In its first year, program teaches Idaho, Montana youth how to backpack, clear trails

Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Wilderness Ranger Fellow Marlena Nelson (left) and youth participant Allegra Seyler (right) saw a tree at South Fork Big Creek. (Courtesy of Ian Harris)

A new program is teaching the next generation of local youth how to appreciate the outdoors.

Last month, the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation completed its inaugural season of its Youth Wilderness Program, a free multi-day program teaching youth how to backpack in Idaho and Montana.

The Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation is a nonprofit that partners with the U.S. Forest Service to offer stewardship in the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church-River of No Return Wildernesses. Stewards with the foundation promote recreational use by opening trails and maintaining trail connectivity, according to the nonprofit’s website.

Ian Harris, the foundation’s youth program director, said the idea behind the Youth Wilderness Program was to better serve local youth.

“We have found that most teens in Idaho and Montana – even the ones who live within eyesight of wilderness – are not experiencing their own wild backyards,” he told the Sun. “We created the youth program to change that; to immerse teens in wilderness with the hope that they would fall in love with the mountains, forests and lakes, and become avid wilderness users and stewards for life.”

Allegra Seyler, a sophomore at Boise High School, participated in the summer program. She grew up backpacking and skiing, but this trip was special as it introduced her to her best friend and taught her more about herself.

“It’s definitely what I want to do with my life,” she said. “This trip solidified the fact that I just love trail crew. It was the best experience, and it was so easily the highlight of my summer, just meeting all the fun new people and being outside.”

Promoting accessibility and love of outdoors to next generation

Throughout the summer, two Idaho groups with 10 teens backpacked through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, while two Montana groups, with eight teens, traveled through the Bitterroot National Forest. In both states, the youth were split by age group, with one group for people aged 13 to 15 and another for people aged 15 to 18.

Geography, outdoor skills, transportation and gear costs are barriers that can prevent people from going outdoors, Harris said, so it was important that the program was free and offered gear to youth who needed it.

In addition to learning how to backpack, the teens gained community service hours by clearing trails. They learned how to use hand saws, axes and other cutting tools to clear trails of downed trees and overgrown brush. They learned the history and meaning of wilderness, about “Leave No Trace” principles and how to read maps.

“This knowledge is at risk of being lost, so it is important to pass on the necessary skills to the next generation,” Harris said. “Otherwise, we may lose the very wilderness trails that many of us enjoy and rely on!”

Altogether, the youth completed 584 volunteer hours to maintain 7.8 miles of trails, according to a press release from the foundation.

The Youth Wilderness Program took 18 teens across Idaho and Montana forests to learn how to backpack and perform trail maintenance. (Courtesy of Ian Harris)

After this year’s success, Harris said he is looking forward to growing the program.

“We are happy to announce that we will more than double the number of expeditions in 2025 to meet the anticipated demand for youth participation,” Harris said. “These sorts of programs change lives, and it is our long term goal to ensure that every Idaho and Montana youth that wants to experience wilderness has the opportunity to do so.”

Emily Ferguson, a Walla Walla High School student who spends her summers in Jerome, had never camped or backpacking before participating in the program. She applied to gain community service hours over summer, but the experience ended up helping her make new friends and realize she could survive in the wild if she needs to.

“I’d say, don’t be scared to try something new, because I was really scared and I shouldn’t have been because it actually turned out to be really easy,” she told the Sun. “But do wear bug repellent, because I got a bunch of mosquito bites.”

Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: [email protected]. Follow Idaho Capital Sun on Facebook and X.