in Montana that have never seen a wolf. Even people that are "outdoorsy" and spend alot of time playing in the woods...I guess wolves don't have season passes to Bridger Bowl or go paddle the Gallatin after work though. In all honesty if I didn't commute through the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone Park to get to work in the winter- I'd probably only have seen maybe 20-30 wolves in my life. But since I drive to Cooke City regularly, I have had the opportunity to see hundreds of wolves over the years (38 in one day a couple of years ago).

The key to seeing so many wolves is knowing what to look for. You don't have to have an incredibly sharp eye...you just need to know what the "wolf guy" drives.

Rick McIntyre is the wolf guy. He works for the Park Service as a public relations specialist for the wolves. He drives a bright yellow Nissan X-Terra, and he has the radio frequencies of all the radio-collared wolves. So, he drives around with his antenna, finds the wolves and then gets out, sets-up a spotting scope and soon the crowds descend upon him!

The Lamar Valley is Mecca for Wolf Lovers, and Rick is their GURU. So, if you want to see wolves, just drive through the Lamar in the winter and look for the X-Terra, the spotting scopes, and the masses and soon you will see wolves. Its really that easy!

One day a few years ago, I was driving through the Park and came up on a huge group of wolf watchers at the Slough Creek winter trailhead. They were watching a pack of wolves on a hillside several hundred yards away- across the road. I eased into the parking lot unseen since they all were looking the other direction. I hopped out of the truck and walked the 60 feet over to the group. They told me not only about the wolves across the way- but also, about a group that had been seen earlier back up Slough Creek! Behind us in the parking lot was my dog truck and 20 Alaskan Huskies quietly nestled in their boxes.

Suddenly, the wolves across the way began to howl....then moments later there was a response in the distance from the group behind us! After a couple more howls back and forth from the two packs, my sled dogs decided to join in and call back to them!

When the dogs erupted 20 yards behind us, it sounded like a huge wolf pack howling madly and descending upon us!!! Everyone jumped and several people screamed and shouted and put their hands over their hearts! It looked like a bomb had gone off as frantic and scared as everyone was! It was chaos. I, of course knew what it was and was embarassed and running to the truck to hush them up. After quieting them down, I hopped in the truck and drove off howling with laughter!

The Eskimo Roll: How to roll a kayak

2011-04-28T10:01:00.002-07:00

This blog entry is for students in my kayaking class at Montana State University. I have been teaching "Intro to Kayaking" there for the past decade. In those ten years over 300 students have come into the pool with me and been taught the roll. I have had close to a 100% success rate in getting students to roll- if they come to every class session!

This is my first attempt to teach it with words and pictures, I hope you find it beneficial. Although I am showing you how to do it in a whitewater play boat- this style of roll can also be used in sea kayaks and touring boats as well.

FIrst- body positioning and boat fit. It is important to have a snug fit in your kayak- that way when you move/shift your weight in the boat- the boat will move with you.

So, you should have 4 points of contact with the boat: your feet, your knees, your hips and your lower back should all be touching the kayak. A wide stance in your boat will be good- your heels touching each other, with your toes touching the outer wall of the interior of the kayak. Next your knees you should be as far apart as possible- the wider your knees are in your sitting position the better. Like your toes- your knees should be touching the walls of the kayak.

Hips- your hips should be touching the edge of the seat as well. If your not making contact (the seat is wider than you are) then get some foam pads and glue them to the side of the seat to get a snug fit. Finally, your lower back should be touching a back band or the back of the seat- that way when you push your feet forward- you shouldn't really be able to shift back very much....If your in the boat correctly you should feel you are "wearing" the kayak- not just sitting in it.

Now that your sitting in your boat correctly...Flip over!

The first thing you will need to do, is get into Step 1....putting your paddle parallel to your kayak. You should be leaning over (like doing a sit-up) almost having your forehead touching your left knee. Your right arm will be crossing your chest and your right hand will be just in front of your knee. Try to push your hands as high out of the water as possible.

Next, sweep your right hand out along the surface of the water, in a wide arcing motion until your arm is even with your waist (but stretched out).
What your trying to do here is create a lever, that you can use to brace yourself upright. Try to have your left hand over your butt. Really get your left hand to slide over the edge of your kayak, and be on the bottom of the boat (not on the side wall or chine). The further your left hand is over your butt and on the bottom of the boat- the more of a lever you will create and the greater success you will have. Getting your left hand over your butt, will get your right hand closer to the surface of the water...the higher your right hand is- the better. If your right hand can actually be a little in the air, the much higher odds of rolling you will have.

Now that your in the correct upper-body position, the most important thing is about to need to come into play. The HIP-SNAP!....what you do with the lower body is the most important part of the roll. This is why you need to have a snug fit in the kayak.

So, as you can see from the photo- the boat begins moving upright before my right hand starts going down...this is because I am hip snapping and getting the boat moving towards the up-right position with my lower body. To do this, simultaneous push into your foot braces or outer wall with your left foot, and lift your left knee hard into the side wall of your kayak.....at the same time start pulling down against the water with your right paddle blade (the blade should be flat on the water creating resistance)...this will get you moving towards the surface, in essentially what is a "high brace" position.

Now, that your 2/3rds of the way up, you need to start shifting your focus from your left side to your right....make sure your looking down your right arm into the water (not looking to the sky- gasping for air)..also be pulling your right knee up firmly against the right wall of your kayak

Now that your up, switch your weight momentarily to your left butt cheek which will essentially balance you back to a stable position. Also pull your blade out of the water and get ready to start paddling again like nothing ever happened!

How to Build a Sweat Lodge

2011-04-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

So, I got a lot of comments about a blog entry last week. I mentioned briefly building a sweat lodge on a river trip, and now my readers have either be teasing me and calling me a "hippie" or asking me how to build one. So, if you've been teasing me about sweat lodges- don't read past here...but, if you want to know how to build one- read on.

Sweat lodges are easily constructed structures made of saplings bent together and tied with twine to form a half sphere. A pit is dug in the center for heated rocks. The structure is covered with a tarp or blankets. In days past, hides of buffalo robes covered the frame. The earthen floor is strewn with sage, flat cedar, flowers, grass or reeds. Participants gather within the darkened interior to endure the steam generated by dippers of water poured over the hot stones

Building a sweat lodge is not difficult, but some thought should be given to various details.

Location of the Lodge

A secluded area is the obvious setting for a sweat lodge. Privacy is key, yet the area must also be accessible. Once you have chosen the site, you must then choose where you wish to place the lodge itself.

There is no hard, fast rule that the doorway of a sweat lodge must face a particular location. Most Sioux and Ojibwa sweat lodges face east or west, but you must consider the terrain, location, and setting of the entire lodge area when selecting your opening. For fire safety, you may have to select your fireplace area first. This will determine the direction of the opening for you, since lodges almost always face the fire.

Fire Safety
Fire safety is of extreme importance in selecting the lodge site and choosing the location of the fire pit. At times, fire pits may have to be dug deeper then what may seem necessary and their location will have to take advantage of windbreaks or shelter from the wind. Even if it is a calm day, assume that the wind could become a factor. Seldom is a sweat lodge built for only one evenings activity; therefore, always consider that high winds can come up during the time the fire is heating the rocks for a later ceremony and resulting sparks and drier conditions could result in a fire.

Heating the Rocks
Early on, assign several participants to gather firewood and rocks. Put one or two persons in charge of preparing the fireplace, building the fire, and heating the rocks. If you start the fire early, the rocks are usually hot by the time the lodge is finished.

Rocks should be of limestone or granite, without significant cracks. Use rocks a little larger than a softball, or the size of a cantaloupe. Never use sandstone or other porous, water-absorbing-type stones. Wet sandstone can explode when heated in the fireplace. Lava rocks are probably the best rocks to use because they seem to retain their heat and also convey unusual images when they are heated to a red glow and are observed within the dark confines of the lodge.

Several hatchets, a shovel, and a pitchfork are useful tools for the fire and stone heating.

Building the Frame
If everyone pitches in, you can build a sweat lodge in three to four hours. All it takes is a knife, a hatchet, and a ball of string. The frame is usually made of willow, but any sapling will do.

The average size lodge will comfortably seat eight to twelve people. To estimate the size, first draw a circle two feet in diameter in the center of the lodge site. This will be the rock pit that you will dig later. Sit cross-legged on the ground facing the circle, and leave at least a foot or two between your knees and the center circle's outer edge. Place a stick with a string tied to it in the center of the circle. Run the string a few inches behind your sitting position. The string serves as a radius for the lodge, and you can then draw the circumference on the ground. A nine foot diameter lodge will seat twelve people comfortably. A ten foot diameter lodge will seat fifteen to sixteen people. Remember, however, that a large lodge will be difficult to heat unless it is well insulated. With the black tarp found in so many hardware stores and the blankets participants bring, however, a large lodge can be built that will hold the heat.

Cut twelve saplings with a base approximately the size of a quarter or fifty cent piece. After the saplings have been brought to the lodge area, remove the branches and sharpen the bottoms. If you have selected willow, use the soft branches and leaves for the floor of the lodge. Place the sharpened ends into the ground at an equal distance around the drawn circumference, leaving an opening for the doorway. You may use a heavier pointed stake to make the holes for the saplings, or use a hunting knife if the ground is very hard.

Be sure the saplings are embedded deep enough into the ground so they hold firm when they are bent and tied together to form the domed frame. The bend of the sapling should allow for a large man to sit comfortably. Don't build your lodge too tall or it will be difficult to heat. Bind the saplings with string, fishing line or willow bark peeled in long strings.

To strengthen and reinforce the lodge, tie sapling cross braces horizontally to the upright saplings. While work is progressing on tying the saplings together, send part of the group to gather grass, sage, cedar, or leaves to place on the floor for people to sit on. If wildflowers are available, a sprinkling within the lodge adds a pleasant aroma. When placing the seating material, leave room for the rocks to be rolled into the lodge, usually a foot wide path from the doorway to the rock pit.

Covering the Sweat Lodge
Tarps are excellent for covering the sweat lodge frame. They are waterproof, and if it rains, participants will find a dry haven inside the lodge. The best method is to cover the frame with a tarp and then cover the tarp with clean blankets. The blankets provide heat and sound insulation and also block out all the light. The more blankets draped over the frame, the better the insulation, and the fewer rocks you will need. If it is colder weather, drafts will not penetrate inward. Use a thick blanket, or several blankets for the doorway. For an adequate supply of blankets, ask each participant to bring one or two. To prevent blankets from sliding off the lodge, use twine or tie the corner of each blanket to the corner of a counter balancing blanket draped on the opposite side of the lodge.

Transporting the Rocks
The ceremony can begin when some of the rocks are glowing red. A long handled pitchfork is a convenient tool for adjusting rocks around a fire and transporting them to the lodge.

You will also want to have several five gallon buckets of water both for the ceremony and for dousing the fire when everyone is ready to leave the area. You will also need a dipper and a two to three gallon pail for splashing water onto the heated rocks.

While the sweat lodge itself is simple to build, it is impossible to convey the ultimate culmination of spiritual, and mystical expression of the Sweat Lodge Ceremony. In the past, participants visited the sweat lodge prior to engaging in the Vision Quest, Sun Dance, and other ceremonies. The cleansing nature of the sweat lodge prepared them for a higher, deeper plane or dimension.

Today we can use the sweat lodge ceremony to find a deep connection to the past and a closeness to nature. During a sweat, a bond begins to develop in the symbolic womb of Mother Earth. A bond to one's own concept of the Creator and a spiritual bond to Mother Earth as one sits within her symbolic womb, and then comes out reborn and cleansed.

A Well-Rounded Education ....Raft Guide Training

2011-04-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed at how rivers can shape people in the same way they shape rocks—if you spend enough time on a river it will eventually wear away the rough edges and make you smoother and more rounded. But you have to pay your dues, leave your ego on the shore, and be willing to get knocked around a bit. A couple of examples come to mind.

High-water training. Nothing strikes fear in a raft guide's heart like those three words. To the initiated, experienced raft guide, spring training trips mean several days of being cold, wet, adrenalized, and sodomized (Mother Nature can be cruel). But, to the rookie guide, talk of high water doesn't yet have any meaning. It's like trying to explain Christmas to children who have never opened gifts—words can't capture the experience. No amount of preparation will mentally prepare them for the surprises they are about to receive!

Derek showed up at spring training after driving for two straight days from down south. He had been a college baseball player and was a thick-necked, bowed-up super stud. Good-looking and loud-mouthed, he was the kind of guy that in all ways stood out and was bigger than life. However, the first two days of training during the May runoff were a little more than he could handle. Being ejected twice into the snow-melt-fueled torrent and then swimming big-water rapids was too much for Jocko. He’d had enough—he preferred to be the dominant force, and the river was just too much for him. So, he packed his duffle and headed home to Arkansas—back to where he was safe and dry.

Samantha was just the opposite. She was a beautiful Jewish American Princess from the Chicago suburbs. She left Illinois to escape an abusive relationship and ended up on a permanent vacation in Montana. She heard about the guide-training program and figured she'd give it a shot. She had virtually no experience outdoors. She'd never even been camping. Soaking wet she couldn't have weighed more than 110 pounds. Fortunately for her, 98 of those pounds were heart. However, we didn't know that yet—we bet she'd make it through one day of training before she'd wash out and go home.

The first day was brutal; it was 48 degrees and raining—perfect rafting weather. Samantha was in a raft that flipped, and she swam straight into a log-jam strainer and was sucked under. She popped up 20 yards downstream with a stick impaled in her cheek and lip. She looked like a member of some primitive tribe with a strange piercing ritual. She was very shaken, but her spirits were still high. She wanted to finish the trip—we wanted her evacuated. After a visit to the emergency room to have the stick removed, she was right back on the water, learning to row and read the river. She didn't pass the training course with the other rookies, but she was allowed to keep with it until she mastered all the mandatory skills. It took her all summer but she never gave up, and now a decade and a half later she is the bronzed and muscular head guide of a raft company in Idaho, and she spends her winters as a ski-patroller. Her ex-boyfriend better pray that he never runs into her in a dark alley, because times have changed.

I don't know what happened to the baseball player, but I imagine he's safe in his hometown, playing the role of the big fish in a small town. He probably doesn't talk about his raft-guiding career very often though. Rivers are funny like that—they humble some, and empower others, always wearing us down and rounding our edges.

Sunny Days and Hot Nights...the River Source Experience

2011-04-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

In the Spring of 1996, in the mountains near Whitefish, Montana, an Ojibwa spiritual elder called Speaks Lightning taught me the Sweat Lodge ceremony. Over several sessions I learned the details of this ancient, tribal rite- I worked both outside of the lodge as the rock tender, and also in the lodge learning songs and chants that go along with this purification ritual. Now, sometimes when the moon is high, and the mood is right, and the guests are willing- we will build an impromptu river side sauna and participate in this time-honored tradition!

A SWEAT LODGE

An overnight or multi-day float trip with River Source is a truly unique experience. We go to great lengths to create a once-in-a lifetime, highly memorable adventure! Every trip is different, and the majority of them are led by me, the companies founder. No other raft company in Montana even comes close to offering the intimate experiences we create on our overnights!

Our last multi-day trip of the summer of 2010 had a Lewis and Clark theme. We re-traced the expeditions route along the Yellowstone River and every night had campfire talks by our guide, and Lewis and Clark scholar Norm Miller. Norm guides both dog sled and river tours for us, and he probably has more river miles under his belt than any guide in the country.

At 48 years old, Norm has dedicated the past 30 years of his life to exploring the worlds waterways by canoe and kayak. Besides re-tracing the entire Lewis and Clark route by canoe, he has also done a 3 week solo kayak tour of coastal islands in southeast Asia. Norm has also done several solo, month long trips in the Far North of Canada, both in the Yukon and the Hudson Bay region. He has completed the grueling Yukon River Quest canoe marathon, and done expeditions on the Athabascan, and Churchill Rivers. He is a legend in paddling circles both for his expeditions and his photos. He regularly has his pictures published in a variety of magazines.

HERE NORM IS WITH CHURCHILL CLARK (the great, great, great, great Grandson of Captain William Clark from the Lewis and Clark expedition)PADDLING A HOMEMADE DUG-OUT CANOE DOWN THE JEFFERSON RIVER IN MONTANA

Anyway, back to the river trip- we are all sitting around the campfire talking about Lewis and Clark, sipping wine and whiskey and one of the guests asks Norm about the sextants and compasses from the Lewis and Clark era. Norm, says “hold on a second” and gets up and walks over to his tent. He comes back a minute later holding a very old leather case. In that case, was his great, great grandfather’s (who was a surveyor) heirloom compass from the mid 1800’s! It was almost identical to the ones Lewis and Clark had! Not only does Norm have great old museum quality expedition equipment- he uses and shares them. The most amazing thing about these navigational aids was none of this was planned- I didn’t even know he had those things…its just our guides are that good. This isn’t just a summer job for us- this is our profession, this our lives. We live to explore the natural world and share it with you!

Yellowstone Bears...

2011-04-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

We have guests all the time ask us if "Bear Spray" is really necessary while exploring Yellowstone National Park. Our recommendation is a firm "Yes". We have had many, many close encounters of the Bear kinds and we always suggest having bear spray any time you venture away from your car in this region.

Catherine (my wife) and I see 20-30 bears a year in our travels. The closest we've ever been to a Grizzly is about 5 feet! We were camped in the Pebble Creek Camp ground a few years back and got face to face with one when it was curious about our sleeping bags (while we were in them!) Sadly, that bear ended up being put-down by the Park Service because it was to habituated to humans. Possibly if he had been sprayed by Bear Spray at some point he might still be around today.

We recommend "Counter Assault" Bear Spray.

My scariest bear story happened in the Fall of 2004

I was guiding elk hunters in a Wilderness Area just outside of Yellowstone Park. We horsepacked 18 miles in to get to our spike camp. For a week straight it rained, and every night Grizzly bears had been around our camp spooking our horses. We had a solar powered electric fence set-up as a corral, and when the bears would spook the horses ,they'd break through the fence and flee. So, then we (the 3 guides) would have to go look for the horses in the rain.

One night at about 3 am the horses started making crazy noises and they all busted out and took off running. I was on my cot, in my union suit and I jumped up threw on my pac boots, grabbed my headlamp and was out of the tent in the pouring rain.

I ran through the woods with a lead rope in my hand trying to catch the horses before they got to far away- in nothing but a union suit, I got to the trail that led out of camp, and walked through the mud for a couple of hundred yards until I saw a horse off the trail.

I walked up and got the horse than started leading it back towards camp. I walked a few feet down the trail, shining the light into the mud looking at my footprints. Then I came upon a very fresh grizzly bear print on top of my foot print that I had just left minutes before!

Then my headlamp went out!!!!

So, there I was standing in the pitch dark,in the rain, in my underwear, holding on to a horse and realizing that there was a grizzly within a few feet from me.

Karelian Bear Dogs

2011-04-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Our home and kennel is in a fairly remote place. We live about 10 miles away from a paved road, and the National Forest starts just behind our place. We often hear wolves howling, coyotes yipping, and occassionally see a bear or two. Just last year we saw 4 different bears on our road. Since we have a young son who loves to play outdoors we decided to get him his own dog...both to protect him and play with him. We decided to get a Karelian Bear Dog for him.
For those of you who dont know what a Karelian Bear Dog is, here is some info....

The Karelian Bear Dog is very rare- there are less than 2,000 of them in the USA.

The Karelian Bear Dog (KBD) is a Norse, Finnish or Karelian breed of dog. In its home country, it is regarded as a national treasure. They will hunt any kind of animal. Bear and moose tests are conducted in Sweden and Finland to determine an individual's ability as a bear dog and weighs heavily in the dog’s breeding potential. This dog will put a bear to flight or attack it with great pugnacity and will sacrifice its own life for its master. Its quick reflexes and fearless nature have also made it very popular for hunting other aggressive game, such as the wild boar. It was the breed's ability to hunt and offer protection against a bear that earned the breed its name

The dog should be in excellent physical condition. Males stand 54 to 60 cm (22 to 24 inches) at the withers, while females stand significantly shorter at 49 to 55 cm (19 to 22 inches).

The breed has a striking coat of straight, stiff guard hairs and a fine, soft, but thick undercoat. There should be no curl in the hair at all. The colour must be black with white markings. Often the jet black hair is slightly tinted with brownish highlights on the ends giving it an iridescent quality. Preferably the color percentage is around 70% black and 30% white. The bushy tail curls in a circle over the back in a ring and has a white tip. It falls gently onto the dog's back or to one side. Purebred KBD do not have a sickle-shaped tail. It must curve into a circle.

History
According to archeological records, dogs very similar to the modern Russo-European Laika_(dog_breed) and the Karelian Bear Dog existed in northeastern Europe and Scandinavia since Neolithic times. The breed standard for Karelians and Laikas today calls for a black-and-white marked dog, but originally the breed included individuals with coats of wolf gray of various shades, red coats like the standard spitz, and black-and-tan specimens as well.

The Karelian Bear Dog was used mainly for hunting small fur-bearing animals, such as squirrels and marten. Like the Norwegian Elkhound, the Karelian Bear Dog was also used in hunting moose, lynx, wolf and, as its name would suggest, hunting the Eurasian brown bear (a bear species as large and aggressive as the American Grizzly). In hunting bear, at least a pair of Bear Dogs would be used to harry the animal, barking loudly, in order to distract the bear while the human hunter came in for the kill. Karelian Bear Dogs are being used today for bear control at Yosemite and Glacier National Parks and in Alaska in the United States

Temperament

The ideal Karelian Bear Dog has bright, intelligent eyes.They are often naturally aggressive towards other dogs. They have been bred to be very independent as bear dogs should be able to hunt for hours at a time without any contact with its master.

Proper socialization and training is necessary due to their disposition.

They must always hunt only with their master.

They are silent but tenacious hunters and alert only when they have the prey at bay. They will keep it there by barking in a very high, fast bark and running back and forth or around the animal until the master comes and kills it. They have been known to hold an animal at bay a very long time. If a bear tries to leave, the dog will nip at it on the backside and aggravate it to keep it from running away.

They are very loyal to their master and love their people. For this reason, they must be around them. They love to play but should be watched for around small children because of their size and bear-killing abilities. It is very unusual for a KBD to bite a human but they will kill another animal if they feel threatened. If two or more live together, there is a hierarchy in the pack much like wolves. One will be the alpha dog, or leader, and the others will usually defer to him or her.

This is not a dog that can be tied to a lead outside, kept in an apartment, or never worked with. They are very social, outside hunting dogs and they need plenty of space to run free and get lots of exercise. If they get bored, they will dig up the yard or try to get out to go hunting. These traits tend to prevent the breed from becoming popular companion dogs.

They are very territorial and will alert their master to the presence of any strangers or other animals nearby that they do not know.

If you want to meet our Karelian stop by our rafting company this summer and ask for Huckleberry!

What is a Wilderness Guide...

2011-04-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

"What is a Wilderness Guide" by Trent Wilkie.

What is a "wilderness guide?" To some, he's a rugged guy who lives out in the woods, eating granola and oatmeal at every opportunity. To others, he's a sort of "nature curator" who decked out in the best of outdoor gear walks visitors through the bush, highlighting points of interest and engaging animals in their native tongues.

Not quite.

In reality, a wilderness guide is someone who loves being outdoors so much, he insists on working there. Wilderness guides can be employees such as those who work for local or federal park services or local outdoor organizations or entrepreneurs guys who hang out a shingle and provide private guiding services to city folks who'd like assistance in seeing the great outdoors.

Sounds pretty cool, huh?

Of course, with benefits come burdens. Guides must bear the responsibility for the complete safety of those they escort, requiring them to be alert at all times (unlike many Monday mornings in the big-city offices), put the comfort of their clients above their own, and maintain a wide-ranging proficiency in emergency medical care. Think this may sound like you? Read on for more info:

Putting the Client First

Sure, being out in the woods sounds like the ultimate freedom, but being a wilderness guide in the woods nonetheless requires you to "tow the line." Remember, guiding is a service industry, and the service most often provided is comfort. So whether you're carrying the majority of your client's gear, doing most or all of the grunt work or putting up with less-than-desirable client personalities, your client's comfort comes before yours.

Certification and First Aid

Whether you like it or not, stuff happens. Clients lose their footing, fail to follow your lead or injure themselves in some other way. And in this litigious society, you have to cover your butt. One of the easiest ways to do this is to get certified in wilderness first aid and keep your certification current.

How does wilderness first aid differ from generic first aid training? "Wilderness" is defined as any place at least two hours away from a hospital, by ambulance or helicopter. While in generic first aid training where people injure themselves in a city you are trained to keep the victims comfortable until the ambulance arrives, wilderness first aid instructs you on keeping the injured clients comfortable for the five-hour canoe ride to a phone or helicopter meeting point.

Sometimes, injuries are more severe than a broken leg or arm, and if handled improperly, can cut short

your career as a wilderness guide, not to mention your life and the lives of your clients. Wilderness first aid training helps guides anticipate potential disasters and keep their clients well-informed as to the risks. And in a situation where people are depending on (and paying) their guide to make their experience pleasurable, the majority of a guide's time is spent trying to see problems before they happen. Ultimately, preventing accidents is the best form of first aid.

Picking Your Wilderness

Another important aspect of starting a career as a wilderness guide is choosing your wilderness. Are you an all-the-way-out-there kind of guy? Would you prefer to work in an outdoor setting that still allows you to live in the city? A variety of options is available.

Where should you start out? Most professionals recommend starting somewhere close to your current homeand believe it or not, there is always something outdoor-related in the vicinity of your home. If there isn't a large body of water suitable for guiding kayaking excursions, then there's probably another skill, such as rock climbing, that requires the services of a professional guide. Regardless of whether you choose guiding on land or sea, make sure that the skills inherent to these activities are those that you enjoy. Why? You'll be doing them a lot, and sometimes you'll have to draw strength from your love of the activity in order to get through the day.

If you're looking to ease into your new identity as an outdoor professional, smaller-scaled jobs are also available. Day camps and schools frequently seek outdoor educators. These jobs give you a great opportunity to hone your skills. Remember, when you're starting out, always bring field guides.

Marketing and Pricing Considerations

If you do choose to go the entrepreneurial route, the amount of energy you devote to marketing your service will directly affect whether or not you get work. That's right; even the wilderness business requires you to have contact with the real world. After all, how else will people know that you've set up shop?

While many guides who live in remote locations benefit greatly from an online presence that advertises their service offerings or organizations of wilderness guides who band together and make referrals, nothing beats the personal touch. You are your best marketing tool. Make a point of building in as many personal appearances at wilderness shops, outdoor happenings and other events that suit the market you aim to target.

That's right: your marketing efforts will be more effective if you narrowly target the kinds of people you want to work with and those who require your services. Will you focus on young adult trips through schools? Outdoor leadership training for corporations? Family day trips through churches or recreational clubs? Or foreign backpackers through international travel agents? The market you choose determines your marketing avenues.

Once you understand your own underlying costs, your market will also help you determine your pricing structure. Different groups have different budgets. For example, schools, summer camps and boys and girls clubs are likely to function on a per child/per day budget, while corporate clients may be willing to pay much more than market costs for their retreats. Regardless of the group you're catering to, don't sell yourself cheap: the work is difficult, and losing money while doing it doesn't help with those long days. That's what the sunsets are for.

Above all, focus on making yourself an excellent product. Talk to people, not at them, and whenever you get the chance and can afford them, certifications look really nice on paper.

So while being an outdoor professional is an alternative to corporate life, it's still a business that requires planning, work and yes skills similar to those used in your corporate life just with a much better view.

Fall Training: A day in the life........

2010-11-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Autumn for us , is all about training/ conditioning sled dogs for the upcoming winter. The crew and I have a goal of 50 runs (at minimum 500 miles) on the majority of the dogs before the season starts. In the fall we do not run on sleds, instead the dogs pull us on an ATV. We run dogs pretty much 5 days a week-we currently are working with 46 dogs- split into 4 groups..the A- team, B- team, the puppy squad, and the senior citizens. We have dogs ranging from 5 months to 13 years old...and all ages in-between.Some days we may work every single dog..other days we may only run one team of 16.

First thing you have to do is secure the ATV to a solid object...Here thats a Toyota 4x4...so the dogs dont run off before your ready

You just tie a quick release to the anchor, and after all the dogs are hooked up- you hop on the ATV and pull the release...

But before you can do that you have to hook up all the dogs to the gang line...You bring them out, one at a time and put them in harness- then clip them into the line

Its a time consuming process...but, eventually you get a bunch out there...they goof off while you keep bringing more out

Once you get a team out- you hook up the last dog- then GO!

Then its head up the driveway towards the Forest Service road...
then down the USFS road to the county road...

After 5 miles we stop for a water break...

Then switch drivers, turn around and head home...

Ending up right back at the kennel....

We then put dogs away, feed and water...and then do it all again the next day- no matter the weather!!!

This is enough dog food to last 3 weeks!…

We walk the kennel with 5 gallon buckets of food and give every dog approx 4 cups of food

We water every dog three times a day…it takes (6) 5 gallon buckets of water to fill up all the dog bowls in the kennel...

This all has to be done year-around...there are alot of preperations for your tour. For every one day of guided tours we do- there is 3 days of prep work over the rest of the year...

Canoeing in November......

2010-11-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a day away from the dogs. Montana has been having an unbelievably warm Fall, so we had a rare November family outing…we went canoeing! We put our favorite canoe, the Nova Craft Prospector on the truck and headed to our favorite mountain lake. It was awesome!The Prospector canoe, is a classic design. Legendary Canadian canoeing icon, Bill Mason really popularized this design in his books and video series “Path of the Paddle”. Although Mason preferred his canoes to be wood and canvas in materials, ours is more practical rotomolded plastic

For the first part of the trip, Noah paddled quite a bit. But, after we got out to visit a cabin, he ran around playing so much, that he wore himself out a little and didn't offer much assistance on the return paddle!

On the beach- he tested the Native Plants, and made his Mom and Dad smile and laugh alot. But eventually we had to head back to the canoe and get going. While Dad paddled, Noah enjoyed the sights and Mom documented the expedition.

We saw a bald eagle in the distance, and then paddled right under it. It was a wonderful day, we all had a blast. We were out for about 4 hours, and Noah never got bored or restless even for a minute- (although he did get a little tired) which is saying a lot for a toddler! We look forward to having many more fun days with him on the water in the future……

Fall 2010...change in the air

2010-10-12T07:37:00.001-07:00

Autumn is a great time in the Yellowstone region. It means change is in the air, and soon the hot days of summer will be replaced by the cold nights of winter. Elk are bugling in the mountains, bears are foraging non-stop, aspen leaves have turned yellow....and the dogs and crew at Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures are training hard for the upcoming season!

This fall we have alot of things going on- big changes, all brought about for one reason: to create the best dog sled tour company in the world! We've up dated all of our gear, acquired several new dogs, built all new dog houses and started feeding a new food! All with one goal in mind...delivering the best experience to our guests imaginable!

First, we would like to thank Rolland Deane of Black-Gold Dog Food for donating a free pallet, of Black-Gold Super Premium- Ultimate Performance Dog Food, our dogs are loving the new food and doing great on it. We thank the Black-Gold family for believing in our vision and supporting our kennel with such great enthusiasm. This generous donation allowed us the capital, to build all new dog houses.

Master Craftsmen, Eric Grey of Gardiner, Montana is working dilligently building 40 custom "dog cabins" for our furry friends. These fine dog homes will protect our dogs and keep them warm and dry so they can play and perform to the highest level for our guests. Once we get them finished we plan to open our kennel daily for tours.

Next, we bought several new "double driver" sleds for the up-coming season. These state of the art sleds are inspired by the "taildragger" design sled of 4x Iditarod Champ Jeff King. We will be the only company in Montana and the Yellowstone region to offer these to our clients! They are a joy to drive, and allow YOU our guests to drive a team, have a passenger in the sled and still be accompanied by a guide. These are the most comfortable, safest, and fun dog-sleds in the industry. We can't wait to share them with you!

These awesome sleds will be being pulled by several new dogs from Alaska. We are getting a team of dogs from Peter and Therese Bartlett of Willow, AK in October. Many of these dogs were on Peter's Iditorod teams in the past, and they all have been working this summer doing dog sled tours on a Glacier in the Alaskan Wilderness. These dogs are in great shape, well-trained and love their job! They will be a great fit for our team, because they are of the same champion bloodline bred by Iditarod Champion Doug Swingley! We are very excited to be getting so many new family members soon!

Last, but not least. We would like to announce the upcoming release of a new book, titled: "Ballad of the Northland" it was written by our main mushing mentor, Jason Barron of Lincoln, Montana. Although it is a novel- much of the story is right out of the pages of Jason's life- growing up in the Alaskan bush, training for the Iditarod and finishing in the top ten! Great stories of trials, tribulations, defeats and redemptions. It should be a fantastic read...plus, his lovely wife, Harmony did all the art work for the book. Check it out online at www.kanabearenterprises.com/shopping.html

Summer Time and the Living is easy....

2010-08-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Summer time and the living is easy (if your a sled dog)...but, if your a rafting guide summer is non-stop action. We've been having a great summer season and have taken lots of people rafting this year. Its been a wet & wild year, with nice flows all season. We're getting mountain showers regularly and forsee good flows all the way until winter!

August and September are ideal times to camp along the Yellowstone and do multi-day canoe trips- so contact us today, and plan a canoe trip for the late summer! See ya soon ~ Jason

Summer 2010

2010-07-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Time flys when your working hard! I haven't posted a blog entry in over 6 months...No time to reflect when your busy. It's been a great year though- with some ups and downs.

First- the winter was fantastic we did just about 100 days of dog sled tours! We had guests from all over the world, and especially all over the USA. We had a couple of fun families from Australia, and a wild day with some Norwegians, and a lot of great days with loads of Montanans. We ran dogs in early January at -33 below 0. WOW...that was intense. Then in March we had bright sunny days with temps near 60 degrees above. Amazing extremes....the dogs did great through it all.

Next- We welcomed 6 new puppies into our team. The Christmas Crew was born on Dec 23. Catherine stayed busy over the Holidays tending them as I was out guiding everyday. They are now 6 months old and CRAZY!

Sadly, we lost a couple of great dogs this Spring. Luna, our kennel matriarch, a 15 year old Malamute with tons of spunk and hair left us, right after our final tour of the season. Although she hadn't pulled anything in years- it was very, very sad to lose our kennel mascot. She was a great dog.

Also, Opus one of our great all time leaders passed this spring. He was 12 and worked hard his whole life until the season. We owe alot of our success to Opus because he was a great mentor to our two best leaders Faith and Kuna who have now trained up many, many great lead dogs. Both Luna and Opus will be greatly missed. Happy Trails you two.

SUMMER IS HERE!

Rafting and canoeing season are on us, and we have a great summer lined up. We have tons of bookings (but would always love more) and are looking for it to be a fun summer. I am very excited because I am guiding almost all of our trips this year! No longer am I driving the shuttles and just hanging in the office, I am out on the river everyday doing what I love. You should come join me!

Season almost here

2009-11-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Holy smokes. Time sure flys!!! Its almost the start of our sled dog season. We have alot of bookings this winter. A ton actually. We are booked solid all around Christmas and New Years then slow a little in late Jan...but then again alot of bookings for mid Febuary. It looks to be an epic year! Getting a lot of snow. About 12 inches in the past day.

We have a few new dogs- Billy, Loner, and Doc. they are from Wyoming. Going up to Seeley Lake this weekend to get a few more from a great musher named Martin Koenig. Some of my best dogs are from him, so we are excited about the new team members.

We are going to be filming with a news crew next week. The KULR 8 news team from the Billings NBC station is coming out to do a piece on winter tourism and eco-friendly winter stuff. the dogs are in top form, so it should make for great TV. Keep posted for details.

FALL TRAINING

2009-09-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, cooler weather is finally here and Fall training for the sled dogs has begun. Right now we are laying the groundwork for our teams so they'll be ready to run the distance once the snow covers the trails and we start driving sleds! Fall training is about both physical conditioning and job training. The dogs love it and are going crazy. Few things in life are as exciting as hooking up 16 dogs to a 4 wheeler (ATV) and running in the mountains. Call or email us now to book for this winter. We've already got a lot of people booked for the upcoming season, contact us to secure your dates!

(406)223-5134- kayakerjsm@aol.com

image courtesy of: Jason Barron www.kanabearenterprises.com

Multi-Day Canoe Trips

2009-07-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Alright the Yellowstone River has dropped to canoeable levels! So, our canoe trip season has cranked-up and we are taking fun-loving families down the river for overnight trips for the rest of the season. Our camps are in beautiful scenic spots, and there is plenty of driftwood to build fires for roasting marshmellows and making smores! We're cooking up some great food these days using fresh produce from the Livingston Farmers Market, and locally raised beef. Call or email us today to plan your yellowstone river canoe trip!

Yellowstone Whitewater Rafting

2009-06-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, Rafting season is in full-swing! The rivers are running high with Rocky Mountain run-off and the Yellowstone River is bank full of "chocolate thunder" (River Source guide Pete Krebs description). We had a great training season, with guides practicing Whitewater Rescue techniques and flip drills, and now we're taking guests to the Yellowstone Area rafting daily.

Thus far June has been very cool and wet; lots and lots of rain. But, as July approaches we are looking for hot temperatures and sun-filled skies! The Yellowstone River is awesome for family rafting adventures, so call-us and book your trip today.

http://www.riversourcerafting.com/

Spring Time is here

2009-05-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, its been a typical Montana spring. Lots of snow and rain and few nice days with some sunshine and warm temperatures. After a fantastic sled dog season, we've now switched our operations to Yellowstone Park Nature and Wildlife Safari's and River Trips. Lots of great wildlife viewing in the park lately! The bears are out and about and we've been seeing alot of them throughout the park.

Also, big news...a new wolf pack has formed near Mammoth Hot Springs and are offering frequent viewing opportunites. We saw them recently feeding on an Elk in the Mammoth Camp Ground! the rangers moved the elk, because they wolves were to close to tents! They are called the Canyon Pack and have a den, right in the thick of a tourist area.

Will keep you posted on developments with this pack

End of Season

2009-04-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a great Sled Dog season here near Yellowstone Park. And, its sad that its coming to an end. The dogs and I are doing our final run of the season on snow tomorrow near Cooke City, Montana. We have actually been done guiding trips for almost two weeks, but there is still some good snow- just the temps are a little too warm. So, we are going to do a big run tommorrow then hang up the sleds. We will continue to do short runs from the house with the 4 wheeler until Mid-June to stay in shape, but essentially real running is over.

This year was fantastic! We had lots of great clients, plenty of snow and the dogs performed flawlessly all season. We had some memorable trips, seeing lots of Elk, some Bighorn Sheep, and frequent Moose encounters. We had clients from Ireland, England, Japan, Israel, and 15 states from across the USA. I believe quite a few of you will be back next year which is exciting!

We also got alot of great free publicity. We took a travel writer and a photographer from the New York Times on a two day trip. The article ran in March, and we had alot of inquirees and a few bookings for next season from it. We also were featured in the local Bozeman paper, as well as a St Louis, MO paper and a Boston paper. Lots of great photos of the dogs! Koda, one of my young leaders is now a star, because he seemed to be smiling in every photo in every article. He is a very photogenic, handsome dog. I'll try to link some of the pics in my next update.

GREAT SEASON

2009-02-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: http://www.yellowstonedogsledadventures.com/

Its been a great season. Even despite the current economic situation of our country we've done alot of tours. An amazing number of tours actually.

My old standby leaders of Faith, Furlin, Kuna, Wiley, and Maddie always did great. And, I have a host of new leaders ready to pick-up any slack...young dogs- Denali, Red Bull and Koda are insuring that I will have good leaders for years to come. I couldn't be happier with how they all did this season.

The dogs are really muscled up. We used the Divide Creek Trail more this season than any of our other trails, and it is a steep and long climb. So, doing that everyday with passengers really bulked up all the dogs. I swithed to from Eagle Pack to Distance Dog Food in the fall, and it has been great. Even though they've been working hard, all the dogs are heavy- usually by this late in the season the dogs have lost weight and are lean. On Distance they've never lost a pound...they've just gained a lot of muscle. Also, I am feeding them less of the Distance than I did the Eagle Pack. I can't recommend this food enough.

Anyway...the final stretch is on. One more month of tours, than its river rafting season for me, and time for a little R& R for the pups!

A little History....

2008-12-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

I've always loved dogs. As a kid my family always had them- Labradors mainly. When I first moved away from home, I got a crazy mutt, Siegal and he was my instant go-everywhere best friend. I was always known in college, as the guy with the crazy, happy dog. Then after Siegal I got my first Husky, Luna, and the rest is history.

In the mid 1990's, I was in my early 20's and was living in Northern Montana with some friends in a small one-room cabin we'd built. We were 9 miles down an old dirt road, surrounded by National Forest. One particular winter we had epic snowfall, and couldn't get all the way to the cabin, and had to park down the road a bit. I had Luna, and I figured I should train her to pull me on skis from my truck to the cabin- so, I bought her a harness, and, started teaching her to pull and it was humorous, but eventually she got the hang of it, and my mushing career was born- although at very slow speeds! At that same time I started going to sled dog races as a spectator to watch and learn. I realized early on, that big freighting Huskies like Luna were beautiful, but not too great as working sled dogs.

Also, during those years I started my professional guiding career, working first as a seasonal river guide doing multi-day whitewater rafting trips in the Wilderness areas surrounding Glacier National Park. Then as a backcountry hunting guide doing Wilderness Pack trips in pursuit of Elk and other big game.

I moved to the Yellowstone Park region, to open my own river outfitting business and to work year round as a professional guide. This is when I seriously got into mushing. I worked as a sled dog tour guide for a pretty big outfit that used mainly Siberian Huskies and older traditional style mushing gear. It was here I learned what running big teams was all about, as well as what type of resources it took to manage a huge kennel. I learned alot working for that touring kennel, but after a while I realized the slower speed, traditional freighting style of mushing this outfit had perfected, was not the direction I wanted to take my mushing career- I was captivated by the speed, skill and stamina I had seen displayed by the Alaskan Huskies and mushers at sled dog races. I then decided I needed to learn that, so I picked up the phone.

Jason Barron is a Professional musher from Lincoln, Montana. He grew up in Alaska in an Iditarod family. His father was an Iditarod Iron Man, competing in the great race regularly for three decades. Jason, like an Alaskan Husky was born and bred into the world of competitive distance racing. From him, I learned the art and science of modern racing. Jason is a Top Ten Iditarod finisher, and he has won most of the major distance and mid-distance races in the lower 48, including the Montana “Race to the Sky” and Minnesota’s “John Beargrease Marathon” I was very fortunate that he took me under his wing, and one season allowed me to spend all of my spare time with he and his family running dogs. Jason is very well spoken, and philosophical. He thinks about training, conditioning and racing sled dogs 24/7- 365 days a year. Spending time with him is like a never-ending classroom. Every second he is telling you about dogs and racing. I would spend 3 or 4 days with him at a time, go back home and process it all for a week, then go back up and learn some more. Later that winter, I decide to put all the lessons learned to use and entered my first dog sled race! What an experience- I entered the division that went the furthest distance, and allowed you to run the most dogs. I looked over the competition, and was confident I’d do well. I got last place!

I’d been training my dogs like an Iditarod team and the race I entered was only 20 miles! I ran my dogs perfectly and everything went smoothly, but all the other teams ran their dogs like freight train, sprint athletes. While I was “pacing the dogs” everyone else ran flat out and blew us away over such a short distance. So, it was back to the drawing board.

That next winter, I designed my own training plan, combining everything I’d learned from all my teachers. My philosophy and plan, I hoped would create happy, and well trained canine athletes and bring me success racing. I wanted to incorporate the work ethic and strength of the tour dogs I’d worked with, along with the discipline, dedication and highly trained professionalism of an Iditarod team, mixed with the enthusiasm and exhilaration of the sprint dogs I’d raced against…plus have them all be as well socialized and loved as my earliest canine companions Siegal and Luna. I went back to the same race that next winter, and competed against many of the same teams and got second! I was very proud, we cut almost an hour off our time from the previous year, but most of all I was pleased that after the race, back at the truck, my dogs were all standing around wagging their tails, smiling and not winded or tired in the least bit. Plus, several other mushers and race organizers came up and complemented us on how great our team looked, and how well conditioned and trained we were! That meant more than the race results. It meant my training plan and philosophy was on the right path.

That plan and philosophy is now focused into Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures. Our tours combine all the lessons I’ve learned from all my great teachers (both canine and human) and come together to give our guests the ultimate winter adventure! Come join us, and let’s run through the woods with the dogs! I promise I’ll do everything I can to make sure you have an incredible time and go home smiling and as happy as the dogs!

About Us...Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures

2008-12-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

I've always loved dogs. As a kid my family always had dogs. Labradors mainly. When I first moved away from home, I got a dog, Siegal and he was my instant go-everywhere companion. I was always known in college, as the guy with the crazy dog. Then after Siegal I got my first Husky

Sights from Winter in Yellowstone

2008-12-05T14:36:00.001-08:00

As we drive back and forth between Cooke City to Gardiner to do our Yellowstone Dog Sled Tours we see some awesome stuff!

Photo Credits: Photos are either property of River Source taken by staff or guests on our trips, or they are open source shared internet files. To have your photo properly credited or removed please email kayakerjsm@aol.com

Sights on the way Back from Cooke City

2008-12-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Cooke City Trails

2008-12-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

We've been getting alot of snow in the area, and the trails near Cooke City are finally getting filled in for prime dogsledding! Cooke City, Montana is an awesome place to run Sled Dogs. There are over 60 miles of groomed trails, and then on top of that there are miles and miles of informal snowmoblie trails. Cooke City is defiently one of the best places in the world to do a Guided Dog Sled Tour!

The drive to Cooke City can be just as incredible as the Dog Sled tour itself. To get to Cooke City we have to drive through the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone Park in the middle of the winter. The Lamar Valley this time of year is like the Serengetti- the amount of wildlife there is unimaginable! The deep snow in the high mountains of the park drives all the Bison and Elk down into this beautiful valley- and all the wolves in the area follow them there!

One day last winter when driving back through Yellowstone Park, we pulled over several times and saw almost 40 wolves (in a few different packs) and hundreds of elk and bison. It was unreal! We ran into a group of wildlife biologist who were in the area for a wolf symposium and got to look through there incredible spotting scopes. Through those awesome optics we witnessed a wolf pack hunting/chasing elk in the far distance. Absolutely incredible experience.

To learn more about our Yellowstone/Cooke City Dog Sled Tours visit
http://www.yellowstonedogsledadventures.com/

Pictures of the Bear Lair Lodge

2008-12-04T16:29:00.001-08:00

The Bear Lair Lodge

2008-12-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures is pleased to announce our partnership with the Bear Lair Lodge in Jardine, Montana. Jardine is one of the areas we do trips in, and we are excited to have a first class Wilderness Lodge to be able to offer package deals with. You can combine a stay at the lodge with a day or two of dogsledding, and a trip into the Park to go Wolf Watching and for a soak in the Boiling River

Jardine is one of the most unique areas of Yellowstone. It gets heavy Winter Wildlife action, elk and bison pour out of the park, and walk right through Jardine. The Bear Lair Lodge is the perfect place to take it all in- and go dogsledding!

Check out the Bear Lair online http://www.yellowstonevacationrental.net/

2008-12-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

West Yellowstone Dog Sled Race

2008-12-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Greetings
Hey Dec 13 & 14 there will be the first sled dog race of the season in West Yellowstone. It is being put on by Rodeo and Charlotte of Klondike Dreams kennel. There are classes for 6 dogs, 8 dog, and 12 dog. For more info visit www.westyellowstonesleddograces.com

I know there site looks a lot like my site- I designed them both!

Lacey Hart Racing

2008-12-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends,
There is a 15 year old girl in our area who is currently signed up for the 2009 Jr Iditarod in Alaska. Her name is Lacey Hart and she is working hard to raise the funds to make it up there. If you think you can help in anyway visit her website! Thanks Jason
http://www.aahhmt.com/LHR/

2008-12-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

Divide Creek Trail

2008-12-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

We're very excited about a new area we just got permitted to use! Its called Divide Creek and it is off Tom Miner road. It is very close to our office in Emigrant, and has unlimited mileage potential- so we can do nice tours of any length there. It is beautiful country as well. The trail starts out climbing and goes through several switch backs through rolling hills of sage brush tundra landscapes. Then you get to the top of the hills and have a commanding view to the North and can look over all the Paradise Valley and see all the big peaks in the Absaroka Range. From there you continue on and through heavily forested land that heads west to the Hyalite - Porcupine - Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area. After looping back to the truck its a quick drive back to the office. From their you can walk next door to the Historic Old Saloon for an awesome burger and beer, or drive down the road to Chico Hot Springs for a nice hot soak!

2008-12-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

Up and Running

2008-12-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends
I am pleased to announce Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures is up and running for the winter 2008-2009 season! We've got a great winter of Sled Dog Tours planned in the Yellowstone Park region and we'd love to have you join us!

This year we will be offering guided Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures in several areas.
-Cooke City, Montana (the north east entrance to Yellowstone Park)
-Jardine, Montana (the Northern Boundary of Yellowstone Park- near Gardiner)
- Tom Miner Basin (national forest area 18 miles N of Gardiner)

Please visit our official website for more details http://www.yellowstonedogsledadventures.com/