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Jonny Quest LbNA #62532

Owner:Wisconsin Hiker
Plant date:Jul 6, 2012
Location:
City:Stanley
County:Custer
State:Idaho
Boxes:1
Found by: goldenoldie
Last found:Jul 11, 2018
Status:F
Last edited:May 14, 2016
Last checked/found: 6-JUL-12

Location: ~Mile Post 128.4 on Hwy. 21, west of Stanley. Turn south on Iron Creek Road (dirt/gravel) and drive about three miles to the trailhead. You may want to search online for the Forest Service’s “SAWTOOTH NATIONAL RECREATION AREA RECREATION REPORT” for current info on road and trail conditions.
Terrain: Rocky dirt trail
Distance: ~7-8 miles roundtrip; 1,200’ elevation gain

The Quests were relaxing in their home compound on the island of Palm Key in Florida when they received an urgent request from government officials in Idaho. They asked the Quest team to travel to Stanley to search for a rare form of petrified wood for reasons they couldn’t divulge. The brilliant Dr. Benton Quest agreed to rush from his laboratories in the Florida Keys and travel to the far north to ensure this wood didn't fall into the wrong hands. Dr. Quest was considered to be one of the three top scientists in the world, with interests and technical know-how spanning many fields. After the death of his wife he was left to raise his son Jonny, and adopted son Hadji, as a single father. Since he didn’t want to leave the boys behind, he told "Race" Bannon to help the boys pack and prepare for the trip. Race (a special agent) enjoyed acting as a teacher & bodyguard for the boys. He knew they were both good woodsmen and would enjoy the upcoming trip.

After arriving in Idaho, the boys helped set up camp. They were curious when some nearby lumberjacks warned them to leave, saying "the forest holds many dangers - including loup garou". Race told them that this was the French word for werewolf, but the boys were more intrigued than frightened. The next day they headed off to explore on their own while Dr. Quest and Race searched for the special wood.

Jonny & Hadji, along with their faithful companion Bandit, started out on the fairly level Iron Creek trail in a shaded forest of lodgepole pines. Unfortunately Bandit had a smelly encounter with a skunk along the way and the boys tried to scrub him clean when they came close to the creek. They then entered the Wilderness Area and a short distance later arrived at the intersection with the Marshall Lake trail. They weren’t sure which way to head, but decided to stay straight. In another half mile they came to a turnoff for Stanley Lake and realized they might be lost.

Suddenly an Indian stepped from behind a tree and told the boys that his name was White Feather. He told them how to return to their camp and warned them that a ""bad wolf"" and bad men were at the river, so it was important that they follow his directions. The Indian then melted back into the woods. Rather than following White Feather’s instructions to return to camp, Jonny convinced Hadji to instead take the trail to the left to continue on toward Sawtooth Lake.

They began to climb some gentle switchbacks and a dramatic ridge to the north became visible. While crossing the swift flowing Iron Creek via a makeshift log bridge, the boys noticed a crew of loggers who were using hollowed out logs to smuggle gold downriver. This illegal operation was run by the lumberjacks and they used a huge and surly “werewolf” to protect their secret in this Idaho wilderness.

The nefarious Blackie LeBlanch spotted Jonny and Hadji almost immediately and the logging crew quickly captured the boys. However White Feather soon helped them escape. Unfortunately the werewolf was hot on their trail! They wished they had some jet packs to avoid the evil beast and to aid in their ascent along more switchbacks after the creek.

They darted to the left when they saw a spur trail to Alpine Lake and quickly headed down the trail to a large rocky area near the lakeshore where a small “Y” pine tree was growing from the rock. After a short admiring glance at the clear lake with blue-green water and steep banks, they scrambled due north over the rocky ridge, down into a small gully and then started back up another hill. Jonny, Hadji & Bandit quickly crawled under the east side of a large (approximately 3’ x 4’) boulder directly behind a dead pine. They then pulled some smaller rocks around them them so they wouldn’t be detected by the werewolf. Hopefully you will still find them there! If you do, please tuck them safely back in their refuge and replace the small rocks so they won’t be visible to any returning werewolves or other menacing creatures.

You can retrace your steps back to the parking lot or, better yet, continue on to find my “Sawtooth Lake” letterbox further along the main trail.

We live quite far away, so we would greatly appreciate an email to let us know if the young adventurers are still safe in their hiding spot.

Hike length: 5-8 miles