You Belong Outside Spotlight: Gallatin River Kayaking

Mike Perry on the Gallatin

The Gallatin River is  home to some of the best whitewater in Southwest Montana.  Between Big Sky and Squaw Creek there are some great rapids ranging from class I to class IV.  The river is exciting during spring runoff but can be more technical at lower levels.  Check the river conditions before you go.

Brit Theison leaving Moose Creek

Getting there: From Bozeman the easiest way to get there is head west on Main Street (Huffine) and turn South on HWY 191 at Four Corners.  Great places to put in are Deer Creek, Moose Creek, 35 MPH Bridge but any pulloff will do.  Most people will take a couple cars and leave one at the takeout as a shuttle.  The river can be busy during the peak season with rafting parties and other kayakers, so keep that in mind when choosing places to put in and take out.

Overview:From Moose Creek to the Storm Castle takeout is about 10 miles and can be split into two different floats.  The Gallatin is a great road side river that you can scout almost all of the rapids before you get there.  The first half of the float between Moose Creek and Cascade Creek (commonly known as the 35 MPH Bridge) is typically in the class I-class III range and offers some great moderate water before the more challenging  section after the 35 MPH bridge.  It is recommended that any novice paddlers take out at the 35 MPH bridge because the lower section is more difficult and can be a long swim if you wet exit from your boat. Also keep in mind that the river will run very differently depending on the river flows, beware of wood in the river and at low water the river can be very rocky.  On the other side of the spectrum high water washes out some rapids and makes others much bigger know the river conditions and be adequately prepared.

Brit Theison in the Mad Mile

The Paddle: The upper section has some great smaller rapids starting with the Swan Creek rapid, from there you get a break before the rapids start picking up Barbie's Revenge, Picture Rock, and New Rock rapids quickly dump you into the Screaming Left Turn Rapid.  This is one of the best rapids of this section.  After that you have three more rapids before the 35 MPH bridge.  The best of these is the middle one named the Hilarity Hole.
From the 35 MPH bridge you go through a two mile section of river that is tighter, the water is faster, and the rapids are bigger making this it a test piece for Southwest Montana.  Starting with the Entrance Exam and the Snaggletooth rapid you head toward House Rock a class IV rapid that is a gathering point for photographers and tourists watching boaters paddle by.  Directly down river is dubbed the "Mad Mile," a narrow class III-class IV boulder field that is non-stop and packs a punch, many local paddlers have swam this section and often it turns into a long swim because there are not the options to eddy out.  Once you are through the Mad Mile enjoy the views and relax a little bit till you get to the takeout located on the west bank (paddlers left).  From there its time to pack up your shuttle car or hitchhike and repeat!

Mike Perry Paddling Past House Rock

Mike Perry running the Gallatin during high water 2011 
Once you're done:  Head down to Stacey's Bar in Gallatin Gateway for a drink and some food, also a great place to check out some country music like 10ft Tall and 80 Proof or The Dirty Shame.

There are several other sections worth paddling on the Gallatin; putting in at Deer Creek gives you another section of river to enjoy, and a good class I-class II section exists from Storm Castle north to the Storm Castle bridge or Spanish Creek Bridge.  For more information check out one of the river maps available at the barn.
Paddling is a dangerous activity and having the right equipment and a good crew are necessary for a safe outing.  Another option to get out on the Gallatin is to take a guided raft trip.  Montana Whitewater has a location right on the river, check out their website for more information.  For more info on local outdoor areas check out the Our Backyard section of our website.  Your comments and critiques are welcome as we spotlight areas of Southwest Montana we know and love.
Last Post:  Madison River Bouldering 

You Belong Outside Spotlight: Madison River Bouldering

Neat Rock

The Madison River is a recreation hot spot in Southwest Montana.  Fly fishing, floating, white water boating, hiking, camping, and climbing are all common activities along the lower Madison.  The climbing here is great during the spring because it is often warmer and dryer than the climbing areas around Bozeman.   It is also closer than the more well known Whiskey Gulch Bouldering area.  While the opportunities are not as endless as they are in Whiskey Gulch it is still a worthy area to check out with some great problems.

Getting there: Head west from 4 corners on State Hwy 84.  You will reach the Madison River in about twenty miles, drive past the Red Mountain campground and turn right at the fishing access on the other side of the Hwy 84 bridge.  Take the road on the west side of the Madison back toward Neat Rock.  About 2.5 miles down the road it forks, take the left fork and park near the cliff.

Neat Rock Area

 Located just south of Neat Rock (a popular climbing crag) are several boulder problems, here is a map for reference.  (courtesy of Loren's Madison River Bouldering Guide).

Below are descriptions of a few worthy problems with pictures.

Loren Rausch on Tick Season

Tick Boulder- Tick Season V0

A great warm up problem, the crack is located on the west side of the boulder.  A relatively self explanatory problem, follow the finger crack to the top.   Another V0 warm-up is about 30 feet east of this boulder called the Serendipity Slab.  Check the map for reference.

Loren Rausch on Follow the Wind

 The Wind Boulder-Follow the Wind V5

The Wind Boulder is a prominent feature further west of the Tick Boulder.  There are several problems on it ranging from V0 to V7. Follow the Wind is the best of the group, a V5 problem with slopers and a difficult mantle to top out this problem is a good challenge after you have warmed up.  Wind Weaver V3 is another fun problem with a dyno move and another mantle top out.

Loren Rausch on Bridge Over Troubled Waters

 The Cow Skull Boulder-  Bridge Over Troubled Waters V0-

The Cow Skull Boulder is the next boulder to the west and holds some hard problems.  In addition there is one V0 worth a go, Bridge Over Troubled Waters works a sloping shelf with good foot holds on the East side of the boulder.  Others to try are Bovine intervention V4 and Yesteryear V6.

Loren Rausch on The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Boulder-The Butterfly Effect V6

Arguably the best problem in the area The Butterfly Effect is a difficult V6 problem with slopers, challenging crimpers  and a heel hook thrown in for good measure.  With a juggy top out this is a great problem worth the slightly longer hike.


Once you're done:  Head down to Norris Hot Springs for a soak and a beer (if you are 21).  Great place to enjoy some music and soak your sore muscles. 

There are several other boulders with established problems in the area for a better guide check out this Madison River Bouldering Guide created by Loren Rausch and hosted by boulderingmontana.com.  Be aware of ticks, poison ivy, and rattle snakes, these can be much more of a problem mid summer but be aware none the less.  Climbing is a dangerous activity and having the right equipment and a spotter are necessary for a safe outing.  Your comments and critiques are welcome as we show off areas of Southwest Montana we know and love.

Last Post: Middle Basin Spring Tour

NBC Montana Talks to Mike Garcia

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Sporting goods stores say spring weather is bringing in customers.
"As soon as we get some nice days and some good weather, which obviously we've had a lot of that coming into this spring, but its the spring thing we call it and people are looking to do anything and everything: rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, spring skiing, hiking, mountain biking," said owner of Northern Lights Trading Company, Mike Garcia.And while the retailers say this winter's weather brought weak sales, they're predicting warmer weather will set up a busy summer.
"No, you can't make up for a bad season, it just doesn't work because we only have x number of people here and that's why we live here. We don't have two million people down the road to sell to. But we all get the great reward of recreating here in this wonderful valley and this incredible area that we live in," said Garcia.
 
Read the Full Text Here

You Belong Outside Spotlight: Middle Basin Spring Skiing

Middle Basin, located between Beehive and Bear Basin in the Spanish Peaks is a great place to go for a spring tour.  It offers a wide variety of terrain from rocky steeps to wide open mellow slopes.  A popular line known as the Buttcrack chute is one of the best options.  Located on the far end of the basin if you skin in from Beehive it is a worthy objective for a good moderate day tour.  The top of the basin is a great place to check out the views of the Spanish Peaks, Lone Peak, and the Southern Madison Range.  In addition keep an eye out for Mountain Goats.

The Line:  Buttcrack Chute, Middle Basin

The Approach: Start at the Upper Beehive Basin Trail head and follow the trail into Beehive Basin, after about a mile of moderate skinning the trail will split with tracks continuing to head north into Beehive Basin and other tracks going east to the top of the ridge between Beehive and Bear Basin.  Take the skin track going east and climb to the top of the ridge.  Once at the top you will have a great view of both Bear Basin and Beehive, looking North you will see where Bear Basin and Middle Basin split (Middle Basin being the western of the two.  From here you want to follow the ridge line North until you find a good spot to ski down into Middle.

Head North in Middle Basin to the obvious highpoint.  The easiest approach is lookers right of the large rocks.  From this highpoint you can see countless lines to ski with the more conservative lines heading back into Middle Basin and several steeper lines heading into upper Bear Basin.  Be aware of snow and avalanche conditions before you head out and make an assessment once you are there.  A great line is the "Butt Crack" Chute shown in red on the picture below...

From the bottom of the line you have the option to swing back to your skin track for another lap or head back to Beehive and ski to the car.  See below for the video and some more pictures of the area.

The Video

The View of Beehive Peak in the distance and some intriguing lines into Bear Basin.

Gallatin Peak and Upper Bear Basin.

Lone Peak with the Southern Madison Range.

The You Belong Outside Spotlight is a new blog update brought to you by Northern Lights Trading Company.  It will spotlight different areas and activities in an effort to show why Bozeman is such a great place to recreate!  Also check out the Our Backyard section of our website.  The information given here is just a start. Make sure you are well prepared and let someone know where you are going before you head out into the backcountry.  Weather and snow conditions can change very quickly. Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared with the correct safety gear and the knowledge of how to use it.  Your comments and critiques are welcome as we try to show off some areas of Southwest Montana that we know and love.

CHILDREN AND PETS THE FOCUS OF COMMUNITY FUND GRANTS IN APRIL

Courtesy:  Heart of the Valley

The Northern Lights Community Fund is proud to announce the awarding of its April grants to Big Sky Youth Empowerment, Thrive and Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter. $1,000 will be split among the three organizations to help fund their missions.

“We understand that healthy communities start with healthy kids,” Mike Garcia, owner of Northern Lights, said recently. “Whether it's after-school programs, healthy activities on the weekend or supporting parents with the sometimes difficult task of parenting, Northern Lights is committed to fostering an environment where children thrive.” 

The Community Fund grants will go toward specific projects within each organization. Heart of the Valley Executive Director, Phil Rogers stated “the shelter is in desperate need of support for supplies for our campers at Pets Pal Summer Camp to use during their week-long day camps. Our summer day camp is popular with children aged six to twelve, but it’s costly for us to run. When Northern Lights stepped up to fill that need we were thrilled!”

Northern Lights Trading Company established their Community Fund with the goal of clearly demonstrating the direct and positive effects of a consumer's local spending on the Bozeman community. They have committed to donating $1,000 per month to a selection of conservation and human interest organizations that help make Montana a great place to live and recreate.

Learn more about this month's Northern Lights Community Fund recipients here.

Northern Lights Donates $1,000 to GYC & BMWF

Bob Marshall Wilderness and Greater Yellowstone Coalition March Community Fund Recipients

 

Check out press on our Community Fund grants below. Northern Lights is proud to support conservation, trail building and maintenance in these Montana treasures. Learn more about the Northern Lights Community Fund here.

 

Northern Lights’ March Community Fund Grants go toward wilderness and trails

Bozeman's Northern Lights Trading Co. Awards March Grants

 

Learn to Kayak at The Barn

Learn to kayak with the folks at The Barn. This class will get you ready to hit the water when the snow melts. This introductory-level class teaches you everything you'll need to know to get started:  kayaking safety, paddle technique, gear selection, rolling and more. We provide almost everything you'll need. There are a limited number of spots, so please call us if you're interested or if you would like more information.

Danielle will be leading the class again this year and she can be reached at The Barn at 585-2090 or at ddesmond@northerlightstrading.com.

Northern Lights has been providing kayak classes to the community of Bozeman for over 30 years. In fact, Northern Lights was founded on our owner, Mike Garcia's passion for boating. If you've never checked out The Barn, come see us off Huffine Lane, behind Slumberland Furniture and see why we're the best place to buy rafting, kayaking, canoeing and general river-running gear and clothing. We'll see you on the water!

Northern Lights Looking to Consolidate to One Location

Wow, the press was all over this one...

NBC KTVM News Report "Bozeman Outdoor Apparel Business Plans To Sell Locations, Relocate To Busier Area"

Bozeman Daily Chronicle Article "Northern Lights and Barn to Combine"

Garcia Boys in High Gear in Chile

Bomb Flow TV Episode 7 "Minor Fails and Epic Wins" from BombFlowTV on Vimeo.

Ian, Evan & Nate Garcia recording first descents in Chile. Shots of Mike Garcia's kayak shop in Pucon, Chile: Rivers, Lakes and Oceans and Kayak Pucon.

Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival in Bozeman

Thursday, February 9th at 8pm at The Emerson
Montana Backcountry Alliance, along with Winter Wildlands Alliance and Northern Lights Trading Company present their annual Backcountry Film Festival.  An amazing list of specially selected films will dazzle your eyes and fill your ears with mountain inspiration. This festival promotes the work of grassroots filmmakers who tell compelling and entertaining stories of backcountry, non-motorized recreation and environmental preservation. 

To see a list of this year’s films go to: http://www.backcountryfilmfestival.com/bcff/index.php

Tickets:  $8 at the door
This includes 1 raffle ticket...additional raffle tix will be available for purchase.  Win some amazing gear from locally-owned companies that support human-powered recreation, like Northern Lights!

Northern Lights Donates $1,000 to American Prairie Foundation

Northern Lights is pleased to announce a grant in the amount of $1,000 to American Prairie Foundation for the month of February, 2012. Since 2001, American Prairie Foundation has been assembling habitat to build American Prairie Reserve in Montana, which currently spans more than 123,000 acres of public and private land. The Reserve will eventually be the largest wildlife reserve in the lower forty-eight states, consisting of about 500,000 private acres that glue together roughly three million acres of existing public land. American Prairie Foundation will continue to own and manage its private lands while working collaboratively with the various entities that oversee public land management and natural resources in the region: the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Montana Department of State Lands, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Conservation biologists have determined that a mixed-grass prairie would need to be approximately 5,000 square miles (roughly 3.2 million acres) in order to be a fully functioning ecosystem. A landscape of this size would be able to support the full complement of native prairie biodiversity, including seasonal migrations, and provide room to endure episodic localized natural phenomena like fire, disease and winter ice events. The Reserve is already a living laboratory for numerous long-term science studies that will help shape its management and habitat restoration efforts, including plains bison reintroduction. In 2012, there will be more than 200 bison roaming American Prairie Reserve.

Courtesy: American Prairie Foundation

In addition to acquiring habitat for the Reserve and wildlife restoration, American Prairie Foundation is dedicated to public access and educational outreach. Open to the public for a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, horseback riding and hunting, APF is actively working to make the prairie a place that inspires and welcomes all types of visitors. This is a huge undertaking. But with support from individuals and organizations like Northern Lights, the dream of a protected American Prairie can become a reality, one piece at a time. With this donation, Northern Lights is helping to construct a trail system that will allow people to explore the Reserve by foot or by bike. For more information or to make a donation, please click here.

National Geographic Presents

An Evening of Field Research & Exploration

Saturday, February 11th at 7:30pm at the Strand Union Building on the campus of Montana State University. Doors open at 7:00pm and admission is free, but first come, first served.  Featuring John Francis, Mike Fay and Conrad Anker, Fay will share highlights from his 1,800-mile trek through the entire redwoods range and his current work on resource use and ecosystem balance in Alaska and British Columbia.  Anker will recount his 275-mile journey on foot through the remote Chang Tang to witness the high-altitude calving grounds of the elusive Tibetan antelope.  For more information, call 994-7275 or MSU online.

Young Explorers Grants Workshop

Earlier in the day, from 9:45am - 3:00pm in Gaines Hall, Room 101, National Geographic will host  a Young Explorers Grants Workshop, taught by grant committee members.  The workshop, including breakfast and lunch, is free.  Eligible participants must be age 18 to 25 and be in pursuit of research, exploration and conservation-based field projects. For details and limited registration, go to National Geographic. Space is limited, so sign up early!

Brought to you by The North Face, MSU and Northern Lights Trading Company!

Big Sky Weekly Press

Northern Lights Community Fund featured in Big Sky Weekly

Check out this great article on how Northern Lights is donating $1,000 to non-profits every month!

Skiing Near Hyalite Peak

Check out our ski near Hyalite Peak this weekend! Shot with a GoPro 2 HD.

Hyalite Canyon Drive

Thanks to many different groups, including Northern Lights, BSF, Friends of Hyalite, Gallatin County and the USFS, Hyalite is more accessible than ever. The plowing seems to be going great and we look forward to many more years of safe access to Hyalite in the winter!

This is a tribute video to the plowing effort. If anyone hasn't been up the canyon and wonders what the roads are like, check this video out. 4WD is recommended, but we've seen front wheel drive vehicles make it all the way to Grotto Falls Trailhead. No matter your vehicle capabilities, check your speed and make sure to watch out for wildlife and sleds!

G1 Dawn Patrol

Genesis 1 Dawn Patrol from Northern Lights on Vimeo.

Northern Lights staffers getting in a few pitches in Hyalite before work.  Shot on the Hero Outdoor in time lapse.

Northern Lights Community Fund

Each month, Northern Lights will announce $1,000 in grants to local non-profit organizations here and in our newsletter. The Northern Lights Community Fund is our monthly program of giving back to Bozeman and Montana. This is directly related to our belief that your dollars do more for our community when you keep them Local. When you shop Local, you keep each other healthy. When you shop online, you are sending your dollars out of state and they stay out of state. The Northern Lights Community Fund exists to help give back to a pool of conservation and human interest organizations that help make and keep Montana a great place for all of us to live and recreate. We want to help and do our part!

Northern Lights' Pictures from the Bozeman Ice Festival

All Photos Copyright Jack Harris. Thanks Jack!

Bozeman Ice Festival Recap Video

The 15th Annual Bozeman Ice Festival Highlight from Outlaw Partners on Vimeo.

Check out this great video from Outlaw Partners.  The 2012 Bozeman Ice Festival will be in full force next December!  Thanks to all the participants, sponsors, athletes and volunteers who make this such an amazing event.

The North Face Speaker Series VIP Reception

Support Eagle Mount and meet Mark Synnott at our VIP Reception!  $20 gets you food and drinks before the show and a reserved seat so you'll be up front and center for the show.  Log on to The North Face for tickets.  Proceeds from the VIP reception will go to Eagle Mount Bozeman.  Eagle Mount provides recreational opportunities for people with disabilities at their facilities in Bozeman.  This is a great organization and worthy of your support.  Come out for a great night with Northern Lights and The North Face at the Speaker Series featuring "Life on the Vertical" with Mark Synnott.  Listen to Mark's tales of climbing around the globe in some of the most remote and beautiful landscapes.