Backcountry Musings

by Sarah Wynne Jackson

Back Country Horsemen of America protects our right to ride horses on public lands in a wide variety of ways across the country. They believe in putting a priority on the things that really matter, such as making our beautiful landscape accessible to all users and developing partnerships that help us accomplish that. BCH folks know there’s value in lending a hand, even on projects that don’t directly benefit horse users.

Building Relationships

Sometimes building relationships means pitching in even if you have to leave your horses at home. The Uinta Basin Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Utah have been looking for ways to get involved with trail work in Dinosaur National Monument. This National Park Service property along the Colorado and Utah border consists of 210,000 acres of river canyons, mountains, and basins that support over a thousand different native species of plants and animals. The Utah side also boasts dinosaur fossils and the world renowned Carnegie Fossil Quarry.

Although horseback riding is not yet allowed in Dinosaur National Monument, the Uinta Basin Chapter BCH contacted the land managers to offer their assistance with trail maintenance. Because of Back Country Horsemen of America’s reputation, they were told a face-to-face meeting was not necessary and were asked to help with work on a hiking trail. Uinta Chapter Back Country Horsemen members met with hikers, youth volunteers, and NPS em¬ployees to build rock cairns and a rock stair step on the busy Sound of Silence hiking trail.

After a long work day, BCH members discussed with the land managers the possibility of a horse trail in Dinosaur National Monument and were invited to meet formally for further discussion. Lending a hand where it’s needed, regardless of personal interests, builds a rapport that benefits everyone. The Uinta Basin Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Utah will continue nurturing this relationship, making a way for us to enjoy this stunning landscape by horseback.

Preserving History

Back Country Horsemen of America values our country’s past and welcomes opportunities to preserve it. Managers of the Salmon-Challis National Forest recently began restoration of the Norton Ridge Lookout in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. This abandoned cabin sits on an open mountaintop at nearly 8500 feet elevation. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 to house fire spotters, it is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Treasure Valley Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho eagerly participated in the project which was carried out under the super¬vision of Archaeologist John Rose from the Challis office of the Salmon-Challis National Forest. Their purpose was to begin the restoration work necessary to maintain the cabin’s historical value and for the use and enjoyment of the structure by the US Forest Service and the public.

Treasure Valley Chapter BCH’s first task was to pack in wood shingles to be stored inside the cabin for re-roof¬ing at a future date. They trucked their horses and equipment seven hours to the trailhead at Meyer’s Cove. From there, they rode and led their pack animals 14 miles along Camas Creek to the spot where it flows into the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The next day the group rode 11 miles upstream along the Middle Fork River to the Sim¬plot Ranch and airstrip, where the shingles were delivered by plane.

At this point, it was learned that the 11 mile trail from the airstrip to the cabin had not been cleared. Most of the TVBCH group spent four days clearing the trail and packing the shingles up to the cabin. It took another two days to pack out to the trailhead and return home. Despite the long trip and various challenges, the Treasure Valley Chapter of Back Country Horsemen enjoyed taking part in an important historic project.

About Back Country Horsemen of America

BCHA is a non-profit corporation made up of state organizations, affiliates, and at-large members. Their efforts have brought about positive changes regarding the use of horses and stock in wilderness and public lands.

If you want to know more about Back Country Horsemen of America or become a member, visit their website: www.bcha.org; call 888-893-5161; or write PO Box 1367, Graham, WA 98338-1367. The future of horse use on public lands is in our hands!

Since 2009, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the University of Idaho 4-H Youth Development have
partnered to offer an educational opportunity and fundraiser for Idaho 4-H Horse Clubs. 4-H members gentle and train weanlings (ages 4 months to 8 months).

This year, eight 4-H horse clubs picked out weanling mustangs in February, to gentle and train. 4-H youth and their weanlings will compete at the Expo in an In-Hand Trail competition class in the D & B Supply Round Pen, on Saturday 2:45 – 3:30, and Sunday, 9:15 – 10:00.

A demonstration will also be held on Sunday, in the Boot Barn Main Arena, Noon – 1:00. These weanlings will be up for adoption, by silent auction, on Sunday, after 2:00 pm. All proceeds from the adoption over $25 will go back to the individual 4-H clubs to help cover the cost of the training program, and other events.

Through this hugely successful partnership, BLM has adopted over 100 wild mustangs to loving families and homes from across Idaho. The program has raised approximately $10,000 for the 4-H youth and their clubs’ activities.

Roland Cheek’s Stories        Roland’s Facebook Page

About The Dogged and the Damned:

A tale inspired by the tragic story of a World War 11 combat soldier suffering the effects of what was, at the time, a little studied psychological impairment that, today, we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s about a federal veterans psychiatric hospital and its well-meaning staff. And it’s about the soldier’s war at home as he repeatedly escaped confinement to live by his wits in the wilds. The story includes the efforts of a county law enforcement agency sometimes bewildered in its ongoing attempts to capture a fugitive the media sensationalized as a “Wild Man.” It’s a tale of people in a place and at a time when the author came to manhood amid that hospital’s nearby valleys and surrounding forest and mountains.

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By ERIC MELSON

February 20, 2015

The next generations of conservationists want to hike and explore wild landscapes like the Boulder-White Clouds, just as the first travelers who discovered them. The only difference is we use fancier equipment.

My generation, the “millennials,” hikes, backpacks and floats the wilderness just like our forefathers have. But advances in materials and technology now allow us to go farther and lighter than ever before. You can now pack two weeks of food and gear into a 65-liter pack that weighs only 30 pounds. I know this because for the last six years I worked as a wilderness ranger in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and spent my summers backpacking while clearing trail with cross-cut saws and axes.

I consider myself a public servant, care taking wilderness for the benefit of all Americans. I love wild places just as much as anyone else, but that doesn’t mean I’ve sold off my mountain bikes because they’re nonconforming uses in wilderness.

The traditional conservation demographic has shifted. Instead of just backpackers, hunters, anglers, boaters and climbers speaking up for healthy landscapes, mountain bikers are voicing their concerns about access to and protection of America’s wild places. Adrenalin-fueled activities piloted by younger activists should now have a seat at the table. So what does that look like for the future of conservation and our beloved Boulder-White Clouds?

It means a community approach to management on a trail-by-trail basis. It means reaching across the table to negotiate for the benefit of the landscape – not to benefit a particular party or interest. It means being flexible, patient and professional.

The Wood River Bike Coalition working with the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA), The Wilderness Society, Idaho Conservation League, Outdoor Alliance, along with numerous other organizations, 46 businesses, and local county and state officials all support a national monument because of its ability to reflect Idahoans’ broad interests. A monument delivers the conservation objectives, while also preserving prime recreational opportunities.

The Obama administration, like them or not, has proved it wants to hear and consider local sentiment before moving forward, and any action will be based off decades of local involvement. Well, the BWC have been a conservation topic for the last 40 years; Rep. Mike Simpson’s CIEDRA bill was introduced over a decade ago, and reintroduced several times since.

And while the latest iteration of CIEDRA is a noble attempt, it has yet to result in a bill that represents the full interests of Idahoans. Now more than ever, there are additional recreation pressures that need to be considered. National monument status is sensical, does not need legislative approval and has room to negotiate travel planning for all parties, especially mountain bikers.

The collaborative group has worked together to find a balance – ensuring sensitive areas get heightened protection to safeguard critical habitat, yet allowing mountain bikes to access some of the most distinctive backcountry rides in the country. This community-based approach is the future of conservation. A national monument is the Idaho solution.

The millennial generation has just as much, I would wager more, skin in the game to decide the future of the Boulder-White Clouds as any of the old guard. We’re the ones who will end up managing it, maintaining it and ultimately paying for it. And yes, it’s true, management comes at a price, but to us the price of protection in perpetuity is worth it. #MonumentsMatter #GetLoudForTheClouds

Eric Melson, of Boise, served as the Frank Church program director for the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation from 2010 to 2015. He is a graduate of Colorado State University.

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Our next National Monument: Idaho’s Boulder-White Clouds (Feb 27, 2015)
By former Rep. Larry LaRocco (D-Ida.)

Last week was historic with three more national monument designations: Pullman in Chicago, Honouliuli in Hawaii and Browns Canyon in Colorado. President Obama has now designated 16 national monuments using the executive authority of the Antiquities Act. The Antiquities Act gives the President authority to permanently protect places of natural, cultural and historic value and, as an Idahoan who loves the outdoors, I support the Boulder-White Clouds as national monument number 17.

The congressional efforts to save Central Idaho’s Boulder-White Clouds, the largest unprotected roadless area in the U.S. outside of Alaska, are dangerously stalled. And as a former staff member of Sen. Frank Church (D-Ida.) and former member of Congress myself, I fear further waiting won’t yield a favorable outcome. Church instilled in all of his staff a great passion for untrammeled public lands, a legacy that remains today. In his four terms from 1957 to 1981 representing Idaho in the U.S. Senate, Church was an influential leader on many fronts, but is perhaps best known for preserving much of Idaho’s spectacular wild lands and waters.

He was an integral player in the passage of the landmark Wilderness Act in 1964, one of America’s greatest conservation achievements. In Idaho, he led successful efforts to protect some of the state’s most treasured landscapes– Gospel Hump, the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, the Sawtooth Wilderness and National Recreation Area, and later the River of No Return Wilderness, re-named the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in his honor. And he and his wife Bethine backed protection of the Boulder-White Clouds region.

The Boulder-White Clouds is considered one of the last best wild places in North America and deserves permanent protection. Fishing and hunting opportunities abound. There is a stunning array of animal species from chukar partridge to wolverine; rugged, alpine terrain for hikes and climbers alike. With the addition of the East Fork of the Salmon that provides abundant clean water, the area is a literal heaven for sportsmen and outdoor recreation enthusiasts.

Idahoans are grateful to Rep. Mike Simpson (R) for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Boulder-White Clouds for the past 11 years. Unfortunately, his bid to gain Wilderness status has repeatedly failed to gain traction in Congress. The gridlock shows no sign of breaking even now after he’s made several concessions to try to win support. This is no fault of the Congressman’s but rather another indicator of protracted congressional malaise.

After waiting for decades, I recently joined 43 of my former colleagues from Church’s office and asked Obama to protect Church’s legacy by proclaiming a Boulder-White Clouds National Monument. Church’s work isn’t over and it’s time Obama used his authority to protect one of the last “crowning jewels” of Idaho as a national monument.

LaRocco served in the House from 1991 to 1995 and was the author of the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, PL 103-64.

Deadly Force: A Prosecutor’s Perspective

BCHA Officers Contact List 2015

Saturday, Dec 20, 2014, the BCHI President Karen Kinball drew the calendar winners for 2014 and delivered a Christmas surprise for two Squaw Butte members. Phil Ryan and Robbin Schindele both won $1000.00 gift cards in this years raffle. So remember as you’re selling calendars to keep a couple for yourself and don’t forget to mail in your cards!

2014 Calendar Winners  (BCHI Web Site)

Jason Winters           Middleton, Id
Robin Schindele        Emmett, ID
Carol Young              Boones Mill, VA
Bonnie Stacy            Jerome, ID
Debi Riggin              Walla Walla, WA
Ray Robinette          Grangeville, ID
Les Chapman          Meridian, ID
Brenda McRoberts  Grangeville, ID
Cassidy Lindsey      Meridian, ID
Sharon Katzke        Caldwell, ID
Jo Hardy                 Grangeville, ID
Phil Ryan                Emmett, ID

This is the link to the SDPB program. The first 10 minutes is on the Harney Peak Tower restoration project and the next five and a half minutes is on the Black Hills Back Country Horsemen of South Dakota.

Available Soon at the BCHA On-line Store

2014 Presidents Report

2014 trail crew report

GARY HOLT and TINA MAE WEBER visit with JIM MCGARVEY chairman of BACK COUNTRY HORSEMEN of AMERICA. What the recent agreement with BCHA and the National Park Service means to you, the Trail Rider!

Saddle Up America

From the Chairman’s Saddle

Kentucky BCH agreement with NPS

The story of a Chainsaw Chaps Injury (Blog Post)

Watch this Chap demonstration video

Chain Saw Safety – Training Video

Chainsaw Accident Statistic

Chainsaw Chaps Guide

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Introduction to the horse.
I am Mike McGlenn Chairman of BCHA and my horse “Jake”, 16-1 Quarter Horse gelding, 1200 pounds, 15 years old. Haney Meadows Washington.
A. Discuss the Horse and Rider relationship.
B. Discuss the Aging demographic of the horse rider. We are not all 18- 25 years old anymore. We are able to ride, we are able to pack in the camps for the trail workers. It is the way we can continue to enjoy the Wilderness.
C. The Horse as companion and team member.
D. Emotional bond of rider and horse.
E. The Horse is not a piece of sports equipment you pickup at the store. The horse can have a bad day just as we can.
F. Mutual trust between horse and rider.
G. Discuss the horse’s vision (what he sees and how he sees it), eyes wide set, nearly 360 degree visibility, eyes work independent of each other, the eyes of a prey animal. How the ears work and relate the horses attitude. Don’t approach if the ears are pinned back. Don’t walk up quietly behind the horse, no surprises. Talk to the horse, make some non threatening noise. The back legs can kick back up to 6 feet so stay close to the horse when going around behind them. Approach is best from a front quarter or side. We are predators, use your own body as an example, eyes close together, ears pinned back, hands carried like claws. All the things that 60 Million years of breeding have trained the horse to avoid.

Issues Stock users face

Hiker on a log across the Pacific Crest Trail, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington State. We have planned for weeks, driven 2-300 miles, loaded up the pack string and 5 miles in we come to this across the trail. This tree completely blocks the trail with no way to go around or over it. This is an inconvenience to the hiker. It is a total trip stopper for the pack string and rider.
Fire and blow down damage in the Teton Wilderness, Wyoming. The pack string is stopped while two riders dismount to clear the trail. The string gets restless and gets tangled up. There are no good places to tie up any of the stock. A potentially dangerous situation for both stock and riders.

Fire and blow down, Wind River Mountains Wyoming. There are miles of this kind of damage. How do you clear this extent of debris off a trail efficiently? Discuss minimum tool analysis.

Wind River Mountains, Wyoming. Fire damaged trees on a major trail. A trip stopper for a string. No room to turn around. 13 animals in this group. The Cross Cut Saw is on the Pack animal, number 13 of course, at the back of the string.

Wind River Mountains, Wyoming. Wilderness Society on the right, USFS Wilderness Ranger on the left cutting out the log. During the time it took, the wind came up and blew down a tree behind us. Fortunately no one was injured and the tree fell beside the trail not in it. With great difficulty, we were able to turn the string around and ride out of this pile of pickup sticks.

Wind River Mountains, Wyoming. A good example of lack of maintenance. The tree across the trail in the top background closed the trail. So someone made a go around out into the woods. This then lengthened the trail forming a new trail where one should not be. Trees grow about 3” of growth a year in this area. So you lose 6” of trail width a year if not cut back. In 4 years the trail corridor is 2’ narrower than it was.

Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, Baker Lake Trail, Washington. A 160 mile round trip drive for a day ride. The trail was reported clear and open for stock. An hour from the trail head and this is across the trail. In this case the trees had come down in the week since checking with the USFS. A gamble we take. This is a 14 mile trail and we were in about 3 miles. No way around these.

Two people working with saddle saws to clear enough to continue the ride. The trail must be cleared adequately wide enough for a loaded pack horse to clear on both sides. BCH can’t support the work crews if the tail isn’t cleared for pack stock with loads.

Two people, two saws nearly an hour to clear the trail.

Goat Rocks Wilderness, Pacific Crest Trail Washington State. The drive down, two rigs, 500 mile round trip for a week of riding. 3 hours up a trail that was reported clear for stock. A trip stopper. We need better information on the trails when we call the agency desk. The front desk folks need to understand the importance of good information and what it costs us if the information is bad. This trail is very narrow, very steep up and down on the sides. We had to dismount on the uphill side as there was nowhere to stand on the normal (left/downhill) side. Slide under the front legs of the horses and then get the saddle saws to cut the root off. No turn around room. Not a problem for a hiker. A dangerous trip stopper for a horse, rider and pack string.

Same root as the one in the slide above. This is about 6000’ elevation so two more mature folks took turns cutting this out, still took about half an hour.

Goat Rocks Wilderness, Walupt Lake Trail. A good example of a trip stopper log on this PCT access trail. It had taken 3 Cross Cut saw cuts thru this to get the hole thru the tree.

Pacific Crest Trail just north of Snoqualmie Pass in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. This section of trail, note the hiker mid way up the slope, is called the Kendal Cat Walk. We are often asked to share the trail with other users. This is not an issue with the hikers. But this example clearly shows the potential safety issues when hikers and horses are asked to share with something coming down at 15 or 20 miles per hour when we do 3 or 4 miles per hour. There are some trails that clearly do not lend themselves to sharing for all users.

Some of the financial aspects of owning and operating horses. Sometimes it IS about the money.

Jake and the Trailer.
A. Horse, $3000 to $5000 dollars to buy a decent trail horse.
B. Yearly expense of owning one horse if all goes fairly well $4000 to 5000 dollars for feed, shoes (every 8 weeks), Vet bills and general maintenance.
C. Saddle, $500 to $3000 dollars, other tack and gear $500.
D. Trailer, $5000 to $20,000 or more.
E. Travel. We commonly drive up to 125 miles one way for a long day ride. Then get just up the trail and find a trip stopper in the trail. Turn around and go home. 250 miles of driving, an entire days time and money wasted because of either bad information or poor trail maintenance.

Goat Rocks Wilderness, Walupt Lake Horse Camp. A nice camp, able to get two rigs in one site. This trip was in planning for a couple of months for 5 days of riding. The agency office was contacted twice and the trails were all given a green light.
A. 2 diesel one ton pickups @ $ 50,000 to 60,000 dollars each.
B. 2 Campers @ $20,000 each.
C. 2 Three Horse Slant load trailers @ $20,000 each.
D. 500 miles round trip for two rigs.
E. Food, expensive weed free hay, 500 miles of diesel for each truck, camp ground fees, time off work for two people.
F. The riding and trip had to be cut 2 days short. The reported open trails were not open. A bridge was out on one of the trails. It had been out for quite some time. We were not informed of this even though I had called the agency twice checking stock trail conditions.

Why do we do it?

Mount Baker and Baker Lake, Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington State.
A. The scenery.
B. Serenity.
C. Beauty.
D. Peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
E. To spend quality time with our partner and companion the horse.

The horse is not a piece of sports equipment. It is a 365 days a year, 24/7 life style. You can’t take the horse off the back of the car and lean it on the garage wall when you are done for the day.

The horse and rider spend years creating a bond between two living thinking creatures who quite literally trust their lives to the partnership that has been created between them.