So there I was- reading a book- sitting high in a tree- at 10 o'clock at night. I could have scraped the mosquitoes off my headnet by the handful. I had to wear medical rubber gloves to keep them off my hands. Though reading, I was also concentrating on the sounds surrounding me- listening for a twig to snap or even the breathing of a large animal. Other than a couple of squirrels chasing each oth...  Read More

I'm one of the worst 'still hunters' in human history. Sitting still when I'm out in the woods- much less sitting still for hours in the freezing cold or when I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes- is not my 'gift.' I've had to learn to deal with this, because sitting still is essential for hunting success in Alaska. The hours spent looking through binoculars or a spotting scope pay off when an ani...  Read More

Many years ago I was teaching at Colony Middle School in Palmer, Alaska. Opening day of moose season fell on a school day, so right after school I headed into the mountains around Hatcher Pass. Still wearing my khaki pants and button down shirt, I made my way into a small clearing in the middle of the black spruce and began 'calling.' Just before dark a bull stepped into the clearing and I put him...  Read More

Wild fish and game was a large part of our diet when I was growing up. Duck, pheasant, grouse and venison were staples, as well as walleye and northern pike, bass, panfish and trout. My mom can make an excellent meal out of just about anything. My one-year older brother John is somewhat of a modern day Daniel Boone, and this was every bit as true when he was a young boy. When we walked to the Zumb...  Read More

Resurrection Sunday was a beautiful day. After an amazing worship service led by pastors Zech and AJ, a service that included the opportunity to share the gospel with over 500 visitors and first time guests, we had five families for Easter dinner and games. Of course, Laura filled over 100 eggs for a hunt for all the kids. I met with a small group of men early yesterday morning in Anchorage and th...  Read More

For many years I've spoken of my love for mountain climbing. To be honest, I love BEING in the high places much more than I love the process of getting there. The process is not simply physically demanding, it's often grueling and unpleasant. But then- so is lifting weights or training for a marathon. GETTING strong and STAYING strong is hard work. The same thing is true spiritually. Strength come...  Read More

EasterCelebrated in over 150 nations, this is the day that we celebrate the most important event in human history- the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The man who claimed to have come from heaven to rescue humanity from the penalty of our sins is the same man who was put to death on a cross- killed publicly- at the hands of Jewish leaders and the Roman government. For three years he taught like no o...  Read More

What does it take to create a new habit- a healthy habit- a life-altering habit? Those kinds of habits are hard. Going on a daily run or to the club to work out is much harder than, say, having ice cream every night before bed. Working out is more difficult NOW, but leads to a higher quality of life. Indulging our appetites is more fun NOW, but leads to a lower quality of life. In order to develop...  Read More

Building the buck and pole fence was one thing, getting the trees down the mountain was quite another. The mountainside was extremely steep. Using a chainsaw and axes we would knock down, limb and gather a half dozen trees and then put the end of a lasso around the tips. Then, riding a good mountain horse, I would lunge the horse up the mountainside, grab the end of the lasso and wrap it around th...  Read More

Lodgepole pines hold their diameter a long way up the trunk, and that without branches. They were our raw material the summer three of us built about a mile of 'buck and pole' fence. Off the thick end of the tree we would cut two 6' bucks. Those were notched and stood in an 'x' shape on the ground. Three poles, the skinny ends of the tree, were placed between each two bucks forming the fence. Our ...  Read More

As much as I hated to do it, I had been wanting to sell my cabin for a couple of years. It was 200 miles from home, and I was using it less and less. I was skinning out the bear's paws and skull on my porch when a man and his wife came to look at the cabin. It turned out he was a taxidermist, and his wife said, "He'll rug that bear for you for free." He bought the cabin and he 'rugged' my bear. Be...  Read More

It was hours before I had the bear skinned and the meat out of the mountains. The next morning I was sitting on a stump on the porch of my cabin skinning out the paws and skull. That's when I noticed that the bear's nose was bigger than my foot. This was a big bear. Everything is harder with one set of hands, but sometimes we need to 'make do' with what we have, don't we? Single parenting is like ...  Read More