HUCKLEBERRIES: Rescue and romance

On wintry Valentine’s Day 1981, a stranded Wyoming man had lost hope.

Alone and starving at the deserted Magee Ranger Station, John R. Miles, 58, of Sheridan, Wyo., wrote a farewell note to his wife, Velma, and their pet dachshund.

And then he wrapped the message in a plastic bag. He figured he would die that night, but his final words would survive.

Then, he heard the welcome roar of snowmobiles.

About 4 p.m. that day, Barb Renner of Dalton Gardens had spotted footprints in the snow. She, husband Harlan and a friend had gone for a ride despite “lousy conditions” on the Coeur d’Alene National Forest. They were about 7 miles from the ranger station.

“It seemed strange to me because that’s so far away from everything,” Barb told The Press. “I couldn’t believe anybody would be just taking a walk out there.”

The sad tale for Miles began six days earlier while he was driving on Interstate 90 to visit a terminally ill nephew in Seattle. Confused by a detour sign, he took a wrong turn at Wallace onto a forest road and kept going. His car got stuck on remote Spyglass Mountain Road.

Miles spent the first three days without heat and suffered frost-bitten toes, according to The Press. Finally, he broke into a building with a wood stove and found two potatoes and two carrots, all frozen. Later, he scrounged a half cup of margarine and some maple syrup.

Complicating the crisis, Miles was a diabetic.

Desperate, Miles burned down two historic U.S. Forest Service buildings to attract attention: a bunkhouse constructed in 1943 and a garage built in 1935. Two days before his rescue, he wrote his goodbye letter and tried to walk out of the forest before turning back.

It was those footprints that Barb Renner saw.

The snowmobilers spotted Miles waving frantically from a porch at the ranger station. Then, they rode to a nearby Shoshone workstation and called the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office.

Once he was admitted to West Shoshone General Hospital, Miles was arrested by a USFS special agent for destroying the two buildings. The county prosecutor didn’t plan to file charges. But Miles still faced a bill of about $80,000 for damages.

“I had a moral right and a moral obligation to do what I did,” Miles told The Press. “If they sue me, I’ll fight it.”

Miles was aware that he had been rescued on Valentine’s Day. He told the Renners to let his wife know that he was alive. He said he couldn’t think of a better gift to give her.

Walking on air

Former Washington pro football coach Ray Flaherty of Hayden Lake was walking on air 50 years ago after being named to the NFL Hall of Fame.

So, he thought he’d try to walk on water, too, as Alabama fans claimed that legendary Coach Bear Bryant could do.

“I think I’ll go out on Lake Coeur d’Alene and give it a try,” Ray joked with Sports Editor T.J. Simers of The Press. And the response from Simers? Don’t bet against Ray.

Flaherty captained the football, baseball and basketball teams at Gonzaga before becoming an all-league receiver for New York’s pro football teams. But he made his mark as a coach, winning four Eastern Division titles and two NFL championships for Washington.

He is credited with inventing the screen pass in 1937.

Flaherty moved to the Coeur d’Alene area after the 1949 season when he finished his pro coaching career with a fine record of 80-37-5.

On Feb. 11, 1976, Coeur d’Alene celebrated Ray Flaherty Day with a chamber-sponsored lunch attended by 100 at the North Shore Convention Center.

Rev. Arthur Dussault, a former Gonzaga teammate of Flaherty’s, summed up his friend well: “Let this man be a target of emulation by our young athletes of today.”

Newsies

Imagine veteran meteorologist Kris Crocker reporting the weather wearing a visor, decorated with a sun, a rain cloud and a snowman.

Or one of her KXLY 4 News colleagues dressing as the Statue of Liberty to report on taxes.

That’s how third-grader Hannah Triphahn and her classmates animated their stories for “KIDS News” 35 years ago at Ponderosa School in Post Falls.

In 1990-91, the school launched a volunteer project that encouraged third-graders to read, watch and report the news. Some reports were taped for the rest of the school to see.

The program was so popular that half of the 120 third graders were involved, even though it meant more homework.

Hannah Triphahn enjoyed KIDS News so much that she considered a broadcasting career.

Meanwhile, sixth grader Jennifer Hayes, who operated the KIDS News camera, was also a news junky. She loved reading The Press. Jeanne Hayes said her daughter could talk to adults and large groups because she read the paper daily.

And that can happen today if kids — and adults — holster their cellphones and read newspapers.

Huckleberries

• Poet’s Corner: I’ve heard it said by those who know/to watch the market winds that blow/for when velocity gets high/even turkeys start to fly — The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Stock Market Rally”)

• Kiss for Luck: Alas, Pinewood Care Center at Seventh and Best no longer stages a Sweetheart Ball. Gone are the valentines, corsages and bunting. The center (now Coeur d’Alene Health and Rehabilitation of Arcadia) once crowned a king and a queen. In 1981, that was King Harold Berkey and Queen Martha Neilson. And they sealed their once-upon-a-time brief alliance with a kiss.

• Drive-In? Howard Hudson never installed drive-in service at his venerable burger shop downtown. But that didn’t stop a Coeur d’Alene man from seeking curbside service. On Feb. 10, 1966, a two-car crash at 15th and Spokane launched John Franta’s vehicle onto Howard’s porch. No one was hurt. Nor were any orders taken.

• Jordan Court: That was a naughty thing for Lake City High to do — ruin Coeur d’Alene High’s big night by beating the Viks 63-55. On Feb. 7, 2001, the rivals clashed after the old CHS basketball court was named in honor of Elmer Jordan. The legendary coach won 425 games and two state titles from 1946-68. But LCHS guard Matt Souza was respectful: “It was really an honor to play in such a big game.”

• Money's Worth: Workers at the Brunswick Café (now the Iron Horse) offered warm smiles and good service. On Feb. 12, 1966, the gang added charity to its qualities. To help equip the isolation nursery at the new Kootenai Medical Center, the 25 employees pledged nine cents a day for six months. Owner Bill Webster donated an initial sum and challenged other businesses and organizations to do likewise.

Parting shot

In February 1991, Christa (Manis) Hazel was pictured in The Press as a teen having her hair styled for the Young Woman of the Year spring pageant.

A few years later, she became the student body president for North Idaho College.

Later still, she defeated Brent Regan to win a seat on the Coeur d’Alene School Board.

Now, she has helped save North Idaho College.

Christa and others turned the tide after three underwhelming trustees brought the college to the edge of ruin. With NIC accreditation hanging in the balance, Christa's Save NIC PAC backed three successful candidates who restored good governance to the college.

And you wonder why local change agents fume when Christa’s name comes up?

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D.F. (Dave) Oliveria can be contacted at [email protected].

    John Miles holds the farewell note he wrote to his wife in 1981.
  

    Co-coaches Ray Flaherty, left, and Red Stadler of the Pacific Coast All-Americans are shown in 1934.
  

    Sixth grader Jennifer Hayes videotapes a KIDS News program for Ponderosa Elementary in 1991.
  

King Harold Berkey and Queen Martha Neilson kiss at the Sweetheart Ball in 1981.

    Homeowner Howard Hudson surveys damage to his porch after a two-car crash in 1966.
  

    Dana Miller, the Coeur d’Alene High cheerleading coach, gives legendary coach Elmer Jordan a miniature basketball in 2001.
  

The “Brunswick Gang” donates to the isolation nursery at the new Kootenai Medical Center in 1966. It includes, from left, waitress June Alderson, Mrs. O.M. Husted, owner’s son Bill Webster Jr., hospital trustee James Evenden and chef Frenchy Jolin.

Sherri Siegwarth of La Petite Hair Salon styles Christa (Manis) Hazel’s hair as, from left, JoAnne Wallace, Sarah Rasmussen and Lisa Roth watch in 1991. All four teens were contestants in the Young Woman of the Year spring pageant.