Page 6 - ISI_155_DecemberJanuary

PAGE 6 ALL ABOUT IDAHO IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMEBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020

LONG TIME EDUCATOR / CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Describing himself as “savagely They turned to the Inland Northwest
engaged,” Hanson is prone to exercising Land Conservancy to help protect 160 acres
He figured he does around 12 workshops his mind and body in equal measure. He’s where Gertie’s family homesteaded since
a year, geared toward people interested in currently reading or re-reading several 1902 and where Hanson still lives.
starting or refining their painting, drawing, books, for example: Charles Dickens’ Bleak “It takes a few persevering people to
or poetry skills at such places as the Ray and House, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and make things happen,” said Hanson, who
Joan Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. is still active on the planning commission.
through the Artisans at the Dahmen Barn, Although his 3,000-mile bike trips Hanson is concerned about technology
located in an historic barn in Uniontown, Wash. are a thing of the past, he still hikes and and a society that’s too complex, unable to
He offers this advice and encouragement backpacks regularly, bringing with him a simply be.
through a poem entitled Go Gently: sketchbook as well as waterproof ink and “You have to be content watching a chip-
This is what I tell students / who hold watercolor paint. munk,” said Hanson, who greatly admires
brushes tight / and press hairs into paper Being out in nature is essential for the work of poet Mary Oliver, whose piece,
/ as if force could waken beauty. Hanson, who was interested in conservation “Staying Alive,” offers this:
If you seek beauty, / breathe slowly and environmental issues from early on. He I stood willingly and gladly in the char-
and watch / things unfold. and his first wife, Gertie—she passed away acters of everything—other people, trees,
When you paint, / watercolors merge in 1998—labored to keep overdevelopment clouds. And this is what I learned, that the
and float / to subtle washes. near his Coeur d’Alene home in check, world’s otherness is antidote to confusion—
Go gently. Listen. spending 11 years to help secure an 88-acre that standing within this otherness—the
There are no accidents, / no miracles. watershed and wildlife habitat now known beauty and the mystery of the world, out
A heavy hand destroys. as the Cougar Bay Preserve. in the fields or deep inside books—can
A gentle touch reveals. re-dignify the worst-stung heart. ISI

Book Review: Working the Wilderness:

Early Leaders for Wild Lands

But it wasn’t always this way. Prior to the 1964 Wilderness
BY HOLLY ENDERSBY Act, a fierce, dedicated cadre of people worked to keep these
areas pristine.
Idaho and Montana have millions of acres of wilderness protect- One special place is the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, which
ing wildlife and water. They allow folks to wander at will through straddles the state lines of Idaho and Montana between Highway
the vast expanse of some of the most beautiful land on Earth. 12 and the graveled Magruder Road bordering the north end of the
Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.
It is a wild land of large carnivores, crystalline streams, and
miles of trails to challenge hiker and equestrian alike.
In the lower 48 states, you would be hard pressed to find more
208.357.3323 remote, rugged, pristine land. And thanks to the efforts of such

legendary wild-country advocates like Emil and Penny Keck,
Warren Miller, Bud Moore, and Bill Worf, the Selway-Bitterroot
Wilderness is protected for generations to come.
The story about how these folks worked in the Selway-
Bitterroot country before and after wilderness designation is
fascinating and is told brilliantly in the new book, Working the
Wilderness by John McCarthy.
Having worked in the Selway-Bitterroot as a summer ranger
In Home Care ~ Assisted Living ~ Memory Care and exploring it for decades as a hiker, McCarthy knows the

www. eGablesAssistedLiving.com land intimately.
He knew the people he brings to life in his book.
In an era when hard work and rugged individuals were the
norm, Emil and Penny Keck built and rebuilt bridges with mostly
hand tools and ingenuity, both by themselves and with seasonal
workers for 20 years.
In late spring through early fall, the couple ran trail crews, orga-
nized fire crews, and hiked throughout the huge Moose Creek Ranger
District to analyze future trail rehab and construction as well as bridge
repair and building.
In winter, the Kecks often camped out in a wall tent near a bridge
they’d work on alone all winter long.
One of their longest encampments—two winters and part of two
summers—was up Bear Creek, where they tackled bridge recon-
struction. This major tributary to the Selway River links the river trail
leading to Shearer and Paradise Guard Stations and finally over the
state line into Montana and the Lost Horse Guard Station.
Rebuilding a bridge with huge, standing wooden towers and large
cross timbers was no easy task, but Emil’s background as a logger
Serving Southeast Idaho for many years allowed these two hardy individuals to work well as a
Idaho Falls~Shelley~Blackfoot~Pocatello team, often for months at a time without seeing other people.

And Northern Utah An airdrop at the Moose Creek Ranger Station once a month with
Brigham City~North Logan mail and possibly supplies was the closest they’d get to civilization
during the winter.