Oh what a trip, what a trip. Well here's a little quick breakdown to give you an idea:
Total Days: 21
Days of Work: 14
Total Hours of Work: 126
Days Off: 2
Recreation Trip Days: 4
Number of Times Doing Laundry: 0 (2 if you count jumping in the lake with clothes on)
Number of Showers: 0....
Well I wanted a wilderness adventure...and I definitely got that and much more. I don't even know how to start to explain my 3 week trip, but I guess I should start at the beginning. I flew from Chicago to Seattle, spent the night at my Uncle's house in Seattle, then flew from Seattle to Lewiston, Idaho the next morning. The 7 other high schoolers from across the country all had the same connecting flight from Salt Lake City to Lewiston, so they had already been acquainted and stood next to the airport's one and only baggage claim waiting my arrival along with my 2 crew leaders. I met everyone and quickly learned that our group of teenagers was very diverse coming from California, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Florida with ranging experience in backpacking and hiking also. Our first lunch in the airport park was rather awkward, but we couldn't stop talking on our 2 hour ride from Lewiston to our campsite in the Clearwater National Forest. Leaving all civilization behind the 10 of us ventured into a forested inlet and started setting up our home for the next 2 1/2 weeks. A little bit off the gravel road sat our humble abode which included: kitchen area with a propane stove and hanging bags for our dishes, bear bins with food, sump for all left over liquids, tarped area for hanging out, and of course our clearly marked path to the latrine up the hill. Just through the forest and into the meadow is where we decided to set up our tents; one for the boys, one for the girls, and one for each leader.
By the time everything was set up we were starving and tired. A delicious meal of spicy curry was whipped up leaving us full and heading to our respective tents for our first night in the woods. Sleep fell upon us quickly but were woken sporadically throughout the night by the howling wolves, clucking wild turkeys, scampering ground squirrels, and then finally our leader Kyle singing "Bear Necessities" bright and early the next morning. The animal noises during the night became regular and expected but waking up early each work day was definitely a shock.
I really had no idea what to expect of our work site, all I knew is that we would be working on a trail system near a waterfall. We arrived at Elk Creek Falls after a winding drive through the forest and met our Forest Ranger who had all of our project plans. He took us on a 4 mile hike of the entire trail and showed us our project areas.
Projects:
Lower Falls:
Replace all fencing, create new retaining wall, replace 3 benches, create steps (box steps) clear trees and brush
Middle Falls:
Take down dead tree ,replace all fencing, create 2 retaining walls, create steps (timber steps), replace 1 bench, clear trees and brush
Upper Falls:
Replace horizontal boards on fencing, replace 2 benches, clear trees and brush
Additional:
Replace all remaining benches on all trails, stain and bolt all new trail signs and install them
On paper this might not seem like a lot of work but you have to remember one simple thing: these are non motorized trails, so there are no ATV's to help us bring all lumber, tools and equipment up and down the 1 1/2 miles of trail to each fall, it's all manual labor here. After 2 weeks of hauling in and out 6, 8, and 12 foot boards, I feel like a power lifter. Each day we worked from 8:30 am to 5 pm which meant we had to leave our campsite at 8am, and be awake to eat breakfast and make lunch around 7am. Working was actually a lot of fun, it was a great bonding time for the 10 of us. Tensions did run high towards the end of the project because we did have a deadline, but they all eventually got worked out and the project was successfully finished.
On our 2 days off we drove and explored the surrounding towns to learn a little more about the very diverse area we were staying in. One day we visited the largest tree east of the Sierra-Cascade Crest as well as exploring the millions of trees in the Cedar Groves. The second we drove to the Dworshak Dam and reservoir to learn about alternative energy and resources. Later that day we learned all about the Nez Perce Tribe, Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea at the Nez Perce Museum in Lewiston. All of these places were really interesting and I honestly learned a lot.
After 2 1/2 weeks of work, a fun break was much needed. We ended our work projects on a high note and continued the fun when we planned our 4 day recreation trip to the Stanley Hot Springs in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The first day of our trip we spent the morning cleaning up and saying goodbye to Elk Creek and our campsite then drove 3 hours to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness trail head. After such a long drive hiking 6 miles up a mountain was a definite no-go. So we spent the night at the camp ground swimming, eating and catching up on some much needed sleep. The hike up the mountain the next morning had a rough, steep start but flattened out. After crossing 2 rushing rivers we finally made it to the hot springs. The springs were....well hot and smelt a little like eggs but were glorious after a 6 mile hike. We spent the night running from the hot springs to the freezing cold river and making crazy new concoctions of food with all that we had left after our 3 week journey. The hike down the mountain the next afternoon was much easier than the way up and our rec trip ended with everyone feeling accomplished.
All in all, this trip was unlike anything that I've ever done before. I've never backpacked, hiked, or camped outside my backyard. Although I felt rather intimidated at first with the thought of no electricity, internet, texting, or running water, I soon realized that these things that consume so much of our daily lives are just amenities.
Baking gourmet dishes are decadent, but it's much more rewarding to eat nothing but oats and hot water for 2 straight days because that's when you learn you can make 30 different meals with just one basic ingredient. Texting your best friends back home is comforting, but it's heart warming to meet 9 other people who you'd never met before and leave feeling like you've known them your whole life, because that's what real friendship is. Taking a hot shower every day is enjoyable, but it's much more fun to jump into a freezing lake on a 40 degree day in the pouring rain because that's where real adventure is found.
To see more photos from my Idaho trip please visit my Flickr.
