Awesome Alumni: Catching up with Rae Fitzpatrick, Montana Afoot & Afloat 2012

February 3, 2015

Montana Afoot & Afloat

Over at the Wild Rockies Field Institute, we love catching up with our alumni! On a cloudy Monday in Bozeman, Montana I was able to sit down and chat with Rae Fitzpatrick, alumna of Montana Afoot & Afloat (MTAA) 2012. Rae, a wildland firefighter by summer and MSU environmental studies student by winter had some

Harrison Tiffany: The Big Muddy’s Mud

December 19, 2014

“Looks like you owe us a six-pack when the course is over Sabrina!” Poor Sabrina had stepped out of her kayak as we all pulled over to investigate an abandoned homestead along the river. She had placed her foot on what she thought was a compact surface, only to be deceived by many layers of

Ali Colbert: There’s No Place Like Home, but Does Home Have a Place?

December 19, 2014

After a jam-packed day of driving through the plains, our van turned the corner into the campground of the tiny town of Choteau, Montana and our instructor exclaimed, “Home sweet home!” My immediate thought was, home? A few measly tents scattered around some picnic tables in this middle of nowhere town, and we’re calling this

Erik McLaury: The Wild Balance in the West

December 19, 2014

As we took the final steps to crest Badger Pass, a freight train of wind blasted through us, turning hoods inside out, slicking hair back, and freezing hands blue with cold. We had finally made it –on day 3 of 9- to the top of our first vista in the Badger Two Medicine wilderness

Maisie Powell: A Wild Classroom

December 19, 2014

As ten of us sit in our open-air classroom by the banks of the Lamar River in Yellowstone, we find ourselves discussing the meaning of the word “wild.” In today’s society with our species management, massive irrigation projects, and other controls over the natural world, is there anything left that is truly wild? One student

Nate Winch: Yellowstone’s Charismatic Megafauna

December 18, 2014

The wolf and the bison share similar pasts, and hopeful futures. The Grey Wolf, and other subspecies, were aggressively hunted and eradicated from East to West, a task completed around 1960. The bison was nearly eradicated in seven short years in the 1860s. The motive behind the killing of both the wolf and bison was

Rachael Balinsky: Friday Nights

December 18, 2014

When I think of a Friday night, I picture tailgates, barbecues and local sports events. Out here, on the Charles M. Russell Refuge near Malta, Montana, Friday night entertainment comes with a herd of elk. Dozens of trucks swarmed the reserve, each supplied with a coolers, bug spray, and a couple of lawn chairs. Families,

Preston Hopkins: Fording the streams of optimism

August 26, 2014

The beading sweat from my forehead drips salty reality onto my lips. Fertilizing thoughts of brisk water that rushes my mind faster then the current wrapped around my feet. My shoulders are heavy, the weight of the pack sits on my raw clavicles. My mind focused on the task at hand. Adrenaline courses through my

Stephen A. Daire: Sometimes it takes a heart attack

August 26, 2014

The hardest obstacles to overcome are those that aren’t immediately apparent, such as my two case of dehydration causing me vertigo and discomfort. Much like my body’s dysfunction, causing me those symptoms due to lack of water and electrolytes climate change gives visible signals of its effects on our planet. Just as my body overheated,

Masato Tobari: Iconic Wilderness

August 26, 2014

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I’m an exchange student from Tokyo, Japan. Although my country is mountainous and 68% of the land is forest, Japan doesn’t have the designated wilderness areas. I took this WRFI course to understand the values of wilderness through experience. Americans like “freedom.” American politicians often use this word. I want to know, what is “the

Awesome Alumni: Catching up with Rae Fitzpatrick, Montana Afoot & Afloat 2012

Harrison Tiffany: The Big Muddy’s Mud

Ali Colbert: There’s No Place Like Home, but Does Home Have a Place?

Erik McLaury: The Wild Balance in the West

Maisie Powell: A Wild Classroom

Nate Winch: Yellowstone’s Charismatic Megafauna

Rachael Balinsky: Friday Nights

Preston Hopkins: Fording the streams of optimism

Stephen A. Daire: Sometimes it takes a heart attack

Masato Tobari: Iconic Wilderness

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