Kris Millgate - My Place Among Men

Told with hard-earned confidence, My Place Among Men is spirited proof that girls can dare to dream bigof mountains, rivers, and wildernessand turn those dreams into an unconventional life of adventure. Jan Redford, author of End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage, and Motherhood

An intriguing and completely enjoyable adventure full of intimate stories. I found myself enlightened and laughing out loud at many of her predicaments. I could hardly put it down.
Brenda Stanley, author and KPVI-TV journalist

From the straightforward introduction to the last page, this storythis honest and very personal journeyexudes strength and creativity. Kris rich prose and insight reel you innot unlike her photos themselvesand then let you think about your own possibilities. Rebecca Casper, Idaho Falls Mayor

This book is the backstorythe outtakesof the most incredible news stories Millgate has reported on. From tackling deer to filming wildfire, the plots turn personal, as she lets us in on the secrets of how she overcame her childhood shyness and fear of beards to become an award-winning journalist.
Emily M. Stone, author of Natural Connections: Exploring Northwoods Nature through Science and Your Senses

Kris puts you into each scene with an easy, expressive styleand shes not afraid to deliver a truth along the way. She provides a blueprint for the next generation of brave, caring young women to make a difference in the outdoors. Bruce Reichert, Idaho Public Television executive producer and Outdoor Idaho host

This remarkable book is a testament to human perseverance, both personal and professional. Its also a testament to the healing powers of Americas wild places. Above all, its a call to live life on your terms and to savor every bit of it.
Slaton L. White, Field & Stream contributing editor

In her new book, Kris Millgate proves that being a freelancing outdoor journalist, especially a female one in a male-dominated field, is no vacation. Fueled by passion and grit, Millgate shares how shes courageously pushed through her childhood shyness and on-the-job challengesincluding birds, bears, a broken leg, bad dreams, and beardsin hot pursuit of stories that inspire others to understand, enjoy, and treasure the Great Outdoors.

Colleen Miniuk, outdoor photographer, writer, and founder of Sheography

My Place Among Men is about Kris Millgate never giving in and keeping faith in herself across decades of hard work and artistic pursuit. She defined success for herself and hunted it down with relentless ardor. Theres a trove of lessons in that no matter your gender or work environment.
T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream editor-at-large

Millgate transcended this male-dominated niche in a way that I can only hope will resonate for generations, and inspire other young women to follow. The work speaks for itself. Amazing.
Kirk Deeter, Trout Media editor-in-chief

I am so happy that Kris put down in words what most women have never experienced working in a mans world of outdoor video production. Sauni Symonds, Idaho Public TV-Outdoor Idaho lead producer

MY PLACE AMONG MEN

MISADVENTURES IN THE WILD

BY KRIS MILLGATE

Copyright 2019 Kris Millgate, Tight Line Media
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by Inkshares, Inc., Oakland, California

www.inkshares.com

Cover design by Tim Barber of Dissect Designs
Interior design by Kevin G. Summers

ISBN: 9781950301010

e-ISBN: 9781950301027

LCCN: 2019932427

First edition

Printed in the United States of America

Dedicated to my three home boys. One with a beard.
Two without. They live with me, laugh with me,
and love me. Even when I expect adventures that are beyond reasonable.

PROLOGUE

Grow Girl

AS A LITTLE GIRL, I was shy. Painfully shy. Eye contact? Out of the question. Talking? No way. Strangers never heard my voice, especially strangers with hair on their faces.

Beards terrified me. Its a quirk from birth like being a lefty, which I am. Beards have no traumatic moment of specific blame for my aversion, but unlike my dominant left hand, my anti-beard stance changed when I stepped outside.

Now I talk so much, I have swollen vocal cords and I run around in the wild daily with beards. It just goes to show what a determined young girl will overcome when she knows without any doubt that shes going to tell you a story when she grows up. More on that later, but lets grow this girl first.

I didnt grow up fishing or hunting with my dad; I hiked with my dad. Endlessly. My mom says I dont have a danger gene. Well, my dad doesnt have an internal compass. Hes always lost and never admitting it. Our hikes in Utahs Wasatch Mountains were endless wanderspeppercorn-speckled granite crawling up one canyon, red-brown blend spilling down the other. Thats the allure of Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons east of Salt Lake City.

In those steep canyons, I spent a pile of miserable miles staring at the back of my dad, his head shaded by a ball cap, his pocketknife sheathed on his belt. Hed declare Just around the next bend every five minutes, and Id spend the next four minutes doubting him. The combination of his declaration and my doubt taught me patience in an unexpected way. Despite my doubt, I kept hiking with him, and misery turned majestic.

With my dad, I learned to pack along endurance and persistence, too. Quitters on those two fronts wont see the country my dad wanders: acres of aspen cleared by an avalanche, five bull moose bedded around one snow-fed lake, and the ever-gaping hole he told me was an ancient volcano but is really just a hot spring.

I still practice patience for the wilds antics. Animals dont conveniently do something cool in front of my lens just because I want them to. Half the time they dont even step into view let alone do something worth watching.

As for the other two traits I learned while trailing my dad, my endurance will exhaust you and my persistence will intimidate you. Both have to if Im going to make it among those who claim my chosen line of work is no place for a lady.

The boys tried locking their clubhouse door but I kicked it in, and what I discovered is an outdoor playground worthy of report. That playground includes watching men cry in the middle of rivers, throw fits when they miss a shot, and pummel Road Closed signs. I join their laughter for no reason and for good reason. And I give them space when gender differences prove too much for them.

Im a rarity in the woods and in my profession. Women are underrepresented in the outdoors, especially in outdoor journalism. But Im not here because Im rare. Im here because the best stories are in the wild and those are the stories I telltears, fists, and fits included.

Im honored when men invite me to sit around their camp-fires, fish from their boats, and explore their favorite trails. Together we marvel at mass migrations, raging rivers, and scorching wildfires. We admire rising suns, swirling snowflakes, and open country. We also share in our struggles with personal baggage, inner demons, and unfulfilled ambitions.

As an outdoor journalist, its my jobshy tendencies asideto find the story and tell it. Vividly. Accurately. Drop me in unknown places full of unknown faces and Ill find you a story. My gender is irrelevant when it comes to my skills; all you need to know is that I carry my own weight and I do my job well.