Words by Mackenzie Courtney | Photos by Sam Averett
In 2013, Maggie Carr and Yve Bardwell made their passion for public land conservation and wilderness exploration their business when they started Dropstone Outfitting — the only fully stock-supported hiking, hunting and backpacking outfitter in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness. A love for the largely untouched parts of Montana, along with years of combined experience guiding, packing and working with the US Forest Service, made their decision to share the remote, unscarred public lands they grew up exploring with others an easy one. And having 1.5 million acres of wilderness to explore made it possible.
Located in northwest Montana, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, or the Bob, encompasses over 60 miles of pristine, preserved backcountry. Named for famed forester and conservationist, Bob Marshall, who spent his life exploring and advocating for forest management policies that played an integral part in passing the Wilderness Act of 1964, which designated the Bob as protected public land. Off-limits to any motorized or mechanical equipment, including bicycles, the only way to access the Bob is to travel by foot or horseback.
For adventure seekers, Dropstone Outfitting offers guided day hikes, multiday backpacking and hunting trips, as well as drop camps for those who want to explore from a base camp equipped with a wall tent. A stock-supported trip allows for full days of backcountry exploration with the freedom to travel light while a string of mules and horses carry gear and provisions. For overnights, camp meals, hot coffee in the mornings and a seat around a warm fire in the evenings are all a part of the experience. Whatever the adventure, a few steps into the Bob and routines are broken, if only for a few days. Computers are left idle at home, there are no texts to respond to, no calls from the boss. Just expanse, fresh air and the simplicity of being in nature. Dense, coniferous forests lead to river valleys and meadows, and possibly to a climb up the Chinese Wall — a sheer limestone escarpment that stretches beyond the eye. Its remoteness makes it a hotbed for wildlife, like antler-clad bull elk, mule deer, grizzlies, black bears and streams teeming with cutthroats.
Maggie and Yve grew up in Montana with backcountry access to hunting, fishing and hiking, so conservation is almost an innate part of the freedom they had to explore. And as stewards of public lands, the importance of preserving healthy mountain ecosystems is very much a part of each adventure with Dropstone Outfitting. Guiding people into the Bob and watching as they swell with pride at the end of a hard climb, or as uncontrollable giggles take hold during a frolic on a snowbank, is a rewarding position to be in. These are memories Maggie and Yve hope to preserve forever, and the experience gives value to the land that provided them.
Maggie and Yve are active members of Backcountry Hunter and Anglers (BHA). Due to recent restrictions from COVID-19, BHA has moved its annual in-person rendezvous to a live, online event. Tune in on June 3 at 6 p.m. MST to hear Yve and Maggie give a live mule-packing workshop. All proceeds raised by BHA directly supports public land advocacy.
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