Snowshoeing Montana w/ James Gibbon

February 10, 2020 by James Gibbon

James Gibbon - There is something special about walking through a field of undisturbed snow under the glistening sun ☀️. Snowshoeing offers this special moment. In the days prior to these pictures, the weather was cloudy and snowing steady for three solid days. It wasn’t until the fourth day that the snow began to subside and the sun started to show itself. This is when I knew it was the perfect opportunity to get out the snowshoes and strap in. Here’s a list of what I needed to get started:

If you haven’t been snowshoeing, you should know it is a heck of a workout. For someone who does yoga a few days a week, this was a grueling anaerobic and aerobic exercise. I was completely drenched in sweat, winded, and exhausted by the end of my trek. Was it worth it? Absolutely. The views were absolutely gorgeous, weather was top notch, and it was the highlight of my day. 10/10 would recommend. Enjoy the pictures below and let me know what your favorite winter activities are in the comments below.

Winter Hikes with James Gibbon

January 13, 2020 by James Gibbon

James Gibbon - Exploring the outdoors is one of my favorite hobbies. Living in Bozeman, Montana - I am truly blessed with an abundance of outdoor recreation areas and things to do. Located in the heart of Bozeman, is the “M” trail. This trail is easily accessible from town and provides a great hiking trail system. The most popular of these trails is the “M” trail and is 1.5 miles long to the top of the “M”. This is one of the easier hiking trails in the area, but is also the most popular due to it’s location.

Hiking in the winter provides its own set of challenges. First off, it’s quite cold outside. The clothes I was wearing weren’t quite warm enough, and it pushed me to keep moving while hiking the trail to stay warm. Secondly, there is ice in parts of the trail which for me caused some issues. I was only wearing normal tennis shoes and needed to have grips or something to help give me more traction. And finally, hiking in the winter ensures there are no bears to worry about!

James Gibbon | Copper City Mountain Bike Trail

December 28, 2019 by James Gibbon

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:

Trek Roscoe 6 - https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/roscoe/roscoe-6/p/24011/
Dakine Backpack - https://www.dakine.com/collections/backpacks
Smith Optics - https://www.smithoptics.com/us/Root/Men%27s/Sunglasses/c/1100?inStockOnly=on
Helmet - https://www.rei.com/c/bike-helmets
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 - Flashback to Flyfishing

December 19, 2019 by James Gibbon

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:

Simms Flyfishing Hat - https://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/mens/headwear
Simms Vest - https://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/gear/vests
Simms Sungaiter - https://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/mens/headwear/sungaiter-2
R.L. Winston Rods - https://winstonrods.com/product-category/fly-rods/
Smith Optics - https://www.smithoptics.com/us/Root/Men%27s/Sunglasses/c/1100?inStockOnly=on
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,