An Outdoorsman’s Journal:

Hello from Montana!

This week I (Selina) am writing this week’s column while my dad is away in Canada. I have a year of travel and adventure to fill you all in on. This story will be about the great, good, and some ugly from my last year.

Moving to Montana is one of the best things I think I have done for myself. While it is difficult being so far away from family, the magic of the mountains has captured me. The people here are incredibly active and independent, and that has pushed me as well. Getting passed by people of all ages, 5-75, on hiking trails was a good reality check to step up my game (adjusting from flatland is not easy). Now I hike nearly daily and think I am the strongest I have ever been.

One of my favorite activities I have gotten into is downhill skiing! Thanks to Sue and Jeff Moll, I came to Montana with some skis, but no experience actually skiing. Fortunately, I have many friends out here who are avid skiers and were more than willing to take me under their wing and teach me a thing or two. I didn’t think I would be, but now I’m hooked! I got a season pass to a local resort around here and look forward to being a bit of a ski bum this next winter.

Last fall was also a very pivotal time for me as it was the first time I was truly hunting independently and not with the help of my dad. Although I did not harvest anything, I was happy to be able to say I went and did it totally on my own, and look forward to growing more and more independent and skilled as the years progress.

After much thought and consideration, in April I stepped away from my job working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a biologist. I think this is the hardest decision I have had to make thus far in my life, and while it was not easy, I have no regrets in my choice. It is no secret that this year has been difficult on federal employees and I was no exception to that. The stress from being worried if I was going to be fired nearly every day took a big toll on my mental health. Additionally, if I were to get fired, financially I would have been in some hot water very quickly. (The way that I resigned, I remain a federal employee through September and am still receiving full benefits.)

While Montana is gorgeous and incredible, it is not a cheap place to live. Additionally, while I was incredibly grateful to land such a good position at a young age, I was primarily an office biologist. As you move up in this career field, field time tends to decrease and office time increases. I’m sure I will be a desk jockey at some point again in the future, but I was not ready to have my glory days behind me.

After resigning, I decided to take a road trip out to various state and national parks in southern Utah. I built a sleep platform in the back of my car and hit the road solo! I was quite nervous (but had all safety precautions I needed), as this would be the first trip of that caliber I did solo, but all went well and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out! I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in three years in Bryce Canyon National Park and enjoyed taking some easy time and living completely on my own schedule.

Now, not everything can go well all of the time. Since my trip to Utah, life has been throwing some

right hooks my way. Mid-May I was supposed to meet some college friends on a fishing trip about five hours from Missoula and then was goingtoheadtoWisconsinfromthere.Onthewaymycarbrokedown, which ended both of those plans quickly and also was an additional expense I wasn’t ecstatic about.

I’ve started a new tech job for the summer (you’ll get more information on this later), where I work eight days on and six days off. I’m really excited about this position, but the beginning has not been easy. Lately I have been having some health issues, which decided to spring up right when I started the job and again during my second hitch. What a way to make a first impression, ugh! Overall, I know this is just a rough patch though and I will make it through!

All will work out and brighter days are ahead! Thank you all for supporting me since day one!

—Selina