Backcountry Skiing Is the Only Pursuit in the Outdoors Where You're Part of Something Bigger Than You

When those elements of an approach finally came together and you could figure out what you were doing, why and then see it work, it was amazing. It felt like a key to unlock this whole arena of the outdoors that I had never experienced before. When you're dressed in full camo and you're trying to be quiet, you're not talking, you're off trail, you just see things that you would never see otherwise. This two seasons ago, like I saw two mountain lions in a two week period, one of them was all of maybe seven or eight feet away from me. There's a bit farther you can still push in the sense of being a part of something bigger than