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The Trip

We'll be women working within wild wonderful wilderness. Start with rugged peaks and glaciated valleys in a huge wilderness. Add some great food, rewarding work, and special women. Mix in free time for solitude or exploration. The result we can anticipate is an unforgettable adventure for novice or veteran backpacker alike.

This trip offers the unique opportunity for women to immerse ourselves in wilderness and refresh our spirits. We can enjoy the company and support of other women, far removed from the concerns of everyday life. We will have a chance to share, explore, and to work hard together to accomplish something good for the environment. Expect to be pleasantly surprised by the wide range of experiences, personalities, lifestyles, and professions that participants bring to this trip. Women from previous trips have said that these trips rank among the most significant events of their lives.

Straddling the Montana/Idaho border, the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is the third-largest area of its kind in the lower 48 states. To the south, it borders the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, and the combined size of these two areas approaches four million acres. The mountains are considered to be some of the roughest in the world, towering over lush forests that include old-growth stands of fir, cedar, and larch. The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is home to one of the country's largest elk herds and has been used for the re-introduction of the gray wolf.

The Project

Our work projects will be varied and everyone will get a chance to try each job. We will likely be clearing blown down trees from the trail using crosscut saws and bow saws, lopping back vegetation that's overgrowing the trail, and doing some tread repair. We may also do some trail remarking with cairns or signs that will help to redefine the trail in places where it is hard to follow. No experience is necessary. We will be trained and supervised in tool use and safety. Expect to work hard and then see the difference we've made.

Itinerary

The trip starts bright and early on Sunday morning, August 12. We'll expect you at the trailhead by 7:30 a.m. where we will serve a light breakfast and hand out sacks of hardy hiking snacks and lunch. The trailhead is only about an hour's drive from Missoula, so participants could choose to stay there on Saturday night before the trip starts. A preferred alternative may be to stay closer at a campground, which is about 30 minutes away from the trailhead. Since we will have such an early start on Sunday morning, we might like to gather together Saturday evening for a pre-trip meeting. The backpack to our base camp (our camp for the week) will be about five miles, all within the Wilderness area, over defined trail with a 2,400-foot elevation gain. We'll spend three to four days working in the vicinity of Little Carlton Lake. On our day off, we will have the opportunity to explore the Bitterroot Mountains and perhaps hike up Lolo Peak to enjoy the incredible view. Other women may want to take photos, bird watch, identify wildflowers, swim, fish, or just relax at camp.

A horse-pack train will carry our group's tools, food, and kitchen equipment. However, each of us will be responsible for carrying our own personal gear to and from the base camp. Our backcountry camp area will have no amenities except those that we pack in ourselves.

We will break camp on Saturday morning, August 18 after we eat breakfast and pack our trail food and lunch for the return backpack to the trailhead. Do not plan to fly home on that last day of the trip; we cannot be certain when we'll arrive back to civilization. Do plan to attend a Dutch-treat, good-bye dinner in Missoula that evening.

After being accepted onto the trip, the leader will provide more specific information about the trip. About three weeks before the trip, the leader will send a newsletter with all the last-minute-details.

Getting There

Participants are responsible for getting themselves to the trailhead. Missoula, Montana is the closest major airport, and the trailhead is approximately an hour's drive from there. Exact driving directions will be sent later, and trip rosters will be sent to all participants to facilitate carpooling. Since we'll be hiking out around five miles on the last day, please make plans to travel home on the following day, Sunday, August 19.

Accommodations and Food

We will be camping in a wilderness area where the only amenities will be those we backpack in ourselves. Your tent will be your home for the week. All of our food and kitchen equipment will be carried in on pack animals. Meals will be provided from breakfast on the first day to lunch on the last day. All trip participants will take turns assisting with food preparation and clean-up. Come with the attitude that food is part of the adventure. While we try to surprise our trip members with variety and quality, our menu planning considers that there is no refrigeration and that food must be protected from animals. We provide healthy, nutritious vegetarian-friendly meals with enough meat, nut, dairy, or soy products to ensure sufficient protein. Before applying for the trip, people with food allergies and/or strong food preferences should contact the cook to see if accommodations can be made.

Trip Difficulty

This is a moderately strenuous trip. Beginners are welcome, but everyone will need to be in good physical condition. We'll be hiking (with our packs) five miles from about 5,800 feet elevation to about 8,200 feet elevation. Fun and safety are our main objectives for the week. Participants are encouraged to work at their own pace, and challenge themselves to exceed their own expectations.

Equipment and Clothing

You'll need a good comfortable backpack in which to carry your tent, sleeping bag, and the rest of your regular backpacking clothing and gear. In addition to that, bring two pairs of leather work gloves, a good pair of sturdy, well-broken-in hiking boots, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt to wear while working. You'll need a day pack to carry your lunch, water, gloves, raingear, and other personal items to the work site. As temperatures can range from nighttime lows in the 30s to daytime highs in the 90s, plan to bring warm, comfortable clothing that can be layered.

We will provide food and the gear for cooking it, but you should come with personal eating utensils (a bowl, a cup, and a spoon). Also, while we'll have a water purifying system for use in cooking, each participant is responsible for their own drinking water. It's recommended that you bring either a personal water filter or water treatment tablets to treat local sources of running water. One or two plastic Tupperware-type containers with tight-fitting lids will be needed for some lunch fixings. While we will provide a first-aid kit for emergencies, you should bring your own small personal kit and any personal medications you require. A detailed equipment list will be sent to registered participants.

References

Books:

• Sternberg, S. (2001). Hiking the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. Falcon Press Publishing.

Websites:

• US Forest Service page on the area: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/
• The Selway-Bitterroot Foundation: http://www.selwaybitterroot.org
• 2004 NPR story on the S-B Wilderness: http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/2004/sep/selway
• University of Montana, Wilderness.net: http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=Selway-Bitterroot

Maps:

• USFS Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, North Half (1999)
• USFS Bitterroot National Forest, North Half (2005)
• USGS Carlton Lake, MT (7.5' Quad, 1967)
• USGS Dick Creek, MT/ID (7.5' Quad, 1964)

Conservation

As with all our nation's wild areas, the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is threatened by outside development. Also, the area is grappling with the presence of invasive plants, such as spotted knapweed, and the reintroduction of native predator species. Participants are encouraged to bring in details of their own local conservation issues for group discussion.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Leader:

Elaine Stebler is from Oklahoma where she enjoys country-living on 80 acres, raising much of her own fruits, vegetables, and free-range chicken eggs. She uses Sierra Club outings as an opportunity to escape to the mountains during the intense heat of Oklahoma summers. Elaine has led or cooked on different type service trips since 1993, but especially enjoys the women's trips. These trips have empowered many women to go where they thought they couldn't go and to do what they thought they couldn't do.

E-mail: elaine.stebler@okstate.edu

Cook:

Kelley Cousin lives and works in Griffin, Georgia but spends as much time as possible hiking and skiing in Montana, where she plans to retire. She loves Sierra Club trips because they offer an opportunity to explore new places with interesting people. She is looking forward to the chance to share her love of Montana while cooking for a diverse group of hungry women.

E-mail: kelcuz1955@aol.com

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Carpooling
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
• Liability Release and Assumption of Risk
• Medical Issues
• Non-discrimination Statement
• Participant Approval
• Reservation and Cancellation Policy
• Seller of Travel Disclosure
• Travel Insurance
• Trip Feedback
• Wilderness Manners