STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The majestic Sawtooth Mountains have served as the backdrop of the Sagebrush Soiree for 27 years, reminding supporters why they’ve come together to raise money to clear trails and advocate for the wilderness area.

So, when smoke from the Bench Lake Fire obliterated the sight of those jagged peaks this past week, the Society’s Director Kathryn Grohusky and her new development director Mike Hoover made the difficult decision to pivot.

Howard called up his former colleagues at The Argyros and, within a couple days, they had moved the gala dinner and auction into The Argyros where they turned Argyros bar into “The Watering Hole,” projected an outline of mountaintops onto the wall of the Tierney Theatre and set up a lavish hors d’oeuvres station on the patio in view of Bald Mountain.

The fire ranging in the Sawtooth Mountains--now at 2,567 acres and 23 percent contained--only added relevancy to the annual fundraiser.

“It was amazing that this night was open, what with all the events The Argyros has this summer,” said Hoover. “Not only did we want not want to risk people having to breathe in the smoke but the last thing we wanted to do was bring 250 people into the valley and put more stress on the area.”

The Soiree brought together those who have treasured Redfish Lake, the 95-year-old Redfish Lake Lodge and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area since their youth.

Andrew Church, grandson of the late Gov. Cecil D. Andrus and the late Sen. Frank Church, whose wife  Bethine Church, started the Society, said he spent his youth fishing the SNRA’s creeks, climbing its mountains and riding horses along its many trails.

“I was blessed in that I was afforded the opportunity to come up from Boise multiple times every summer—it was a childhood opportunity that not a lot of kids get,” he said. “I love the outdoors, getting lost on trails, soaking in views in this unparalleled place. I love the fact that you meet total strangers on in a place where perhaps no one has ever touched.”

“I love the Redfish area—the sounds, the smells, the nature. When I visit my dad in Payette, I always take the long way around just to go through there,” added Vaelene Bryant, of Hailey.

The Sawtooth Society honored Arlen Crouch, owner of the 95-year-old Redfish Lake Lodge since 1999, for his efforts to maintain the rustic nature of the historic lodge while championing the environment around him. The honor had been planned long before the fire broke out, coming within a half-mile of the lodge.

Parker Gregory, a member of the Sawtooth Society’s trail crew, said he and his crew were unaware of the fire threatening the Redfish Lake Lodge until they emerged the 4th of July Creek area where they had cleared the trail to Washington Lake and saw the smoke plume.

“We started looking at our phone to see where it was and it ended up being right under our noses,” said Gregory, who was enjoying the lamb osso bucco dinner at the Soiree after having survived on Pop Tarts on the trail.

The trail crew had its hands full last year clearing trees that fell on area trails because of heavy snows. This year they’ve had a much easier go of it clearing the trails to Alpine and Sawtooth lakes and others in the vicinity.

Grohusky told supporters that it costs $10,000 to sponsor a trail crew for a summer.

“Together we clear trails for future generations and wildlife,” she said. “We stand on the watchtower and pay attention to threats that might be coming our way. We stand as stewards of the land.”

Auction lots included a two-night stay at Redfish Lake Lodge, which went for $4,400. Other lots included three nights for two at Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch—did you know you can now play pickleball there? Still others included three nights at the five-bedroom Lodge at White Cloud Preserve on the East Fork of the Salmon River and Ketchum artist Adriel Wool’s Floralis Sockeye Triptych, representing the endangered life cycle of the Sockeye Salmon, culminating in the nutrients the decaying fish provide trees around Redfish Lake as they return to the earth.

When the Bench Lake Fire is over, the Sawtooth Society will go back to its work of preventing wildfire and showing people how to prep their homes in event of wildfire, Hoover said.

The Sawtooth Society is also looking forward to a community celebration in the Sawtooth Valley once the Bench Lake Fire is contained, said Grohusky.

“We want to honor the historic and beloved Redfish Lodge, which was the Presenting Sockeye Sponsor of the Sagebrush Soiree.”

Learn about volunteer opportunities and more about the Sawtooth Society at https://sawtoothsociety.org/