Essays

Thoughtful, personal reflections on mountain life, conservation ethics, community challenges and the big questions facing the West. Long-form contemplation that connect with personal experience through the author's own words.

January 26, 2026
Poem by Leath Tonino Editor's Note: The Centennial Valley in southwest Montana stretches between the Centennial Mountains and sagebrush steppe.…
January 26, 2026
By Sula Castilleja Griggs My first encounter with the grove was by chance—a quick stop to stretch my legs after…
January 26, 2026
By Bella Butler When the wind passes through the Rattlesnake Wilderness, it rustles the triplet clusters of ponderosa pines and…
January 26, 2026
Magnetism, migration, and the enduring mystery of aurora borealis BY CHANDRA BROWN In my mind, the aurora borealis is connected…
January 26, 2026
By Maggie Neal DohertyPhotos by Bobby Jehrig Brendan Leonard is running to our interview. No, he's not running late but…
June 16, 2025
Sunshine gets all the fanfare, but I live for foggy mornings on the river, mist rising in clouds from its…
June 16, 2025
POEM BY LEATH TONINO Hey skunk, morning. You’re very tail up, nose down, eh? That’s your way of being here,…
June 16, 2025
BY SHELLI ROTTSCHAFER Transplanted in the rich ground of Idaho and with a winding path like an unbroken river behind…
December 4, 2024
A photo essay documents the Bridger raptor survey. PHOTOS AND WORDS BY HAZEL CRAMER Nobody believed Steve Hoffman, a passionate…
December 4, 2024
As the daughter of famous writer Jim Harrison, Jamie Harrison may have literary influence in her bones, but the 64-year-old…