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~ G(;~781 ,f made me wonder if a hanging were planned, with the noose intended for my neck! Wild-eyed descriptions of the Wilder- ness Bill had spread anger and alarm throughout the moun. tain communities. But Idahoans are fair minded, even when aroused, and they were willing to hear me out. They pepper- ed me with questions: .r' . "Senator, why are you in favor of converting our western forests into wilderness playgrounds for eastern millionaires?" I replied that I thought the wilderness areas in Idaho would be used principally by our own citizens, a prediction since borne out by Forest Service statistics. I "But, Senator, only the wealthy can afford to hire guides and packstrings. What about us ordinary folks?" ,",I' This argument, widely circulated and surprisingly believed, was enough to blow the mind. Most people hike into the wilderness, with packs on their backs and their children in string. A few years ago, in the summer of 1973, I. spent a week in the Sawtooth Wilderness. We were the only party with horses. But we encountered many other wilderness visitors: college students and mountain climbers in small groups, older backpackers and fishermen, and hardy parents and their kids. That's not exactly the chic clientele you find at Sun Valley! Around the campfires, I remember the conversations well. One young father, lean- ing back to glimpse the treetops and the arching star. studded sky, put it this way: "What an irony! No amount of money could buy what is given us free tonight. No king could purchase these splendors. This is the best vacation we could possibly have as a family. And, you know, it happens to be the only kind I can afford!" .,: ~.." " ;~~J . ~'''j '.'~.~ .' ,...', .):. .J,l ~lt. 'r.. .}" :!'"' ',. . -.'.. .',' .:..... ~.'.'\ ,.. ~I-~ . ',\~' ,",.:.1; '. 3