The Ascent I take a long, trembling gulp of air. Every breath I take makes my lungs burn, and my muscles feel tight and achy, like acid is running through…
Author: Sandy Compton
Sandy Compton has been program coordinator for Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness since 2009. He is also a storyteller and author of both fiction and non-fiction books, and the publisher at bluecreekpress.com.
In addition to his other duties, he runs the FSPW All Star Trail Team (www.scotchmanpeaks.org/trails), which works on Forest Service trails in the Scotchman Peaks. He is a trail surveyor as well, and a C-Certified Crosscut Bucker/Feller and USFS National Saw Policy OHLEC instructor.
Sandy grew up on a small farm/woodlot at the south end of the proposed wilderness and lives there still. He is also board member of the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance and a planning team member for the Northern Rockies Wilderness Skills Institute.
Kieri McCommas — 2013 Best Essay Winner Lake Pend Oreille High School
The Tradition of Our People When my mom was little, being a member of the Te-Moake Tribe of Western Shoshone, she was taught the tradition of our people. To respect…
Cassidy Ann Smith — Best 2013 Essay Clark Fork High School
The incessant buzzing of a mosquito was all I could focus on that night in the mountains of Georgia. As I laid in my sleeping bag underneath the crudely tied…
Annalisa Armbruster — Honorable Mention 2013 Essay, Sandpoint High School
Analisa's essay was a very close second to Alex Kremes'. It was simply impossible for one of the judges to make up his mind between the two. "None of us…
Makayla Cichosz-King — Best 2013 Essay Libby High School
My first "wild" horse ride I was very small when my grandparents took me to a horse ranch in the middle of nowhere. I had always loved horses, even if…
Michaela Curry — Best 2013 Essay for Troy High School
A Most Memorable Moose Moment It was fifteen years ago. I was a mere three years old but filled to the brim with adventure. I was with my dad. The…
Alex Walt — Best Thompson Falls High School essay, 2013 Essay Contest overall winner.
Alex was awarded an extra $250 for his best of 2013 essay A Spanish Peaks Adventure The lake looked like it was a massive mirror meant to duplicate the ridge…
Brandon Piazolla — Best Essay 2013 for Noxon High School
“A Most Memorable Wilderness Experience” I have enjoyed hiking, fishing, and spending time in our beautiful area for as long as I can remember. I feel so lucky to have…