What I've learned, 2016

Esquire magazine has a feature called “What I’ve learned.”

It’s an interesting way to publish what amounts to an interview, but with a cool twist. Here’s what I’ve learned in 2016:

You can hike miles and miles in Glacier National Park, but sooner or later, you’re going to run into a grizzly bear right on the trail. You’re never quite ready for it, either.

A good dog makes herding chickens much easier.

Sometimes things just don’t work out. Don’t prolong the misery.

Getting the attention of 250 people who’ve had a few drinks takes a really good joke. Or a really bad one told well.

It’s hard to win a championship football game in bad weather if you can’t run the ball.

If it doesn’t say Gore-Tex on the label, don’t buy it.

Big heavy hiking boots or sneakers? Sneakers almost every time.

The scent of elk is the scent of the Earth at its finest.

After a 14-mile hike, take a short rest, then go do another three or four miles. Those miles, done at dusk, might very well define a summer and a friendship.

At some point, a son becomes the brother you never had.

It’s never too cold to take a bath if you really need one.

A small fire on a wet night draws friends from clear across the lake.

A meal at Sperry Chalet on a cold evening after a long day burns directly into the memory, never to be forgotten.

The train is never on time.

Foreign help can make for a winning season.

You can get too skinny.

Merino wool is a man’s best friend.

Chris Peterson is the editor of the Hungry Horse News.