187. Pulaski Trail

When I was living and teaching in Wallace I used to go for runs out Placer Creek toward Moon Pass. On that road about a mile up from town there was a sign in memory of firefighters in the Great Fire of 1910 and it told the story of Ed Pulaski and how he saved several men from being burnt to death in the fire by holing up in an abandoned mine shaft. The road is all uphill so I would sometimes just stop there to take a break and then run on up the hill.

Now, at the spot of that sign (I lived there in the mid-eighties), there is an interpretive trail that takes you right up to the abandoned mine shaft. I’ve been up there a few times over the past thirty years to hike the trail with friends. It’s a great spot to go and take a short hike and learn a little Idaho and American history. From where I live now it’s a couple hours drive and a beautiful one at that, so for a short adventure I’ve gone up there to do that short (maybe two hour) moderate hike, then gone to eat some place in Wallace. My favorite place, the Jameson Saloon and Hotel, is now closed, but it added another historical note to the trip. At any rate, I love three things about that trail: hiking, history, and the forest. So, it makes it a great place for me and it’s not so difficult that I have to take only the most ardent hikers. The first bit of the trail is even paved and wheel chair accessible, so I’ve taken my youngest son with me as well and regaled the poor guy with all my stories as a young teacher in Wallace.

There are lots of other hiking trails appropriate for various ability levels in Idaho that I enjoy, but the Pulaski Trail has a special place in my heart because it is where I first started teaching and it’s loaded with history of this area. I very much appreciate that trail because of how it encapsulates many of the things that I love.