Outdoors This and That

Black coffee is best served with a side of wood-smoke

I know this is a a simple video… 16 seconds of nothing but drifting smoke on an occasionally gusting wind, that can be heard working it’s way through the trees and coffee getting blacker & gaining more flavor with each burbling perk in the pot. I think that’s why I like it; because it brings me right back to the high mountain lake I had backpacked into the night before I shot this video and the chill air of the morning as I waited impatiently for this pot to finish percolating.

Crazy how even now as I sit in my comfy chair at home, I can feel the heat from the dying coals of the driftwood fire and smell the combination of clear air, woodsmoke and cowboy coffee from that morning on the mountain.

It’s memories like this (and the dulling of the effort induced pain of the backpacking trip) that keep me up nights planning the next adventure and missing early mornings in the high country. Soon enough, the mountain peaks will shed a winters storehouse of snow, the passes will open, ice will thaw, trout will rise, and my coffeepot will earn another layer of campfire soot on the shores of a nameless lake.

I can’t wait! See you on the Mountain.

Outdoors Published Works This and That

The Physics of Fly Fishing the Mighty Mo with Fred Telleen

Frozen Eyelets, Frost nipped Fingers… and Hot Fishing

By Shane Klippenes

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I clearly recall my first attempt at fly fishing the famed Missouri River. I hit the water with my wife in a pair of borrowed kayaks, dressed for the heat in shorts, Keens, and a tee shirt when an elderly “gentleman” walked by. He was outfitted from head to toe in the latest gear and garb, looking like he had just stepped out of the pages of a high end fly fishing magazine, and as such ought to be a good source of information. After a few words, I let him know that we’d never fished the Missouri before and were wondering if he had any advice. The man paused, seeming to collect his thoughts and said “You’ve never fished the Missouri before? Well then, you’re screwed”. Having dispensed these pearls of wisdom, Mr. Snobby Pants got into his fishing guides shuttle vehicle and drove off.

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Outdoors This and That

Budget Backpacking

I could scarcely believe it when I checked the drawing results. After just 7 years of applying, I had drawn a coveted Montana mountain goat tag! Helping my odds of drawing dramatically was the fact that the hunting area began 22 miles from the nearest trailhead, deep in Bob Marshall Wilderness, requiring the services of an outfitter or a ton of miles backpacking. With limited resources, a stubborn Do It Yourself (DIY) streak, a willingness to learn and an unrealistically positive outlook stoked by hours of reading Cameron Hanes stories, I decided this would be the perfect indoctrination into the solo backcountry backpacking cult. Continue Reading