Archive for the ‘Recreation’ Category
Best Brown Trout Flies for Spawning Season
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. This weekend was the opening weekend of this year’s big game hunting season--one of the best weekends of the year. Unfortunately it falls during some of the best streamer fishin... more
Montana’s 2011 Elk Season Outlook
Montana's general elk season is Oct. 22 – Nov. 27 and Montana’s elk hunters should experience some good hunting this year, especially in parts of western and central Montana.... more
We Are Family: Griz Family Weekend
By MARGARET DEWILLIAM HORTON - On a Wednesday several weeks ago, I sat poised by the computer, waiting for the stroke of 10 AM Mountain Time (which I had to remember translated to 9 AM Pacific Time). I was hopi... more
GRIZ GRIT: Tragic Endings
By MICK HOLIEN. We all have experienced the premature passing of a great friend, an associate, a relative or maybe just an acquaintance. It’s always a soul-searching experience for me.... more
Galloway Training Welcomes Runners from the Back of the Pack
Pam Gardiner talks about how the Galloway Training method has helped her and other non-traditional runners train for and finish the Missoula Marathon and Half-Marathon.... more
GRIZ GRIT: The Best Part of the Year
By MICK HOLIEN. It’s just about my favorite time of year. I cherish the overlap in sports seasons, which in my case involves college football and basketball. ... more
Avoid Common Violations by Remembering These Montana Hunting Regulations
BY MFWP. Before heading to the field for Montana’s big game season opener on Saturday, Oct. 22, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials ask that hunters avoid common violations by remembering these tips:... more
Refs: They’re Just Like Us!
By BOB WIRE - You know why we love watching sports on TV? Same reason we love watching local newscasts—because we love watching people screw up.... more
Missoula’s Bucks are Ready to Rumble
By PAUL QUENEAU A tension is mounting around Missoula. Look any direction from town and you may likely see gangs of mule and whitetail deer bucks growing increasingly at odds. Turbulent. Agitated. A month... more
Run Wild Missoula Beer Runs
By PAT CROSS. How did these Beer Runs start? They got their start a few weeks before the 2010 Missoula Marathon, a bunch of us had gathered on a warm Wednesday evening at the North Side Kettle House Brewery for... more
The Dandies Ride Again! The Second Annual Missoula Tweed Ride
By BEN WEISS. Are you looking for an excuse to don some wool, ride around on your old-timey bike, and support some fine organizations? Well, you my friends, are in luck. The 2nd Annual Missoula Tweed Ride is ha... more
Lower Salmon River Float: A Great Weekend Adventure
by JASON SHREDER. This past weekend, some friends and I decided to float the Lower Salmon River. This is a great last minute, spur-of-the-moment river trip because logistics are fairly easy. That’s exactly ho... more
Run Wild Missoula Members Come in All Shapes and Sizes
By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG. Run Wild Missoula members—all 1,250 of them, although different—are ALL inspiring in some way whether it’s taking their first steps to start training for a 5K, winning the Missoula Ma... more
Fly Fishing . . . the Comedy of Tragedy
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. Shakespeare was a fly fisherman. This claim is in no way academically nor historically supported, but he must have drawn his dichotomous inspiration from somewhere. And I’ll l... more
Glow Ball Golf at the Ranch Club
By ANDY COMMONS - Andy fills us in on his night out, golfing in the dark with 59 other people he couldn't see. ... more
Missoula All Women’s 5K Run on Diva Day, Oct. 8, 2011
By SUE FALSEY. For the fourth year in a row, the City of Missoula and Mayor Engen have proclaimed an early Saturday in October as Diva Day--to acknowledge and celebrate the central role of women in this commu... more
Grizzlies Lose to Sac State 42-28
By MICK HOLIEN. It was just one of those days or in this case, one of those games. The winning streak over Sacramento is a thing of the past and the Grizzlies, left to their own devices, are back in the midst ... more
Kate and John Bike for Food and Beer
By RYAN NEWHOUSE. John and Kate Suscovich launched a 24,000-mile journey by bike three and half months ago in New York. The goal was to raise awareness about living active lifestyles and making educated food ch... more
Who Will I Find at the Back of the Pack?
By PAM GARDINER. We have been writing about the BOP (Back of the Pack) for several months now, but we have not in the process made it clear who belongs in this group. That’s because the definition is, truly,... more
It’s Cyclocross Season in Missoula
By BEN WEISS. I hate to say it, but Fall is officially here in western Montana. So, aside from the harvest parties and the cider pressing, it also means it is time for Cyclocross season in Missoula. ... more
Don’t Hang Up the Rod and Reel Just Yet…
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. All we can say is don’t hang up the rod and reel on account of the calendar. When it comes to fly fishing in western Montana, you sort of can’t go wrong these days--just kind... more
UM Grizzlies 17, Eastern Washington 14.
By MICK HOLIEN. For the second straight week, The Griz avenged one of last season’s four losses and in the process of beating a defending National Champion, almost eliminated any chance that Eastern Washingto... more
Missoula Celebrates “Runner Friendly Community” Designation
By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG. Most of us in who consider ourselves runners in Missoula already know that we are a runner friendly community, but last week those feelings were validated when the Road Runners Club of Amer... more
UM Grizzlies vs Cal Poly
By MICK HOLIEN. The two things I’ve come to understand in a lifetime of sports are: there’s as always much uncertainty waiting just around the corner and there are no givens.... more
River Fun and Kayaking in the Fall
by JASON SHREDER. Summer is almost over. That doesn’t mean you have to stop paddling or enjoying the river. This is actually one of my favorite times of the year to paddle. We have been kayaking, stand up pad... more
Missoula’s Mike Foote, the First American to Finish the 2011 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
By MIKE FOOTE. Missoula's Mike Foote recently ran the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. One of 2300 runners to run the 108 mile race, Mike finished 11th overall with a time of about 24.5 hours and was the First Amer... more
UM Grizzlies vs Tennessee
By MICK HOLIEN. You’ve certainly heard of the lull before the storm. And how about the calm in the eye of the hurricane? The 95,000 fans at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville Saturday night got a taste of about eve... more
Fall Fly Fishing in Western Montana
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. What is the best time to fish in Montana? I hear this question all the time, and my answer is always the same: September and that will never change. ... more
Whitewater Kayaking – Taking That Next Step
by JASON SHREDER. It’s crazy but as many kayakers as there are in Missoula one would think that it would be easier to find people to paddle with, but it’s a struggle for people that start out on their own. ... more
Running with Co-workers
By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG. One of the best things I did when I started one of my first jobs out of college was to start running with my co-workers during my lunch hour. I was the only woman in my office and at least ... more
2011 Grizzly Football Season Outlook
By MICK HOLIEN. Can you even believe it’s been nine months since the Grizzly football season ended on a sour note? So what about this year’s edition of Grizzly football?... more
Sunday Streets Missoula 2011
Ever taken a moment to pause on Higgins Avenue and admire the architecture? Not enough hours in the day to window-shop the way you want? Have you succeeded in your goal of making this the best summer ever? Well... more
One-Way Ticket to Brown Town — Ode to Brown Trout
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. Their habits are clandestine, their legend strong, and their choice in living accommodations impeccable. The word brown falls pitifully short when describing these stream kings. ... more
Whitewater Kayaking and Learning to Roll
by JASON SHREDER. I remember back to my first days kayaking. I was thinking to myself “what options do I have besides pulling my skirt and swimming if I can’t roll my kayak?”... more
A Symphony of Cyclists – Annual Cycle for the Symphony
By BEN WEISS. If you have been out and about around town lately, you have no doubt noticed a new symbol in the road. It is a bicycle with two chevrons above it, and it is called a “sharrow”. Derived from t... more
Ultra-marathons: Running to Find Stick Bee Guy
By KEVIN TWIDWELL. Some people run ultra-marathons for the physical challenge. Others run them for the endorphins. I run them for the Stick Bee Guy. In 2001, I signed up for my first 100-mile race, the Vermont ... more
The Four Stages of Fly Fishing
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. A wise man once told me that every fly fisherman goes through 4 distinct stages throughout their fishing life. At first I thought that he was simply spitting B.S., but I have rec... more
Running Goals for the Back of the Pack
By PAM GARDINER. We learn, almost from birth, that running is about speed. What is running without the race? What is winning without the gold medal? There is, however, an obvious truth: only one person can b... more
Maiden Missoula Review: Zootown Surfers
By LEAH LEWIS. This summer some of the rivers are a little too high and fast for me to be comfortable navigating the Alberton Gorge without some expert advice. So I turned to fellow Make It Missoula blogger a... more
The Trip of All Trout Fishing Trips
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. Every year we pile in to our trucks and take off across Montana for a week of absolute trout fishing chaos. This year seemed to be more chaotic than any other, and it all added up... more
Aug 19 Missoula Festival Celebrates Biking & Walking with Movies & Beer
By BEN WEISS. Festival season is in full swing in Missoula – Brew Fest, Local Fest, Celtic Fest, Total Fest, Roots Fest, Hemp Fest, German Fest, and Testy Fest are just a few of them. A lot of people are aski... more
Thomas the Tarantula
By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. I spent the summer volunteering for Missoula's Summer Arts and Leadership Camp, a free camp for 68 homeless and at risk of being homeless kids in Missoula. There I met Thomas the Tarantula.... more
Running While on Vacation
By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG. I’ve always found running while on vacation a challenge. As I mentally plan how I’m going to spend my days during an upcoming vacation to southeast Alaska I’ve started thinking about... more
The Great Tube Hatch
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. As summer wears on in earnest, the air and water temperatures approach each other and Missoulians get hot. What do Missoulians do when they get hot? Well they pile into the rive... more
Mind Over Matter: One Runner’s Struggle with Marathon-Induced Hypochondria
BY JENNIFER SAUER. Like its name suggests, marathon-induced hypochondria rears its ugly head as a big race nears, right around the time taper begins. After months of injury-free training, a phantom pain appear... more
The Year of the Twomper Trout
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN.Twomper is a term in fishing that you probably have never heard before. That’s because it’s a word made up, and used by trout bums from the Bitterroot Valley. It refers to an... more
“Sharrow” the Road – Missoula’s New Biking Road Symbols
By BEN WEISS. If you have been out and about around town lately, you have no doubt noticed a new symbol in the road. It is a bicycle with two chevrons above it, and it is called a “sharrow”. Derived from t... more
Blackfoot River Kayaking Challenge
by JASON SHREDER. This weekend the 3rd Annual Blackfoot River Challenge will take place on the Blackfoot River. The event will include clinics, downriver race/sprints, and a whitewater slalom event. Brandon, ... more
2011 Missoula Marathon: Success in Many Forms
By PAM GARDINER. The warm glow of the Missoula Marathon and Half continues to pulsate within the running community. Nearly 4,000 of us lined up on June 10 and went the distance of our choice.... more
The Advent of Stoneflies and 84-Years-Young
By BRYCE MCLEAN & MATT DEVLIN. Life is good. As I hooked the third or fourth fish of the day yesterday my friend exclaimed “Can you believe we live here?” The truth is some days I can’t. Bryce and I ha... more