Hallie Zolynski

Hallie Zolynski is a freelance writer and photographer living in Butte with a small outdoor business called The Nomadic Ice Axe teaches outdoor education. When not teaching you can find her out roaming the remote backcountry of Montana. Articles have been in Outside Bozeman, Bozeman’s Own and MSU Field Guide focusing on the outdoor life and rural Montana.

The Anaconda Pintler Wilderness

By Hallie Zolynski

The wilderness supports riparian forests that hold spruce, alpine larch, white bark pine and fir in the sub-alpine areas to vegetation up on the high mountain slopes. Wildlife include elk, bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goats along with one of my favorites, the Pika. It protects the watershed and boosts nearby economies with tourism.
Learning To Dance With a Ski Pulk: 900 Miles Through the Backcountry

By Hallie Zolynski, with photos by the author

Using a pulk or sled to get around in winter and spring isn't a new concept. They were originally made of wood but are generally made using plastic now that can take a certain amount of weight. The shape of the pulk determines what it's best used for and needs to be able to run across the snow smoothly.
Seeking Solitude Along the Continental Divide Trail

By Hallie Zolynski

I spent time recently on a couple of sections of the CDT, finding out what makes this trail unique and why thru-hikers say this trail is by far one of the hardest to hike out of any of the long-distance trails in the U.S.
A Summer in the Taylor-Hilgard

By words and photography by Hallie Zolynski

The vegetation was thick and the trail became lost—a recurring theme in the Taylor-Hilgard. I made my way up a steep switchback and started to see trees with their bark shredded like newspaper. A bear had marked over 13 trees in the area in the last week; the sap still held its fur and undercoat.

Duct Tape and Barbed Wire: The Story of Dave Brown

By Hallie Zolynski, with photos by the author

At first glance, he wouldn't make for a Fred Astaire, but he's better than a lot of men half his age, and he likes to show it. He says the old ladies he dances with have knee issues, and can't twirl because if you spin them around they get dizzy.
It Takes a Village: The Conservation of the Blackfoot

By Hallie Zolynski

I parked along a stretch of dirt road where I could see the valley and the mountains between the trees, turned off the truck, and stepped out to silence and crisp spring air. There was something here I could not put into words, something that felt wild and uninhibited.
On the Trail with Sheepherders, Groundskeepers of the Land

By Hallie Zolynski, with photos by the author

The name Montana conjures up cowboys herding cattle on the open prairie, and gunfighters hiding out in canyons to hide from rope-swinging vigilantes. But does Montana summon images of the lone sheepherder tending his flock and enduring days of solitude, bitter cold and the intense summer heat?
Poetry in Motion: Bronc Riding in Montana

By Hallie Zolynski, With Photos by the Author

At the end of our conversation, Ty said, “I've walked this path many times in my career and I'm smiling through the buck offs and mild pain because I know what being disciplined will lead to. Not to mention I'm thankful to be able to walk this path at nearly 51.”

Digging Montana's Yogo Sapphires

By Hallie Zolynski

Jewish traditions hold that the Ten Commandments were engraved on sapphire tablets. Some may be legend or myth, but there’s no denying that sapphires have an air of mystery and magic, not unlike Montana.