On Dec. 26, Ronan dentist and lifetime adventurer Dr. Steve Culp will leave the snow-filled Mission Mountains for a tropical rainforest in the heart of South America.

The contrast is stark, but the opportunity for adventure is one in the very same. 

While in South America, Culp will be trekking through parts of the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve in Nicaragua, an area that stretches for thousands of miles into Honduras and is one of the most diverse biospheres on earth, as one member of a Medical Practicum team that will bring medical care to the isolated tribes throughout the region.

 About 30 others will join with Culp on the trip. The group will travel in boats along jungle rivers carrying its own supplies, food and shelter with them during the 14 days of service. They’ll sleep in hammocks with mosquito nets at each stopping point. “Showers” will be taken in the river.

A description of the trip says that the region Culp will be working in is one of the neediest in Nicaragua, and until two years ago, had only one nurse for 2,000 people.

These conditions mean the chance at basic dental care is priceless for the people Culp will meet. So, along with the adventure, he knows this is the perfect opportunity to give back.

“My profession has been good to me, I want to give back” he said.

An adventurer by nature, Culp has spent 34 years practicing in Ronan after growing up and going to school in Indiana.

He’d been hooked on “the West” for years, he said, and knew throughout school he wanted to migrate this way. During a trip out west during the summer of 1970, that including dropping into Glacier National Park from Canada, he and a friend spent the night in an open field. A meteor shower lit up the sky.

“The next morning, we got up and entered Montana. I just looked at my buddy and said, ‘This is it,’” he said.

Culp set up his practice here and got to work exploring. An expert ski mountaineer, Culp and friends have taken their skis across many of the Mission Mountains, and the place the inspired his move here has been skied more than a couple times.

After only 12 years in Montana, he’d spent more than 1,000 days in Glacier. 

“I’ve skied every month but August up there,” he said.

Next July, he’s taking his siblings and nieces and nephews through Glacier. Among the stops will be a two night stay at Granite Park Chalet. It’s the best time to see wildflowers and butterflies.

He met his wife Bobbie Zimmerman in Ronan. She passed away from breast cancer two and a half years ago after a long battle with the disease. Along with his work and adventures, he’s made it a mission to help bring advanced digital mammography to the area so others can be protected from the disease.

Bobbie was a nurse and would have joined Culp on the practicum, he said.

Although she’ll miss the big adventure, Culp knows she’d be “extremely happy” he’s taking the opportunity to give back.

The trip is organized by Manchester College faculty. Culp’s mother attended the small church school in Indiana, which connected him with the opportunity. The doctors are joined by 14 pre-med students who will observe and help with the work. Interpreters and nurses will also be on the trip. Culp is the only dentist going.

The group will hold 12 clinics in the 14 days while traveling more than 200 miles. Culp said he’ll most likely be performing “basic dentistry,” such as pulling teeth. They will be able to numb the patients, he said, which is a luxury most of the indigenous people have never received.

“I’ll be seeing a lot of people,” Culp said. “Last year, the dentist took out 450 teeth.”

In between the work, Culp will be dropping his fly fishing lines into the exotic river. Salt water fly fishing has become another hobby of Culp’s during his travels. He’s gotten “quite good” at catching the common snook fish that swim in many South American rivers. 

He will also spend several weeks exploring the area with his sisters before he meets up with the rest of the practicum group. That will be another highlight of the experience, he said, to share some adventure with his sisters.

Don’t worry, he promised he’d also share some of the highlights of the trip with us when he returns.