Backpacking ‘The Bob’: Choteau outfitting business Dropstone Outfitting takes weight out of trip with stock-animals

Taking a passion and turning it into a business can be a challenge, but when the Bob Marshall Wilderness is your office, the rewards can far outweigh the risks.

Accessing "The Bob" means packing gear into some of the most remote reaches of the lower 48. For many outdoor enthusiasts, the 1.5 million-acre wilderness complex is better seen on foot than from the back of a horse. But when age or physical limitations make backpacking 50 pounds of gear or more an impossibility, the places they can access become far fewer. One Choteau business has found a way to take that weight off.

Montana natives and owners of Dropstone Outfitting http://dropstoneoutfitting.com/ Yve Bardwell and Maggie Carr offer stock-animal-supported hiking trips throughout the Bob. Clients get to enjoy the freedom and challenge of hiking while horses and mules transport gear and food ahead of them.

By Tom Kuglin The Independent Record

Full Story: http://mtstandard.com/lifestyles/recreation/backpacking-the-bob-choteau-outfitting-business-takes-weight-out-of/article_e92f4f82-d64f-11e3-856d-001a4bcf887a.html