Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation
Expect Nothing, Pull Saw, Slay, Repeat
Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation
I'll Tell You What
Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation
Why Work in Wilderness
WRF
Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation
Wilderness Growth

Forrest reflects on his first hitch in the Bitterroot National Forest.

Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation
Moments in the Mountains

Back in the Saddle

Ian Harris

Lead Wilderness Steward

Bitterroot National Forest | Selway River #4 Trail

6/6/23 - 6/13/23

The 2023 Bitterroot National Forest Crew

Heavy morning dew splashes against our rain pants and streams down onto our boots as we trudge through chest high brush. I am convinced there is no such thing as waterproof boots. The upper Selway, a mere six feet to our left, provides a cacophonous soundtrack to the last day of our hitch, but we don’t hear it anymore. We are nothing but sore, wet feet, and backs aching from burdensome packs and a week of crosscutting. Our weary minds can focus on only three things: sloughing off our packs at the trailhead, our first hot meals back in civilization, and the promising rays of sunshine creeping down the opposite side of the canyon.

Hannah Richter and Reyna Rodriguez crosscutting on the #4 trail of the upper Selway, Bitterroot NF, Frank Church Wilderness, photo by Ian Harris

For Reyna from warm, dry New Mexico, this is her first experience in trailwork. For Hannah from nearby Spokane, this is her first time backpacking. And for me, though my trail boots are well seasoned, this is my first hitch since a harrowing week in Yellowstone in the fall of 2019. After three years leading crews for the Montana Conservation Corps, and a year working from home during COVID for the Montana Fire Bureau, I had put my ambitions on hold to travel full-time in a camper van in support of my wife’s career. Two years later, I once again find myself beside wonderful trail people, with familiar bruised feet and aching limbs, and surrounded by the deep majesty of wilderness. Though I miss my wife, it was time I returned to work.

After a gentle, yet toilsome, five mile hike from Upper Crossing, we pass Haystack Creek. Then the first tree we cleared on the #4 trail seven days prior. And, finally, we glimpse the outbuildings of Magruder Ranger Station, where the sunshine and comfort of my truck await. We sigh with relief - not just out of physical reprieve, but with a strong sense of accomplishment and gratitude. 

Hannah Richter, Reyna Rodriguez, and Ian Harris at Magruder RS, Bitterroot NF, Frank Church Wilderness, photo by Hannah Richter

Trailwork is not for everyone - it is laborious and demanding - but it removes us from social media, endless news cycles, and the comforts we take for granted, and deposits us into the magnificent splendor and simplicity of the wilderness. It hardens us, physically and mentally, building fortitude and a greater sense of appreciation, both for what we have at home, and for what we leave untrammeled. We spent eight days clearing 87 trees from five and a half miles of trail, inventorying a couple campsites, and doing our best to stay dry and hydrated. Our first hitch proved that the toughest moments are often the ones that leave us smiling with pride and joy, and keep us searching for more.

Before and after sawing on the #4 trail of the upper Selway, Bitterroot NF, Frank Church Wilderness, photo by Ian Harris

IAN HARRIS, LEAD WILDERNESS STEWARD

Bitterroot National Forest

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

Ian moved from Philadelphia to Missoula in 2010 to attend the University of Montana, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration. He fell in love with the wild spaces of Montana and Idaho, and spent three seasons leading youth trail crews. After a year with the DNRC Fire Bureau, he traveled the county in a camper van with his wife for two years to support her professional disc golf career. When not in the woods or on the disc golf course, Ian can be found at the Roxy Theater, playing tennis or board games, or reading a good book.

Training to be Effective Stewards and Crewmates

Olivia Hinds

Wilderness Ranger Fellow

Training: Missoula and Powell Ranger Station

The past three weeks have been full of lots of training for us Wilderness Ranger Fellows. We’ve been stationed in Missoula, MT and Powell Ranger station to become Wilderness First Responders, ax and crosscut certified, and learned about the factors of wilderness character and how to exemplify them in the field. We are becoming equipped with the tools needed (no pun intended) to become fully fledged wilderness fellows and properly care for wilderness using traditional primitive tools.

This is near Powell Ranger Station in Lolo, ID. Pictured is Olivia Hinds and Wilderness Ranger Fellow Ariel Centeno practicing their freshly learned crosscut skills to become certified from the Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute. Photo was taken by Forest Service member, Ben, stationed in Chamberlain, ID.

These trainings have really allowed us to bond and get to know each other. We have been working together as one massive crew rather than the small groups we will be split up into in just a weeks’ time. We live at the same RV resort park together (feels like home right now), work together, and recreate and explore together. We’ve gone out to recreate in places like Rattlesnake and Blue Mountain, chatted at coffee shops like Cat Clyde, gone climbing at Mills Creek, checked out Missoula’s world class library, and enjoyed the nightlife and live music scene in town at places like the Union. I am feeling grateful to be able to grow such strong bonds together and for the time we have been gifted to spend in Missoula. There are amazing people in this city’s community, as well as places to spend time outside and in town.

Here we are at Granite Peak RV Resort in Missoula where we have been camping for our training weeks. This is Oliva Hinds and crewmate Kieran Wilder practicing creating Swing and Swath arm wraps with materials we had available as part of our WFR homework. We used a car ice scraper, a book, and a fleece to wrap his arm. (Photo Credit: Heather Pendleton)

The thing that I did not expect was that we have begun applying our knowledge beyond our jobs and situations in the backcountry. We’ve started using WFR in every aspect of our day to day lives, taking the time to check in with one another and make sure we are okay, physically and mentally. This has also allowed us to practice team reasoning and problem solving outside of work hours. I myself even experienced this after a bad fall (pretty much a full yard sale with injuries across the frontal plane of my body) during a trail run at Rattlesnake Recreation Area. Once I regained composure, I immediately sat up on the trail and began assessing myself to see the damage. I went through my ABCDEs (airway, breathing, circulation, neurological deficits, and environmental conditions) to determine I had no life threats and the worst of my injuries included a sprained ankle and a large abrasion to my right knee.

I am excited to see our skills translate into the field, and to continue to build relationships with crewmates and greet fellows at the end of the season with stories and strength.

 

We’ve spent a good amount of time at our Wilderness First Responder training, learning that wilderness is not an easy place to exist without being aware. To remain safe in wilderness, we actively take risk management precautions and respond with what our instructor Leah likes to call “a can of calm” when necessary. We’ve grown closeness and trust in dealing with scenarios together, using each other as patients, and learning how to simultaneously take care of ourselves as well as others on our crew and people on the trails.

This is in Missoula College Montana where we reviewed our practical skills before the final day of WFR training where we practiced a mass casualty incident scenario. We reviewed litter carries, knots, splints and swing and swaths, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, implement stabilization, and wound treatments. Photo by Olivia Hinds.

This is along the Clark Fork River in Montana where we practiced some patient scenarios. These are SBFC staff members Dylan Barker and Peter Zimmerman getting into the acting to show off their fake impalement injuries. Photo by Olivia Hinds.

OLIVIA HINDS

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest | Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

Gonzaga University

Major: Biology

Olivia grew up in Star, Idaho and has always been an avid outdoor lover who likes to ski, climb, and run. Her experience includes working on a snorkel crew survey team with Idaho Fish and Game, trip leading, and researching salamander courtship gland morphology. After meeting two wilderness rangers in the Frank Church last summer, she was inspired to become one herself. She is interested in giving back Idaho’s public lands that she has spent so much time recreating on growing up through her passions of land management and outdoor education.

Training Week- Living, Learning, Laughing

Henry Kelso

Trail Crew Member

May 22-26: Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute

Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forests ︳Powell Ranger Station

Powell Ranger Station features an island along the Lochsa River that was once the campsite of Lewis and Clark!

Kicking off this 2023 season at SBFC, there is a lot of novelty in the people and places we visit. This past week, the fellows along with much of the SBFC staff traveled to Powell Ranger Station to participate in the Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute (NRWSI). This 5 day event brought many groups together including Forest Service, Parks Service, and other partner organizations. Together we spent time learning about wilderness values and stewardship, trail maintenance and of course cross-cut sawing!

The Pack Strings jam out in a barn, playing on a stage made of hay bales and surrounded by horses and foot stompin’ trails people.

This week was also a great opportunity to get to know one another. The staff and fellows have come from around the country to be a part of our mission to protect and enhance wilderness, so some proper introductions were in store. We camped together all week in the notorious Dumpster Alley, cooking up delicious meals and belly aching laughs. Every evening the lovely coordinators of NRWSI had an activity for us to join, such as a potluck, a game night, a talk with the legendary Smoke Elser, and to go out with a bang a performance from the talented Pack Strings, the bassist being our very own Connor Adams!

This week also gave us a chance to meet others outside of SBFC such as Forest Service staff or Montana Conservation Corps members. Being able to interact with so many who shared a common goal of wilderness stewardship was refreshing. It was encouraging to see so many bright faces that were excited to get their hands in the dirt and understood the value of wilderness. 

The NRWSI provided me with new relationships and a revived love for wilderness. The 2023 season is upon us and trails are waiting to be blazed! After this week I’m ready and eager to get out in the field, dig some tread and pull some saw!

Our fellows Kieran Wilder and Julian Brastow learning the ways of the cross-cut saw.

Henry Kelso

Trail Crew: Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest

Selway-Bitterroot & Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

Henry grew up in Asheville, NC, where he had access to lots of outdoor recreation in the Southern Appalachians. He and his family hiked often. Henry spent five months in 2021 on a trail crew for Montana Conservation Corps, where he gained good trail experience. He is currently a research technician at NC State and has done some field work collecting data. He feels that Wilderness is a unique way to connect people to the outdoors and contribute to conservation.

Branching Out

Karlissa Skinner

Wilderness Project Liaison

Season Summary

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness & Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness

This season, the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation introduced a new position, Wilderness Project Liaison, which I had the honor of spearheading. My primary responsibility was to lead and support a variety of volunteer projects, working collaboratively with our tireless superstar Volunteer Coordinator, Krissy, to coordinate and organize tools, gear, and food for each project. And I’ll admit: I was feeling a little apprehensive about the season. I spent February through May traveling in Costa Rica and Colombia, and immediately started my second season with SBFC on June 1 – not much time for transition! Not to mention all the new responsibilities and unknowns I was stepping into. But I was also so excited and curious about this new opportunity, for both SBFC as an organization and myself personally. And now that the season has come to an end I can genuinely and enthusiastically say that I had an exceptionally positive experience. Here are some glimpses of the awesome partner groups and individuals I had the opportunity to work with this summer:

Cheers to the Whisky Society for clearing 550 trees in 1.76 miles, yikes!

Stunning views of an encroaching thunderstorm from St. Mary Peak.

The youth of America (specifically high schoolers with partner group Johnson County Conservation all the way from Iowa) is out clearing trails in the snow, folks. There may be hope yet!

Sierra Club and high schoolers with Inspiring Connections Outdoors. These folks came from New York, California, Texas, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Iowa to tackle some very technical trees on the Big Sand Lake Trail.

More environmentally passionate youth! From Dallas County Conservation in Iowa, this group broke their record for number of trees cleared from the Tom Beal Trail they have been stewarding for years.

An incredibly exciting and inspring new partnership with HereMT, helping diversify and expand outdoor access and representation of BIPOC folks (photo credit to Alex Kim).

Before

& After! With some fun folks from the American Hiking Society.

All women’s trail crew (plus Bill the packer)! Pulaski Users Group Pulaski-ing the patriarchy!

These valiant volunteers spent the day cleaning up ~20 pounds of trash and other unspeakables from Jerry Johnson Hotsprings. Anyone need a DVD player?

I worked with doctors, engineers, photographers, artists, entrepreneurs, tech folks, high schoolers, teachers, and more. We celebrated birthdays, belly-laughed over riddles, built snowpeople, outran thunderstorms, swam in alpine lakes, fed mules peanut butter, listened to poetry recitations, and ate great food. I was even graciously offered financial advice (crucial for a seasonal trail worker). But most importantly we never stopped marveling at and appreciating the special beauty of wild places, all while clearing hundreds of trees from the trails that provide access to these places.

I really underestimated how fulfilling it would be to work with so many different volunteers. I feel grateful to have met so many fun, kind, and inspiring Wilderness enthusiasts who choose to spend their free time giving back to the trails they love, as well as sharing their unique knowledge and gifts. If any of you volunteers are reading this- thank you! SBFC couldn't do what we do without each and every one of you. And I am certainly grateful for another rewarding season with SBFC. I hope to see everyone out on the trails again next season!

KARLISSA SKINNER, WILDERNESS PROJECT LIAISON

Karlissa spent her summers hiking and camping around Helena, Montana. Her conservation corps experience doing trail work and living in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness helped her to discover her love for the natural world and wilderness conservation. Karlissa is an avid rock climber, backpacker, and river rafter.

Why Work in Wilderness

Clint Kingery

Lead Wilderness Steward

September 13-21

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest | East Moose Creek Trail #421

The last hitch of the season is freshly over and trail #421 is clear from Elk Summit to Moose Creek Ranger Station once more.

This has always been a particularly hard time of year for me and for most of us in this line of work. We will soon be leaving a workplace packed with the best. Rent won’t be getting the same pause as our paychecks. Light and laughter is traded again for long nights and cozy blankets. When the pay is the same as what every teenager makes and it only lasts for a handful of months, it’s not hardly possible to put away much of a safety net.

The upcoming month will be full of job interviews that follow the format “So, it looks like you are a seasonal worker, will you be leaving us next May?” and “Thanks for your application, but we are going to go with a candidate that will stay with us long term.” In the past few winters, I have worked front desk at a hotel, I have worked for an arborist that didn’t believe in hard hats or chaps or insurance, I have punched data into a computer, I have cleared snow, I have called and found resources for the ill and housebound.

This is the most challenging thing about modern Wilderness work. The off-seasons make hauling tools and 9 days of food up just shy of a mile in elevation feel easy. They make driving icy spears of rain feel almost comforting. They make you nostalgic for the clouds of biting flies. They make you look at soft skin and wish it was sun-scorched and blistered and peeling again.

So why do we do this? Well the cheap answer is ‘Wilderness is worth it’. And those of us wearing holes in the soles of our boots know this. It is true. It is worth it. I could wax poetic for years about all the good that we do for the micro and mega fauna, for the grand cedars and the soft moss, for the hikers and the hunters and the pilots and the rafters and the outfitters and the firefighters, for the surrounding communities that are built on opportunity created by Wilderness, for the smell of the crisp fall mornings and the dry grasses and sub-alpine firs, for our strong backs and stronger legs, for preservation of history and protection of indigenous heritage, for traditional skills, for equity and empowerment, for place and belonging, for adventure and freedom, for the honor and memory of those that preceded us, for the well-being and wonderful naive passion of those that will follow us, for a July strawberry ripened in the sun.

But that good that we do doesn’t even start to answer why we do this. That doesn’t make the off-season any easier. That doesn’t keep my car running or my belly full. It doesn’t mean I can suddenly afford that dentist appointment that I have been putting off for the last decade. It doesn’t mean that the daily trauma I put my body through during the season is magically healed and ready for another year. It doesn’t benefit us directly like a steady paycheck would.

If you were to ask me if I would keep working in and for Wilderness, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes. If you were to ask me if you ought to get into Wilderness work, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes. If you were to ask me if SBFC is a good place to do Wilderness work, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes. I’ve included some pictures that might start to explain why we do this. But if you were to actually ask me why we do this, the only honest answer I’ve got for you is: “I don’t know, I just work here.”

Charlie near snowline on Boulder Creek Trail #211 in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest; Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

Mysterious granite ball found in Surprise Creek near Seven Lakes, in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest; Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

Nick & Jacob’s caterpillar photo shoot.

Charlie and Mack demonstrating crosscut saw use to Idaho Trails Association volunteers on Goat Ridge Trail #526 in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest; Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

Bre and a grouse nest on Rock Creek Trail in the Bitterroot National Forest; Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

Smoke over East Moose Creek from near trail #486 in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest; Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

That’s a wrap! Walt on Storm Creek Trail #77 in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest; Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

CLINT KINGERY

NEZ PERCE-CLEARWATER NF LEAD WILDERNESS STEWARD

Clint grew up in Helena, Montana. He first discovered his love for Wilderness while working on trails in the Sawtooth Wilderness. He has also worked in the heart of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and knows the Moose Creek area well. Clint is uncompromisingly passionate about Wilderness.

SBFC Board Project

Jim Heidelberger & Deb Gale

SBFC Board Chair & Vice Chair

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest | Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

From left: Julie, Jim, Ed, Deb, and Gil

While summer is the time for weddings, family reunions, hiking rafting, etc., a few SBFC board members made their way in July to Elk Summit in the southeast corner of the Powell-Lochsa Ranger District of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.

The view from Diablo Lookout

Three board members and two spouses camped at Hoodoo Campground at the edge of the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness for our board’s annual volunteer project.  Arriving a day early allowed us to hike to Diablo Lookout and gaze into the spectacular East Moose/Selway watershed reminding us how vast these wildlands are.

Saturday, bright and early Phil Ralston, the Elk Summit host and former Powell fire crew member from the  1970’s, started with a safety briefing and our project description.  Our mission: to install new signs and posts along the local access road and camp loop drives within Hoodoo Campground.  Snow, wind, and vandals had damaged and degraded the existing signs over time and due to COVID related staffing constraints the replacement of the signs had been delayed.

Board Chair, Jim Heidelberger and his wife Julie, Board Vice-Chair, Deb Gale and her husband Gil and John Lloyd, a board member and retired homebuilder from Sun Valley all grabbed shovels, picks and pry bars, and starting digging new holes and removing old signs to replace with new signs.  By day’s end we had put up the nine posts and signs that had been provided for us. 

Before replacing a sign

After replacing the sign

The crew at work!

Saturday evening, a group of young men from Wisconsin hiked into the campground.  They had started near Hamilton a few days earlier and crossed over Blodgett Pass.   Although they were in good physical shape, it seems they had not planned their food allotment well enough.  Fortunately, as so often happens on camping trips, we had more food than we could ever eat.  So, the young men were invited over for dinner with us and for coffee and breakfast the next morning before they pushed off for Moose Creek.  Everyone left happy and well fed and later this summer followed up with a very kind note of thanks.

We headed home on Sunday, having spent three wonderful evenings together in this remote and beautiful setting.  The meals were great and the conversations involved lots of laughs and good stories.  The central attraction stationed in the kitchen was Jim’s world class “Detonator.”  A colossal stainless steel French press with a handle like a blasting plunger, capable of producing about a gallon of fine coffee. We all agreed how lucky we are to be able to enjoy these magnificent wilderness areas that surround us. 

Holding on to Wilderness

Jay Majersky

Trail Crew Leader

Nez Perce-Clearwater NF | Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

When it comes to field work, there is so much that you experience: the comfort of a warm sweater on a cool night after a hot August day; laying in a hammock with stars up above you on a moonless night as frogs and crickets chirp in chorus and a lone bull elk bugles far far away; the hoppy scent of pine trees and the smoky aroma of cedar, or the rich smell of petrichor, wet leaves, and creek water as you walk -tools in hand- to the worksite a few miles away from where you set up camp. Let’s not forget the mornings when you wake up to frost and are camped at snowline, or the storms, the heat, the bugs and any other things that make this job difficult.

In the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests- Selway Bitterroot Wilderness

Yet, every single year I am routinely reminded that the most important thing is that people and not places make the experience. It’s best to hold on to the laughs shared, the mud-caked boots circling around a campfire to dry out, the foraged mushrooms shared and sauteed and added to dinner, or the crew gathered around a propped up phone and watching a movie, or “going it alone” in a game of Euchre. The moments when teamwork prevails and the impossible becomes reality; building bridges you’ve been planning for weeks to do, the feeling of pointing out different peaks when you finally get a break from brushing and get to climb up to the peak of a mountain you and the crew have been working on for months.

The last few nights I spent during our last hitch of the season I would lay down and think about how it could be possible to hold all of Wilderness in one’s heart? What shape does it take internally and what does that look like? Was it even possible? Maybe it is only possible to contain the entirety of any space within yourself through the memories you share with others and the feelings you experience within yourself.

SBFC’s 2022 Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest Trail Crew

JAY MAJERSKY, NEZ PERCE-CLEARWATER NF TRAIL CREW LEADER

Jay hails from Connecticut. They started doing trail work when they moved to Missoula in 2017. Jay started backpacking when they spent three months on the Appalachian Trail in 2015 and has gone on to work in nine different Wilderness areas across Idaho, Montana, and Arizona over the last six years. Having a job that allows Jay to backpack, work, and explore these wild and remote areas of America feeding their wanderlust is a surreal dream. This is Jay’s second season with SBFC.

Seasonal Transitions

Madeline Williams

Wilderness Steward

Hitch #7 | August 30-September 7

Salmon-Challis National Forest | Frank Church Wilderness

A plume of smoke rises in the distance, an unfavorable fall trait.

The amount of light gradually dwindles each day like the amber leaves of an aspen tree. Mornings become colder and damper, making it rather tempting to stay bundled up in my sleeping bag. The geese say their farewell as they head towards warmer climates. The rivers and streams flow with less velocity as the high-mountain snow no longer has anything to give. The chipmunks, squirrels, and pikas are in a race to collect and store as much food as possible. This is fall. This is change.

As the winter equinox draws closer, the sunrise peaks later in the day.

Each year, when the season transitions from summer into fall, I am humbled by nature’s ability to react and respond for the sake of survival. There is an innate impulse to move, to change. It’s as if an internal clock has alarmed. What causes this phenomenon to happen? Even humans don’t fully understand. However, we can embrace the fact that something is beyond us, that change will happen regardless of our comprehension.

Madeline Williams, Salmon-Challis National Forest Wilderness Steward

Madeline grew up in a small community in Southeastern Idaho called Soda Springs. She has been engaged in environmental-related work from a very young age. She has experience in outdoor education, water sampling, rangeland management, and more. Her passion for the outdoors stems from a combination of personal and academic experiences. Madeline is committed to doing everything in her power to protect and preserve natural areas and those that inhabit them.

Wilderness Snippets

Bre Scott

Wilderness Ranger Fellow

Payette National Forest | Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

This week, instead of sharing written blogs, we’re excited to share a video! Every summer at the end of the Wilderness Ranger Fellow season, we ask Fellows to present a final project to SBFC staff, board members, and friends. The projects range from deep dives into wildlife (birds and bugs were highlights this year!), to odes to work pants, to parody Yelp reviews of trails they worked on.

This year, one of the Fellows created a video recap of her season. We love this glimpse into life in the wilderness and hope you do too!

Wilderness Ranger Fellow- Bre Scott- Final Project

BREANA SCOTT

Payette National Forest | Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness

Texas State University

Major: Recreation Administration

Breana grew up in Odessa, Texas and will graduate in May 2022 from Texas State University with a degree in Recreation Administration. She plans to continue her academic career and work towards a graduate degree. At sixteen, Breana worked at a Boy Scout Ranch and fell in love with the idea of being an outdoor professional. In 2021, she did conservation work in Oregon and Washington. This experience shifted her career and personal priorities. It fueled her interest to contribute to wilderness lands through conservation efforts. Breana loves adventuring, including kayaking, canyoneering, or backpacking.

Micro Wildlife

Jacob Mick

Trail Crew Member

Hitch #6: August 17-24th

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest | Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness 

The wilderness is a great place to go if you're trying to have intimate encounters with wildlife. Unfortunately when you're doing trail work, you're often making too much noise to get many of those experiences.

This season I'd only really seen a couple whitetail deer and a frog (and millions of mosquitos) until my last hitch.

It was an ordinary day of trail work, we were doing some retread on trail 220, when I looked downslope to see the biggest and brightest caterpillar of my life! I brought it to the attention of Clint and Nick who also were amazed by the size and color of the caterpillar.

We proceeded to have a short wilderness critter appreciation moment before returning to work; it was really neat.

So I may not have seen a majestic moose or burly bear this season, but I did see one coooooool caterpillar.

Editor’s Note: We believe this caterpillar to be a Cercropia Silk Moth Caterpillar, which will turn into a giant silk moth! Learn more: https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Cecropia-Silk-Moth

JACOB MICK

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Trail Crew

Jacob grew up in Michigan and went to college at Northern Michigan University (NMU). While attending NMU, he took a trail building class and proceeded to do trail work with a local nonprofit after graduating. Jacob is passionate about wilderness because it's where he finds solitude and recuperates from the humdrum of modern life.