Monte Stiles LLC

The mountain peaks were hidden by heavy gray-brown smoke when I arrived in Montana to speak at a conference and hike in Glacier National Park. But a detour to the eastern entrance provided blue skies along the Grinnell Glacier Trail. Please join me on that journey by reading my latest Substack column, and if you like it, please share it with others and subscribe for free.

Finding Glacier I thought it might clear—and it did

Some thoughts about Easter.

The Quiet Part of Easter It all leads to a garden

Lions in the Trees is a story about an encounter with mountain lion cubs with Chris on New Year's Eve many years ago. It is one of my all-time favorite experiences with wildlife and I hope you like it.

Lions in the Trees One blue eye stared back at me through the branches of a juniper tree.

I hope you enjoy my latest Substack story. You can read it through this link or the app. If you subscribe for free, or decide you want to support this type of fine journalism and professional photography involving monkeys and puppies, you can get a story several times a month via email. And you can win big prizes. No, that's a lie. But either way, I hope you read and share, and advertise for me on TV. Thanks.

Imagined Conversations It usually starts like this.

For some reason, I woke up with chickens on my mind, and I started writing. Whether you enjoy chickens or not, I hope you like this Substack story.

Counting Chickens And Other Fowl Humor

Stand by for my latest Substack article: "Counting Chickens: And Other Fowl Humor."

If you were a subscriber, you would already be reading. Haaa.

Friends, here’s a story about jumping out of airplanes, unexpected turbulence, roller coasters, and—somehow—earning a little street cred with grandkids.
It’s about falling. Sometimes by accident. Sometimes on purpose. And why one kind of falling terrifies us, while another feels like freedom.
Despite the photo below, this isn’t actually about owls—though that is another interesting story. So, even if you hate owls, or nature in general, don’t let the picture fool you into skipping the rest. I think you’ll enjoy it, and I hope it brightens your week.

Falling On Purpose Why some falls terrify us—and others set us free

Here is my latest Substack article. I hope you like it.

An Accidental Photographer’s Guide to 2025 Rediscovering Joy, One Frame at a Time

Many years ago, one of our grandsons said something at Christmas that stopped me in my tracks.

I wrote about the experience in a short Substack piece called We Love Baby Jesus.

I’m sharing it in the hope that it will bring you a small moment of joy this Christmas season. Merry Christmas friends.

We Love Baby Jesus A child’s Christmas declaration

Merry Christmas!

I Almost Missed The Christmas Tree Paying attention made all the difference

A Thanksgiving story for you

Thanks and Giving, in a Garden of Petunias A quiet thought for the holiday