September 17, 2016 – Wise River, Montana

Well, this was unexpected.

Last winter, I worked at Lutsen Resort in Minnesota for a guy named Jim. Quite the adventurous type, he talked a lot about his time in Alaska and Montana. When I told him I was spending the following year in Montana, he mentioned that he would probably be visiting, being that he still has a condo there.

And here we are.

Camping along the Wise River – a place famous in Montana for its fly fishing, camping, and scenery. The weekend thus far has included scenic drives, good conversation, fishing (Jim fishing, me taking photos), hiking, and camping. Not that I didn’t take the man for his word, but it just seems more and more rare that people actually hold themselves to it.

Maybe it’s because he’s an older guy.

On our hike, we came across two bowhunters on the trail. Jim greeted them and offered to turn around as to not interfere with their hunt, but they had decided to call it quits and engaged him in conversation instead. Turns out that these two were born and raised in the area. Almost immediately, they began voicing their concerns about the dwindling populations in fish due to the ever-increasing population of people and the overfishing that inherently results. They went on about grizzlies now living in the area which has affected their hunting, as well as how technology has completely changed the trajectory of our lives for the worse…

As I silently nod and agree with every word they have to say.

Part of the reason Jim came out to visit was to help him decide what to do with his condo. He bought it years ago, before Big Sky was what it is now – more people, more traffic, more buildings.

Less scenic. Less enchanting. Less pure.

“It is of the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it.” – Aristotle