Allen Crater
Eighty Octobers
Swinging each leg off the top bunk, I hopped down, my excitement a rolling boil, barely contained by the lid. Stocking feet hit the floor...
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Allen Crater
- Aug 30
- 4 min
Chasing Blue Lines
Shivering cold, asses wetly planted inside the puddled, hastily assembled tent, soggy feet hanging outside the zippered doors while a...
Allen Crater
- Jul 6
- 11 min
Going Native
"A spot opened up for the Bowman Island trip." It's Thursday, February third around 10:30 AM when the text from my buddy, Joe, comes...
Allen Crater
- Jun 20
- 11 min
Don't Mention It
"The first rule of this river is that you don't talk about this river. At least by name." That's how the text read. "Understood." This...
Allen Crater
- Jun 5
- 8 min
Five Loaves and Two Fish
I waded into the murky waters of fly fishing later in life, when my older son, Kyle, decided he wanted to learn, and requested a rod for...
Allen Crater
- May 20
- 7 min
Dear Dad,
Kyle just pulled in the driveway, U-haul trailer in tow, after being in Montana for four years. It's hard to describe the feeling that...
Allen Crater
- May 4
- 8 min
The Best Water Still Lies Ahead
The tartar-sauce-smeared walleye sandwich, deep-fried tater tots, and tall Two Hearted hit all the right notes – more than can be said...
Matt Peisert
- Jan 21
- 8 min
Friendships Forged From Fly Line
The bass bumps hard as Seth and Sarah belt out the lyrics to “Old Town Road” with the band. Everyone’s dancing, partying, and drinking...
Allen Crater
- Dec 6, 2021
- 11 min
Comfort Zone
It's black and silent. Deep in my subconscious something pulls me toward a light. A sound registers. Distant, but moving closer. Shuffled...
Allen Crater
- Oct 12, 2021
- 3 min
Among The Bones
I've had it. Had it with the traffic. The RVs and buses and vans. The gawkers and rubberneckers. The safety signs and orange cones. The...
Allen Crater
- Jul 31, 2021
- 4 min
One Last Walk
We’re heading into the wooded grove that has been our go-to spot for so many Sunday outings. The place I learned to hunt as a boy, and...
Allen Crater
- Jul 26, 2021
- 9 min
The Balm Of Adventure
It's mid July, hotter than hell, and the AC in the truck is out. We're cruising the highway with the windows down and the music up. At...
Allen Crater
- May 24, 2021
- 3 min
The Preservation Of Fire
It snowed last night. Just a light dusting, but enough to turn things white again. We throw in another log and stoke the wood stove to...
Amber Casey
- May 5, 2021
- 6 min
My Why
In a world overrun by categories and labels, hunting is the great equalizer. The outdoors is one of the few places where age, gender,...
Allen Crater
- Mar 15, 2021
- 4 min
Can't Be Done
I distinctly remember flying around the old logging road corner watching the boat trailer roll up hard on one wheel. Way up. I was...
Allen Crater
- Jan 6, 2021
- 4 min
A Moment
I recently finished reading Harrison's memoir "Off To The Side". Out of the many brilliant writings in this book, one paragraph...
Allen Crater
- Dec 16, 2020
- 5 min
Echoes Of The Forest
A light snow begins to fall in the forest. Coming to rest on the boughs and carpeting the now-brown pine needles and shriveled ferns....
Allen Crater
- Dec 7, 2020
- 4 min
Bananas In The Boat
I'm a newbie to the world of upland hunting and, right out of the gate, I make a rookie mistake, asking Jon about his hunting dog on our...
Allen Crater
- Nov 13, 2020
- 10 min
Footprints
We cut our first elk tracks five miles in, post-holing our way through heavy snow often reaching past the knee. Kyle has taken the front,...
Allen Crater
- Aug 18, 2020
- 5 min
Return To Wind River
The overloaded pack creaks and groans in rhythm with the boots. One foot in front of the other. 12 miles behind us and just under two to...