Corey Dadds
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest Trail Crew
Hitch #1 | Boulder Creek #211; Lochsa Peak #220; Lone Knob #198 | June 9-16
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest | Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness
Our lives in the front country are full of so many sounds that we take for granted. The wail of sirens, cocktail of voices, music, tv in the background, and of course, the ever-present rumble of engines and screaming of rubber on pavement. Only in their absence does one realize the constant assault on our eardrums.
View from the trail.
As we loaded up our bags at the trailhead with the tools of the trade, the clicks of straps could be heard. An axe here, Pulaski there, a saw or five. I could hardly hear the passing cars on Highway 12 over the roar of the Lochsa River and the laughs of my comrades. We started up the trail and left both our cars and the rest of the world behind, and with them our creature comforts.
Beginning work on clearing trail, accompanied by the cry of a jay and the peeps of insects.
We began the fairly grueling 5-mile hike to our first campsite in high spirits, but quickly we discovered the pain that is a season's fresh legs and a pack loaded for five days of trail work. The groans of knee pain, blisters, sweat, and exhaustion soon overtook the laughter. All the while in the background was Boulder Creek, whose drainage we were ascending and whose cool waters would be another companion to us for the coming days.
Almost complete! The constant sound of the saw kept us company.
After our fair share of views, groans, and maybe more than our fair share of breaks, we finally made it to camp. Once at camp, one immediately became aware of the diversity of birds in the mountains of Idaho. The tweets of the chickadee, call of a blue jay, and even squall of an eagle filled my ears as everyone set up their tents. I could hear the poles snapping into place and the bickering over tent sites. As everyone settled in, the roar of 10 different stoves overtook the auditory landscape. We ate and before we knew it, it was time for bed. The roll of thunder could be heard in the distance.
I laid in bed reading The Hobbit for an hour or so and listened to the world around me. Boulder Creek took the forefront, but if I tuned it out, I could tune into the cacophony of the night time creatures and insects. Their trills came in ebbs and flows, one call triggering the next and when the leader stopped they would all fall in line. As I drifted off, the pitter patter of rain started to fall on my tent and lulled me to sleep. I could not help but think of the parallels of The Hobbit to our own adventure. I left the world of the waking with thoughts of the next day and excitement for what I might hear next!
NEZ PERCE-CLEARWATER NF TRAIL CREW
Corey is “a corn sprout from Bloomington, Indiana.” He learned to love the outdoors working at summer camps as mountain biking director and trail maintenance supervisor. Corey went to college in Vermont and earned a degree in Renewable Energy and Ecological Design. He believes wild spaces should be protected and preserved so that generations to come can enjoy the transformative power of time spent in the wilderness.