Sawtooth News Archives
Winter Fest Coming!
Greetings soul brothers and sisters,
Thanks for checkin’ in with your resident soul goat here…Hope you are all doin’ fine in this new year of 2010. Got some happenin’s to report comin’ up in the land of the ‘Tooths.
On February 20th and 21st, the Sawtooth valley will host its first annual Winter Festival. This is bound to be an outrageous, madcap weekend in the ol’ town of Stanley. Check out the events…
On Saturday, February 20, at 2pm, there will be a Snowshoe Drag Race right down the main street – Ace of Diamonds. When I say “drag race,” I mean racing in drag, cross-dressing on the real. Men dressed as women, and women dressed as men. Now, to a goat this ain’t no thing, but to humans, this gets ‘em all crazy. I guess I could psycho-analyze this and all, but I won’t…
The Stanley Cup Hockey Tournament will take place at the Stanley skating rink- undoubtedly, the most picturesque skating venue in the human world. Grab your skates and stick, and get on a team. Or grab a warm coat, a hot chocolate, and be a spectator- of the game and the mountains! The pond hockey will be happenin’ all weekend long.
There will be dog sleds in town, sledding, and a contest for the best snowman. On Saturday night, there will be live music at the Mountain Village Lounge to get yo’ hips shakin’.
Sunday, at 2pm, there’s gonna be a relay race- combined snowmachine, ski, and snowshoe. It’ll be sweet. More hockey, sledding, and snowman building takin’ place. That night, Smiley Creek Lodge will be the place to yo’ goove on…
Also, don’t forget about my favorite event of the Stanley winter coming up soon…. the Sawtooth Ski Club’s 8th Annual Sawtooth Ski Festival. This will be held on March 6 & 7. Get yo’ planks waxed up for this one; there’ll be some serious kickin’ and glidin’ goin’ on. On Saturday night, at the Stanley Community Center, the band Headwaters will be jammin’ some sweet tunes to get the folks swingin’. More to come on the ski fest….
Book a room now y’all at the Sawtooth Hotel in downtown. This is one happenin’ place. My friends will cook you a damn fine breakfast if you stay the night. There’ll also be home-cooked food and tasty beverages all weekend long there.
That’s all for now…keep spreadin’ the Peace, Love, and Soul.
Yours truly,
Billy Bob
Human Hedonism and Snow Plank Euphoria
Hey, B.B. the soul goat here, checking in with all y’all human-folk. I must admit, I am just getting used to typing- my hooves don’t necessarily lend themselves useful to this type of thing.
With snow season here, I am inclined to write on an observation I have been making this week on humans and hedonism. Hedonism is defined as the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good. When I was a young goat, I was mostly concerned with this pleasure. I would wake up in the morning and live my day according to what was going to make me baaa the most. I would walk along the narrow ridgelines in the Sawtooths, with the wind blowing in my beard, skipping from crag to crag. When I came across a suitable rock, I would kick it off and watch it race down, gaining speed and tumbling and flying until it came to a stop. What a hoot! (to borrow my friend owl’s expression.) Besides mating, ridge-walking and rock tumbling made me happiest.
Now, when I watch you humans out there in the Sawtooths in winter, I am reminded of hedonism. With those funny-lookin’ planks strapped to your feet, you walk through the snow to the top of the hills and peaks. Then, I watch you speed down through the snowfields, turning back and forth. I can tell by the noises y’all make that it is exhilarating. You spend the whole day going up and down. I do say it looks like a whole lotta fun.
As I get older, (and I am not at all saying I’m an old goat yet,) I tend to think there has to be a way to justify hedonism with a purpose of higher good other that the pure joyful act itself. For me, I have found my highest good in reaching out to humans to find their mountain soul. I can still spend my days walking the Sawtooth ridgelines, but instead of focusing on my own happiness, I tend to put my thoughts into turning people on to the splendor of Mom Nature. Because it’s Her world, after all, and being surrounded by her is what will make humans most happy.
I tend to believe that most of you humans are connecting with your mountain soul when you partake in this snow plank euphoria. Oh…I wish someday, I could do the same…I could strap those planks to my hooves and feel what it is like to soar down the hillsides like a rollin’ stone, snow flying all over my body, snaking back and forth, ziggin’ and zaggin’, rockin’ and rollin’, creating beautiful artwork in the snowfields of the Sawtooths.
Keepin’ it soulful,
B.B.
Introducing Billy Bob the Soul Goat…
Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m Billy Bob the mountain goat, protector and preserver of all that it is good in the mountains. Some people call me Billy the Soul Goat because they say I got it- soul, that is. To understand me, if you care to, is to understand what you humans call soul. Now, recognize that there are many definitions of soul in ol’Websters. The one thing that runs through all the definitions of soul is a spiritual emotion or feeling. The one I like is this – high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage. You humans got got all kinds of things soul- there is soul cake, soul kisses, soul food, soul music, soul mates, soul brothers and soul sisters.
I am primarily concerned with mountain soul awareness. More specifically, the soul of the Sawtooths. The Sawtooth mountains, that is. That is where I live. We mountain goats habitate most of the mountain ranges in south-central Idaho. Heck, I got close friends in the Boulders, Pios, White Clouds, and Salmon Riv mountains. But my stompin’ grounds are the Sawtooths, the colossal stretch of mountainous territory that defines this neck of the woods. High alpine peaks and ridgelines, all jagged and remote, are where I hang out.
Now, whether you realize it or not, most of you humans have felt my presence. You feel it ‘cause I’m putting it out there for ya. You may not know it’s coming from me but you know it’s happenin’.
You feel it when you drive those funny-lookin’ cars over Galena and catch your first glimpse of the Sawtooths. You feel it when you walk (on only two legs- ha!) into the ‘tooths. You feel it profoundly when you jump into one of my lakes. You definitely feel it when you climb high into my environment or spend the night in one of those funny-lookin’ shelters. You feel it when you humans are sliding through the snow with those planks attached to your feet. I guess if I had to define it, in goat terms, it would be euphoria mixed with a deep sense of connectedness to the natural world. I am here to make sure your life is filled with these experiences. Come to Stanley, stay with my friends at the Sawtooth Hotel, and get in touch with your own mountain soul. It is the only way to live.
Peace out,
B.B.
Winter in Full Swing
The winter is in full swing in the Stanley basin. Since we rang in the New Year, we have had some significant snowfall, making the backcountry skiing come alive. Avalanche danger is considerable out there, so make sure you’re keeping it mellow. The trails at Park Creek are groomed for Nordic skiing, and the ice skating rink is alive and kickin’.
Sawtooth Hotel Open
After nearly three years of construction, the Sawtooth Hotel is finally open for winter business! We thank everyone for the love and support through the remodel process, especially BGood, and Pinky. You guys rock.
We hope you come visit and experience the solitude of the winter in Sawtooths. To kick off our first winter open for business, the Sawtooth Hotel is including homemade breakfasts as part of your room rate. Come check it out.