In its first year, program teaches Idaho, Montana youth how to backpack, clear trails

Mia Maldonado, Idaho Capital Sun

BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — A caller programme is school nan adjacent procreation of section younker really to admit nan outdoors.

Last month, nan Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation completed its inaugural play of its Youth Wilderness Program, a free multi-day programme school younker really to backpack successful Idaho and Montana.

The Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation is simply a nonprofit that partners pinch nan U.S. Forest Service to connection stewardship successful nan Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church-River of No Return Wildernesses. Stewards pinch nan instauration beforehand recreational usage by opening trails and maintaining way connectivity, according to nan nonprofit’s website.

Ian Harris, nan foundation’s younker programme director, said nan thought down nan Youth Wilderness Program was to amended service section youth.

“We person recovered that astir teens successful Idaho and Montana – moreover nan ones who unrecorded wrong eyesight of wilderness – are not experiencing their ain chaotic backyards,” he told nan Sun. “We created nan younker programme to alteration that; to immerse teens successful wilderness pinch nan dream that they would autumn successful emotion pinch nan mountains, forests and lakes, and go avid wilderness users and stewards for life.”

Allegra Seyler, a sophomore astatine Boise High School, participated successful nan summertime program. She grew up backpacking and skiing, but this travel was typical arsenic it introduced her to her champion friend and taught her much astir herself. 

“It’s decidedly what I want to do pinch my life,” she said. “This travel solidified nan truth that I conscionable emotion way crew. It was nan champion experience, and it was truthful easy nan item of my summer, conscionable gathering each nan nosy caller group and being outside.” 

The Youth Wilderness Program took 18 teens crossed Idaho and Montana forests to study really to backpack and execute way maintenance. | Courtesy Ian Harris

Promoting accessibility and emotion of outdoors to adjacent generation

Throughout nan summer, 2 Idaho groups pinch 10 teens backpacked done nan Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, while 2 Montana groups, pinch 8 teens, traveled done nan Bitterroot National Forest. In some states, nan younker were divided by property group, pinch 1 group for group aged 13 to 15 and different for group aged 15 to 18. 

Geography, outdoor skills, proscription and cogwheel costs are barriers that tin forestall group from going outdoors, Harris said, truthful it was important that nan programme was free and offered cogwheel to younker who needed it. 

In summation to learning really to backpack, nan teens gained organization work hours by clearing trails. They learned really to usage manus saws, axes and different cutting devices to clear trails of downed trees and overgrown brush. They learned nan history and meaning of wilderness, astir “Leave No Trace” principles and really to publication maps. 

“This knowledge is astatine consequence of being lost, truthful it is important to walk connected nan basal skills to nan adjacent generation,” Harris said. “Otherwise, we whitethorn suffer nan very wilderness trails that galore of america bask and trust on!”

Altogether, nan younker completed 584 unpaid hours to support 7.8 miles of trails, according to a property merchandise from nan foundation. 

After this year’s success, Harris said he is looking guardant to increasing nan program. 

“We are happy to denote that we will much than double nan number of expeditions successful 2025 to meet nan anticipated request for younker participation,” Harris said. “These sorts of programs alteration lives, and it is our agelong word extremity to guarantee that each Idaho and Montana younker that wants to acquisition wilderness has nan opportunity to do so.”

Emily Ferguson, a Walla Walla High School student who spends her summers successful Jerome, had ne'er camped aliases backpacked earlier participating successful nan program. She applied to summation organization work hours complete summer, but nan acquisition ended up helping her make caller friends and recognize she could past successful nan chaotic if she needs to. 

“I’d say, don’t beryllium frightened to effort thing new, because I was really frightened and I shouldn’t person been because it really turned retired to beryllium really easy,” she told nan Sun. “But do deterioration bug repellent, because I sewage a bunch of mosquito bites.”