Profiles | Page 11 of 12 | The Filson Journal

The Filson Journal

fire lookout tower

Between Hell & Heaven: Burley Mountain Fire Lookout Restoration  

In part of our continuing partnership with the NFF, each year, a team of our staff helps renovate a historic fire lookout. Last year we headed out to an 88-year-old lookout in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. (Written firsthand by our own Nick Wojtasik)

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sitting bearded man with filson vest and short billed felt cap

Trade Stories: Building Boats at the Taylor Shellfish Fabrication Shop with Brian Omdahl

Taylor Shellfish Farms is our kind of company, a company founded on sweat, saltwater, and hard work. Despite punishing conditions and demanding physical labor, this 120-year-old, family-owned shellfish farm has single-handedly turned Washington state into the largest producer of hatchery raised and farmed shellfish in the nation. To grow this substantial business, Taylor has relied

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river running through pine forest at dusk

Northern British Columbia, The Alaska Highway & Weak Coffee: Roadtripping with Circa 1983

CIRCA 1983 is Owen Perry, a Canadian interactive designer and photographer by trade. Specializing in landscape and travel photography, Owen wants to create a sense of wonder about the natural world through a unique photographic editing style. His primary influences are the nostalgic qualities of film and Canadian cultural narratives owed to the Group of

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fieldguide_upland_header

Field Guide: Wingshooting in Central Washington with Red’s Fly Shop

With sparse deserts and plains, sprawling coastal tidelands, and the only temperate rainforest in the contiguous United States, Washington is home to one of the most diverse climates of any state. For any sportsman or woman this translates to endless outdoor possibilities. A 3-hour drive from the Filson Headquarters in Seattle will put you knee-deep

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rainbow trout, fisherman walking back on trail

Field Guide: Winter Steelheading on the Olympic Peninsula

Winter Steelhead are some of the most difficult and rewarding fish to search for, as weather conditions and swollen rivers with low visibility all stand between the angler and their prize. Don’t let that scare you off though, December on the Olympic Peninsula offers good numbers of these tough fish if you’re willing to spend the time swingin’.

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Snowcock Hunting; hunter stands on mountaintop above the clouds

Chasing Ghosts: Himalayan Snowcock Hunting in Nevada with Larry McKurtis

Larry McKurtis is a writer and amateur photographer living in Northern Nevada. He prefers sleeping in the dirt, pushing himself to delirious exhaustion, and getting to the marrow of the matter at hand. Aside from writing he’s an avid cyclist, wood worker, hunter, and fly fisherman. These activities give him an excuse to travel and

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Wooden plaque on wall reads Northwest school of wooden boatbuilding

Mastering the Art of Making with the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building

When Filson was founded in 1897, we outfitted loggers, miners and builders. Our garments gained a reputation for reliability and integrity, offering protection from harsh weather, untamed wilderness, splinters and sharp edges. Today, workers and craftsman, such as those at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, rely on Filson for durable, versatile gear that protects

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fly fisherman fishes in rocky river at sunrise

Giving it All to the River: Fly Fishing the Sierras with Elias Carlson

The massive trout rose gently from a deep shadow between the boulders. A muscular shimmer in the green water. It seemed unconcerned with the unusual strength of the tiny nymph in its jaws which dragged it slowly towards the surface. For a split-second the three of us froze. Then the size of the fish registered

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Sun breaks over mountain peak

To The Top of Texas with Photographer Philip Anderson Edsel

Amidst the vast, monochromatic plains of West Texas, there rises up from of the arid earth a mountain range, seemingly out of nowhere. The Guadalupe Mountains span the border of New Mexico and Texas, and are home to one of the largest underground caverns in America, as well as the tallest peak in Texas. Photographer

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hunter with pack surveys sage-brush valley from hilltop

Reflections on a Northern Baja Quail Hunt with Sinuhe Xavier

Sinuhe Xavier is a commercial photographer and director invited to join the Director’s Guild of America in 2008. When he is not telling stories for his advertising clients he can be found as the creative director for Overland Journal or behind the wheel of his 1962 Land Rover Series IIa mapping remote routes across Utah.

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night time sky with milky way visible

Camping at Enchanted Rock with Asher Moss

Camping in Texas is like camping in the fiery furnace of hell. Scorpions, spiders, red ants and mysterious creatures of the sky that appear as the sun drifts off to the edge of the horizon. The stars out here will literally take your breath away. They may also shut you up or make you think

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man in brown stetson and coat looks out at glacial pond with ice floats and sheer rock faces with snow

Filson Field Guide: Exploring Glacier National Park

Eric Bowley & Ben Schuyler are explorers of the Pacific Northwest. Eric currently devotes most of his time indoors to handcrafting silver spoon rings. Ben manages a coffee shop in Edmonds, WA. Both share a love for the outdoors and exploring the wild landscapes where they live. Ben recounts, “As a young boy, I was

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Packing setup on wooden floor duffel, shirt journal camera glasses and book

Exploring St John USVI with Overland Empire

Waking up at 2:30am to catch a plane isn’t exactly at the top of everyone’s list of things they want to do. But here we are, throwing our bags in the back of the truck while the world sleeps. We pile in and make our way to the airport, a little groggy and quiet on

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Paul Hanson in green wool jacket, black stetson hat and blue plaid shirt

Unfailing Dads: R. Paul Hanson

Father’s Day is today and at Filson many of our employees wouldn’t be the outdoors enthusiasts they’ve become without the guidance of their Dad. Our fathers have endured many early mornings and painstaking days teaching us how to cast a fly rod, fell a tree, and to safely handle an over-and-under; and we couldn’t be

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Father's Day - Beth Wade sits with three fish on log

Unfailing Dads: Three Generations of Filson Anglers

Father’s Day is right around the corner and at Filson many of our employees wouldn’t be the outdoors enthusiasts they’ve become without the guidance of their Dad. Our fathers have endured many early mornings and painstaking days teaching us how to cast a fly rod, fell a tree, and to safely handle an over-and-under; and

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woman holds circular black object in forest in black stetson and filson jacket

Aeolian: Sailing the Washington Coast with Jamie Swick

Jamie Swick, an outdoor and story-telling photographer specializing in film, calls Oregon home. A sailor, writer, and life-long woodswoman, her ethereal perspective on the natural world aims to capture quiet moments and the curiosity of travel. Balancing her goals of circumnavigation while simultaneously trying to become a better rock climber, her website, Land or Foam,

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rifle with ammunition sleeve on stock on top of filson gun bag

Filling the Larder Down Under with Rohan Anderson

Rohan Anderson, of popular blog Whole Larder Love, is a modern-day hunter-gatherer living just outside the historical town of Ballarat in regional Victoria, Australia. He spent much of his childhood on a small farm where he developed not only an affinity for nature, but also a deep understanding of the role it plays in providing

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line of small structures in frozen tundra at sunset

Extinctions of the Pleistocene: Ice Fishing in Maine with Jon Levitt

Photographer Jonathan Levitt lives on an acreage near the village of Ducktrap, Maine and spends much of his time roaming the inlets and islands of Penobscot Bay. In his latest Filson Life, Jon explores the remnants of the “Ice Age” in a photo essay from an ice fishing trip for smelt with friends.

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canoe on placid lake pointed toward fog covered forest

Peter Marshall Sets Out to Retrace 1905 Historic Canoe Route

Since he was 16, Peter Marshall has paddled some 7,500 miles through remote regions of Canada and has been on two expeditions that have lasted over 120 days. He holds advanced degrees in Classics and English literature and is currently working on a film that will document an expedition set to retrace Mina Hubbard’s historic

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River cuts through snow in mountainous pine country

‘Trout Don’t Live in Ugly Places’ with Scott and Ashlee O’Malley

Photos by Scott and Ashlee O’Malley of The O’Malleys. I once had a fishing guide tell me, “trout don’t live in ugly places.” Nowhere is that more true than Central Idaho’s Big Wood and Sawtooth Valleys. My dad and I have been fly-fishing these waters together for more than 15 years. It’s where I

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snow dusted mountains reflect in calm lake

Winter Camping in the Eastern Sierras with Farhad Samari

Farhad was born in Iran, raised in southern California, and lives and works in Los Angeles. His love for photography grew out of his interest in all things creative. His intuitive style is a mixture of fine art and photojournalism. Combining his passion for music, cinema, architecture, painting, travel, nature and timeless style, he creates

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walkway going under freeway overpass with stream resoration project sign

Close to Home: Fishing McCloud Run with Justin Meyer

Justin Meyer runs the online store for Badowers, an Iowa-based Filson retailer. Photography by Justin Meyer and Austin Day When most people think about trout fishing, they likely picture the snow-capped mountains of Montana with winding, glassy topped, spring fed streams loaded with 22″ brown trout rising to gulp a caddis. Trout fishing is

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man takes picture of cowboy next to unsaddled horse forest clearing

Behind the Scenes: Finback Films and the Story of Ed

Have you seen the feature fly fishing documentary Low & Clear? If so, you’ll know exactly why it was hailed as ‘the best fly-fishing movie ever made’ by Field & Stream and why Filson was a proud sponsor of this film throughout production. As soon as the credits rolled after the first viewing, we knew

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man in plaid shirt and black beanie works on hull of small wooden boat

Wooden Boat Building with Erin and Evan Walsh

After growing up in the Midwest and meeting in sprawling Chicago, Erin and Evan Walsh yearned for a life that was more connected to nature. After finishing design school and entering the workforce in the city, they decided that changing pace wasn’t simply an ideal, it was a necessity. They piled their belongings in a

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Tyson Edwards; Standing on a reflective body of shallow water with rocky mountains

Frozen Rockies and The Treasure State with Tyson Edwards

Tyson Edwards is a photographer based in the Northwest that loves capturing nature and beautiful landscapes. Through his photography, he tells the story of life’s great adventure. January isn’t particularly the most popular time to visit the Canadian Rockies. Reason being, it is the coldest time of year. I mean very cold, subzero temperatures.

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Daniel Westbrook kneels with grey newsboy cap, black vest, purple buttonup and leather holster straps

In Your Words: Daniel Westbrook, Master Carpenter

‘In Your Words’ explores the incredible stories we’ve received from Filson fans across the globe. Send us your own experiences with our clothing or product here for a chance to be featured on the Filson Life blog. Here, Daniel Westbrook –a master carpenter– of Westbrook Restorations details his legacy with Filson products. Video created by our

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Duck hunter wading in lake with gun and two decoy ducks at sunrise

Last of the Season: Celebrating the Waterfowl Ender with Kyle Johnson

Kyle Johnson is a 30 year old editorial and commercial photographer hailing from the Pacific Northwest. During the ending days of the waterfowl season, Kyle and his good friend Jerry Patty were able to rise before the sun and give it one last go in Carnation, WA. Below, Jerry reflects on a family hunting tradition

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John Roderick holds filson briefcase in industrial workspace

30 Years in Filson: A Musician’s Story

John Roderick is an American musician, writer, and podcaster. Born in Seattle, Washington, he grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where as a young man he worked as a sluice box mucker for a gold mining operation in the area. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist in the band The Long Winters and an

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polaroid of man standing at edge of large body of water

Pouring Down the Bourbon Trail with George Barnett

George Barnett’s Polaroid photographs recount tales as timeless and storied as the woods themselves. Throughout the years of captured memories, Filson has become his weathered travel partner; a central subject in his work as well as his means of toting cameras and equipment. Here, follow George as he travels down the Bourbon Trail in his own Kentucky

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person in purple shawl and black hat walking toward stark white hills

Frio: Hiking and Fly Fishing the San Juan River, New Mexico with Halley Roberts

Halley Roberts is a photographer based in Portland, Oregon. This winter, Halley returned to New Mexico –her childhood home– to fish the scrappy waters of the San Juan River. The second my feet crunch into permafrost I know I’m already dehydrated. My lips are starting to crack so I stuff my mouth with snow. I’m

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filson green briefcase closeup on red table

In Your Words: A Bag That is Tougher Than Me

‘In Your Words’ explores the incredible stories we’ve received from Filson fans across the globe. Send us your own experiences with our clothing or product here for a chance to be featured on the Filson Life blog. John M. from Texas details the storied past of his reliable, decade-old Briefcase Computer Bag. Hello Filson, I am

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