Tribe of the Rising Sun
William Adams and Jordan Nigh
Our contingent of the 41st class of the Wilderness and Civilization Program, known as the Tribe of the Rising Sun, traversed the Bob Marshall Wilderness from East to West. We began our trek in the Rocky Mountain front, just north of Choteau. Sunshine and warmth blessed us with high spirits and high hopes on day one. The rest of the trek consisted of considerable amounts of rain, cloud coverage, cold winds, and low temperatures… but nonetheless our high spirits remained.
Burned forest, babbling streams and life giving rivers presented a visual contrast between the beauty of life, and the dark, mysterious quality of death. Fireweed and yarrow reminded us that from death comes life, energy is in constant motion, constant flux. When one door closes, another opens; nature teaches all…
Hunting camps, horse packers, an airstrip, and ranger cabins gave context to the dichotomy of wilderness and civilization. Although we do not yet know the answer to this dualistic ethical dilemma, the issue manifested in thought… critical thinking on our personal ethical standards, the definition of wilderness, the sanctity of Nature, and so on were brought to the forefront of our expedition.
The Thimbleberry
Robotic eyes scan side to side
Arms, hands, fingers tense with giddy anticipation
Aha! There, I see the red fruit!
Yum.
Thimbleberries and huckleberries were sought after with great reverence, in absence of true sunlight, these berries encapsulated the sun’s energy, bringing warmth and joy to our spirits.
At Shafer meadows, our midway point, we were able to tour the Forest Service Cabins. This was an incredible experience. Young, like-minded people, working together in service to Nature and the human experience, who find comfort in solitude, who find joy in companionship, living in paradise, in a separate universe from the default world, living simply, blissfully, and natural… how awesome! I may have glorified their job a bit…but nonetheless, an enviable lifestyle. The light bulb lights up… Later in this same day the Bob Squad arrives! A joyfully, stressful event. What beautiful people comprise our new family.
High peaks, stormy passes, ancient lakes, babbling mossy streams, all simply being… awoke us to the frivolity of the trivial worries, superficial needs, and ego-centrism that all to often permeate our minds through current cultural realities, or rather illusory cultural realities. The lessons Nature teaches are endless, boundless, true…be open to them.
For our last two days the sun returned. The healing power of the sun had never been so present to us. Joy and warmth now filled the space that frustration and cold once occupied. We swam, we meditated, we thanked the sun, and we thanked the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Express gratitude, for unknown blessings are already on our way.
Mariah McIntosh
Our ten-day trek in the Bob Marshall Wilderness began on a sunny day at the Silvertip Trailhead near Hungry Horse Reservoir and ended at the West Fork Cabin on the Rocky Mountain Front. The eight days in between were a whirlwind of weather, from rain, to hail, to snow. While spirits were generally high, dealing with the weather could be tough. It was, after all, technically still summer, and while we all knew that snow can come in Montana any month of the year, we were not expecting quite the meteorological variety that we encountered. Each of the nine trekkers carried with them some item to fulfill gear requirements (waterproof boots, raincoat, multiple pairs of socks, rain paints, etc.); however, for each one of us, some piece of equipment was lacking in some way. I had a great new raincoat, but my rain paints and hiking boots were old and not as waterproof as they were in their youth. One friend had a good pair of boots, but an old REI raincoat with large holes in it. Another had a rain poncho that doubled as his tent, which meant that he had to drape it over himself and his pack when it was soaked through after a long rainy night.
We managed pretty well until day eight. The previous day, we had hiked 14.5 miles to reach Gooseberry Cabin, and it had been wet, to say the least. On the eighth day, our mileage was less, but the rain was persistent, and we finished our day with a long trek uphill through the squish-squash-slosh of thick mud. We were all wet and cold, only as strong as our worst piece of gear. Day eight was challenging, and morale was at its lowest. We tried to make a fire, but it was quickly extinguished by hail, our valiant efforts to dry our socks and shoes instantly undone. Despite the weather, we enjoyed a hearty meal of ratatouille with home-dried veggies and the next day we slogged onward, expecting to be met with more rain. Instead, we were greeted by the sun, whose face had been a stranger to us for the past week, and our spirits soared.
Agate Gamble
The Wilderness and Civilization fall trek was a wonderful opportunity to experience the dynamics of both myself and others within a natural environment, in a way that provided much insight to human nature and genuine relationships. I loved being able to expand my knowledge of the Bob Marshall wilderness and its various habitats from the people I was either trekking with, or met on the trail. Although a challenging experience, it was the most rewarding and valuable one that I have ever had.
At the start of our adventure, I was insecure about my back packing experience and trekking perseverance, as I felt that I was the weakest hiker of the group. However, I was determined to have a strong mindset, which ultimately inspired the most change within myself that I have ever experienced. On the first night, we encountered an intense lighting storm, and I was humbled by the power of nature, and how vulnerable I felt to it. It was both a scary and awakening feeling, realizing how unprotected I was without a roof above my head. As we continued, our group became a very close community, and I would now consider them family. Other than blisters and constantly wet feet, I’d never felt healthier. Having the opportunity to focus mainly only on our immediate surroundings, conversation, and food, eased the day to day anxiety that I usually feel in a busy world. Trilobite lakes was my favorite camp spot. I was lucky enough to have a really intimate experience with a deer who seemed to be interested in our group, and the landscape was phenomenal. I was sad at the end of the ten days, and realized when I got home that I didn’t even want to shower, despite day dreaming about it in the back country. Sleeping in a bed felt awkward and I missed being woken by the rise of the sun. I absolutely adored the experience. I wish it could have been a semester long. Our leaders, Kelsey and Ryan, were amazing human beings, as was everyone else that I had the opportunity to be with.
Amelia Shields & Dan
Synthesizing a ten day backpacking trip with eight new friends into five pictures and two hundred words isn’t an easy task. It seems so numerical. One must either choose which parts of the experience were most important or just give the broad strokes. Since I’m more of a people person I chose to narrate the pictures with our friends in them. I believe anyone can hike across the Bob Marshall Wilderness, but it’s the people you decide to do it with that makes the experience unique.
Nine strangers embarked from the Spotted Bear Trailhead and emerged as friends. In between we shared small talk at first then decided to speed the process up by telling each other our life stories. By day four of marching down the trail, the group realized how bored of those life stories we were and descended into a parallel Universe. Sam became Ghandi Wizard and could always be sought out to debate an existential dilemma. Lenny the learning limestone of love was born, and we discovered that Stratton had an extensive background in Bird Law. Although it all sounds so crazed, without these weirdos my time in the Bob Marshall would have been merely empty views across the horizon.
Adam Oja and Abe Kimball
Day 1- We began at the North Fork of the Teton, following the Teton river. For the first couple of miles we were surrounded by a large burn area.
Day 2- We climbed up and over gateway pass. At this point in the trip our weather went south. The views were amazing from atop
Day 3- We started our day a little late to enjoy the views of Big River Meadows. We had a couple EE lessons, which included killing a grouse.
Day 5- The Shaffer Meadows Ranger Station and airstrip was incredible. The attendant on duty gave us a tour of the station and coffee.
Day 7- Trilobite Ridge. This was probably one of the most rigorous days of the trip. Hiking 12 miles up and over a large pass. While battling the rainy and windy weather.
Day 8- Dean lake. The group decided to forgo camping here and push on to Pentagon cabin. Hiking up and over switchback pass, 13-mile day.
Day 9-Lakeside on the last day. Went for a swim
Jerermy Oades
I had no idea what to expect heading into this fall trek. Ever since my third knee surgery I haven’t attempted to do anything as physically demanding as a 10 day wilderness trek. What I took away from this trip was a sense of accomplishment. Traveling over 80 miles on foot up and down thousands of feet of elevation is not for the faint of heart. Despite the terrible weather conditions and 10 days of old and newly acquired blisters on my feet, I did it. I haven’t ever been this confident in myself and my body.
I am eager to get back out into the field and continue to push my limits and see what else I can accomplish. Hopefully the other destinations that are in store for us throughout the course of the semester can parallel the beauty of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I will admit it was interesting living without the comforts of home for 10 days. The brief stay in Pentagon cabin helped ease the home sickness. Tynan and I are even thinking about doing a hunting trip out in the Bob in the future. Regardless of blisters, weather, and a little home sickness I wouldn’t change the experience that I had at all.
Wilderness & Civ 