Every September, mountain runners of all kinds descend on Big Sky for The Rut, a notoriously technical 50-kilometer race through Montana's wild alpine terrain. The course includes nearly 10,000 feet of elevation gain, with rugged climbs, loose scree, and exposed ridgelines - including a dramatic summit push up Lone Peak at 11,166 feet.
Many of the park's largest diamonds are found on top of the ground. As rain falls in the search area, it washes away the dirt and uncovers heavy rocks, minerals, and diamonds near the surface.
When Matthew Schaefer went first overall to the New York Islanders, he already had his late mother Jennifer in his thoughts, having lost her to breast cancer. Schaefer had her photo and a signature stitched inside his jacket. But when he was given his first Islanders jersey, it had a purple Hockey Fights Cancer ribbon sewn on the left chest and her initials on the inside collar.
You work in any other field, you always have unhappy customers and complaints. We generally don't have any of that. If anything, our complaints are, 'Man I wish I had more time with the capybaras.'