In the gathering darkness of last night, I looked over to the bunkhouse. Wood smoke curled from the stovepipe. It had been raining and blowing williwaw winds as the Alderspring crew worked in the meadows on fences and irrigation all afternoon, and we didn't get in from the wet meadows until nearly …
Painting the Prairie
Dear Friends and Partners. Lincoln, Montana. The west is defined by rivers; the ancient paths of Native Americans followed them as do many of our roads. Hamlets and towns like Lincoln now punctuate the cursive penmanship of river meanders. I've been following the serpentine flow of the Blackfoot …
How Tim Met Tenacity
On Alderspring, we've had nearly 60 seasonal and short term interns and employees over the years, and they come away with knowledge, skills and abilities to bring to their lives wherever they end up. But one of the best things they come equipped with is story: times they have prevailed over all odds …
From Spooks and Goblins to Sky Islands
From Spooks and Goblins to Sky Islands In the deeply incised canyons and cliffs of the upper Hat Creek country was pasted a tiny ranch. It rested at the foot of one bottomless fold simply called South Gulch. I never figured out why it was named thus, for it was on the north side of Hat Creek …
Continue Reading about From Spooks and Goblins to Sky Islands
Not All Black Hats are Bad
Roscoe Hamilton trotted his horse, heading for sunset, and home. He had just settled his shorthorn cattle on thick, deep and undulating grass covering the big sloping bar that tilted down toward the Pahsimeroi River. The grass reached up to his stirrups, and he could hear it swishing by as he headed …
Alone at the Top of the World
To our surprise, we discovered that the tiny wind blasted cubicle still stood as we clambered up to the prominent peak at nearly 10,000 feet. We had left all forest vegetation behind us several hundred vertical feet back on our climb. This weathered and decomposing shed was in the alpine tundra …