Ryan Ghelfi

SBFC Executive Director

July 17-21, 2024

We are in the heart of our Wilderness season with dozens of people on numerous crews in the field all across the Frank and Selway. Even for me, with all the data, spreadsheets, and communications at my fingertips, it’s a lot to track.

Last week I was fortunate to carve out four days to get out on the ground. The logistics were perfect with four of our crews and 36 individual people in close enough proximity for me to visit in quick succession. In the middle of my second year at SBFC, I remain confident that there is no substitute for getting on the trail with our crews and seeing what is happening in the Wilderness firsthand.

*The Youth Wilderness Expedition participants + Emma (Wilderness Ranger Fellow)*

What I saw on this past week's swing was nothing short of spectacular. First, I visited Ian and Emma, who were leading six 13-14 year olds on our second Youth Wilderness Expedition at Walton Lakes. The trail down to the first lake was in decent shape, but brushy and the group took the task to heart opening up the trail corridor on day two. On day three I joined them and we began scouting the trail that continues to the upper Walton Lakes. This trail was buried under deadfall and the crew made fine work reopening half a mile of beautiful tread, creating possibilities for the future. We will come back next year with another youth expedition to continue the work where they left off. I was thrilled to see these teens relishing the work and their time in the wild, bugs and all. This was the perfect location for this age group. This crew rocked it!

*Some of the Whisky in the Woods crew.*
*Photo by Bert B.*

Next, I hightailed it over to Big Sand Lake out of Elk Summit where the Whisky in the Woods crew from Moscow had been posted up and cutting out hundreds of logs for the previous 15 days. Over 20 volunteers in two separate groups came out to bring back numerous trails in the area. Five intrepid souls stayed for a full immersion of 17 days. This crew was packed in and out of the woods by multiple packers, including the Binninger family of Landgrove Coffee fame, as well as Nez Perce-Clearwater NF Packer Pete! SBFC Wilderness trail crews teamed up with the whisky crew to create multiple “super crews” and it shows. Over 33 miles of trail were logged out, and the number of trees removed from the corridor was into the thousands. Near the end of the final hitch the crew made it all the way to Blodgett Pass from the Idaho side which was a big win! More downed trees remain on other important connections; we look forward to clearing them all next summer.

In addition to SBFC trail crews and the Whisky crew, another crew of retired smoke jumpers from the National Smokejumper Association spent five days bringing the Bridge Creek Trail back to life, also near Elk Summit. This was heavy deferred work, and the crew earned every inch of trail reclaimed. Their efforts created numerous opportunities to find solitude and helped the crews that followed them to get into the country where they’d be working.

I met one of the crews that followed (Wyatt, Rowan, Clarrine, Ian, and USFS trail specialist Nick H) as they were sitting down to dinner on the lee side of some 10-year-old pines, the only shade in town. They were cutting 100+ logs a day, and the contrast could not be more stark. As I was hiking towards them I came upon an unworked section of trail. My pace slowed to a crawl and I came out bloody as I navigated a few hundred uncut logs over a couple mile stretch. (Our stellar team cut these later in their hitch). Seeing (and feeling) this night and day difference tells a story in real terms like no blog post or hitch report ever could.

Finally, the fourth crew I visited on my tour in the Northern Selway was the CatRock Ventures youth group from New York City led by SBFC trail crew Lead April Eling along with Wilderness Ranger Fellows Jack, Caroline, and Emma. This crew picked up the work where last year’s CatRock group left off on the One Horse Lake Trail on the Bitterroot National Forest. We were excited to complete this project, reopening this primitive trail for the first time in many years. The trail provides access to one of the most beautiful basins I’ve seen in my time at SBFC. This crew learned a ton and worked hard. Through their efforts, the public has a terrific opportunity to experience this corner of the wilderness. Solitude and unparalleled beauty are hallmarks in this tucked-away corner of the Bitterroot.

My whirlwind tour is just a small sample of the full body of work that all our crews have performed this season thus far. Our staff, Wilderness Ranger Fellows, and volunteers are accomplishing an incredible amount, and providing the public with the ability to connect to our wildest places. We need these places now more than ever. Each time I have the opportunity to work alongside our people and see firsthand what it takes, I come out invigorated and eager to keep pushing forward and building momentum. The SBFC community is moving mountains (and logs) out there, and I am so grateful. Alas, the work never ends… we’ll keep at it so that people today and forever can experience and enjoy the Wildest Place.

Ryan Ghelfi is the Executive Director of the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation. Contact him at rghelfi@selwaybitterroot.org with questions, concerns, or to talk about Wilderness!