COMMUNITY ARCHIVES
Hosting at Moose Creek Ranger Station During COVID-19
Stan and Ellen Hall - Moose Creek Volunteer Cabin hosts
Ellen and I have been doing volunteer hosting gigs for four various seasons. Our first season at Moose Creek Ranger Station was canceled due to the 2017 fire. Since we were all packed, we called the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area to see if they needed any hosts. It was a lucky call since the September host for Kirkwood Ranch had just canceled due to illness. Three weeks later we were being jet-boated to Kirkwood on the Snake River. Having spent time there, we were hooked that volunteer hosting was for us! The next three seasons were spent at Moose Creek.
Cabin hosting in 2020 was significantly more challenging than past years. Traveling to Hamilton, MT was done pulling the trailer so we could be quarantined to our own home on wheels. The first challenge was to pack meals for 3 different venues: trailering, backpacking, and our needs while at Moose Creek (MC). That brought us to working out a way of getting our gear and food to MC for the three weeks hosting. In the end we had to charter a plane to fly in our supplies!
THE HIKE IN
With the drive completed, we were ready to continue our trip by backpacking from Paradise Ranger Station into MC. We had arranged for a shuttle service to pick up our truck and park it until we flew out to Hamilton in 20 days. It had actually been about 20 years since we had done a multi-day pack trip so we were a little apprehensive about how our older bodies would fare.
Running Creek Bridge
Within the first 4 miles we met some sly trail buddies: two rattlesnakes! Luckily, we passed them uneventfully. The temperatures peaked at 95 degrees and we found our pace slower than our usual home hikes in our local forests. Despite the unavoidable late 10:00 AM start, we made our 9-mile goal to Archer Point by 5:00 PM.
The following day, we hit the trail at 7:00 AM. We had a beautiful hike through Shearer Guard Station; and then onto the Selway Lodge to say hello to Anna Bengtson and Cory. Sadly, we just missed Anna since she earlier left with her stock. After a look around we headed on to our camp destination, Dead Elk Bar. However, when we came around the last curve, we found that two families had already pitched their tents. They encouraged us to camp further down the trail…the trail guidebook indicates that there are not very many camping spots along this section of the Selway. We hiked for another four miles before we came to Rattle Snake Bar, which was great but did not have cut trails down to the beach. Being that we needed water and it was about 7:00 PM we bushwhacked down. After filtering water and making dinner we sat in the dark while we ate. It was a long day - the GPS indicated 16 miles. Oh well, that meant less miles to get to the MC cabin and some food at our destination that was not dehydrated.
The last 7 undulating miles were steep and brought us high above the river where the views were grand! In past years we had done day hikes from MC along this trail. We knew our home for the month was just ahead!
MOOSE CREEK HOSTING
When we arrived in the early afternoon the place was buzzing. Ronnie Metcalfe and Chris Chouinard, SBFC volunteers, were busy packing for their flight out in the morning. Pete Armichardy was also preparing his mules for an early morning start back down to Fenn Ranger Station. Thanks to Ronnie & Chris our gear and food that had been flown in three days before was safely stored.
Hunting season was to start in a week so Mike Richie was preparing his outfitting camps. At the end of our first week, Mike came up the trail all out of breath asking for equipment and help to put out a fire down by the camping area. After unlocking the fire storage cabin, we grabbed a few Pulaski’s, shovels, McLeod hoe/rake, and water backpacks. With the tools in the hands of his crew the smoldering underground fire was put out. It was suspected that a camper dumped what they thought were cold ashes into a downed tree stump. It had probably been smoldering for two or three days.
One of our favorite day hikes is the #421 up to the Three Forks area where the first Moose Creek RS was located back in the early 1900’s.
This time we wanted to find the graves of the two gold miners that lost their lives to scurvy in 1895. With the help of Mike Richie and the GPS we found Dead Man Flat. The stone grave marker replaced the wooden marker in 1977.
The next week the winds blew in heavy smoke from the Oregon and Washington fires, which didn’t bother us much but the three planes that were there for fishing couldn’t take off. Since this happened on the day they were to leave, they were stuck for three days and were also short on food. Between the outfitter and leftovers of dry goods from trail crews the folks were well fed. We also hosted some backpackers that had hiked in from Lost Horse and were planning to be flown back to Hamilton to get their truck but were also stuck. They too also needed replenishing of food. As so often happens people you meet in the backcountry become future friends.
After the smoke cleared enough for planes to fly, Moose Creek moved back to its quiet beauty. We went back to finishing the repainting and redecorating of the visitors’ room in the 1921 historical Cookhouse.
One last hike to the ridge to take in the wonderful fall colors that were emerging. Still some haze but 5-mile visibility wasn’t bad.
It was now time to pack up and lock the buildings since there weren’t to be any hosts coming for the October hitch. Saying goodbye to such a beautiful place with such rich history is always sentimental. See you again next year.
Interested in becoming a cabin host? Let us know!
About Ellen and stan hall
Moose Creek Ranger Station Volunteer Cabin Hosts
Ellen and Stan have lived in Corvallis, Oregon for 43 years. They raised two daughters and now have three granddaughters. Stan retired from Hewlett Packard in 2002 after 25 years. He then seized the opportunity to go into business. His passion to make things moved him to open a small machine shop to support local manufactures. Ellen worked for Oregon State University at the Book Store and then proctoring for a total of 22 years.
The outdoors is their passion. When taking a raft trip down the Selway River in 2016 they met Anna Bengston at MCRS. From that point the rest is history.