Publisher's Note, Summer 2021

Summer in Montana is always a revelation. Eventually, despite occasional retreats into colder weather and even snow, we see the snows melt, the rivers and streams swell, and we watch as green carpets the hills and valleys.    

Similarly, we hope that this issue reveals a different side of Distinctly Montana.

Next year will mark our 20th year of publishing. In that time, we've had many articles of which we were, I feel, justifiably proud. But I don't think that it's hyperbolic to say that the issue you hold in your hands is one of the best, and certainly the most ambitious, that we've ever produced.

Personally, I appreciate the hard work, creativity, and good old-fashioned grit that went into shaping the articles you're about to read. It is enormously gratifying to watch so many writers and photographers, all passionate about Montana, work together in the service of sharing that passion.  

Few works of art have touched Montanans (and maybe the nation) as much as Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It and the film adaptation that followed. Furthermore, we're particularly honored to feature the work of Norman Maclean's son John, himself an influential and talented writer.

But above all, we hope that Norman, wherever he is - perhaps casting a line in heaven, which we reckon likely looks a lot like Montana - approves. 

Finally, I'd like to wish you a happy and adventuresome summer under the Big Sky.