Idaho Vay Cay Part Four: The Pulaski Trail

Seriously, I can't believe I am still recapping this vacation. If you are just joining us and you want to read about how I peed my pants on the airplane, took sinful pictures in a church, or had to ride a shuttle bus with a bunch of other weaklings, just click on the links.

Can one of you nature-y people tell me what lives in this hole? It was built into the side of the hill, about 5 feet up from the trail. It was very burrow-like, but the twigs and grass around the entrance looked like something a bird would do.

The day that we drove to Wallace, Idaho to hike on the Pulaski Trail was my favorite vacation day. It had everything: Disaster, death, heroes, and some damn good barbecue.

The Pulaski Trail is a two mile interpretive trail in a narrow ravine that leads to an abandoned mine tunnel.  The trail stays close to the prettiest creek I have ever seen, until it climbs steeply up the mountain to a bluff that overlooks the mine tunnel. It's an easy/moderate hike with lots of chances to stop and read the trail signs and catch your breath if you are a weakling.

You can see the trail on the left side of the picture.

Oh, this creek.

We took off our shoes to feel the water. It was FREEZING! Check out our awesomely white legs.

The Pulaski Trail was named for Ed Pulaski, a forest ranger who saved almost all the men in his crew from a fiery death during an infamous forest fire.

Ed Pulaski. Big, tall, strong, good-looking man. Not that I care about stuff like that.

Forest fires that had been burning throughout the dry summer of 1910 turned into raging infernos on August 20 when a hurricane force wind blew in from the west.  Pulaski's crew became trapped in the ravine, surrounded by  fire on all sides.

All along the trail, you can still see charred trunks of trees from the fire that burned 101 years ago.

Pulaski, who knew every inch of the forest, led his 45 man crew and 2 horses through flames and smoke, alongside the creek which boiled and filled with ash, to the shelter of an abandoned mine tunnel. He stayed at the entrance, trying to block the smoke from entering with a wet horse blanket. Some of the men became hysterical and tried to leave, but he threatened to shoot them with his pistol. One man never made it into the tunnel, and 5 died during the night, but all the rest survived.

The entrance to the mine tunnel.

In the Idaho/Montana area, there were 87 fatalaties, and 78 of them were firefighters.

Everywhere that we hiked or biked we saw references to the 1910 fires. It was a calamitous event that not only changed the environment but changed the mission of the recently created Forest Service. Their primary goal became to prevent forest fires at all cost. This had national consequences, even world-wide consequences, according to some historians. (If you are at all interested in this, check out Stephen J. Pyne, who has written a lot of books about forest fires. I'm reading Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910  right now.)

I realize this is sort of a curiosity niche of mine and that most of you have either dozed off or long since clicked away, but this shit is fascinating to me.

Pulaski was a modest, hard-working man who never claimed any sort of hero status. He was partially blind for the rest of his life from the fire, and his lungs never regained their health. Oh, and he had to pay all his own medical expenses THANKS UNCLE SAM. He lobbied the federal government for a proper sort of memorial to the firefighters who had perished, but I don't think anything was built during his lifetime.

Later, he invented a special tool that is used to this day by wildland forest fighters all over the world. It is called the pulaski. And so, he still makes himself useful.

The pulaski tool!

 After hiking the trail, we ate some awesome bbq in the little town of Wallace, then toured an old silvermine. Don't even get me started on the Sunshine Mine Disaster of 1972!

Lenny. Our tour guide at the Sierra Silver Mine tour.

Comments

[Mary]

My grandmother remembered standing on her front porch at Priest Lake, north of CDA, and watching that fire burn down to the water across the lake. You can still see the scars from the fire there too. Another really good book on the subject is http://www.amazon.com/Big-Burn-Teddy-Roosevelt-America/dp/B004H8GLX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311701299&sr=8-1 Those fires burned all across the West that year, not just in Idaho.

[Miz S]

They sure did. I saw a map somewhere that showed all the fires that burned that summer. Not only all over the West, but straight through the Northern Tier of the US, all the way to New York.

We really wanted to get up to Priest Lake by the way, but we ran out of time. Cool story about your grandma!

[Maureen]

You are a woman after my own heart! I love this kind of stuff, and wherever I go, I drag my family into tiny little museums to get the history of the place. Ed Pulaski-true hero. Have you seen the PBS series National Parks-America's Best Idea? It is wonderful and out on DVD if you missed it.

[Pam L]

We have just obtained Sunshine Silver Mines-Denver as a client for our car service business. They acquired the Sunshine mine in Idaho in 2010 and 19 other exploration properties in the US and Mexico. The say it's the highest known grade silver world wide. They fly in and out of NY to the offices here and went public this month. Hopefully they can prevent future disasters but I could never work in a mine. Being trapped underground during a flood, fire or collaspe would have to rank right up there as my top fears.

[Margaret]

We've been in a silver mine but not the one in Wallace. It was fascinating although the girls complained about how COLD it was. We read the Big Burn for Book Club and the parts about the fire read like a novel. Pulaski ended up a miserable man, just for doing the right thing. (hate that!) My dad used that tool when he worked in the Forest Service fighting fires. :)

[Cathy S.]

Very interesting. I like it when you talk history.

[the bee who loves people who love nature]

The tiny nest obviously belonged to piglet in the Winnie The Pooh movies. You are welcome. Also, I looked at the trail and it looked steep and I am sure I saw poison oak or ivy or maybe both. Also I had a cool drink of lemonade just reading this post. I was hot, tired but refreshed from learning . I love fireman,I love that they are willing to go places we run from. By we , I mean you, I am not running anywhere. Also my legs are way more pale than yours.

[blackbird]

I'm actually enjoying all this learning I'm doing whilst reading about your trip. I've got to say, if there's one thing I would avoid like the plague it would be *a two mile interpretive trail in a narrow ravine that leads to an abandoned mine tunnel*.

[blackbird]

Also, my legs are tanned. From the beach. And THAT my friend is all the outdoor adventure I can muster.

[Sue]

Loving this very educational post. Your are a true teacher! Looks beautiful but is historical, also. A win, win. Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves!!

[Margaret]

Thanks for sharing your vacation...Great WordSmithing and pics.

[FC]

Thank you Miz S.
In my stint as a National Park Service Ranger, I used a Pulaski several times.
I never knew who it was named after, always assumed it was after the Pulaski of Revolutionary War fame.

This made no sense to me of course.

Now I am smarter, thanks to you.

[Pam L]

And, by the way, what is an "Interpretive trail" ?

[Pam L]

And, by the way, what is an "Interpretive trail" ?

[Cazza]

What were the consequences?? Tell us about the 1972 mine disaster. STOP TITILATING US!!!

[maddy]

One of the great things about traveling is all the new information you learn that you would never know about at home.

Sounds like you are having a wonderful and educational time! ;)

[bonnie]

In the realm of coincidence, my family stopped in Wallace (passing through on the way to our annual Glacier camping trip) on July 25. I hope we left enough barbecue for you!

Great hiking photos and information! And, to think I had you as more of an Oasis Bordello Museum type of tourist.