By now, I’d say that our group has pretty much reached pro-status when it comes to ridge walking. It started as a kind of frightening experience, but with every ridge I’ve become increasingly more confident with my footing and comfortable with the heights. This ridge in particular, which we summited on July 16th, may have

After riding nearly 500 miles thus far on my touring bicycle from Billings to Dupuyer, Montana, I have seen countless ranches, sherbet sunsets, mountain ranges, and other features that make Montana the “last best place,” as many Montanans claim. However, one important piece of the Montana landscape is often overlooked. The transmission lines that connect

If we’re to take something away from our dominant fossil fuel-based energy system, it’s that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. With their subsidization, abundance, and high energy density, fossil fuels became an unprecedented way to relieve man and animal of work, so they became the energy source of ultimate convenience.

I heave myself up what seems like our millionth hill as sweat droplets fall down my face and 20 mph crosswinds try to shove me off the shoulder of the road. At this point, four hundred out of seven hundred miles on my bicycle seemed like enough to me. Learning about energy and climate change

After a cold and wet six-mile hike, there was nothing I wanted to do more than crawl into my sleeping bag and go to sleep. However, everyone still needed to eat. Of course that day my course job was to help cook dinner. At home, I am more of a microwave chef. If all else

“Even when I’m a thousand miles away from my roots, I’m home.” -Zac Brown Band Growing up in a small town in Southern New Jersey with not many things to do and always wanting to be elsewhere, it was hard to find a sense of place and home there. Since moving out West four years

Hopping on a bike weighing 100 lbs, awaiting what would be a 700 mile trek across the Montana landscape with 13 other strangers is nothing short of an overwhelming experience. Coming from a background that stems heavily in the humanities and the social aspects of environmental studies and diving into a course that focuses mainly

To the fathers of eight exceptional young women: You sent your girls off into the backcountry of Montana and Canada. I would have been nervous being a father of three adult girls myself. We left two days after Father’s Day. I, like many of you, most likely did not get to enjoy our daughters’ company

Today marks our 100 mile mark on our 700 mile journey through Montana. After our 42 mile ride, we coasted down the Main Street hill into Roundup, passing by lines of cracked windshields and tall grasses growing through the pavement. So far, I have realized the importance of bringing together community members and making connections

After a thoroughly educational talk with Mike Scott, a farmer from Billings, about the effects of an oil spill on his land and the surrounding community, we went inside his relative’s house to watch a film.  On screen we’d see a younger version of Mike and his wife Alexis from seven years prior when they