When I said that my assistant wrestling coach Tim Hand is the strongest man pound for pound I've ever known, let me brag on him for a moment. At our very first wrestling practice, I was stunned by his cat-like quickness and obvious power. At 5' 7" and well over 200 pounds, I didn't expect this. After practice, I asked Tim how much weight he could bench press. He is truly a very humble guy and said...  Read More

Dall sheep hunting in Alaska is extreme. There is a certain willingness to embrace suffering that is an absolute necessity. Carrying a heavy load up a mountain is crushing. Carrying a ram down a mountain is even worse. You must be prepared to sweat profusely as you climb, to be wet for days on end, and to be shivering cold when you stop to glass. The payoff for those fortunate few is a beautiful r...  Read More

While Laura's climb ended with disappointment after she missed a trophy Dall sheep, she continued to venture into the wilderness with me.  On our next trip, I made sure that she had all of the right gear, and she took her first caribou. On our first trip, she had intended to relax at camp with a good book while my partner and I hunted moose. Of course any smart (physically fit) hunter heading into...  Read More

There was a time in my life when I was pretty much the worst hunting guide ever. The Alaskan wilderness was all new to me. My rain jacket and pants came in plastic envelopes and cost .99 cents each. It can be no surprise, then, that when I took Laura into the wilderness to go moose hunting, I didn't buy her boots. In fact, she didn't have any hunting clothing at all. I had not yet learned the crit...  Read More

I was clinging to the outside of an upside-down raft in Class V whitewater and the freezing cold water was sapping my strength. In fact, I didn't have the strength to drag myself out of the water to get on top of the raft. I needed a rescue. In my generation, American men were taught to be proud of being independent- to do things on our own- to not need help from anyone. The problem is that there ...  Read More

Finding the rope on the outside of the raft and pulling my head above water were major victories, but my problems were far from over. Even with a dry suit, the 35° water temperature was rapidly taxing my strength. I had been flushed through a gorge while under the raft, was now in a calm (but fast) elbow of the river, and I could hear the roar of waterfalls in front of me. Life often hits us with ...  Read More

And just like that, we were upside down. If you've ever been trapped under a raft in Class V whitewater and lived to tell the story, you are fortunate indeed. In a matter of seconds I had swallowed mouthfuls of water as I plunged my arm out and up- trying to find the outside rope on the raft tube. Trying to rescue yourself while being flushed through a gorge underwater at a frantic speed is an int...  Read More

Hospitality (opening your home to entertain others) is somewhat of a lost art in our modern world. On America's frontier, with most people living in one or two room cabins, it was common to find travelers or other guests sleeping on the floor. Not only did settlers make room, they were excited to have 'company.' In today's culture, people are far less excited about a knock on their door. As Christ...  Read More

You haven't really lived until you've sat in a tree until midnight covered with mosquitoes. Okay, just kidding. Even so, I have done that many times- a few of those with one of my kids. Some people are natural born 'still' hunters. They thoroughly enjoy the experience of being in a stand or sitting out in the wilderness with their binoculars. For me, sitting still is torture. I've always been that...  Read More

A little over a week ago I had one of those rare mornings I had the opportunity to climb a mountain with both of my daughters. This is rare not only because they are both busy wives and mothers, but because one of them lives in Georgia. No, it wasn't on one of those warm sunny days. It was raining and foggy. I would describe it as a PERFECT morning in IMPERFECT conditions. So often people miss out...  Read More

Happy birthday America! Thanks to all of you who have served in the military to keep our nation free. Because we are the first and only nation on earth founded upon the gospel of Jesus.Christ, God has blessed us above all other nations. Why has patriotism plummeted in the last fifty years? Because people in positions of influence, starting with our educational systems, have rewritten our history. ...  Read More

I watched my partner head out with "his' moose as I made something to eat. I was now hunting on my own. A lot of people would probably have quit, but I had limited time to hunt and two families (ours and Laura's parents) counting on me to bring home meat to last through the winter. I saw a number of cows during the day, but no bulls. I decided to pull up and move to a second walk-in area, and just...  Read More