Hiking | Drinking Horse Trail | Bozeman, MT

If you live in the Bozeman area, then chances are you have probably hiked the Drinking Horse trail. The trail is situated directly across the road from the infamous “M” trail, and is just minutes away from downtown Bozeman. The trail is one of the things that truly makes Bozeman great. Within minutes you are able to experience a short 2.1 mile hike and get a great workout. I have gone up this trail a number of times now and each time it gets better and better. Today I hiked with my sister who recently just moved to Montana. It was great talking to her and catching up while navigating our way up the trail to the scenic top of “Drinking Horse Mountain”. The trail has a mix of open sunny areas, and closed shaded wooded areas. The mix of scenery is nice and keeps the hike interesting all the way up to the top.

I tracked the hike with an app I use called Strava. Strava is a great app if you haven’t heard of it and tracks your activity while you workout. The fitness app has modes for hiking, running, swimming, walking, cycling, and more. I consider it an essential app for anyone who spends time working out or outdoors. Below are some of my Strava screenshots and a picture of the trail!

Shedhorn Hunting in Montana

Spring brings on one of my all time favorite activities to do in Montana - shedhorn hunting! For those of you that aren’t familiar with the term, shedhorn hunting is about finding antlers shed off by deer and other horned animals. The method that we chose to shedhorn hunt involves driving around our hay fields in our ATV and looking for white antlers sticking out of the grass. We do this in April, before the grass gets too high, and have had great success in previous years. This year we had a little bit less success, but still found a few quality shedhorns to add to our collection. We may not of gotten all of the shedhorns this year, but you can guarantee we will be back next year to find them all! Below are some pictures of our bounty. Enjoy!

James Gibbon | Copper City Mountain Bike Trail

James Gibbon has been mountain biking for a number of years now, and the Copper City Trail system in Three Forks, Montana ranks as one of the best trail systems for mountain biking I’ve encountered. I first found out about this unique MTB trail system while taking a class at my local REI. My instructor Kyle was an avid mountain biker, and told me about this trail system on BLM land that SWMMBA (Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association) built. Kyle knew what he was talking about when it came to mountain bikes, so I was eager to try the trail out myself.

https://www.rei.com/stores/bozeman.html

https://www.southwestmontanamba.org/copper-city

The trail is about 30 miles west of Bozeman, MT and it is well worth the drive. The trail starts out with a green, then builds into intermediate and expert trails. I’ve yet to venture too far into the trails, but have found plenty of fun to be had on the green trail loop. This summer I look forward to biking deeper into the other trails.

Below are some pictures of the trail, and here are some links to my gear:

1. Trek Roscoe 6 - https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/roscoe/roscoe-6/p/24011/

2. Dakine Backpack - https://www.dakine.com/collections/backpacks

3. Smith Optics - https://www.smithoptics.com/us/Root/Men%27s/Sunglasses/c/1100?inStockOnly=on

4. Helmet - https://www.rei.com/c/bike-helmets

5. Shoes - https://www.amazon.com/adidas-BY9728-Iniki-Runner/dp/B074H96WNP

1/18/2021 Update: It is now MLK day weekend in mid-January and we are still biking in Bozeman, MT. This winter has been quite unusual and while we are usually strapping our skis on to go skiing during this time, this year we are riding our mountain bikes at Copper City. It has been fun to be able to ride the trails for such an extended season this year and I hope it continues. This year, it just might be possible to ride in every month of the year out at Copper City if the warm weather continues. It leaves me split between praying for snow, or praying for dry dirt. Either way it is great to be able to have such fun activities to enjoy regardless of the weather in Bozeman.

James Gibbon

James Gibbon

James Gibbon

James Gibbon - Flashback to Flyfishing

It seems like yesterday James Gibbon was out on the Gallatin River fly fishing with sister and brother in law! How fast the time goes by! I look forward to being able to fly fish more this summer and plan on really getting after it. We are lucky and blessed to have some of the best fly fishing in the country here in Bozeman, Montana and it would be a shame to let these resources go to waste. Below are some pictures of my last fly fishing trip of last summer and I will have to wait out the winter until spring!

In the meantime as I wait for spring, I’d like to share with you a few of my essential pieces of gear:

1. Simms Flyfishing Hat - https://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/mens/headwear

2. Simms Vest - https://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/gear/vests

3. Simms Sungaiter - https://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/mens/headwear/sungaiter-2

4. R.L. Winston Rods - https://winstonrods.com/product-category/fly-rods/

5. Smith Optics - https://www.smithoptics.com/us/Root/Men%27s/Sunglasses/c/1100?inStockOnly=on

6. Lululemon ABC Jogger - https://shop.lululemon.com/c/men-joggers/_/N-8rt?icid=US

Now all of these items are purely optional, but in my opinion are essentials if you want to get the most out of your summer fly fishing. I’m curious to learn more about what others have planned for their summer fly fishing adventures? Is Montana on the top of anyone’s list of spots to go? Let me know in the comments below!

Best,

JG

James Gibbon

James Gibbon