The Nimíipuu made me do it..

Joseph, Oregon                 

In 2005, it was in this more-than-this-out of the way place where I began bicycling  the Nez Perce National Historic Trail. A journey that took me through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and the Nez Perce’s finale in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana. This Native American history lesson covered 1,900 road miles. Back then, I was a cycling fanatic instead of a hiking, IPA drinking fanatic. (In another era I pedaled over 100,000 miles in a ten year span). 

The Nez Perce story is a sad one. It’s about an inspiring Leader (Chief Joseph), broken treaties, chase scenes, multiple battles, death and capitulation in the low lying wind swept Bear Paw Mountains. In August, 1877, the Nez Perce were captured just short of their Promised Land. Canada. 

To this day, that ride was one of the most interesting and exciting adventures I ever completed. 

Of course, I wrote a story about it. For $3.00 you can purchase the complete work on Kindle. 

Here’s the link: 

https://www.amazon.com/Wandering-Jew-Pursues-Nee-Me-Poo-ebook/dp/B007HQXI86

Joseph, OR is the official National Park Service starting line of the Nez Perce Historic Trail. Thirteen years ago, I took a rest day here to take in all things Nez Perce related and to get a glimpse of the nearby Eagle Cap Wilderness. I ambled up Wallowa Trail wearing uncomfortable bicycle touring shoes. I saw lots of mountains. They were teasing me to take a closer look. I knew I’d return one day. 

I arrived just prior to the long Labor Day weekend. Bad timing on my part. 

I was fortunate to score a campsite in an RV Park owned by a few Stoners. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but is it asking too much for them to empty the garbage cans or clean the bathrooms?) I was told I could stay for a few nights, but had to leave on Saturday and Sunday. They were booked up. 

This provided me with an excuse to load my backpack and head uphill. But first, I needed some locals hiking advice. I purchased a Eagle Cap Wilderness map to bring with me to the US Forest Service office. It was a busy place. I wasn’t the only hiker in remote Northeast Oregon. I waited my turn.  

After a smile and a cheery “Good Morning!” I got down to the point, (there was a queue forming behind me), “What area will I find the highest concentration of Alpine scenery?” This wasn’t the first time she heard this question, “Lake Basin. But with the Labor Day Weekend, it’ll be crowded. The Eagle Cap Wilderness has been discovered.” 

Indeed it had been. Early on the Saturday of the Long Weekend, I drove to the end of the Wallowa Road. The official trailhead parking lot was full. I found a pull off on the side of the road  about a quarter mile away. Now my challenge would be scoring a campsite. Off I went at a highly caffeinated clip. My goal was Horseshoe Lake about nine miles away. I passed many hikers with the same idea in mind. 

The first six miles of the hike is in the Wallowa River Canyon. A steep sided place where the summer sun is seldom seen. The hike wasn’t all that interesting among the trees with mere glimpses of the river. At Six Mile Meadow I turned hard right and plunged across the waterway. From that point, I had three miles of uphill along a series gentle switchbacks. As usual, the views improved exponentially. 

When I made Hourglass Lake, I crossed over a logjam to a tiny peninsula. I looked left, right, behind and in front of me. No tents! For two nights, I would occupy (without bad intentions) a Federal piece of lakeside property. Perfect. It was noon. I spent the rest of the day, watching potential squatters hike by and trout rising up for flies. A great start for my weekend. 

I woke to a mirror glass reflection of nearby Hurricane Ridge. After eating a humble breakfast washed down with two Starbucks shots, I packed for the day. My goal was the namesake of the Wilderness: 9,573’ Eagle Cap Peak. A nearly 14 mile round trip hike.

I strolled by a series of Lakes: Lee, Douglas, Moccasin and Mirror. The closer I got to Mirror Lake the higher the concentration of tents and backpackers there were. It was getting on to RV Park packed. That’s a lot of people in a small area. (At Hourglass, I had three neighbors spread out over a half mile. Not bad.) 

The flat summit of Eagle Cap was a small mob scene with a few snarling dogs. I snuck off to a scenic side for a bit of quiet. The Wallowa Mountains aren’t the punk spiky prominences one might find in the Sawtooths of Idaho, or the Wind River Range of Wyoming or the Sierra Nevada’s of California. Most seem rounded and approachable. From my vantage point, they looked user friendly and somewhat bucolic, although getting to them would require plenty of sweat labor. Remember those steep sided glacier created canyons. All in all, I gave the Wilderness two-thumbs up. It’s a beauty. 

Now I’ll attempt to make a point: Eagle Cap Wilderness is not easy to get to. The main trailhead is literally at the end of a long, thin, twisty two lane road. There are no population centers nearby. The closest is Boise (over 2.5 hours away). The furthest is Seattle (more than 5 plus hours away). Yet people come. Many Americans and Passport bearing visitors lust for Wilderness. They will spend time, energy and money in their efforts to visit these special places. This is the BIGLIEST reason why removing acreage from preservation/conservation status (IE: Grand Staircase/Escalante and Bear Ears National Monuments) is short sighted and just plain STUPID. 

This is what I’m learning about Public Land. Create/Protect or Preserve it and People will come. Oh Yes! People will come. Saving Wild Lands for present and future generations is BIGLY smart and the right thing to do. 

Read more about this concept. 

http://jeffsambur.blogspot.ch/2017/06/in-june-1864-abraham-lincoln-signed-act.html

Chief Joseph and the Nimíipuu would approve of this message.

Still waiting for an overpriced new engine for Barley the Van in Chelan, WA.

Jeff

How to Hug a Redwood...

I’m a tree hugger. That’s probably one of the BIGLY-est reasons I attended Syracuse’s College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry. I reckoned my career path would lead me to many trails of trees. 

In the late 70’s, I worked for the US Forest Service for four seasons. When my co-workers weren’t looking, I’d sneak in an occasional squeeze on a big green specimen. 

Now, I’m gainfully unemployed. I don’t give an empty can of IPA of what others think. 

However, I’m willing to share my secrets with my Billions of WW J blog fans out there. Here’s how it’s done with pictures even! (Photo credit and kudos to Lisa P. Strong Work!)

1) Approach the tree in a friendly manner. A “Hello!” wave Is a great ice breaker.

1a) If you desire a more formal introduction, you can perform the Japanese “Salarymen” method and present a business card first. 

2) After the rudimentary introduction, schmooze a little. I’m partial to the following one-liners:

“Come here often?”, “Nice day if it don’t rain.” and the always popular, “What’s your sign?”

3) When the conversation is on the wane, demurely ask, “Would it be OK if we hugged before parting ways?” (Authentic Tree Huggers always ask first. You don’t want to become infamous as being a “Bark-Grabbing” loser.) 

4) When permission is hopefully granted, lean in with arms extended, close your eyes and thank the Deity of your choice for saving the last remaining 5% of the Old Growth Redwoods left in the World. 

Now here’s  the History Lesson about goodness in people and Government Agencies.

Before the 1920’s, Logging Companies did what they do, shout “Timber!” after making the final cut in the tree. Those Behemoths of Biomass were crashing to the Earth at an Jeff Sambur nano-second rate. (That’s fast!) All that falling Redwood decking and shingles got the attention of good (and rich) concerned citizens and the State of California. 

What did they do? 

I’ll tell you what they did. They began buying up pockets of the precious Old Growth groves left from the lumbermen. Those nice wealthy folks (with an Un-Koch Brothers) conscience, donated the acreage to the state. Their payment was a humble sign proclaiming who purchased the grove. That’s a genuine mitzvah (Good Deed).

Those State of California Dreamin’ bureaucrats bought groves too. Eventually three State Parks were created to preserve the Old Dude Redwoods. 

In the late 60’s, the Feds got involved. They purchased more Old Growth from the logging companies, thus creating Redwood National Park. 

In 1998, California and the National Park Service combined the management scheme into one 132,000 acre State and National Park for all tree huggers.to enjoy. (Regardless of race, creed  or religion.) 

Sadly, less than one third of those salvaged from the brink groves are considered Old Growth. However in about 2,000 years (if left alone) the infant and teenage Redwoods will be the new Green Skyscrapers of the Pacific Northwest. 

So... Teach your children to hug trees. It might impart upon them a desire to preserve the Natural Wonders left in this crazy, money-mad, short-sighted World.

Last photo: This is what a former Redwood clearcut looks like. OK. That’s Fake News. The photo was taken in the John Day Fossils National Monument in the high desert country of eastern Oregon. Trust me though, a Redwood clearcut is NOT as impressive as the Standing Tall variety. Want to get inspired? Go and see for yourself. 

From Strawberry Campground in Malheur National Forest. Good night,

Jeff

“You’re Living in Your Own Private Idaho”

Song by the B-52’s

I’m in the “Famous Potatoes” State. I wasn’t really planning to be here, but somehow the Wandering Wondering Jew took a detour north. The World works in mysterious ways.

Near Driggs, ID, I hiked to a view of the rear end (or front end, depending on your point of view)  of the Grand Tetons. That was cool, so out came the maps. Hmm! The Sawtooth’s National Recreation Area was sort of nearby. 

Of course, I Googled it, that’s what Wondering people do. (Curiosity didn’t kill the cat, lack of knowledge did!). 

From the US Forest Service: 

“The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (Sawtooth NRA) consists of 756,000 acres of beautiful mountanious scenery. The Sawtooth NRA includes the Sawtooth Wilderness, Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness, and the Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness areas. The Sawtooth NRA has over 700 miles of trails, 40 peaks rising over 10,000 feet and 300-plus high-elevation alpine lakes that add to the spectacular scenery and vistas.”

Yep! I was going in. I drove through Ketchum. A groovy sort of town infamous as the venue where Papa Hemingway committed severe lead poisoning with a shotgun in 1961. There’s a nearby smallish Wilderness named after the Noble Prize winning author. When I asked a local about hikes there, he said “where’s that?” Oh well, maybe he’s never read “A Farewell to Arms.” 

That night, I camped at the USFS Wood River campground. It was perfect. 

The next morning, I headed up the Amber Lake trail. For whatever reason, the path pulled up short of the promised lake. Another example of Lakus Interruptus. Still a pleasant introductory hike in the Sawtooths though.

Later, I stopped at the US Forest Service Visitor Center for recreation ideas. Those nice folks told me to do the ten mile Sawtooth Lake hike. The reason? It’s the most photographed spot in the area. See for yourself. Isn’t the lake photogenic even without my grin? 

On a small divide, I ran into backpackers Charley and company. I struck the mother lode of Sawtooth information. He strongly suggested a three night trip into the Sawtooth Wilderness, including seeing the popular Toxaway-Alice Lakes Loop. “Set up a basecamp at Lake Edna for two nights. From there you can day hike up to Cramer Divide AND THEN do a nice six mile loop before returning.” I made mental notes of all of this. 

Upon parting ways, he said, “Don’t tell the people in Colorado about the Sawtooths. It’s Boise’s local playground.” (He’s right. God placed this gem a mere two hour drive from the 756,000 humans residing in the Boise metro area.)

Sorry Charley! I told. If it’s any consolation most of my readers are Russian “Bots” trying to hack into my blog. They haven’t succeeded...yet. 

I packed that night.

As usual, I hit the trail early before my two pots of coffee caffeine high wore thin. I had a goal in mind to settle in a choice spot on the shores of Lake Edna. There were ten miles and one pass in between. I breezed by Lake Edith making good time. Those swell trail builders of Idaho lovingly ,made gentle switchbacks in a steep land. My knees and lungs thanked them.

 Now a note about Sawtooth names: They are old fashioned and comforting, such as, Alice, Vernon, Virginia and the already mentioned Edith and Edna. The names harkened back to simpler times when flapjacks with gobs of butter and syrup were the preferred breakfast. A time when “Father Knows Best.” 

For awhile, I had Lake Edna to myself. By 7ish, I had company on my little peninsula. A youngish gang of six set up nearby. Happily, they were good neighbors. (Demographically speaking, Idaho is a youthful state. The third youngest as of 2012). On this hike, I was the Old Man in the Mountains. The kids were well mannered though, none of them called me “Gramps.” 

I got out the next morning before the heat was on. It’s been a scorcher summer in the American West. Each of my steps created a mini dust bowl. Making a campfire complete with s’mores was out of the question. It was drier than my three year old Clif Bars. That’s lack of moisture dry. Despite the toasty conditions, I had a fine half marathon hike. Here’s a few pix.

On my third day, I packed up early for my climb to Sand Mountain Pass. From that perch only beautiful views awaited me. Afterwards, down I went to Toxaway Lake. Then  I had to negotiate Snowyside Pass. In my humble opinion, those miles were the most inspiring and perspiring of them all.

At Twin Lakes, I was alone. I had first dibs on a room with a view. Then the hordes came around. Fortunately, everyone was respectful of spacing and quiet time. It was another joyful day.

I headed our early with thoughts of a three egg omelette awaiting me in Barley the Van. I practically trail ran those last seven miles. 

The Sawtooths reminded me of a smaller version of the Sierra Nevada’s of California. The granite peaks, scree and boulders yield the same “Range of Light” qualities. For me, it was love at first light.

Now back to the B-52’s. Their New Wave song admonished the listener to, “Get out of that State! Get out of that State you’re in!”

I will, I will. All in good time, my pretty.

From bucolic, McCall, Idaho.

Goodnight.

Jeff