Podcasts about crazy mountains

he Crazy Mountains of Montana are a place of rugged beauty, and unsettling energy. In September of 2014, Aaron Hedges set out on a hunting trip with two friends. But something went wrong. A missed turn. And then—silence. Days turned to months, then years. When Aaron's remains were finally discovered, it only created more questions.Awaxaawippíia - The Crow word referring to the Crazy Mountains Support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month, with benefits starting at the $3 tier!Follow us on Instagram at offthetrailspodcastFollow us on Facebook at Off the Trails PodcastIf you have your own outdoor misadventure (or adventure) story that you'd like us to include in a listener episode, send it to us at offthetrailspodcast@gmail.com  Please take a moment to rate and review our show, and a big thanks if you already have!  Episode Sources:KULR8 WIKIPEDIA WEBSLEUTHS BILLINGS GAZETTE ABC FOX MONTANA WASHINGTON TIMES THE MISSING ENIGMA**We do our own research and try our best to cross reference reliable sources to present the most accurate information we can. Please reach out to us if you believe we have mispresented any information during this episode and we will be happy to correct ourselves in a future episode.

In this episode of HappyCast, Stephanie and guest host Ben Bridgeman sit down with Chance Helmick to talk about his incredible journey at the Crazy Mountain 100. This grueling race, set in the breathtaking yet treacherous Crazy Mountains of Montana, is known for its steep climbs, rocky terrain, and stunning alpine views. With over 22,000 feet of elevation gain, it's one of the most challenging ultras in the U.S. Chance shares his personal experience, discussing both the mental and physical endurance it took to reach the finish line. Stephanie and Chance first connected during her own race experience at the Copper Canyons 100 in Montana, making this conversation even more special as they reflect on their shared adventures in the Montana wilderness.In addition to talking about the Crazy Mountain 100, Chance opens up about the challenges of balancing his intense training schedule with the demands of being a parent. Together, they dive into the complexities of staying dedicated to running while managing family life, work, and other commitments. Expect a fun, insightful, and motivating conversation that offers tips for ultrarunners and parents alike, sprinkled with humor and practical advice for making time to chase your passions—even when life gets busy.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen, and we always appreciate you leaving a good rate and review. Join the Facebook Group and follow us on Instagram and check out our website for the more episodes, posts and merchandise coming soon. Have a topic you'd like to hear discussed in depth, or a guest you'd like to nominate? Email us at info@happyendingstc.org

Tim Cahill is one of the founders of Outside, author of its long-running "Out There" column, and an editor-at-large. He's the author of nine books, one of which (Jaguars Ripped My Flesh) National Geographic named as one of the 100 best adventure/travel books ever written. He is the co-author of four IMAX documentary screenplays, two of which were nominated for Academy Awards. He lives in Montana, in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. It's glorious.  Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe

Tim Cahill is one of the founders of Outside, author of its long-running "Out There" column, and an editor-at-large. He's the author of nine books, one of which (Jaguars Ripped My Flesh) National Geographic named as one of the 100 best adventure/travel books ever written. He is the co-author of four IMAX documentary screenplays, two of which were nominated for Academy Awards. He lives in Montana, in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. It's glorious.  Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Jan. 16. It dropped for free subscribers on Jan. 23. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoTroy Nedved, General Manager of Big Sky, MontanaRecorded onJanuary 11, 2024About Big SkyClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Boyne ResortsLocated in: Big Sky, MontanaYear founded: 1973Pass affiliations:* 7 days, no blackouts on Ikon Pass (reservations required)* 5 days, holiday blackouts on Ikon Base and Ikon Base Plus Pass (reservations required)* 2 days, no blackouts on Mountain Collective (reservations required)Reciprocal partners: Top-tier Big Sky season passes include three days each at Boyne's other nine ski areas: Brighton, Summit at Snoqualmie, Cypress, Boyne Mountain, The Highlands, Loon Mountain, Sunday River, Pleasant Mountain, and Sugarloaf.Closest neighboring ski areas: Yellowstone Club (ski-to connection); Bear Canyon (private ski area for Mount Ellis Academy – 1:20); Bridger Bowl (1:30)Base elevation: 6,800 feet at Madison BaseSummit elevation: 11,166 feetVertical drop: 4,350 feetSkiable Acres: 5,850Average annual snowfall: 400-plus inchesTrail count: 300 (18% expert, 35% advanced, 25% intermediate, 22% beginner)Terrain parks: 6Lift count: 38 (1 75-passenger tram, 1 high-speed eight-pack, 3 high-speed six-packs, 4 high-speed quads, 3 fixed-grip quads, 9 triples, 5 doubles, 3 platters, 1 ropetow, 8 carpet lifts – Big Sky also recently announced a second eight-pack, to replace the Six Shooter six-pack, next year; and a new, two-stage gondola, which will replace the Explorer double chair for the 2025-26 ski season – View Lift Blog's inventory of Big Sky's lift fleet.)View vintage Big Sky trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himBig Sky is the closest thing American skiing has to the ever-stacking ski circuses of British Columbia. While most of our western giants labor through Forest Service approvals for every new snowgun and trail sign, BC transforms Revelstoke and Kicking Horse and Sun Peaks into three of the largest ski resorts on the continent in under two decades. These are policy decisions, differences in government and public philosophies of how to use our shared land. And that's fine. U.S. America does everything in the most difficult way possible, and there's no reason to believe that ski resort development would be any different.Except in a few places in the West, it is different. Deer Valley and Park City and Schweitzer sit entirely (or mostly), on private land. New project approvals lie with local entities. Sometimes, locals frustrate ski areas' ambitions, as is the case in Park City, which cannot, at the moment, even execute simple lift replacements. But the absence of a federal overlord is working just fine at Big Sky, where the mountain has evolved from Really Good to Damn Is This Real in less time than it took Aspen to secure approvals for its 153-acre Hero's expansion.Boyne has pulled similar stunts at its similarly situated resorts across the country: Boyne Mountain and The Highlands in Michigan and Sunday River in Maine, each of them transforming in Hollywood montage-scene fashion. Progress has lagged more at Brighton and Alpental, both of which sit at least partly on Forest Service land (though change has been rapid at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, whose land is a public-private hybrid). But the evolution at Big Sky has been particularly comprehensive. And, because of the ski area's inherent drama and prominence, compelling. It's America's look-what-we-can-do-if-we-can-just-do mountain. The on-mountain product is better for skiers and better for skiing, a modern mountain that eases chokepoints and upgrades facilities and spreads everyone around.Winter Park, seated on Forest Service land, owned by the City of Denver, and operated by Alterra Mountain Company, outlined an ambitious master development plan in 2005 (when Intrawest ran the ski area). Proposed projects included a three-stage gondola connecting the town of Winter Park with the ski area's base village, a massive intermediate-focused expansion onto Vasquez Ridge, and a new mid-mountain beginner area. Nearly 20 years later, none of it exists. Winter Park did execute some upgrades in the meantime, building a bunch of six-packs and adding lift redundancy and access to the high alpine. But the mountain's seven lift upgrades in 19 years are underwhelming compared to the 17 such projects that have remade Big Sky over that same time period. Winter Park has no lack of resources, skier attention, or administrative will, but its plans stall anyway, and it's no mystery why.I write more about Big Sky than I do about other large North American ski resorts because there is more happening at Big Sky than at any other large North American ski resort. That is partly luck and partly institutional momentum and partly a unique historical collision of macroeconomic, cultural, and technological factors that favor construction and evolution of what a ski resort is and can be. And, certainly, U.S. ski resorts build big projects on Forest Service land every single year. But Boyne and Big Sky, operating outside of the rulebooks hemming in their competitors, are getting to the future a hell of a lot faster than anyone else.What we talked aboutYes a second eight-pack is coming to Big Sky; why the resort is replacing the 20-year-old Six Shooter lift; potential future Headwaters lift upgrades; why the resort will replace Six Shooter before adding a second lift out of the Madison base; what will happen to Six Shooter and why it likely won't land elsewhere in Boyne's portfolio; the logic of selling, rather than scrapping, lifts to competitors; adjusting eight-packs for U.S. Americans; automated chairlift safety bars; what happened when the old Ramcharger quad moved to Shedhorn; what's up with the patrol sled marooned in a tree off Shedhorn?; the philosophy of naming lifts; why we won't see the Taco Bell tram anytime soon (or ever); the One & Only gondola; Big Sky's huge fleet of real estate lifts; how the new tram changed Big Sky; metering traffic up the Lone Peak tram; the tram's shift from pay-per-day to pay-per-ride; a double carpet; that new double-blue-square rating on the trailmap; Black Hills skiing at Terry Peak and Deer Mountain; working in Yellowstone; river kayaking culture; revisiting the coming out-of-base gondola; should Swifty have been an eight-pack?; on-mountain employee housing; Big Sky 2025; what does the resort that's already upgraded everything upgrade next?; potential future lift upgrades; and the Ikon Pass.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewI didn't plan to record two Big Sky podcasts in two months. I prefer to spread my attention across mountains and across regions and across companies, as most of you know. This podcast was scheduled for early December, after an anticipated Thanksgiving-week tram opening. But then the tram was delayed, and as it happened I was able to attend the grand opening on Dec. 19. I recorded a podcast there, with Nedved and past Storm Skiing Podcast guests Taylor Middleton (Big Sky president) and Stephen Kircher (Boyne Resorts CEO).But Nedved and I kept this conversation on the calendar, pushing it into January. It's a good thing. Because no sooner had Big Sky opened its spectacular new tram than it announced yet another spectacular new lift: a second eight-pack chair, to replace a six-pack that is exactly 21 years old.There's a sort of willful showiness to such projects. Who, in America, can even afford a six-person chairlift, let alone have the resources to tag such a machine for the rubbish bin? And then replace it with a lift so spectacular that its ornamentation exceeds that of your six-year-old Ramcharger eight-seater, still dazzling on the other side of the mountain?When Vail built 18 new lifts in 2022, the projects ended up as all function, no form. They were effective, and well-placed, but the lifts are just lifts. Boyne Resorts, which, while a quarter the size of Vail, has built dozens of new lifts over the past decade, is building more than just people-movers. Its lifts are experiences, housed in ski shrines, buildings festooned in speakers and screens, the carriers descending like coaster trains at Six Flags, bubbles and heaters and sportscar seats and conveyors, a spectacle you might ride even if skiing were not attached at the end.American skiing will always have room for throwbacks and minimalism, just as American cuisine will always have room for Taco Bell and small-town diners. Most Montana ski areas are fixed-grip and funky – Snowbowl and Bridger and Great Divide and Discovery and Lost Trail and Maverick and Turner. Big Sky's opportunity was, at one time, to be a bigger, funkier version of these big, funky ski areas. But its opportunity today is to be the not-Colorado, not-Utah alt destination for skiers seeking comfort sans megacrowds. The mountain is fulfilling that mission, at a speed that is almost impossible to believe. Which is why we keep going back there, over and over again.What I got wrongI said several times that the Six Shooter lift was “only 20 years old.” In fact, Moonlight installed the lift in 2003, making the machine legal drinking age.Why you should ski Big SkyThe approach is part of the experience, always. Some ski areas smash the viewshed with bandoliers of steepshots slicing across the ridge. From miles down the highway you say whoa. Killington or Hunter or Red Lodge. Others hide. Even from the parking lot you see only suggestions of skiing. Caberfae in Michigan is like this, enormous trees mask its runs and its peaks. Mad River Glen erupts skyward but its ragged clandestine trail network resembles nothing else in the East and you wonder where it is. Unfolding, then, as you explore. Even vast Heavenly, from the gondola base, is invisible.Big Sky, alone among American ski areas, inspires awe on the approach. Turn west up 64 from 191 and Lone Peak commands the horizon. This place is not like other places you realize. On the long road up you pass the spiderwebbing trails off the Lone Moose and Thunder Wolf lifts and still that summit towers in the distance. There is a way to get up there and a way to ski down but from below it's all invisible. All you can see is snow and rocks and avy chutes flushed out over millennia.That's the marquee and that's the post: I'm here. But Lone Peak, with its triple black diamonds and sign-in sheets and muscled exposure, is not for mortal hot laps. Go up, yes. Ski down, yes. But then explore. Because staple Keystone to Breck and you have roughly one Big Sky.Humans cluster. Even in vast spaces. Or perhaps especially so. The cut trails below Ramcharger and Swifty swarm like train stations. But break away from the salmon run, into the trees or the bowl or the gnarled runs below the liftlines, and emerge into a different world. Everywhere, empty lifts, empty glades, endless crags and crannies. Greens and blues that roll for miles. Beyond every chairlift, another chairlift. Stacked like bonus levels are what feel like mini ski areas existing for you alone. An empty endless. A skiing fantasyland.Podcast NotesOn Uncle Dan's CookiesFear not: this little shack seated beside the Six Shooter lift is not going anywhere:On Moonlight Basin and Spanish PeaksLike the largest (Park City) and second-largest (Palisades Tahoe) ski areas in America, Big Sky is the stapled-together remains of several former operations. Unlike those two giants, which connected two distinct ski areas with gondolas (Park City and Canyons; Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows), seamless ski connections existed between the former Spanish Peaks terrain, on the ski area's far southern end, and the former Moonlight Basin, on the northern end. The circa 2010 trailmaps called out access points between each of the bookend resorts and Big Sky, which you could ski with upgraded lift tickets:Big Sky purchased the properties in 2013, a few years after this happened (per the Bozeman Daily Chronicle):Moonlight Basin, meanwhile, got into trouble after borrowing $100 million from Lehman Brothers in September 2007, with the 7,800-acre resort, its ski lifts, condos, spa and a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course put up as collateral, according to foreclosure records filed in Madison County.That loan came due in September 2008, according to the papers filed by Lehman, and Moonlight defaulted. Lehman itself went bankrupt in September 2008 and blamed its troubles on a collapse in the real estate market that left it upside down.An outfit called Crossharbor Capital Partners, which purchased and still owns the neighboring Yellowstone Club, eventually joined forces with Big Sky to buy Moonlight and Spanish Peaks (Crossharbor is no longer a partner). Now, just imagine tacking the 2,900-acre Yellowstone Club onto Big Sky's current footprint (which you can in fact do if you're a Yellowstone Club member):On the sled chilling in the tree off ShedhornYes, there's a patrol sled lodged in a tree off the Shedhorn high-speed quad. Here's a pic I snagged from the lift last spring:Explore Big Sky last year recounted the avalanche that deposited the sled there:“In Big Sky and around Montana, ['96 and '97] has never been topped in terms of snowfall,” [veteran Big Sky ski patroller Mike] Buotte said. Unfortunately, a “killer ice layer on the bottom of the snowpack” caused problems in the tram's second season. On Christmas Day, 1996, a patroller died in an explosive accident near the summit of Lone Mountain. Buotte says it was traumatic for the entire team.The next morning, patrol triggered a “wall-to-wall” avalanche across Lenin and the Dictator Chutes. The slide infamously took out the Shedhorn chairlift, leaving scars still visible today. Buotte and another patroller were caught in that avalanche. Miraculously, they both stopped. Had they “taken the ride,” Buotte is confident they would not have survived.“That second year, the reality of what's going on really hit us,” Buotte said. “And it was not fun and games. It was pretty dark, frankly. That's when it got very real for the organization and for me. The industry changed; avalanche training changed. We had to up our game. It was a new paradigm.”Buotte said patrol changed the Lenin route's design—adding more separation in time and space—and applied the same learning to other routes. Mitigation work is inherently dangerous, but Buotte believes the close call helped emphasize the importance of route structure to reduce risk.Here's Boutte recalling the incident:On the Ski the Sky loopBig Sky gamified a version of their trailmap to help skiers understand that there's more to the mountain than Ramcharger and Swifty:On the bigness of Big SkyNedved points out that several major U.S. destination ski areas total less than half Big Sky's 5,850 acres. That would be 2,950 acres, which is, indeed, more than Breckenridge (2,908 acres), Schweitzer (2,900), Alta (2,614), Crystal (2,600), Snowbird (2,500), Jackson Hole (2,500), Copper Mountain (2,465), Beaver Creek (2,082), Sun Valley (2,054), Deer Valley (2,026), or Telluride (2,000).On the One & Only resort and brandWe discuss the One & Only resort company, which is building a super-luxe facility that they will connect to the Madison base with a D-line gondola. Which is an insane investment for a transportation lift. As far as I can tell, this will be the company's first facility in the United States. Here's a list of their existing properties.On the Big Sky TramI won't break down the new Lone Peak tram here, because I just did that a month ago.On the Black HillsSouth Dakota's Black Hills, where Nedved grew up, are likely not what most Americans envision when they think of South Dakota. It's a gorgeous, mountainous region that is home to Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument, and 7,244-foot Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak), the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies. This is a tourist bureau video, but it will make you say wait Brah where are all the cornfields?The Black Hills are home to two ski areas. The first it Terry Peak, an 1,100-footer with three high-speed quads that is an Indy Pass OG:The second is Deer Mountain, which disappeared for around six years before an outfit called Keating Resources bought the joint last year and announced they would bring it back as a private ski area for on-mountain homeowners. They planned a large terrain reduction to accommodate more housing. I put this revised trailmap together last year based upon a conversation with the organization's president, Alec Keating:The intention, Keating told me in July, was to re-open the East Side (top of the map above), for this ski season, and the West side (bottom portion) in 2025. I've yet to see evidence of the ski area having opened, however.On Troy the athleteWe talk a bit about Nedved's kayaking adventures, but that barely touches on his action-sports resume. From a 2019 Explore Big Sky profile:Nedved lived in a teepee in Gardiner for two years down on the banks of the Yellowstone River across from the Yellowstone Raft Company, where he developed world-class abilities as a kayaker.“The culture around rafting and kayaking is pretty heavy and I connected with some of the folks around there that were pretty into it. That was the start of that,” Nedved said of his early days in the park. “My Yellowstone days, I spent all my time when I was not working on the water.” And even when he was working, and someone needed to brave a stretch of Class V rapids for a rescue mission or body recovery, he was the one for the job.When Teton Gravity Research started making kayak movies, Nedved and his friends got the call as well. “We were pioneering lines that had never been done before: in Costa Rica and Nepal, but also stretches of river in Montana in the Crazy Mountains of Big Timber Creek and lots of runs in Beartooths that had never been floated,” Nedved recounted.“We spent a lot of time looking at maps, hiking around the mountains, finding stuff that was runnable versus not. It was a stage of kayaking community in Montana that we got started. Now the next generation of these kids is blowing my mind—doing things that we didn't even think was possible.”Nedved is an athlete's athlete. “I love competing in just about anything. When I was first in Montana, I found out about Powder 8s at Bridger Bowl. It was a cool event and we got into it,” he said in a typically modest way. “It was just another thing to hone your skills as a ski instructor and a skiing professional.”Nedved has since won the national Powder 8 competition five times and competed on ESPN at the highest level of the niche sport in the Powder 8 World Championships held at Mike Wiegele's heliskiing operation in Canada. Even some twenty years later, he is still finding podiums in the aesthetically appealing alpine events with longtime partner Nick Herrin, currently the CEO of the Professional Ski Instructors of America. Nedved credits his year-round athletic pursuits for what keeps him in the condition to still make perfect turns.Sadly, I was unable to locate any videos of Nedved kayaking or Powder 8ing.On employee housing at Big Sky and Winter ParkBig Sky has built an incredible volume of employee housing (more than 1,000 beds in the Mountain Village alone). The most impressive may be the Levinski complex: fully furnished, energy-efficient buildings situated within walking distance of the lifts.Big mountain skiing, wracked and wrecked by traffic and mountain-town housing shortages, desperately needs more of this sort of investment, as I wrote last week after Winter Park opened a similarly situated project.On Big Sky 2025Big Sky 2025 will, in substance, wrap when the new two-stage, out-of-base gondola opens next year. Here's the current iteration of the plan. You can see how much it differs from the version outlined in 2016 in this contemporary Lift Blog post.The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 2/100 in 2024, and number 502 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

*NOTE* - The topic discussion starts at 24:15. In September of 2014, 38-year-old Aaron Hedges went hunting with two friends in the Crazy Mountains of Montana. Aaron became separated from his friends, and despite having a cell phone and a radio for communication, no word was heard from Aaron. Two years later, his remains were found in a location close to a ranch. In this “Missing 411 Spotlight” episode, Krista and Kurt look into the bizarre case of Aaron Hedges. And, as usual, a taste test and listener questions!

Welcome to my three-part series where I interview past MBA alumni. This series is to celebrate the OFFICIAL LAUNCH of the Manifestation Babe Academy. MBA is literally my life's work jam-packed into a 20-week program where I take you on a journey of what it means to manifest your dream life and be the architect of your mind. It shows you how to bring about anything that you could possibly desire, literally out of thin air while also doing some deep healing. Cart open for this beast of a program starts NEXT WEEK March 6th! If you want to be the first to get into MBA, sign up for the WAITLIST NOW.    I am interviewing three completely different and unique students who all have very different desires. They have very different views of what it means to live their dream life and extremely different backgrounds. But one thing that they have in common is that their desires became a real-life reality for them as a result of what they learned inside of MBA.    In part one of the MBA transformation series. I have Jess Dean, an animal rescuer jess. She has a heart of gold! For someone like her the more success she experiences in her business and life, the more animals that she can rescue. I'm so excited for you to hear what's possible for you through hearing a story like Jess's. So without further ado, let's get started!   Jesscy Dean is a 4th generation Montanan, born and raised under the Big Sky. She is deeply committed to self-sufficiency, caring for the earth, and living in tune with nature. She runs an animal rescue ranch with her husband at the base of the Crazy Mountains. In addition to saving animals, Jesscy is a vibrancy coach, shepherdess, wild crafter, fiber artist, and musician. She adores sharing nourishing meals & adventures with friends & learning new ways to live her best life.    In this episode, we talk about astrology! Please be sure to tag me @manifestationbabe on Instagram and Jess @thewildhomesteader and share this episode with your community to spread the word If you or someone you know has benefited from this episode! I would like to hear about your experience. Also, leave a review on iTunes to receive a free manifestation hypnosis. Just screenshot it before submitting it and email it to my team at hello@manifestationbabe.com and I will see you in the next episode. In This Episode You Will Learn:   Why Jess has lambs in her home (5:59) The point Jess said she has to enroll in MBA (12:54) Where Jess is in life now (18:50)   Questions We Answer:    Where Jess was before she discovered MBA? (7:19) When did Jess start to experience shifts? (14:51) What would be Jess's advice to people taking the leap to get in MBA? (22:30) Links/Resources   Stay Up To Date w/ All of Our MB Resources Jess's Website Connect w/ Jess on Instagram Download The Transcript  

In this episode, Wes and Todd sit down with Photographer, Barbara Van Cleve. Barbara discusses cowboy coffee, Montana and the Crazy Mountains, her family history, the Lazy K Bar Ranch, horses, her youth, her education, being a college professor, her beginnings in photography, Baja California, black & white photography, color photography, adobe walls, abstraction, Montana skies, spotting prints, equipment, photographing on horseback, Ranch Women, connecting to your subject, nude photography, zoom lenses, galleries, museum exhibitions, printing, shooting what moves you, her archives, workshops, the documentary “Barbara Van Cleve's American West”, her books, ranching, work, and the solid virtues of honesty and integrity. Join us for a rich and educational conversation with the one and only, Barbara Van Cleve!Check out Barbara's photography at her website www.barbaravancleve.com Check out and donate to “Barbara Van Cleve's American West”, the documentary on Barbara and how her family's expansion in Montana intertwines with the history of the American West - www.bvcamericanwest.com Follow Barbara Van Cleve on social media:On Facebook at www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063687161061

The Crazy Mountains, north of Big Timber, have been front and center in a handful of public land conflicts in recent years. Currently, the US Forest Service is considering a land swap of approximately 5-thousand acres to consolidate access to […]

Jonathan Wood, Vice President of Law & Policy at the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), joins the guys to discuss some contentious access issues in the West. They dive into a New Mexico stream access case that may find its way to the US Supreme Court, and then provide an update on a land access dispute in the Crazy Mountains of Montana. Other topics include: whether Nephi should host the podcast; market-based envionmental solutions; listing the lesser priaire chicken; Jonathan's mountain; and more. Enjoying the podcast? Give us a 5 star rating, follow us on social media, send us an email at yourmountain@itsyourmountain.com; and most importantly--tell your friends. Thanks for the support--it means everything. 

Dan Brigman joins the gang and recounts his journey through the Crazy Mountains during the Crazy Mountain 100.FB: GCRunagades IG: gascaprunagades Runagade Hotline: 4062726388 gascaprunagades@gmail.com music: Go Cat Go by Gabriel Lucas https://epidemicsound.com/track/bGxdjTb3cX

Michael Adams shares his thoughts and recaps his 100 Miles through the Crazy Mountains. FB: GCRunagadesIG: gascaprunagadesRunagade Hotline: 4062726388gascaprunagades@gmail.commusic: Go Cat Go by Gabriel Lucas https://epidemicsound.com/track/bGxdjTb3cX

This episode of the Tell Us Something podcast was recorded live in person, in front of a sold-out crowd on June 27, 2022, in Bonner Park, in Missoula, MT. Four storytellers share their true personal stories live without notes on the theme “Didn’t See That Coming”. Our first story comes to us from Katie Garding. Some bad decisions on a New Years Even lead to a wrongful conviction and 10 years in prison for Katie Garding. Katie calls her story “The Paths We Take”.  Thanks, Katie. Katie Garding is a humanitarian at heart. She believes in the connection of all things. Katie is a lover of art and the simple beautiful things, that this life has to offer. View more info about Katie’s case here.  Listen to Katie talk about life on parole and her experience with wrongful conviction. Visit here to learn more about the Montana Innocence Project. Next up is Linda Grinde. Linda joins a cabaret show in Hamburg, Germany, and must escape once she learns that she may be working for the Nazis. Linda calls her story “Last Can-Can in Hamburg”. Linda Grinde is an amateur philosopher and a professional garden beautifier. She leads nature rituals and wild women camping retreats. Linda learned to swim this winter and just last week she competed in the backstroke event at the Senior Olympics. She also competed in the putting and cornhole events. Her team won the gold, in the cornhole event. She will be playing Maureen for the Missoula Backyard Theater production of “Rent or Die” this September. To learn more about rent or die and to get tickets, visit Missoula Backyard Theatre.  Rounding out this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast is Raymond Ansotegui.  Raymond learns an important life lesson when he’s in 3rd grade from an inmate in the Montana State Prison. Raymond calls his story “Fruit for Vegetables. (A Fair Trade)”.   Thanks, Raymond. Raymond Ansotegui was born and raised in Montana. He is a reclamation scientist and spent a decade as a rodeo bullfighter. His wife is a world-renowned artist that shares her life with him on their piece of paradise overlooking the Yellowstone River and the Crazy Mountains. He loves people and the bond of storytelling that holds us all together. Check out Raymond's TedX talk about being a bullfighter here.

The Crazy Mountains are dotted with stunning alpine lakes, and Campfire Lake might be the loveliest of them all. To get there, follow the Trespass Creek Trail as it meanders through a draw along its namesake creek, diving in and out of shady trees and rolling meadows. After a steep climb, you'll crest a ridge high above Campfire Lake. Enjoy the breathtaking views and wind down the other side of the pass to the wildflower meadows on the lakeshore. Turn around for a 12-mile day, or pitch a tent and enjoy the sunset over the walls of the rocky cirque. Photo by Emily Cleveland

One of the most inexplicable and haunting Missing 411 cases is that of Aaron Hedges. In the Crazy Mountains of Montana, 38 year old Aaron disappeared - with a trace. Despite leaving a trail of clues, Hedges was never found. Aaron has since become known as "the hunter who vanished in the crazies", with even the most seasoned investigators remaining baffled by his unlikely disappearance. Welcome back to The Lore Lodge... Support The Lore Lodge via Patreon at https://patreon.com/thelorelodge Links and sponsors at https://aidanmattis.carrd.co Discord at https://discord.gg/thelorelodge

September 7th, 2014 - bow hunter Aaron Hedges and his party ventured out into the mountains of western Montana. The group was planning a week-long hunt in the Campfire Lake area of the Crazy Mountains Range. After an issue with a pack animal, Aaron ventured north to a supply cache the group had left the previous year. This would be the last time his hunting party would ever see him. Join us this week as we discuss the strange disappearance of Aaron Hedges and the mysterious discoveries in the following years.   New Patreon Shout-outs: Jennie Bailey, Noemi Ortiz, Alex B, Kristina Kunda, & Diana Peterson.   Episode suggestion shoutout: Margaret Granath   Want to help the show out and get even more Locations Unknown content!  For as little as $1 a month, you can become a Patron of Locations Unknown and get access to special Patreon only episode, free swag, swag contests, your picture on our supporter wall of fame, our Patreon only Discord Server, and discounts to our upcoming Locations Unknown Store!  Become a Patron of the Locations Unknown Podcast by visiting our Patreon page.   Want to call into the show and leave us a message?  Now you can!  Call 208-391-6913 and leave Locations Unknown a voice message and we may air it on a future message!   View live recordings of the show on our YouTube channel: Locations Unknown - YouTube   Want to advertise on the podcast?  Visit the following link to learn more.  Advertise on Locations Unknown   Learn about other unsolved missing persons cases in America's wilderness at Locations Unknown.   Follow us on Facebook & Instagram.  Also check us out on two new platforms - Pocketnet & Rumble.

Today's guest is Amanda Eggert of Montana Free Press. Amanda covers environmental issues and has written a series of deeply reported articles about the complex and confusing access and ownership issues in Montana's Crazy Mountains. The Crazies are a magnificent, wild, sacred and mysterious island range in central Montana. Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uu7zSyiM-gVWtx2SooQSYFF4dlTajhL4Db1B7QjLApo/edit?usp=sharing

Shane Doyle is a Montana-based scholar, teacher, and community advocate whose work focuses on the history and heritage of Native American tribes of the Northern Great Plains. Shane is an enrolled member of the Apsáalooke Nation (also known as the Crow Tribe), and he holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Montana State University. His unique personal and professional experiences, combined with his deep curiosity and seemingly endless energy, have made Shane a well-known leader in many fields, including education, land use advocacy, and the arts. - Shane grew up in Crow Agency, Montana, and he did not have an interest in history until college, when a road trip with a professor opened his eyes to Montana's rich Native American past. From that moment onward, Shane's curiosity has continued to grow, and he has built his career around making Native American history a cultural mainstay in everything from Montana's educational system to governmental land management decisions. Whether designing educational curriculums, making films, or singing Northern Plains tribal music, Shane is always focused on serving his community. - Whether you're a long-time listener or this is your first episode, I know you'll enjoy getting to know Shane. We started out discussing his youth on the Crow reservation, and he talks about that fateful road trip when he fell in love with history. We talk about his family and the important life lessons that he learned from his grandmother. We discuss the history of the Apsáalooke, and the importance of the Crazy Mountains from a cultural and historical perspective. We also discuss his consulting business Native Nexus, some of his film projects, and his plans for the future. And Shane obviously has plenty of excellent book recommendations, so be sure to check out the episode notes for links to all of those. - As you'll hear in this conversation, Shane is doing so much excellent work and has many more projects in the pipeline. I'll look forward to a part 2 with Shane in the future so we can hear updates on everything that he's working on. Hope you enjoy! --- Native Nexus Shane's film: Awaxaawippíia: The Crow Nation's Sacred Ties Full episode note and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/shane-doyle/ --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 3:15 – Shane's childhood and how he pursued Indigenous history in his youth 7:45 – Shane describes how he engaged in studying the Indigenous history of Montana 10:30 – Shane discusses Asaalooke Nation history  14:30 – Shane discusses his thoughts regarding a history of broken treaties 18:15 – Shane talks about the service element of his work 21:00 – Shane discusses the significance of the Crazy Mountain Range, including his own experience fasting in that mountain range 27:15 – Shane explains the regularity of his meditation ceremonies  30:15 – Shane mentions some resources for people interested in Northern Plains Indigenous culture 34:00 – Shane discusses the book he is writing, Messages from Medicine Wheel Country 38:00 – Shane talks about his film regarding the Crazy Mountains 41:45 – Shane explains how folks can get involved in the protection of the Crazy Mountains  43:30 – Shane discusses his business, Native Nexus 47:15 – Shane talks about where he thinks his career is going next 51:45 – Shane's book recommendations 55:45 – Shane's film recommendations, as well as some films he feels less enthusiastic about 1:01:30 – Shane's parting words of wisdom --- This episode is brought to you by The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and its Montana-based AMB West Philanthropies, both of which embody the values-based approach to philanthropy and business of their Chairman Arthur M. Blank. --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Today we are honored to share our conversation with the renowned Western photographer and fifth-generation Montana rancher Barbara Van Cleve. Barbara has spent her career photographing the American West, inspired largely by a lifetime spent on her family's ranch just east of the Crazy Mountains in southwest Montana.  For her entire life, Barbara Van Cleve has pushed up against the limits that society has imposed on women, especially in the rural West, choosing instead to forge her own path as a photographer of women in the West. Read more and find the topics and links from this episode at the full show notes: https://onland.link/podcast

In the northern Crazy Mountains, the long hike up Loco Mountain serves up stunning views of the Crazy, Bridger, and Absaroka ranges.From the trailhead outside of Wilsall, you’ll cross back and forth over the Middle Fork of Cottonwood Creek and climb gently to a broad, grassy ridge. The trail follows the ridge, which is mostly flat, to the wide summit of Loco Mountain, but you’ll have to remember to watch where you’re going: it’s easy to be distracted by the stunning panoramic views of the surrounding ranges, plains, and valleys. Photo by Sally Kelsey

On this episode, Brett chats with Kadie Heinle about her past and present fisheries research and internships which have taken her all over the Wild West. Her work has been focused in Montana, where she is currently a MS student at Montana State University researching the effects of non-native Brown Trout and drought conditions on Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout in the Crazy Mountains. Tune in to hear more, and remember: branch out and say yes to opportunities and pester your mentor with questions!   Links: Kadie's Twitter: @kbheinle Our Twitter: @FisheriesPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FisheriesPodcast Fisheries Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/the-fisheries-podcast-fan-shop Feedback: feedback@thefisheriespodcast.com Thanks as always to Andrew Gialanella for the awesome intro & outro music! 

You can follow the show on Twitter or Facebook @stscast, or on Instagram@stscast.gramCheck out Patreon at, https://www.patreon.com/STScastThis week's featured podcast is Obscure Anomalies Be sure to check out Straight Up Strange Productions for more great pods!Yuba City is nestled in the mountains of Northern California. It was settled in 1848 and become the county seat of Sutter County in 1856 after winning it back from the town of Nicolaus. Over the year’s Yuba has had it’s fair share tragedies and scares. The 1955 Christmas Flood, the B-52 crash in 1961, and in 1976 a bus crash killed 27 Yuba City High school students. In 1978 five young men would go missing, this is the story of the Yuba County Five.WikiPedia article about Yuba City, CaliforniaWikiPedia article about Yuba County Fivevocal.media/criminal/what-happened-to-the-yuba-county-fivewashingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/07/06/5-boys-who-never-come-back/f8b30b11-baeb-4351-89f3-26456a76a4fb/darkhistories.com/the-disappearance-of-gary-mathias/Sacramento Bee; Thursday, March 2, 1978Sacramento Bee; Wednesday, June 14, 1978Big Timber is the county seat of Sweet Grass County in Montana, with a population of only 1600. It’s named after nearby Big Timber creek. The town is located east of the Crazy mountains. It’s even home to the Crazy Mountains Museum. The Crazy Mountains are a small 40-mile long “island” of mountains in Western Montana, they are the youngest mountain range in the country. They were known as a mystical place to the Native Crow tribe. Known for being unpredictable. And, perhaps they are as many learned after Arron Hedges went missing only for his remains to turn up years later 11 miles from the campsite he started from. WikiPedia article about Big Timber, Montanacrazymountainmuseum.comWikiPedia article about Crazy Mountainsstrangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/tag/Aaron+Hedges+-+Strange+disappearances+from+US+Mountainsbuy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/533999Missing 411: The Hunted. June, 25 2019. imdb.com/title/tt10524262/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0Local Headlineshttps://www.alexcityoutlook.com/news/bigfoot-hunter-arrested-for-attempted-murder/article_402dabf6-f397-11ea-91cf-3390c7b1be5b.htmlfox6now.com/news/man-finds-apparent-brain-on-racine-beach-what-is-thisthe-sun.com/news/1458963/gettysburg-ghosts-spooky-apparitions-road-running/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Cahill is one of the founders of Outside, author of its long-running "Out There" column, and an editor-at-large. He's the author of nine books, one of which (Jaguars Ripped My Flesh) National Geographic named as one of the 100 best adventure/travel books ever written. He is the co-author of four IMAX documentary screenplays, two of which were nominated for Academy Awards. He lives in Montana, in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains.  Listen to Michael DeBarbie Volunteer with Shared Adventures If you dig this podcast, would you be please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It's takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests to come on the show. Brought to you by the Nell Newman Foundation, Santa Cruz Medicinals, RPM Training, and “My Weekly Stories.” The Nell Newman Foundation is dedicated to humanitarian, scientific and environmental action that foster a resilient and restorative planetary ecology. They support the small, visionary, and perhaps untested organizations. They fund the underdogs and unpopular ideas Paul Newman championed. RPM Training is a Norcal based active lifestyle brand founded on the idea that legit, purposeful functional training is the foundation of a truly full, adventurous life. I love their workout equipment and use it daily. Use the code KYLE10 at checkout and get 10% off any order. Santa Cruz Medicinals CBD has supported this podcast from day one. Their founder actually convinced me to start the podcast! They make a range of potent CBD products and my personal favorite is the Peppermint Tincture, which I use most nights before before I go to bed. Use the code KYLE10 at checkout, and get 10% off any order. Sore muscles, be gone! I write weekly short stories, sometimes they're funny. Sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss them. Please consider supporting my work on Patreon. If you are financially strapped, just keep listening and give lots of high-fives. That's all the payment I need. Connect with Kyle on Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Contact: info@kyle.surf The Motherfucker Awards Intro music by Nashe Howe “Life moves pretty fast ... if you don't look around once and a while, you could miss it.” - Ferris Buller   Get full access to Writing by Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe

Tim Cahill is one of the founders of Outside, author of its long-running "Out There" column, and an editor-at-large. He's the author of nine books, one of which (Jaguars Ripped My Flesh) National Geographic named as one of the 100 best adventure/travel books ever written. He is the co-author of four IMAX documentary screenplays, two of which were nominated for Academy Awards. He lives in Montana, in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains.  Listen to Michael DeBarbie Volunteer with Shared Adventures If you dig this podcast, would you be please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It’s takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests to come on the show. Brought to you by the Nell Newman Foundation, Santa Cruz Medicinals, RPM Training, and “My Weekly Stories.” The Nell Newman Foundation is dedicated to humanitarian, scientific and environmental action that foster a resilient and restorative planetary ecology. They support the small, visionary, and perhaps untested organizations. They fund the underdogs and unpopular ideas Paul Newman championed. RPM Training is a Norcal based active lifestyle brand founded on the idea that legit, purposeful functional training is the foundation of a truly full, adventurous life. I love their workout equipment and use it daily. Use the code KYLE10 at checkout and get 10% off any order. Santa Cruz Medicinals CBD has supported this podcast from day one. Their founder actually convinced me to start the podcast! They make a range of potent CBD products and my personal favorite is the Peppermint Tincture, which I use most nights before before I go to bed. Use the code KYLE10 at checkout, and get 10% off any order. Sore muscles, be gone! I write weekly short stories, sometimes they’re funny. Sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss them. Please consider supporting my work on Patreon. If you are financially strapped, just keep listening and give lots of high-fives. That’s all the payment I need. Connect with Kyle on Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Contact: info@kyle.surf The Motherfucker Awards Intro music by Nashe Howe “Life moves pretty fast ... if you don't look around once and a while, you could miss it.” - Ferris Buller  

Aaron Hedges disappeared in the Crazy Mountains of Montana and left only a mystery that to this day no one can explain

In the West, it’s called “the checkerboard” – one square mile of public land (640 acres, called a section) then one square mile of private – a direct result of frontier-era policies where the federal government gave away millions of acres of land, some to homesteaders but many to politically connected industries such as the railroads and timber companies. The idea, beyond just enriching a privileged few and scoring political power, was to encourage development of the West – timber for railroad ties and mining supports and lumber mills. The result, in our modern U.S., is a tangle of ownership and, sometimes, an access and land management nightmare. The Crazy Mountains of Montana are one such landscape, a garbled mix of public and private sections, and one where private landowners seem to be playing another old game from the frontier era: blocking access to public lands by controlling sections of private land

Several Montana sporting and conservation groups recently sued the Forest Service over a lack of access to Montana's Crazy Mountains. The guys go through some of the background of the issue, describe the legal concept of prescriptive easements, and provide an introduction to the arguments raised in the lawsuit. Stay tuned for more detail in future episodes. They also give an update on the Herrera v Wyoming case. Take a listen. 

Here's a trail to add to your summer "to hike" list. It brings you to a beautiful lake in the Crazy Mountains, one of Montana's most stunning mountain ranges.

This episode is basically Creepshow II... Welcome to the second half of our Urban Legends episode!! Joining Ashley again this week is Peter Lozano and Scott Youngbauer!!  In Part One, Pete told us all about the urban legends of sunny yet spooky Los Angeles!  This week Scott takes us through the haunted tales of his home state of Montana! He tells the tale of the Crazy Mountains, the Flathead Lake Monster, and even some hitchhiking ghosts. Ashley teaches us the origins of the Dog Man of Arkansas and the sad story of a famous violin playing ghost in her hometown of Centralia, Illinois. We discuss what Urban Legends have evolved into in our high-tech society and DON'T WORRY OF COURSE WE TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE URBAN LEGEND WITH JARED LETO. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @keepitweirdcast and our Facebook page KEEP IT WEIRD!   Visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/keepitweirdpodcast to get bonus episodes, newsletters, and more! 

Swingly Road takes you through breathtaking views between Livingston and the Boulder Valley.  Travel near the base of the mountains where you'll see the Absorakee Range, the Crazy Mountains and the Boulder River.  Let's Go Road Trippin'! Dia & Jewels www.montanaroadtripping.com