Ryan Ghelfi
July 24, 2025
Rarely do I head into the Frank Church without an express purpose. A trail to survey, or a crew to work with. This past week, two friends from McCall and I spent 3+ days covering new ground in the heart of some of the most remote corners of the Wilderness, just because.
It can be hard to find time to get out “just because,” but I always find that it’s more than worth it. This was the case for our most recent adventure.
The hike began at the Big Creek Trailhead, traveling downstream to the east, as so many adventures in this part of the Frank often do. We were surprised to find both camps near the Beaver Creek confluence full, so we continued further into the dark that evening. We had a lot of miles to cover the next day, so perhaps it was a blessing.
This trip was marked by clear, but at times smoky skies. With a couple of active fires in the Frank, we paid attention, but none of the current blazes were particularly close to our route when we departed. Day 2 took us up Crooked Creek (with much evidence of recent brushing, thanks Cold Meadows Forest Service Crew!) to Cold Meadows Guard Station, and then onto Black Lake. This massive lake lies in a steeply walled Canyon and was perhaps the finest piece of country I’ve visited thus far in the Frank Church. Hard to convey how it feels to camp in a location so remote and magnificent at the same time.
Day 3 took us from Black Lake, back to Cold Meadows, and then onto Chamberlain Basin. Just past the private inholding at Root Ranch, we came upon a massive old-growth Ponderosa next to the trail. This tree had no business being alive. It has been burned through over ⅔ of its diameter by who knows how many different fires over the centuries. And yet, we looked up and gazed upon a lifeform standing tall, proud, and nowhere near death. The feeling of awe this tree invoked is hard to overstate. If the Wilderness can teach nothing else, it’s that resilience is perhaps the most essential trait any lifeform can possess. We arrived at Chamberlain tired, very hungry, and grateful for the places our feet had taken us that day.
Our final day was marked by seeing other humans! Not always a common occurrence. It turned out I had been corresponding with both of the groups we encountered. One couple was traveling across the entire Wilderness complex over the course of a month or so. They are still out there as you read this letter, and I wish them well on their journey. It thrills me to see people making this long trip, regardless of all of the difficulties they face along the way. The second group was a 3-generation family with four young kids in tow. The parents of the kids had both worked multiple trail seasons on the Krassel District and were now taking their kids back to show them after years away. What a special thing to do as a family!
There are many places in the West and Idaho grander and classically appealing than the Frank Church. Nearly every bit of the county we saw had been impacted by fire. The terrain is rolling and it lacks the in-your-face sheer granite walls that many people might call Wilderness “eye candy.” One of our board members told me recently that other Wilderness might be eye candy, but the Frank Church is soul candy. I love that idea, and after covering nearly 100 miles in some of the more remote corners of the Frank, I could not agree with this sentiment more.
To experience a place is to know it. And I am so grateful for the opportunity to know this part of the Krassel District, Frank Church River of No Return, and to feel intimately what makes it so special; worth caring for and about. Strapping on a pack and stepping into the Wilderness is never easy, but it’s always worth it.