Slow Elk Poacher,

Thanks again for your feedback.

I’m uncertain as to whether you slowed down well enough, to read all of the posts contained in this thread. Because if you had, you would see that I agree with you to a certain extent, concerning some cell phone misuses.

It seems it’s not so much the gift of the technology we are complaining about, but rather some of the ill-desired behavior patterns of some users.

I used to feel differently about modern technology infiltrating into our wilderness areas, until that defining day when my friends and I saw those two girls from Challis succumb to their injuries from that horrendous head-on crash, with help so long delayed, due to lack of a working phone.

I wonder if your thinking would also shift, if -God-forbid- a similar dramatic incident occurred, involving beloved family members or friends of your own, who helplessly and needlessly suffered in a similar dark agonizing stretch of highway.

I’m not sure why I should have to address my credibility, regarding spending time in the backcountry, so I’ll try to keep the defense brief: In the past 15 years, I haven’t been everywhere, but I’ve spent a lot of time in Idaho’s wildlands. So far, I’ve hiked Borah Peak, dove into North Fork Lake, harvested a moose, helped a dozen weary travelers stranded with flats over Trail Creek, discovered an unknown balancing rock, and several

(still secret) hot springs not listed on the State Geothermal map, given a child a piggyback ‘round Born Lakes, been invited to break bread at a fire lookout tower, awakened by fresh meteor showers, discovered treasure near Carrietown, sipped moonshine whiskey at Hook Draw Saloon, smiled at bounding goats, shoe-flied Griz, scooped up a precious heart-rock at Heart Lake, read poetry aloud in the White Clouds, and lastly recognized the significance of Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider movie, filmed mostly in the SNRA and then convinced ITD to revise the mining sign north of Bellevue to include a tribute to it:

http://greenvanholzer.blogspot.com/2007/04/enlightening-eastwoods-pale-rider-by.html

My hope is that if I can keep on this track, it will eventually qualify me as a valid spokesperson - even to my friend here, Slow Elk Poacher’s tired eyes.