What About "The Bob"?

Well, for one thing it’s a big place. Together with the adjoining Great Bear Wilderness to the north and the Scapegoat Wilderness on the south about 1.5 million acres are protected. For another thing, it is named after an interesting character, Dr. Robert Marshall, a prodigious hiker and champion of wild places. Bob Marshall was born to wealth in New York City. His father, Louis Marshall, was a lawyer and had a key role in protecting the Adirondacks. Despite his family’s wealth, Bob Marshall preferred simple things and the outdoors. Tales of his hikes abound. A “normal” day hike might have been 30 to 40 miles and Marshall was known to have covered 60 miles in a day. He was an inveterate record keeper noting everything from the lengths and durations of hikes (e.g., most miles in two days—88; most miles with a pack—34) to the number of cuss words spewed by lumberjacks (an average of 136 words in 10 conversations). Bob Marshall held a number of posts in the U.S. Forest Service and was a forester with the Indian Service (today’s Bureau of Indian Affairs). Despite a vigorous life in the outdoors, Bob Marshall died a young man at age 38 in 1939.


It is tempting to believe that the Bob Marshall Wilderness we four prostaffers enjoyed in early August has remained unchanged since the time of its eponymous benefactor. The fire scars, trails, and other artifacts evident in the landscape, however, tell us this is not true. Still, the craggy features of overthrust geology (see Wade, I was listening) have not changed since Marshall’s time. Ecosystems and landscapes change slowly with time so it is probable that some of the Bob looks the same as it did more than 70 years ago.

Bottom photo courtesy of Bowhunter