Arnold "Smoke" Elser began outfitting and guiding in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in 1964. Since then, he's taught conservation ethic and the art of horse/mule packing to more than 3,000 students at the University of Montana in Missoula. Elser uses castor oil on his saddles. Smoke was also a Lookout on the Helena National Forest and later on a Smokejumper at the Missoula Smokejumper Base.
