Colgate Licks
For the 70 miles between Lowell and Powell, Highway 12 cuts through the Clearwater National Forest: a beautiful stretch of driving, but one without any towns, services or other people. The only time we got out of the car was to visit Colgate Licks: an open glade in the forest whose sodium-rich rocks attract wildlife of the licking sort.
There’s a short hiking loop around Colgate Licks, which takes you into the woods and allows you to sneak up on the rocks, in the hopes of catching some wildlife off-guard. Elk, deer and antelope are the most frequent visitors of the area, though we didn’t see any animals; just some tracks. Still, the walk was beautiful, through clusters of red cedar and lodgepole pine.
One thing we did spot in the area was a wildfire, raging just across the Lochsa River. It was so close that we could actually see flames, although the situation seemed to be well under control by a group of firefighters based out of the Powell Ranger Station. Of course, since Powell is my last name, I felt an immediate kinship for all these brave men and women — in fact, I felt like I should be their leader. Chief Ranger Powell of the Powell Ranger Station has a nice ring. Too bad fire scares the piss out of me.
Colgate Licks has a tragic story behind its name. In 1893, William Carlin, son of a US General, organized a hunting party and hired George Colgate as their cook. The men went off into the woods in search of elk and grizzlies, and eventually became completely lost. Mr. Colgate had the double misfortune of (a) falling sick and (b) being a lowly cook. Carlin and his friends abandoned him in the woods to die alone, which he did. His remains weren’t found until nearly a year later.
A grisly story for a beautiful area. Luckily, today you’re in no danger of getting lost on the Colgate Licks trail, which can be completed in less than a half-hour.
