I did trail maintenance on the Frank Church wilderness for about half a year. I fell in love seeing the plants, the mountain lakes, bugs, the wolves, and the bears. It was hell the first two hitches (10 days of work and 4 off) but once I got myself together it was amazing. I carried all my supplies and tools and just enjoyed everything around me while working like lick lake, Roosevelt trail, suicide rock, snow shoe, acorn, Beaver trail, and stopping in at Yellowpine. I always make time to go back up at least once a year.
Wilderness is sacred to those who love the outdoors. Next door, here in Wyoming, we have the Absaroka-Beartooth and Washakie (among many others) which are not only near, but very dear to my heart. I spend as much time in them as I can and they sooth my soul every time.
As someone who lives in PA but has spent a lot of time in Idaho….. what an amazing state. I really love being in idaho. Shame Californias are fleeing to that wonderful state
Another good thing about Idaho is it's the home of the most Republicans - a Red State for sure and one of the most beautiful. Keep it RED, Idaho. Way to go, Idaho!
I live in McCall Idaho and live a hop, skip and a jump from The Church. Please, please, please if you come to visit remember not to leave any trash. It's important to us in Idaho to leave a place cleaner than how you found it.
McCall is a cool place. Y'all have some friendly people there. I could live there. One of my favorite stops when I moved here to Montana. Took a few trips going through Idaho and I think McCall was the only spot we spotted regardless... other than getting gas in Salmon.
Lived in Idaho for 3 years. Had to leave. I’m trying to get back there soon. Love this state and all its beautiful places. This was my favorite show to watch every week always had very awesome episodes.
In the 1960s I helped build a new trail in the Big Horn Crags from Heart Lake to Terrace Lakes and down Waterfall Cr towards the Middle Fork. There was an existing trail that came up from Big Creek and dead ended so we were connecting the upper new trail we were building to the lower portion of the existing dead-end trail. This is the trail Peter Morrill mentions in the video. Back then it was named the Idaho Primitive Area and was later rechristened the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. We couldn't keep more than a skeleton trail crew which consisted of Karl Wennstrom, Pete Ravinsky, Albert Dorn and myself. We hired other help, but they never lasted more than a couple of days before they hiked back out without even asking for their paychecks. Albert Dorn and I were the horse/mule packers traveling about once every few weeks to get our supplies from Challis or Salmon City. Pete was the camp cook and always had homemade bread on hand. Karl and I would take homemade bread and a can of peach halves for lunch. You just haven’t lived until you’ve eaten peach halves between two slices of homemade bread. Even though it was designated wilderness we were allowed to use gas powered Cobra rock drills to drill and blast a trail out of the granite. We often had to rappel to drill the dynamite holes into granite cliffs/hillsides. Being young men and full of ourselves we found it great fun to pack the dynamite holes with enough explosive to blast and splash rocks in the Terrace Lakes down below. Big horn sheep usually showed up about mid-day to watch us work. They followed us as we moved down the trail each week and would bed down near us to watch us work while they chewed their cuds. I guess we were great entertainment for them.
Charlie Swearingen I loved your story you described about your time working in this wilderness, there is a certain romance in your description of the years gone bye, it is a true indication of the wonderful memories you have of your time and your part you had in the creation of this beautiful place, there are for sure hundreds and hundreds of things that you have done and seen back than that only you can tell and pass on, you are a part of that history, you should write a book!!
Incredible story, thank you for sharing! Last summer we hiked the ICT (videos on our page); the only thing that could have made it better would have been sliced peach sandwiches.
Very beautiful area that I have been in a few times. In the south east edge and been taken in when I was working for the forest service. I hope it will be protected forever!!!
As a native Idahoan who pays close attention to politics, I can say definitively that the creation of the Idaho Primitive Area did NOT cost Frank Church his political career. It was his support of the Panama Canal Treaty that did it. When Senator Church gave away the Panama Canal, Idahoans were VERY much pissed off.
I spend my time in the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness areas because that's where I live, but I'd love to explore the Frank and the Bob before I cash in my chips.
In reality, the Forest Service began locating Canadian wolves, who not only kill for food, they also kill for sport. Indigenous mountain lions are not responsible for reductions in Elk (and Deer, and others)...it's the wolves.
@@1guarino I and the rest of us love animals for many reason, as much as the next guy - except... Frankly, where these Canadian wolves roam, we don't give a shit about what you or anyone else thinks... It's not your livestock and local game animals being attacked. So, you learn to live with THAT ! Do what you want in your own area.... but we know the damage being done...apparently you are unaware, Ed.
This is probably the most comprehensive video taking place in the Frank besides our own. We watched this a bunch of times to prepare for the Idaho Centennial Trail. We have a bunch of 4k footage from last summer that takes place in the Frank; check out our page if interested.
Oh yes I am very interested but has anybody heard of a thing called right to privacy ? I'm pretty sure our fore fathers wrote it down for people that are unknownly being invaded that does not really make them any better then the low thief
As these people call themselves environmentalist. They should understand that wild fires are not an environmental threat. But are beneficial to the environment by cleansing old diseased and suffocating brush and trees. And rebirth of the environment. And food plots for birds and animals.
These wildfires in the Idaho forests are not standard fires. Since the bark beetles have arrived and killed so many trees it makes massive amounts of fuel for super fires. They burn so hot that they sterilize the soil. Nothing grows back, and creates massive mud slides in the spring that often fall into water sources. ALL Forest needs management. The earth is changing, and “environmentalists” only want to talk about the human impact on “global warming”, but not the fact that if we do nothing all our wilderness will be burnt to a crisp if we sit back and do nothing.
That and nature is self destructive, ergo all the species and habitats that have gone extinct over the millennia. People always give nature too much credit as if it is some sort of perfect god when it is not. Forests also migrate, but the forests of the inner pacific northwest are trapped within a general region. If proper logging(not stupid logging) does not take place, there will be a massive build up of fuel, causing a crown fire. This will cause soil acidification, literally killing the earth, and requiring man lead intervention afterwards. The environmentalists pushing for wilderness areas do not care about those places as they have all to often admitted. It is about control and pompous self righteousness on their part, which is too bad. Doesnt help when the forest service destroys bridges, dont maintain roads, make it impossible for local volunteers to fight fires, erase things off the map, and destroy old artifacts such as cabins, just to go on ahead and deny those things ever existed. My family has been in the Hells canyon country of idaho for 160 years, and during that time we have been ranchers and loggers, caretakers and part of the land.
@@johnphipps4105 The earth is constantly evolving and changing. But people today get alarmed at change from what they seen and know. Blaming humans for the change. Today blame is the name of the game. Every body blames someone for any change. Ignoring facts like Iceland is now green. And Greenland is now ice. And there are fossils of great seas, lakes and forest in the deserts and sea fossils in the mountains.
I disagree! it's important to share! without the Wilderness airfields, that would be almost impossible.. . Just remember folks! leave it better than you found it!!!
@@nmelkhunter1 I take it you're an inbred hillbilly with sensitivity issues. I bet you're a fat slob who lives in a trailer park who only gets off your ass long enough to get your disability check so you can buy some meth and then go elk hunting. I'm glad we had this conversation here and not on the phone because I'd probably not be able to understand a single word you were saying, Even if I have seen the movie DELIVERANCE several times.
@@thatwhiteguy5541 6’ and 185 isn’t fat. Come to New Mexico and hunt elk with me. But get some life insurance first since I’ll walk your sorry ass into the ground and the elevation will do you in.
@@nmelkhunter1 tough guy huh? Would probably be more believable if it weren't for your whiney bitch reply first. Busted. At least I learned that bullshit can be piled 6' high. Thank you for teaching that to me 😂
Fire will manage it just the way it's done for millennia. You don't have to make logging roads and bring in heavy equipment. Perhaps you don't quite understand how things were before the invention of the combustion engine and endless miles of dirt Roads throughout the National Forest. Fire, for better or for worse, manages the Forest all on its own.
@John Smith The problem with your approach is most forest are very over grown because of a lack of fire caused by the fire management approach for the last 100 plus years. Also, we can continue logging as long as we do so intelligently. Mechanical thinning works well when the fuel load can lead to fires that scorch the top soil and leave it effectively infertile. Mechanical thinning works really well in PJ forest that are very over grown.
20:24 "cougar populations are self regulating" lol...lmfao...how did this make it through editing and fact checking. My 1st degree was in Biology and others after, but this statement has absolutely NO validity🙄🙄
The wolves there aren't long for the world. Idaho Fish and game decided to eradicate them. They give away tags for $11.50 with a 10 wolf bag limit, plus they have government hunters flying into the Frank church and shooting them from planes.
Yes. I actually do believe it. What is evidence in your opinion? Creationist and evolutionist have the same evidence we just interpret it differently. I honestly don't like to argue though. I just felt like I had something important to say on this one, but obviously you disagree. It was kinda crazy for me to talk about space and then amoebas. Sorry. Anyway I realize Christians in general don't handle this topic very well. I'm a Christian and I don't handle it great either. I don't like to tell people off or anything. I'm not one of those people who yell "Jesus" at random strangers on the streets. The only real answer I have to this is that science is observation. You can't call it scientific fact if you didn't see earth when it formed.
I actually find you funny. You're really smart and I'm not just saying that. Really. I don't think that it's a trick of Satan. Lol! Is that even something people say?
He is right though. The rich are the only that benefit, everyone else(who are mainly the poor in terms of money making) are cut off the land their families have lived on for generations in total egalitarianism in regards to social class(a millionaire and a person living without running water would be neighbors and best friends) are crammed into cities, their identity destroyed, made wage slaves to the rich, and the federal government destroy all traces of these people, and deny that they were ever there
I did trail maintenance on the Frank Church wilderness for about half a year. I fell in love seeing the plants, the mountain lakes, bugs, the wolves, and the bears. It was hell the first two hitches (10 days of work and 4 off) but once I got myself together it was amazing. I carried all my supplies and tools and just enjoyed everything around me while working like lick lake, Roosevelt trail, suicide rock, snow shoe, acorn, Beaver trail, and stopping in at Yellowpine. I always make time to go back up at least once a year.
Wilderness is sacred to those who love the outdoors. Next door, here in Wyoming, we have the Absaroka-Beartooth and Washakie (among many others) which are not only near, but very dear to my heart. I spend as much time in them as I can and they sooth my soul every time.
We hiked the Absaroka-Beartooth last summer on our way from Glacier to Yellowstone. What an incredible place.
As someone who lives in PA but has spent a lot of time in Idaho….. what an amazing state. I really love being in idaho. Shame Californias are fleeing to that wonderful state
Another good thing about Idaho is it's the home of the most Republicans - a Red State for sure and one of the most beautiful. Keep it RED, Idaho. Way to go, Idaho!
@@outdoorztime2923 hopefully they can keep it that way. Shithead Californians have been flooding out there
Red as in red hair brook
@@totenfurwotan4478 along with shitheads from every other state as well...
I wish i could hike these beautiful mountains one day. Greetings from Chicago
Please make the plans. Don't wait until you no longer can. Just do it! You will create a lifetime of memories and love for this great wilderness.
What part of the city you live?
Armitage and kedzie
I live in McCall Idaho and live a hop, skip and a jump from The Church. Please, please, please if you come to visit remember not to leave any trash. It's important to us in Idaho to leave a place cleaner than how you found it.
McCall is a cool place. Y'all have some friendly people there. I could live there. One of my favorite stops when I moved here to Montana. Took a few trips going through Idaho and I think McCall was the only spot we spotted regardless... other than getting gas in Salmon.
Uh I try to help my church out by helping less fortunate with maybe clothing them or somebody they might know thank u very much
Let's protect this beautiful country!
therealdrag0 I live in this beautiful country and I wholeheartedly agree!
Agreed
Lived in Idaho for 3 years. Had to leave. I’m trying to get back there soon. Love this state and all its beautiful places. This was my favorite show to watch every week always had very awesome episodes.
In the 1960s I helped build a new trail in the Big Horn Crags from Heart Lake to Terrace Lakes and down Waterfall Cr towards the Middle Fork. There was an existing trail that came up from Big Creek and dead ended so we were connecting the upper new trail we were building to the lower portion of the existing dead-end trail. This is the trail Peter Morrill mentions in the video. Back then it was named the Idaho Primitive Area and was later rechristened the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.
We couldn't keep more than a skeleton trail crew which consisted of Karl Wennstrom, Pete Ravinsky, Albert Dorn and myself. We hired other help, but they never lasted more than a couple of days before they hiked back out without even asking for their paychecks. Albert Dorn and I were the horse/mule packers traveling about once every few weeks to get our supplies from Challis or Salmon City. Pete was the camp cook and always had homemade bread on hand. Karl and I would take homemade bread and a can of peach halves for lunch. You just haven’t lived until you’ve eaten peach halves between two slices of homemade bread.
Even though it was designated wilderness we were allowed to use gas powered Cobra rock drills to drill and blast a trail out of the granite. We often had to rappel to drill the dynamite holes into granite cliffs/hillsides. Being young men and full of ourselves we found it great fun to pack the dynamite holes with enough explosive to blast and splash rocks in the Terrace Lakes down below. Big horn sheep usually showed up about mid-day to watch us work. They followed us as we moved down the trail each week and would bed down near us to watch us work while they chewed their cuds. I guess we were great entertainment for them.
Awesome!
Charlie Swearingen I loved your story you described about your time working in this wilderness, there is a certain romance in your description of the years gone bye, it is a true indication of the wonderful memories you have of your time and your part you had in the creation of this beautiful place, there are for sure hundreds and hundreds of things that you have done and seen back than that only you can tell and pass on, you are a part of that history, you should write a book!!
Thank you for sharing
Incredible story, thank you for sharing! Last summer we hiked the ICT (videos on our page); the only thing that could have made it better would have been sliced peach sandwiches.
Thank you real men.paycheck also was the trail.
I just bought property in Idaho in the mountains and love it.
LUCKY.
Very beautiful area that I have been in a few times. In the south east edge and been taken in when I was working for the forest service. I hope it will be protected forever!!!
Lol watching those otters belly slide on the side is too cute
i just want to say a big thankyou to all the people who fight to safe these great places i just wish i could visit
God, I love Idaho. I've lived there twice in my life and visit every summer. I will retire there God willing.
What a beautiful video presentation! Thank you!
Would be a dream of mine to just stay there forever. I love the wilderness......
Mine to but only with a person that wants to be real
wow that Colorado sure is beautiful.
It sure is! The only draw back is it's a BLUE State.
Nice video 👍
Pretty country.
As a native Idahoan who pays close attention to politics, I can say definitively that the creation of the Idaho Primitive Area did NOT cost Frank Church his political career. It was his support of the Panama Canal Treaty that did it. When Senator Church gave away the Panama Canal, Idahoans were VERY much pissed off.
Like most good things, Frank Church is best appreciated after his death.
Aww maybe they will reconsider and give Panama a chance to prove once and for all how wrong u messed up thinking got u into.
I spend my time in the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness areas because that's where I live, but I'd love to explore the Frank and the Bob before I cash in my chips.
I was at Crazy Creek last Summer. Will be returning.
In reality, the Forest Service began locating Canadian wolves, who not only kill for food, they also kill for sport. Indigenous mountain lions are not responsible for reductions in Elk (and Deer, and others)...it's the wolves.
Lots of folks value wolves as much as elk. Learn to live with it.
@@1guarino I and the rest of us love animals for many reason, as much as the next guy - except... Frankly, where these Canadian wolves roam, we don't give a shit about what you or anyone else thinks...
It's not your livestock and local game animals being attacked.
So, you learn to live with THAT ! Do what you want in your own area.... but we know the damage being done...apparently you are unaware, Ed.
@@1guarino awe, you bleedin hearts are a laugh...🤣
Like most visionaries and heroes, Frank Church became fully appreciated after his death.
This is probably the most comprehensive video taking place in the Frank besides our own. We watched this a bunch of times to prepare for the Idaho Centennial Trail. We have a bunch of 4k footage from last summer that takes place in the Frank; check out our page if interested.
Oh yes I am very interested but has anybody heard of a thing called right to privacy ? I'm pretty sure our fore fathers wrote it down for people that are unknownly being invaded that does not really make them any better then the low thief
@@vicki2545 Wth are you talkin about...
I've got a pocket full of wolf tags and the time and ability to do my part! Looking forward to Fall 2018!
hope you get some wolves save an elk today. call 1-800 save an elk today to save an elk just kidding but go get some wolves!
The wolves don’t need your time or “ability”
Gee. What a hero.
Lmao that's fine I'm sure God will grant me a very special kind of healing
Nice places
As these people call themselves environmentalist. They should understand that wild fires are not an environmental threat. But are beneficial to the environment by cleansing old diseased and suffocating brush and trees. And rebirth of the environment. And food plots for birds and animals.
So true, walk thru a burn area 1 or 2 years later and look what nature did, beautiful new growth and flowers.
These wildfires in the Idaho forests are not standard fires. Since the bark beetles have arrived and killed so many trees it makes massive amounts of fuel for super fires. They burn so hot that they sterilize the soil. Nothing grows back, and creates massive mud slides in the spring that often fall into water sources. ALL Forest needs management. The earth is changing, and “environmentalists” only want to talk about the human impact on “global warming”, but not the fact that if we do nothing all our wilderness will be burnt to a crisp if we sit back and do nothing.
That and nature is self destructive, ergo all the species and habitats that have gone extinct over the millennia. People always give nature too much credit as if it is some sort of perfect god when it is not. Forests also migrate, but the forests of the inner pacific northwest are trapped within a general region. If proper logging(not stupid logging) does not take place, there will be a massive build up of fuel, causing a crown fire. This will cause soil acidification, literally killing the earth, and requiring man lead intervention afterwards. The environmentalists pushing for wilderness areas do not care about those places as they have all to often admitted. It is about control and pompous self righteousness on their part, which is too bad. Doesnt help when the forest service destroys bridges, dont maintain roads, make it impossible for local volunteers to fight fires, erase things off the map, and destroy old artifacts such as cabins, just to go on ahead and deny those things ever existed. My family has been in the Hells canyon country of idaho for 160 years, and during that time we have been ranchers and loggers, caretakers and part of the land.
@@johnphipps4105 The earth is constantly evolving and changing. But people today get alarmed at change from what they seen and know. Blaming humans for the change. Today blame is the name of the game. Every body blames someone for any change. Ignoring facts like Iceland is now green. And Greenland is now ice. And there are fossils of great seas, lakes and forest in the deserts and sea fossils in the mountains.
Exactly.
I disagree! it's important to share! without the Wilderness airfields, that would be almost impossible.. . Just remember folks! leave it better than you found it!!!
Ouch, that looked like an! excellent headache
Idaho is so small, I've randomly met two of the people featured in this.
Should not be any question about it!
❤️❤️❤️
I hope the fire policy has changed.
I'm moving there! I've explored all I could in the smokies and about had enough of these hillbillies
You are an arrogant ass.
@@nmelkhunter1 I take it you're an inbred hillbilly with sensitivity issues. I bet you're a fat slob who lives in a trailer park who only gets off your ass long enough to get your disability check so you can buy some meth and then go elk hunting.
I'm glad we had this conversation here and not on the phone because I'd probably not be able to understand a single word you were saying,
Even if I have seen the movie DELIVERANCE several times.
@@thatwhiteguy5541 6’ and 185 isn’t fat. Come to New Mexico and hunt elk with me. But get some life insurance first since I’ll walk your sorry ass into the ground and the elevation will do you in.
@@nmelkhunter1 tough guy huh? Would probably be more believable if it weren't for your whiney bitch reply first. Busted. At least I learned that bullshit can be piled 6' high. Thank you for teaching that to me 😂
Pack more out than in. even if you have to hunt for half an hour to find a cigarette butt.
A fun “scary “ story
Excedrin headache=when the elk hit
Still, needs to be managed or it will turn into a tinderbox.
WELL SAID!!!
Fire will manage it just the way it's done for millennia. You don't have to make logging roads and bring in heavy equipment. Perhaps you don't quite understand how things were before the invention of the combustion engine and endless miles of dirt Roads throughout the National Forest. Fire, for better or for worse, manages the Forest all on its own.
@John Smith The problem with your approach is most forest are very over grown because of a lack of fire caused by the fire management approach for the last 100 plus years. Also, we can continue logging as long as we do so intelligently. Mechanical thinning works well when the fuel load can lead to fires that scorch the top soil and leave it effectively infertile. Mechanical thinning works really well in PJ forest that are very over grown.
@@JohnSmith-wv1db ⚡ Anyone?
Looks like its been hit hard with agent orange to me.
That's wilderness Idaho pork. I hope that sow always keeps oinking.
Church went after the CIA, that's what killed his career.
Can't tell if you are joking. Church was voted out by a coalition of true idiots.
Frank or Adman
No I think a lot of people look at it like, it’s a place that’s controlled by government
Such a jaded viewpoint, F bomb.
20:24 "cougar populations are self regulating" lol...lmfao...how did this make it through editing and fact checking. My 1st degree was in Biology and others after, but this statement has absolutely NO validity🙄🙄
The wolves there aren't long for the world. Idaho Fish and game decided to eradicate them. They give away tags for $11.50 with a 10 wolf bag limit, plus they have government hunters flying into the Frank church and shooting them from planes.
Ted Heistman GOOD
You are so confused.
ua-cam.com/video/ysa5OBhXz-Q/v-deo.html
Luke Steelhammer who is,,and about what. ??
You’re misinformed on a lot of things.
Yes, those people settled this country after we took it from America's first people.
Pro wolf is a sure way to build anti wilderness sentiment. Canadian wolves belong in Canada.
Yes. I actually do believe it. What is evidence in your opinion? Creationist and evolutionist have the same evidence we just interpret it differently. I honestly don't like to argue though. I just felt like I had something important to say on this one, but obviously you disagree. It was kinda crazy for me to talk about space and then amoebas. Sorry. Anyway I realize Christians in general don't handle this topic very well. I'm a Christian and I don't handle it great either. I don't like to tell people off or anything. I'm not one of those people who yell "Jesus" at random strangers on the streets. The only real answer I have to this is that science is observation. You can't call it scientific fact if you didn't see earth when it formed.
I actually find you funny. You're really smart and I'm not just saying that. Really. I don't think that it's a trick of Satan. Lol! Is that even something people say?
funny only the rich are the true beneficiarys ,air planes,jet boats and ranches
I'm not rich. you don't have to be to learn how to fly and rent an airplane
He is right though. The rich are the only that benefit, everyone else(who are mainly the poor in terms of money making) are cut off the land their families have lived on for generations in total egalitarianism in regards to social class(a millionaire and a person living without running water would be neighbors and best friends) are crammed into cities, their identity destroyed, made wage slaves to the rich, and the federal government destroy all traces of these people, and deny that they were ever there
This is BS
Sorry. Did all that thinking give you a headache?
You forgot the P