I AM BACK!!!! It’s been a while since my last post because I have been out on a 3 week trip into the Frank Church Wilderness. This is a trip that has been in the works for a couple of years and the ITA wanted to send out a crew for an extended period of time. The members from left to right: Kjeil, Mary, Gina, Tom (co-crew leader and the guy who came up with the immersion idea), our pilot Thor (Thor just dropped us off and picked us up three weeks later), Pam (co-leader), myself, Annie, and last but certainly not least, Melodie. I don’t think it was more than a couple hours before we dubbed ourselves the Total Immersion Trip Squad! Our slogan: “Frank loves the Total Immersion Trip Squad!” Our goal was to clear some of the most remote trails in the Franck Church Wilderness, some of which had been decades since they were last opened.
A big thanks to the Idaho Trails Association and the Payette National Forest for putting this trip together. What a treat!
But first, rewind a bit to the day before where we needed to get our gear all set. Three weeks is a long time into the wilderness and we had to sort out two re-supplies which are to be brought in by pack team. On the right, loading up for the airport the next morning.
Our plane, the Kodiak, a fine machine manufactured in Sandpoint, Idaho. Thor gives us a safety briefing prior to boarding.
Our flight into Chamberlain Basin takes about 25 minutes and the baggage handlers are soon at work.
Then comes the moment of truth where Thor goes home and we hope that our weeks and months of gear planning didn’t miss anything.
Eight people, many of which had only met for the first time less than 18 hours earlier….. It was like a reality TV show! Let the drama begin!
Full packs, heavy tools, its off to work we go hi ho hi ho!
A quick stop at Stonebraker Ranch to say hi to Dave and Beth…. Beth had not yet arrived. Stonebraker is one of my favorite places in the world and Dave and Beth are the best!
Onward up The West Fork of Chamberlain Creek.
It wasn’t long before the work began, before and after. We had to clear the trail behind us so that our re-supply pack team could bring us more food and gear in about a week.
What happened next was pretty stunning and dramatic. Within a couple hours, our mighty co-leader Tom had been injured by a tree stab puncher in his leg and needed to be air-lifted back to a hospital for treatment…… Although he was smiling here, we all know that pain of the injury was minor compared to the pain of leaving only hours into the trip. Notice that Pam was showing Tom what a normal leg should looks like.
After only about 6 hour from arrival, in comes Mike from Sawtooth Aviation, out goes Tom….. and then there were 7! Cue dramatic music!
davefaitlemonde.com 
Wow, what a dramatic start to your trip. So glad your crew puts in the work to clear the trails. Hope Tom recovers quickly. R2
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