FRED HEBERT- VOLUNTEER HOST AT SHEARER GUARD STATION IN THE SELWAY-BITTERROOT WILDERNESS
Fred Hebert of Boise, Idaho, volunteered with the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation in August of 2017 as a cabin host at the Shearer Guard Station in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. What follows is his daily journal (edited for clarity and length).
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Photo by Fred Hebert
July 28, 2017
Packed truck. Left Boise at 10:30 AM. Hwy 21 to Stanley Hwy 93 N over pass from N. Fork to Hamilton, MT. Arrived 5 PM, found campsite and went to airport to confirm flight in the morning to Shearer. Flight time changed to 7 AM due to visibility concerns (smoke from Moose Creek 1 Fire).
Photo by Fred Hebert of his home for the month
July 29, 2017, close to 100 degrees in the afternoon
Up early (5:30 AM). Lily [Fred’s dog!] slept ok in tent with me. Arrived at airport at 6:30 AM; pilot ready to go. Had another passenger (guide for Running Creek Ranch) to drop off first, 8 miles upstream from Shearer. Loaded all gear. Lily and I sat in back. She was ok on flight. Arrived Shearer around 7:30 AM. Unloaded gear and watched plane depart. Reminded me of fall of 1967 standing on the front steps of my dorm as parents departed. Grandeur and remoteness of where I was beginning to set it. Cabin was a ¼ mile walk from end of airstrip. Got to cabin, found key and got wheelbarrow from toolshed to transport remainder of gear (3 trips). Shearer is in designated Wilderness. Forest Service needed a “special administrative use” permit to have a wheelbarrow (because it has a wheel). Started 2x daily call to dispatch on FS radio. Turned on propane, started fridge and stocked food and belongings. Walked “daily route”, end of airstrip, trail by river and back to cabin (1.5 miles). Met rafting party camped at small creek another ½ mile upstream from airstrip hiking to Bear Creek. Warned them about downed trees in river near Moose Creek and #4 trail closure beyond Bear Creek. Very hot, (98) took a solar shower then took Lily to river to cool off. Caught fish. Tired, no movie tonight.
July 30, 2017
Slept well. Lily a bit restless. Slept on pad under table or squeezed under my cot. 8 AM third plane joins other two that were camping/fishing at airstrip kiosk. Hike upstream to where rafters were camped. Lily swims and I fish by rapid near windsock. 4 PM Forest Service ranger and intern pass thru. Wind shifts and brings smoke from the north (Moose Creek fire).
Photo by Fred Hebert
August 1, 2017, 48 degrees at 7 AM
Daily game of Lily vs. squirrels continues. Daily hike (4 miles) to check vacated campsite south of airstrip. Back to cabin by noon. Heavy smoke. Lots of radio chatter about fires (dropping smokejumpers, slinging gear to remote sites). Picked last of raspberries for dessert.
August 2, 2017, 49 degrees at 7 AM
7:30 Leland flies in 4 rafters. Update them on snags (downed trees) around Moose Creek and trail closure from Bear Creek to Moose Creek. Hike to sandbar south of airport. 3 nice fish with sink tip. New group of rafters camped there. Doe with young fawn near cabin on return Lily curious but does not chase. 3 PM Leland brings another raft group in. Water too low at put in (Paradise Campground); takes three trips to get gear in. 4 deer in stock corral.
August 3, 2017, 53 degrees at 7 AM
Checked propane, appears low (est 2-week supply). Let dispatch know on am call. 2 flights today; SBFC wilderness ranger fellow (Andy) with 3 launches for Moose Creek. Lily a bit fussy on eating (one meal today).
August 5, 2017, 53 degrees at 7 AM
Slept hard. Must have been yesterday’s 8 miles of hiking. Big hawk on roof of tool shed this morning. The two structures here were originally 3 miles downstream at Bear Creek. When FS purchased airstrip from Phil Shearer they disassembled the structures (all logs are numbered for re-assembly) and used a Farm All tractor to move the logs (trail was widened). Found a box of leftover food from previous volunteers, included a bottle of Sangria. Very smoky at 3 PM; dispatch asked I talk with pilots of three planes not to try and fly to Moose Creek. They suggest they will try anyhow. Two planes take off and are back in minutes (not able to land).
August 7, 2017, 50 degrees at 7 AM
Coleman stove still leaks fuel. Used dental floss to seal shaft seems to be ok now. Started chili prep (soak dry beans). Radio temperamental, turned on this AM and no display, replaced batteries still no display. Tried later and it works. Very smoky today. First day I have not seen another person since arriving.
Photo by Fred Hebert
August 9, 2017, 51 degrees at 7 AM
Expect a packer and trail crew today. Radio still temperamental. Heard trail crew report in route, arrived around noon. Packer arrived at 7:30.
August 10, 2017, 50 degrees at 6 AM
Busy camp as trail crew and packer unload supplies. Fridge stuffed full, nice to have propane again. Packer called his mules for breakfast at 5:30. Brewed big pot of coffee for all. Packer shared a T-bone steak with me for dinner.
Photo by Fred Hebert
August 11, 2017
Very smoky today. Packer has lots of beer that he shares with trail crew and me. Anna [USFS Wilderness Ranger] calls and asks that I inform all rafters to stop at Moose Creek for fire updates before proceeding further.
August 16, 2017, 50 degrees at 7 AM
Clear skies. Packer’s mules came to him looking for breakfast at 6. Inreach shows signs of life (low battery). Charged and it works again!!!! Checked food supply, all ok for the rest of my hitch. Mark flew in this afternoon for Moose Creek. Marge hiked in to meet him with pack frames to carry rafts back to Selway Lodge [Mark and Marge were caretakers of Selway Lodge at the time]. Started reading “A Wilderness Journey” about a 17-year-old who spent two summers at Shearer. 4 PM new fire reports.
Photo by Fred Hebert
August 17, 2017, 50 degrees at 7 AM
Finished book. Interesting to read about where I am and the places I have hiked to. Lily restless from leftover hamburger I fed her. Trail crew will leave on Saturday to finish work on Ditch Creek. Marge gave me bag of fresh veggies from her garden. Seeing her garden and the remoteness of where we have reminded me of the garden we planted while living on the farm in Andes (summer of 75). Photographed ceramic wire insulator in tree near cabin. Rod mentions the telephone system that was here in the 50s. Pesky bear is back; packer is off to scare the bear.
August 18, 2017, 50 degrees at 7 AM
Pesky bear around again. Week from today I leave. The month has disappeared. Lots of memories. Glad I kept a diary. Chad (trail crew leader) returns with some libations, a gift for filling hole from uprooted tree. Packer starting process of getting gear reading to pack-out. Uses mantes (heavy canvas tarps tied around gear). Very hot and smoky today. Radio confirms heavy smoke as well. Bear tears up Chad’s tent for a 2nd time. He will sleep on porch outside tool shed tonight. Lily is now an expert fishing companion. When I have a fish on, she tries to help land it. Must watch my balance as I navigate slippery rocks.
August 19, 2017, clear and colder, 46 degrees at 7 AM
Trail crew packing to leave. Will be quiet until Garner repair crew arrives. 5 PM trail crew (3) leave for 4 ½ mile hike to their base camp with full packs of food, clothing and tools (70+lbs). Took Lily to the river for a swim and fish. Slipped and fell in, got iPhone wet. Worked briefly, now it does not.
August 20, 2017, 46 degrees at 7 AM
Restless night as I stewed about iPhone. Split the rest of the firewood to take my mind off the dead phone. Reflecting on my worries this month, all have been about technology, not the wilderness (food, snakes, fires). 2 PM winds shift, heavy smoke again. No radio chatter today (perhaps because its Sunday). Last of spaghetti for dinner.
August 21, 2017, cold, 42 degrees at 7 AM
Reflecting on not seeing anyone yesterday. Split some more wood today. Even though it’s Monday I start organizing gear for pack out. Long hike today with Lily to fish. Eclipse was a non-event here, hiking back around noon sky got a bit dark (like early am). Took a nap til 1:30 may have slept through it. Happy dog, Lily finally caught ground squirrel that has been tormenting her for three weeks.
August 23, 2017, 50 degrees at 7 AM
Daily ritual of the spot weather forecast at 7 AM with my 8 AM check in is routine. Dispatch always ends with “have an enjoyable day.” Saw skunk by flagpole, glad Lily was not with me. Heaviest smoke I have seen. Flagpole not visible from cabin. Took final solar shower/shave. Will do laundry Thursday. Still expecting Garner repeater techs. Wrote a note to my replacement on some FYIs. Thunderstorms predicted for tonight. Expect Lily in bed with me. Marge stopped with more veggies, asked that Gardner techs call her on comm2, so she can ride to Garner with them. Big tree down on the trail south of the airstrip on a steep hillside. Don’t know how techs will get around it.
August 24, 2017, warm, 58 degrees at 7 AM
Last day here. Will tidy cabin. Will use wheelbarrow to transport gear to flagpole and will be available for Dan (replacement) to carry gear back. Not sure what time to expect plane. Weather permitting should be early. Still no techs for Gardner repeater repair. Forecast is for rain by 11, spot on. Thunderstorm at 3, Lily under my cot. Drink my last beer. Leave 3 for trail crew.
Photo by Fred Hebert
August 25, 2017
Up early final packing done. 7 AM transport gear to flagpole. Fog from rain yesterday. Visibility is poor. Dispatch calls and asks for a visibility report. Calls back later and informs me not to expect plane until 2. Cabin is cleaned and all gear on airstrip. Lily and I take a walk.
Finally, at 1:30 Leland lands. Meet my replacement. Lily jumps in the plane without hesitation. We off and 20 minutes later return to civilization. Kind of surreal seeing cars, traffic, and buildings again. Call Sue from airport to inform her I will be late. Uneventful ride home, arrive around 10 PM.
ABOUT FRED HEBERT
Fred’s retirement permitted a return to exploring Idaho’s wilderness. A chance meeting with a rafting company led to multiple river trips, Dutch oven cooking, and SBFC. Fred has been an SBFC volunteer since 2012. In 2022, he and Lily will spend another summer as volunteer cabin hosts at Moose Creek Ranger Station.
Fred and his wife (Sue) of 53 years live in Boise. Two grown children and four grandchildren are a short plane ride to visit and yes, Lily rules the house.