Clay Bennett, 58, retired U.S. Forest Service ranger, had only agreed to man the Missoula Fire Department’s chili booth at the annual downtown street fair to repay a favor to his old smokejumper buddy Jim. Seven years out from his wife Linda’s death, he’d built a small, rigid routine: restore vintage fly reels in his … Read more

Dale Riggs, 58, retired forest ranger with 32 years patrolling the steep, rhododendron-choked trails of Pisgah National Forest, hadn’t wanted to come to the fire department beer garden. He’d avoided the annual fundraiser for six years straight, ever since his wife Linda passed, claiming the crowd of chattering locals and loud bluegrass set gave him … Read more

Helen’s yoga studio occupied the sunroom of her Craftsman bungalow, a space with hardwood floors and windows that faced east, so the morning light poured in like honey. At sixty-four, she had the kind of body that surprised people—strong shoulders, a waist that still turned, skin that held its color from decades of gardening and … Read more

Clay Bennett is 58, retired state park ranger, 12 years patrolling the Allegheny National Forest before a torn rotator cuff pushed him out three years back, same year his wife of 32 years died of ovarian cancer. His biggest flaw is he’s stubborn to a fault, would rather spend three days fixing a broken snowblower … Read more

Margaret had always been careful. At fifty-eight, she knew the weight of her own desires, the lines of her life carved from choices made and chances missed. Her work as a curator at a local gallery gave her order and routine, yet beneath the poised exterior, a storm of longing often stirred. She knew what … Read more

Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (19 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (19 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (19 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (19 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (19 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (19 Pics) Don’t … Read more

He spotted her before she spotted him. Mara Hale, 52, the new city council rep who’d voted three weeks prior to slash funding for the backcountry trail system he’d spent 32 years building and maintaining. The vote had made him so mad he’d written a three-page handwritten letter to the council that he’d never sent, … Read more

Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (25 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (25 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (25 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (25 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (25 Pics) Don’t look if you can’t handle lt (25 Pics) Don’t … Read more