Every winter hundreds of Alaskans excitedly buy their first snowshoes. Then, they go up into the mountains, spend five minutes plunging through the snow to their crotch and trying to pull their snowshoe up out of the hole, go back to their cars and never go again. Why? Because those cute little and midsize snowshoes need dense snow- the kind you get in states with warm daytime temperatures- the ki...  Read More

After Laura and I got married, I began picking up one good piece of hunting equipment each year. The first year was a Hoyt bow, then a Bibler tent, Sequel raingear, and a Feathered Friends lightweight goose down sleeping bag. The better that I was equipped, the better I was able to endure Alaska's harsh conditions. Are you 'well equipped' for adversity? It isn't hard to get there. Attend a strong,...  Read More

One of the hard things about Alaska is that our hunting and fishing seasons are so short that you are forced to choose between good options. This is why I don't fish Coho (Silver) salmon or hunt ducks in September. Getting a moose or caribou has always been higher priority. But one year when my parents were visiting us in Copper River, I had all of my meat in the freezer early enough to fish. My d...  Read More

This was my first and only attempt to get a Dall sheep with my bow. As a young man I was an avid bow hunter, and had already taken elk, antelope, whitetail deer, black bear, moose and caribou with a bow. I knew what I was doing... but you can't plan the weather. It was August 10th, I was in the Brooks Range above the Arctic Circle, and it was snowing sideways. Everything was perfect except for the...  Read More

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