Scantily Clad in the Selway-Bitterroot, by Isaac Miller, Western Wildlands

As Journalist for the 4th hitch of 2010 MCC crew “Scantily Clad”, I had no time or energy to write a quality journal entry capturing the essence of the experience. This dilemma seems to be just another trade-off of being in the wilderness; just like trading thunderstorms and rain without bugs for perfectly clear skies but rampant mosquito bites, living in the wilderness for over a week is almost always accompanied by much fatigue and exhaustion. Now that the mind is rested, it’s time to sum up the experience with synopses of different aspects of the hitch.

To access the trail-head off Idaho Highway 12, we cross a bridge over the Lochsa River (meaning “rough water” in Nez Perce), a river that flows west to meet the Selway River to become the middle-fork of the Clearwater river even further west. The trail head signs are clearly marked; “Warm Springs Trail No. 49”, which has been our main project the past couple months, is carved into a wood post. Below, a new sign is noticed: “Clothing optional Area: Nude hikers may be encountered on trail”, the most natural way to encounter them. From there it is approximately a 7 mile hike up the trail headed southeast with about a 1500ft. positive elevation change. The trail parallels the Warm Springs Creek, a rocky rapid tributary of the Lochsa, which then has its own tributaries like Cooperation and Wind Lakes Creeks. Around halfway into our hike to camp, the wilderness boundary is also carved into wood: “Selway Bitterroot Wilderness Area: Clearwater national forest”.

Before discussing the vast 1.3 million acres of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area, whose anthropogenic contact comes solely from MCC crews and pack animals (aka forest service technicians), I find it especially important to go through the features of the trail. Trail 49 is one of many arterial pathways into the wilderness, but one of the few that runs straight into one of those recreational “hot” spots called hot springs. These pools are extremely relaxing and distinctly smelling. The tolerable stench is said to be caused at least in part by anaerobic bacteria living in the magma-heated water below earth’s surface and breaking down dissolved minerals to produce gases like hydrogen sulfide. Past the Hot Springs we encounter a Cedar-dominant area along the bottom of the canyon and close to the creek. As we increase in altitude after 2 switchback climbs, the flat needled Grand Fir becomes more frequent. Eventually, trees like Sub-alpine Fir, Engelmann Spruce, Lodgepole Pine, and Western Larch dominate the higher altitude (not to mention countless wildflowers and shrubs).

At intermittent spots along the trail we encounter many rock outcrops mostly of the same rock type: intrusive igneous granodiorite. The geologic region we are in is the Idaho Batholith, a mass of intrusive igneous rock 110-65 million years old. Crumbling slabs often fall right on top of the trail, reminding us that these mighty mountains are tragically becoming undone by gravity and, to a lesser extent, trail crews. The deep river canyons are said to have been carved mainly by stream erosion in our area, while avalanches and freeze-thaw cycles help in the winter.

The 1.3 million acre Selway Bitterroot Wilderness seems to be where most of the crews in our region, so it’s informative to know some facts about it. Founded in 1964, it’s the third largest wilderness area in the U.S., beaten in size by Death Valley in California and the Frank Church Wilderness area, which borders our area to the south. Four national forests occupy this area; ours is the Clearwater National forest in the northern half. It is home to one of the largest Elk herds in North America and many other megafauna species like Moose, Deer, Black Bear, and Mountain Lion. Ironically most large mammal sightings for us have occurred mainly outside of the wilderness boundary, perhaps because many prey species find refuge in areas closer to human contact, where predators like mountain lions are less likely to be found.

To sum up, I should add that it is a personal privilege to be in this part of the world for extended periods of time, even though the work is sometimes tough and seemingly pointless when I think of the few people who will enjoy hiking, riding, or hunting from the trail we’ve been maintaining. The trail will once again give in to the elements and resist human intervention, returning to the condition we found it in just a decade or less; a miniscule amount of time when thought about in terms of the immensity of time our area has been in its similar but trail-less condition. Eventually the marks of human contact will be reclaimed by nature permanently.

Hopefully, by that point, our area will be relatively healthy and habitable to its native adapted creatures, thanks to conservation efforts by groups like MCC, and the many engaged citizens and activists who’ve personally donated time and energy to keeping it wild and untamed. Wild and conquerable only by the whimsical forces of nature, the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness Area seems to be at its best condition when a balance is struck between it being kept wild and it being enjoyed by anyone who enters it.