SI can vividly recall my first real outing in the Shoshone National Forest and Washakie Wilderness. I was eight years old and my father had decided that it was time to show me what existed in our “backyard.” He had planned a four-day backpacking trip west of Ramshorn Peak into the cirque of Six Mile creek. We were to set up a base camp at the mouth of the cirque, with the main objective to summit peak 11,873, or what my family calls Six-Mile Mountain.

The day came for us to set off into the forest. My dad walked me through the way to pack the gear and food that we would need, and some of the conveniences that would make life at camp more entertaining and pleasurable. He stressed the importance of leaving no trace except our footprints, so that another backcountry traveler might encounter the wildness of the forest much the same as we had.

I could tell how important it was for him to share this wilderness experience with me. He kept talking about how mystical the cirque would be with snow melting into cascades pouring down the mountain walls and how walking into the cirque reminded him of a land that only existed in fairytales. These words would help motivate me to reach—by my own power—our destination and the summit of what was to be the first of many Washakie Wilderness peaks.

The summit did not come easy, and I did not understand why we kept pushing upward. That is, until I finally reached the top. Standing there, able to see in all directions for miles, I raised my arms high overhead with joy and a sense of earned accomplishment. From that moment on, I understood the importance of this journey and how much we can learn about ourselves in natural environments.

Now that I am a father, I yearn for the day when I take my daughter out into the forest and show her how to respect and appreciate what Mother Nature has provided us in the Shoshone National Forest and surrounding Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

When that day comes, I hope that when she rounds the bend or comes over the top of a hill, it is a grizzly bear, moose or bighorn sheep she encounters and not the exhaust of a four-wheeler, snowmobile or snow cat, all of which are encroaching deeper and deeper into our national forests and designated wilderness areas. I want her to experience the fairytale of these forests and mountains, and not to depend on my stories about what they were once like. The forests and mountains belong to everyone, but with misuse and without conservation efforts, their splendor will be lost for generations to come. When issues arise that affect our forests, we must become active and voice our concerns in order to ensure their magnificence in the future.

Jeramie Prine teaches 7th and 8th grade English at Fort Washakie School and lives with his wife, CeCe, and four-month old daughter, Meesha, in Lander. He can be found exploring the backcountry on his snowboard in the winter and on bike or foot when the snow melts. He is a new member of the Wyoming Outdoor Council.