Hello from Northern Arizona, and welcome to The Rusty Lever. If you love the outdoors, you’re at the right place. 

The Rusty Lever is where I will be documenting my adventures in the wilderness. 

I don’t claim to be an expert. I just want to learn more about hunting, fishing and hiking, while simply enjoying the great outdoors. 

It’s a common misconception that Arizona is nothing but desert, but for those of us who have seen 15-degree days and more than 8 feet of snow–we know better. 

I’ve always loved the outdoors. Even as a kid living in the remote mountains of Utah I was always looking for adventure. I’d take my dog, grab my knife and head for the hills any opportunity I had. Some would have called me a hermit, but I liked being alone and have a lot of great memories from my days of traipsing through the hills.

Maybe it was the escape from my abusive step-dad. Maybe it was the idea of simply being free for a moment from the world and all its struggles. Whatever the reason, there was nothing like the feeling I got looking down from a hilltop over acres upon acres of open land. I’d stay out from sunup to sundown just enjoying (as Blake Shelton would say) “God’s Country.” 

When I joined the Marines in my teens, I got to put a lot of the tricks that I had learned (by trial and error) from my time in the mountains as a kid. Things such as situational awareness, basic medical knowledge and skills, keeping your firearms clean, and being prepared for anything. After two tours in Iraq I gained a new respect for life and wholeheartedly agree with the Corps laws for weapon safety in which everyone should practice. The biggest of these is “Never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.”

The wilderness has so many great life lessons and has taught me so much, but there’s always more to learn.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time…

–Ben

(photo credit: Kathleen Fulton)