Following the Rules By Gary Oberbillig I have never experienced a greater sense of redemption than on a day when I was six years old, lost in fantasy, creeping along a shady trail near McCall. I carried a
Dear Editor, I enjoyed the article by Ray Brooks about his time with the Forest Service [“Close Calls,” IDAHO magazine, January 2023]. He and I were contemporaries in the agency for a few years. I worked on the
In the Depths of the Shallows By Kendra Nemeth Army crawl: incrementally moving forward by shuffling your elbows and knees while lying flat on your stomach and supporting your upper body with your elbows. When we think of
On the Forest Fire Crew By Ray Brooks Our vintage bubble-canopy, three-seater helicopter was poised for takeoff from the summit of 8,400-foot Dollarhide Mountain west of Ketchum. It was almost dark on this day in 1969 and a
After Decades Away Story and Photos by F.A. Loomis When I was last a lookout on the Payette National Forest, Bruce Jenner won the decathlon at the Olympics. That was 1976. Now she’s Caitlyn Jenner. Times have changed.
To Plant and Replant By Mathew Purtee Photos by Karen Purtee My parents, who worked hard their entire lives and raised three children, decided in 2012 to retire on twenty acres in the middle of northern Idaho. My
Wind Changes Everything Story and Photos by Mac Tippins Trees snapped like matchsticks. It sounded like a firefight in Vietnam. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel of the old pickup, cringing at the specter of falling
At the Old Lochsa Ranger Station Story and Photos by Jim Fazio As I look around from the porch of what was once the alternate ranger’s house at the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station, I have plenty of time
Ernie Bohn and His Biographer By Lorie Palmer Russell I first met John Crawford early this year, when he bounced into the Idaho County Free Press office in Grangeville where I work. I use the word “bounced” because
Fighting Blister Rust and Wildfires Story and photos by Lee Townsend “Let’s go! Fire!” The call from below echoed across the hillside where we were spread out in individual lanes marked by white twine. These lanes going up
