I recently took a short motorcycle ride with my dad that got me thinking about nature in a deeper way. I have lived in Idaho my entire life. The place we started our ride was less than 50 miles from my childhood home, where I have spent extensive time. I thought I had seen all the beauty that area had to offer. I was completely wrong.

Our ride started on the Crooked River road in the South fork of the Clearwater River Drainage. One of my first filmmaking experiences involved creating a short video about the Crooked River Restoration Project, so this area is special to me. I hadn’t seen this area in almost 10 years, so it felt good to see that the project was effective. There has been a lot of discourse about river restoration projects like this. The stream was heavily damaged by historical mining that affected the ecosystem. Some people argue that restoring the river is equivalent to erasing history. I understand their position, but I think we are capable of remembering Crooked River’s history, perhaps beyond the destructive mining that started in the late 1800s.

That is what made this ride so impactful for me. It started in an area that has recently transformed from being inundated with huge mine tailings but is wild again, partially due to my own efforts. As we gained elevation, I could see just how wild it was. Even during the peak of hunting season, we were alone for the majority of our ride. I was able to sit with my dad and look out at an incredible landscape. Furthermore, I was able to get access to it with a small amount of skill and a relatively inexpensive, low displacement motorcycle. I was kicking myself for not bringing a proper camera, but I know there is no camera that could capture the beauty of the South Fork River Drainage.

I have experienced nature this way since I was young and I know how lucky that makes me. I am now realizing I have seen it change in ways that take substantial time. It has reinforced my belief that our wildlands need to be protected so that I can continue to experience them for the rest of my life, and so that others can experience them long after I’m dead.

Thanks for reading.