The Filson Journal

Secret of the Sandhills: The Niobrara National Scenic River

Growing up in Nebraska, I quickly became privy to the longstanding joke that my home state offered nothing more than cornfields and pivots. Like clockwork, anytime I ventured outside the...

Food & Recipes

Westland Distillery: Seattle's Source for Single Malt Whiskey

Seattle's Westland Distillery has made a name for itself by focusing on creating spirits that are a representation of it's Pacific Northwest roots. While much of whiskey in America trends...

A Yellowstone Coexistence

Four generations have lived here. The old schoolhouse stands where it has for nearly a century, a totem of those who came, laid roots, and grew families deep in the...

Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Jon Wipfli - Cooking from the Bog

Minneapolis-based chef and outdoorsmen Jon Wipfli spends most of his time cooking food around the city, writing or in the woods looking for critters. His passion for hunting and cooking...

Alaska Chronicles Part 2: No Roads, AK

With no road in or out of town, the residents of Alaska’s remote city of Cordova live in a land where people and nature thrive together. From a Native fishing...

Knocking on Doors to Find Ducks in Idaho

In Idaho, some things are still done the old way. Hunting in this state is a rite of passage, an important part of conservation and land management in the region,...

Alaska Chronicles Part 1: North of Wild

Brothers John and James were born and raised in Alaska. Both now in their 30s, John and James are now teachers of the great Alaskan pioneer tradition to their young...

If They Ain't Wavin'

“There are those who love to get dirty and fix things. They drink coffee at dawn, beer after work. And those who stay clean, just appreciate things. At breakfast they...

How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Game Meat Start to Finish

While it’s not for everyone to harvest an animal, it certainly opens your eyes to what goes into a respectful hunt, the emotions and efforts that go into being an...

The Life of a Smokejumper: Wait. Jump. Fight. Repeat

When it’s fire season, you don’t buy concert tickets. You don’t make dates. You miss your kid’s birthday. When you’re at the top of the jump list, you don’t go...

Working with the Land: Samantha Meldon

She’s up before the sun every day. She rides an old dirt bike out to the pasture to wrangle horses and guide them into the red wood corrals at headquarters....

Ranchlands: Conservation. Stewardship. Cattle.

For Duke Phillips, it’s not about getting the most beef in a year. It’s about conservation, working in harmony with nature to raise healthy land for a strong herd. For...

USFS: Fighting Fire With Fire

There’s a wall of fire 12 feet away. Ponderosa pines burn to a roar. Like a jet engine ramping up for takeoff. Flames ignite branches & tufts of needles on...

Soul of a Boat

Over the past four decades, Port Townsend, WA has become an important hub for the building and maintenance of wooden boats on the West Coast. It is there that the...

Family At Sea

Morgan Lohrey has been sailing for as long as she can remember. Suppose it to say that a sailing life has not been an unlikely outcome given that her father...

Washed Ashore in Port Townsend

Olivier Huin has spent his life amongst salt air and sawdust. A seafarer and wooden boat builder, he has travelled around the world by sailboat, often built by his own...

Salmon Centric: at the Core of a Life Purposefully Cast

Early in the long days of summer here in Bristol Bay, I constantly feel as if I am holding my breath. Our family’s 32-foot drift boat has sat on blocks...

Red Gold: The Livelihood of Bristol Bay

The Bristol Bay salmon run attracts people from all over the globe, who work around the clock from late May until the end of July. They harvest sockeye salmon, known...

How to Get on a Fishing Boat

Some are born into it, some stumble upon it, and some, like me, seek it out.The lure of Alaska's "Red Gold," the Sockeye salmon run of Bristol Bay, hit me...

In the Company of Wolves

Look across the valley and you’ll see old fence posts that mark the corners of properties, they collect the bleached skulls of field mice left by hawks who see fence...

Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Bringing Fish to the River with Chef Kevin Davis

For Seattle chef Kevin Davis of Steelhead Diner and his crew of charismatic anglers known as the “Good Guys," catching fish on the river is seen as a plus, but being out...

Forging Ahead: A Conversation with Jimmy DiResta

On the latest Filson Life, photographer Brian-William Green shares a rare look inside Jimmy DiResta's workspace located in the Lower East Side. DiResta has been part of the growing neighborhood since 1994. Firsthand...

Risk & Resilience: The Language of Horses

Story by Jainee Dial of WYLDER Photography by Abbi and Callen Hearne There is a secret language that exists between horses and humans. Voices hold no value, and there is instead, a...

Pursuing the Unpredictable: Fishing, Hunting & Entrepreneurship

Story by Lindsey Elliott of WYLDER Photography by Abbi and Callen Hearne Over the last two years, I’ve spent the majority of my time pursuing uncertainty in the mountain west. From the...

Depth in The Field: Diving Deep with Alyssa Adler - Part III

On the latest Filson Life, marine biologist Alyssa Adler shares with us her love of underwater exploration and polar diving as Undersea Specialist at Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic on Part III of our three-part series,...

Depth in the Field: Diving Deep with Alyssa Adler - Part II

On the latest Filson Life, marine biologist Alyssa Adler shares with us her exploration underwater as Undersea Specialist at Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic on Part II of our three-part series, Depth in the Field: Diving...

Depth In The Field: Diving Deep with Alyssa Adler - Part I

On the latest Filson Life, marine biologist Alyssa Adler shares with us her journey to becoming Undersea Specialist at Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic on Part I of our three-part series, Depth in the...

Season Reflection: The Winter Hunt

Nashville-based photographer Yve Assad and writer Will Fulford reflect on the past seasons hunt in anticipation for the next.

Cast Hope: Share What You Love

Cast Hope is a nonprofit organization focused on providing kids in the Northern California community with the gift of the outdoors. Bringing youth and mentors together outside through the sport of fly...

Trade Stories: The Blue-Collar Bastion of Ballard, WA

For 71 years, the Pacific Fishermen Shipyard has been building and repairing ships to face some of the toughest seas in the world. Today, it’s a maritime holdout in a...

Region 6: Fly Fishing's Unlikely Benefit to Children in Need

The Fly Fishing Collaborative may be the new model for social change. Based in Portland, Oregon, the organization uses donated guided trips to build sustainable fish-and-produce farms in developing countries. This...

Region 6: Understanding the Land Through Hunting

Last fall, Bruce McGlenn started his hunting school in Central Washington. It’s exactly what the sport is in need of: a modern, holistic approach to harvesting wild meat.

Region 6: Planting Beavers, Raising Waters

Beaver ponds store a lot of water. Millions of gallons. And scientists are now realizing that reintroducing the animals to struggling streams is a way to buck a drying trend....

Region 6: Giving Rivers Back to Fish

Traditional Yakama beliefs say the Creator put salmon in the rivers so that humans could live. Today, the tribe is returning the favor with a restoration program that is on...

Region 6: The Last of the Fire Watchers

Bill Austin is one of the lucky few to have the job of manning a fire lookout tower. And as a veteran of more than 25 seasons of scanning the...

Way of Life: Westcott Bay Shellfish Co.

Erik and Andrea Anderson greet us like old friends as we walk onto their dock stretching out into Westcott Bay off San Juan Island in Washington. As at any family-run...

Trade Stories: Kiliii Yuyan of Seawolf Kayak

Seattle-based kayak-builder and photographer, Kiliii Yuyan, spends much of his time either paddling the waters of the Pacific Northwest or documenting indigenous communities of the North. His skills are helping...

Stewards To The Land

Spring brings about the liveliest changing of seasons, from the hibernation periods of winter into new growth for the summer ahead. This time of the year also serves as a...

Stetson for Filson: Langhorne Slim Interview and Spotify Playlist

To celebrate the launch of the Stetson made for C.C. Filson Co. limited edition hats, we partnered with American singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim. Slim is a rambler, who has been traveling...

In the Fall: Fly Fishing Washington State's Hidden Gems

Before trucker hats were a fixture of his wardrobe, Paul Moinester spent years wearing a suit and tie championing major conservation initiatives as a senior legislative aid in the U.S....

How To's

Filson 101: Bird Dog Training with Ruggs Ranch

Gene Barnhart of Ruggs Ranch has been training world-class bird dogs for over forty-five years. Gene's love of working dogs runs deep, and he's handled them his entire life, hunting...

Trade Stories: Soledad, Wildlife Service Dog

Soledad is a 6-year-old Karelian Bear Dog working as a Wildlife Service Dog for the Wind River Bear Institute. Born in Florence, MT, she was the only puppy born of...

How To's

Filson 101: Wesley Larson's Guide to Safety in Bear Country

Wesley Larson is a Missoula, Montana native who has been working with Dr. Tom Smith of Brigham Young University for five years as a bear biologist. He has spent multiple...

In Pursuit of Wildfire: Capturing California's Harshest Forest Fires with Stuart Palley

When a wildfire erupts, Californian photojournalist Stuart Palley runs towards the blaze, not away. With an unbending eagerness for capturing the lives of those who protect and maintain our forests, the...

Celebrating the National Parks Centennial: Elliot Ross and the Range of Light

Elliot Ross is a New York City based freelance photographer. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, his interest for the photographic medium, for far flung places, and for observing the effects of...

Filson 101: Campfire Cooking with Tipton Power

Tipton Power has worked on rivers for the last 16 years. He started out as a guide doing fishing and raft trips, and now works as a river ranger on...

Experience the Wild: Fly Fishing in the Frank Church Wilderness

On November 21st, 2016, we launched the Filson Experience the Wild Contest. Participants were asked to choose one out of four expereinces for a chance to win the trip of...

Trade Stories: Three Generations In the Wheelhouse of a Tugboat

The blue-and-yellow tugs of Western Towboat are fixtures in the Seattle area. But harbor work on the West Coast is only a fraction of the company’s business. Its biggest job...

How Not to Sink a Barge of Cargo: An Interview with Tugboat Captain Neil McGourty

Like any ocean freighting job, delivering freight to Southeast Alaska requires a thorough knowledge of the local weather and the peculiarities of the sea routes traveled. The northeast corner of...

Lady Liberty: Inside the Heart of the Runaway

On the latest Filson Life, writer Emily Wittenhagen traveled to Port Orchard, WA and spent the day with Liberty Elias Miller to find out more about live-aboard life in Washington's...

Trade Stories: A School for the World’s Toughest Underwater Jobs

The Divers Institute of Technology is one of the premier commercial dive schools in the country. For the past 49 years it’s been churning out graduates from its headquarters on...

In Pursuit of Mama Mo: Tracking Montana's Wild Mountain Lion with Filmmaker Casey Anderson

In this Filson Journal post, we joined wildlife filmmakers Casey Anderson and Brad Orsted of VisionHawk Films in the snowy high desert of western Montana as they track a wild...

Dogs with Jobs: UW's 'Conservation Canines' Wildlife Program

In the freshly snow-blanketed Pack Forest of Eatonville, Washington, we spent the day with the team at Conservation Canines exploring the facility they call “home base.” The dogs at Conservation...

Depth In The Field: Out West with Camrin Dengel

Lifestyle photographer, Camrin Dengel, is a storyteller with a focus in slow living. She favors old things with new purpose, dutch oven cooking and photographing people that work with their hands....

Giving Chase: The search for fulfillment with Greg McReynolds

Greg McReynolds believes that America’s public lands are the ultimate expression of freedom. He loves young bird dogs and old shotguns. Located in Pocatello, Idaho, Greg works for Trout Unlimited and blogs at...

Forest Woodward from the Frontier: Exploring the remote community of Stehekin in the North Cascades

In this Filson Life Photographer Forest Woodward continues his series Left of West, dedicated to the documentation of communities whose roots run strong and deep, who against all odds have...

Live Connected: Hunting the Judith Basin in Montana with Hannah Dewey

A story about an all women's upland bird hunting trip and a common desire to live a life connected told by Hannah Dewey. Hannah was raised as a nomad with...

Cold Mornings, Dark Skies, Bright Green Birds: Duck Hunting in Snohomish Valley

Around these parts, winter means duck hunting: cold mornings, dark skies, and bright green birds. In the latest Filson Life, follow Alex Busillachi and Blake Berry of Slade Northwest through...

Profiles

New Arrivals

latest article

Ford Bronco x Filson Wildland Fire Rig

Featured articles

The Pack Horses and Mules of White Pass Trail

Corey Forrest: Fishermom

Mollie Walsh: The Angel of White Pass

National Forest Elemental Series: The Breath of a Nation

How to Kill, Cook, and eat dungeness crab

A Life on the Water: Brett Fitzgerald and the Angler Action Foundation

Denali Damsels

Filson Food: Surf & Turf Alaskan Style

Discover the world of Filson

Secret of the Sandhills: The Niobrara National Scenic River

Westland Distillery: Seattle's Source for Single Malt Whiskey

A Yellowstone Coexistence

Filson Food: Jon Wipfli - Cooking from the Bog

Alaska Chronicles Part 2: No Roads, AK

Knocking on Doors to Find Ducks in Idaho

Alaska Chronicles Part 1: North of Wild

If They Ain't Wavin'

Filson Food: Game Meat Start to Finish

The Life of a Smokejumper: Wait. Jump. Fight. Repeat

Working with the Land: Samantha Meldon

Ranchlands: Conservation. Stewardship. Cattle.

USFS: Fighting Fire With Fire

Soul of a Boat

Family At Sea

Washed Ashore in Port Townsend

Salmon Centric: at the Core of a Life Purposefully Cast

Red Gold: The Livelihood of Bristol Bay

How to Get on a Fishing Boat

In the Company of Wolves

Filson Food: Bringing Fish to the River with Chef Kevin Davis

Forging Ahead: A Conversation with Jimmy DiResta

Risk & Resilience: The Language of Horses

Pursuing the Unpredictable: Fishing, Hunting & Entrepreneurship

Depth in The Field: Diving Deep with Alyssa Adler - Part III

Depth in the Field: Diving Deep with Alyssa Adler - Part II

Depth In The Field: Diving Deep with Alyssa Adler - Part I

Season Reflection: The Winter Hunt

Cast Hope: Share What You Love

Trade Stories: The Blue-Collar Bastion of Ballard, WA

Region 6: Fly Fishing's Unlikely Benefit to Children in Need

Region 6: Understanding the Land Through Hunting

Region 6: Planting Beavers, Raising Waters

Region 6: Giving Rivers Back to Fish

Region 6: The Last of the Fire Watchers

Way of Life: Westcott Bay Shellfish Co.

Trade Stories: Kiliii Yuyan of Seawolf Kayak

Stewards To The Land

Stetson for Filson: Langhorne Slim Interview and Spotify Playlist

In the Fall: Fly Fishing Washington State's Hidden Gems

Filson 101: Bird Dog Training with Ruggs Ranch

Trade Stories: Soledad, Wildlife Service Dog

Filson 101: Wesley Larson's Guide to Safety in Bear Country

In Pursuit of Wildfire: Capturing California's Harshest Forest Fires with Stuart Palley

Celebrating the National Parks Centennial: Elliot Ross and the Range of Light

Filson 101: Campfire Cooking with Tipton Power

Experience the Wild: Fly Fishing in the Frank Church Wilderness

Trade Stories: Three Generations In the Wheelhouse of a Tugboat

How Not to Sink a Barge of Cargo: An Interview with Tugboat Captain Neil McGourty

Lady Liberty: Inside the Heart of the Runaway

Trade Stories: A School for the World’s Toughest Underwater Jobs

In Pursuit of Mama Mo: Tracking Montana's Wild Mountain Lion with Filmmaker Casey Anderson

Dogs with Jobs: UW's 'Conservation Canines' Wildlife Program

Depth In The Field: Out West with Camrin Dengel

Giving Chase: The search for fulfillment with Greg McReynolds

Forest Woodward from the Frontier: Exploring the remote community of Stehekin in the North Cascades

Live Connected: Hunting the Judith Basin in Montana with Hannah Dewey

Cold Mornings, Dark Skies, Bright Green Birds: Duck Hunting in Snohomish Valley

Trade Stories: Phillip Lee McGinnis, Sublette County Cowboy

Behind the Book: Elliot Anderson Dreams of the Iditarod

Sublette County: Rodeo Dreams in the Icebox of the Country

Celebrating Filson Fathers with Cody Humphrey

Celebrating Filson Fathers with Chuck Ragan

Celebrating Filson Fathers with Jillian Lukiwski

Trade Stories: Exploring the American West with Painter Nicholas Coleman

Trade Stories: Eric Blinman, Archaeologist

The Cosmos and the Desert: Thosh Collins' Western Photography