Friends of Scotchman Peaks Archives - Out There Venture

“Wild” essay wins grant for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness

Out There Venture — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:44:44 +0000

Compton’s “Growing Up Wild” chosen as one of five best essays on conservemontana.org

Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness program coordinator Sandy Compton was one of five essayists honored with a $1,000 grant to a non-profit of their choice by the Cinnabar Foundation. His story Growing Up Wild was chosen along with four others by a panel of judges led by Montana author Rick Bass from 341 personal stories about wilderness and conservation, appearing on the website www.conservemontana.org

Compton’s essay was honored along with writings from Monique DiGiorgio (Surviving a Deer-Car Collision at 75 Miles Per Hour), Ben Long(The Colonel: Gary Holmquist’s Battle for Freedom), Jeremy Roberts (The Climate and Ewe – Changes Under the Big Sky), and Walter Archer (Ranchers Unite to Protect Land Against Coal-to-China Scheme). Each is involved in conservation efforts and wrote about that commitment. These top five essays can be found on-line at http://bit.ly/Tw5Pl9

“I have to give credit for the title to my brother Kent,” Compton says, “who wrote a poem entitled “Growing Up Wild” about our childhood in Western Montana. We did, indeed, “grow up wild” — in the presence of some very wild country, the western Cabinet Mountains.”

Compton was raised in the Blue Creek drainage, a tributary to the Clark Fork River in western Sanders County, Montana, on land his grandparents purchased from the Northern Pacific Railroad and moved onto in the spring of 1917. Blue Creek drains much of the southern third of the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. Growing Up Wildfocuses on both then and now, and the transcendent value of wild country to all generations.

“We are proud of Sandy’s contributions to conservation and of his great storytelling,” FSPW executive director Phil Hough said. “FSPW is also honored to be the designated recipient for the grant made by Cinnabar in recognition of Sandy’s Conserve Montana essay.”

Compton, who has been program coordinator for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness since 2009, has several books to his credit, as well as hundreds of published essays and articles on life in the contemporary West. His website is www.bluecreekpress.com

Sandy Compton is often still found deep in the country where “Growing Up Wild” was inspired.

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Friends of Scotchman Peaks Winter Hike Series begins on Sunday, Jan. 6

Out There Venture — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 01:09:45 +0000

Eighth Annual FSPW hike series offers education and winter walks for all fitness levels

Winter hikers enjoy the sun and a huge view from Scotchman Peak.

Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness announced their 8^th annual winter hike series, an even dozen chances to get out into the beautiful landscape of the proposed wilderness on the Montana/Idaho border east of Sandpoint. From easy travels on snow-covered roads to gnarly ascents of some of the Scotchmans’ iconic peaks, the FSPW hike series has something for almost all levels of winter travelers. The first hike of the season, in fact, is an easy to moderate walk along Lightning Creek to Regal Creek this Sunday, January 6. FSPW executive director Phil Hough will lead this foray. Sign up by writing to him at phil@scotchmanpeaks.org

Included in the winter series are hikes that are the field components of classes on tracking and winter ecology. The classes are led by wildlife biologist and researcher Brian Baxter, who has 36 years of experience in many different aspects of outdoor research and teaching. Baxter, who also leads classes for the Glacier institute, will teach about tracking on January 12 and lead a winter ecology class on February 23. Classroom components are held at the Heron Community Center in Heron, Montana, 40 miles east of Sandpoint.

A moderate level hike to a stunningly beautiful place is the snowshoe hike to Ross Creek Cedars slated for February 8. If you want a strenuous outing with great views and a summit as your reward, try the Star Peak snowshoe/ski on March 30.

“We try to put hikes out there that a whole variety of people can enjoy,” says FSPW program coordinator Sandy Compton. “Winter is an incredibly different time to be in the woods and on the mountains. Things quiet down and that white blanket on the world completely changes the view and the experience.”

To learn more about the FSPW hike series, write to trails@scotchmanpeaks.org or visit the hiking page at http://www.scotchmanpeaks.org/hiking/current-hiking-schedule/

The Ross Creek Cedars are a favorite and beautiful destination for an FSPW hike

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Cruise to Benefit Friends of Scotchman Peaks

Out There Venture — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:13:04 +0000

This arrived in the inbox today:

Here is a great opportunity to have an enjoyable cruise on Lake Pend Oreille AND support the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

Summer is right around the corner and what better way to enjoy this rite of passage than cruising on the Shawnodese. And on Sunday, June 8th, Lake Pend Oreille Cruises is offering their popular Clark Fork Cruise from 12 to 3 pm that will benefit Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

Linda Mitchell, First Mate and co-owner of Lake Pend Oreille Cruises, says “Of the many beautiful places we visit while cruising on Lake Pend Oreille, the Clark Fork Delta is my absolute favorite for its stunning scenery, wildlife, and aura of mystery.”

Cost of the cruise is $37 per person and there will be a no host lunch offered. Later in the afternoon from 3:30 to 5 pm, you can take an Island & Eagle Watching Tour for just $20 per person.

10% of all proceeds on Sunday from ticket sales and food & beverage sales will go to benefit the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. This organization is made up of concerned citizens of North Idaho and Western Montana who believe that the 88,000 acre Scotchman Peaks roadless area deserves permanent protection as wilderness in order to preserve one of the last and largest wild areas in our region. The Clark Fork Delta Cruise offers spectacular views of Scotchman Peak, Bonner County’s highest point, towering 7009 feet.

Linda and her husband, Captain Curtis Pearson, plan to dedicate one cruise day each month to a local charity where a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a worthy cause.

For further information or to make a reservation, please call Lake Pend Oreille Cruises at 208-255-5253.

Scotchman Peaks – For our families, for tomorrow

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