About Wayne van Zwoll

An experienced biologist and writer, regular contributor Wayne van Zwoll makes his home in eastern Washington.

To Start—And Feed—A Fire

The man on the Yukon trail wasn’t worried. “Fifty degrees below zero was to him nothing more than 50 degrees below zero.” He would be at camp, with friends and a fire, by evening. Winter’s sun was elsewhere, the whiteness oddly dark. Morning wore on without marking time. The man’s spit crackled in [...]

To Start—And Feed—A Fire2025-06-13T09:00:57-06:00

Fred Bear: The Early Years

Growing up with a 35-cent shotgun and a $35 motorcycle, he came to archery late, inspired by a film! I remember him as engaging, cordial, mildly surprised, it seemed, by his own celebrity. “I’ve had more than my share of fun,” he admitted with a self-effacing grin. His humility endeared Fred Bear to [...]

Fred Bear: The Early Years2020-02-21T12:22:30-07:00

When Your Bugle is a Bell

Grizzly tracks paved the dusty mule trails, in places erasing all sign of the heavy camp traffic. As dusk pulled shadows from the forest, I saw my first elk print. We’d been more than 20 miles in the saddle when we dismounted and tugged panniers, then pack-saddles, into the tack tent. To find [...]

When Your Bugle is a Bell2019-08-05T10:35:27-06:00
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