PRIEST RIVER — It's being in the outdoors that drew Sam Wylie to logging.

That, along with a family history of logging — and being kicked out of school with no interest in going back.

"My family has been logging all their life and it's a good living," Wylie said of why he first began logging. "I like being outside and seeing something different almost every day."

Wylie has spent his life in the woods, working as a logger in one capacity or another since he was 15 years old. From running a chainsaw to operating heavy equipment to hauling logs from tough and steep terrain, Wylie has done it all.

While hard work, Wylie said it was fun, and he enjoyed working in the woods. His first day was difficult,t and it took a while to learn the ropes.

"It was a nightmare because I didn't know what I was doing, and my saw was always dull," he added. "Chains were always wound around each other. You know, it takes a while to get used to it."

When he started, there were no grapple skidders, no processors, no heavy equipment. Logging meant heading into the woods with your crew — maybe one, two or three other people.

Days started early, leaving town by 5 a.m. to get to the job site. Once there, it was hard work, cutting down timber, prepping the logs and getting the trucks loaded.

"It was good, though," Wylie said with a chuckle. "Made you grow up."

Equipment was old school — maybe not the crosscut saw of his father's generation — but chainsaws, a skidder with a cable to attach to logs to pull them to a landing spot, where a logger would cut the logs into lengths and limb them for loading onto log trucks.

"Today, most of those jobs are done by machines," Wylie said. "Logging is still physically demanding, but much of the work has been mechanized."

Early in his career, loggers were paid by the load — the more you logged, the more you earned. Now, loggers are paid by the hour, whether they bring in one load or 10, Wylie said.

"You always tried to work with a good crew," Wylie said. "There was a hauler, a guy running a skidder, and a guy bucking, and you had to have three good guys to make money."

Safety has also improved with chaps, earplugs and eye protection — equipment that wasn't common for loggers. Today, they are standard issue — and that's for the good, Wylie said.

Logs were bigger than today, not because they don't exist today but because modern mills aren't set up for logs over a certain diameter. Wylie said logs under 28 inches can be processed much faster with specialized equipment scanning the logs to speed processing.

"The computer scans the log and knows what's going to come out of it before it gets done," he added.

The industry, in some ways, is tougher. While safety has improved and equipment is better, Wylie said there's more competition and the bigger, specialized equipment means more volume is needed to cover costs and make a profit. Bigger companies, not small one- or two-man operations, are more common.

When Priest River Councilor Billy Mullaley called to let him know he'd been selected, Wylie said he both appreciates the honor but feels there are others more deserving.

"They tried making me (Bull of the Woods) last year and I said, 'No,'" Wylie said. "There's older loggers and we need to get them to do it. They need to be recognized … They were basically the trailblazers."

He thought about saying no again this year. Still, he said he recognizes that the Bull of the Woods selection is an honor and appreciates community members recognizing his work and contributions.

A lifelong resident with deep family roots in the community, Wylie is well known in Priest River for his industry experience and his involvement in community projects.

"That's part of the Priest River spirit," Wylie said. "You have to help people out because you never know. Someday you're going to need that help, and I've gotten a lot of help from other people, and I need to help when I can."

There were multiple nominations for Wylie's selection as Priest River Timber Days' Bull of the Woods honor, said Tiffiny Simpkins, of the Priest River Chamber of Commerce. All praised his work ethic, his dedication to the community and more than 50 years working as a logger, doing just about every job.

"But what really sets Sam apart isn’t just his skill," she said. "It’s who he is."

One nominator praised Wylie for exemplifying "the work ethic, heart and grit" that define the community's logging community.

"With decades of experience in the timber industry, Sam lives, eats and breathes logging trucks. Whether he's out in the woods or lending a hand to a community or family member, Sam leads with humility and hard work," Marisa Homan said in a nomination letter. "Sam represents the spirit of Priest River: strong, steady, and deeply rooted."

Not only has Wylie worked just about every aspect of the timber industry, but he also has deep experience as a log loader, Liz Johnson-Gebhardt said on behalf of the Priest Community Forest Connection and Mike Reynolds Logging. For the past 20 years, he has driven log trucks, bringing logs in — including from very precarious areas — to area mills. He is considered "the" person to call for special projects like hauling extremely long powerline poles.

Johnson-Gebhardt said Wylie is always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone and any group — from animal rescue fundraisers to ball field construction. That dedication and community spirit are precisely what Bull of the Woods is all about.

"PCFC and MRL believe Sam Wylie is the epitome of the ‘Bull of the Woods’ tradition and representation for our spectacular Timber Days celebration," she added.

His deeply rooted love for his community helps him stand out, Simpkins said.

"That’s something you can’t teach. That’s something you earn over a lifetime," she said. "And if you ask around town, you’ll hear it again and again: 'Sam Wylie isn’t just a logger; he’s a local legend.'"

It's that kind of reliability, toughness and character that define Bull of the Woods honors — and what the men and women selected for the annual Timber Days tribute exemplify.

"Tonight, we don’t just recognize a logger," Simpkins said at the recent awards ceremony. "We recognize a lifetime of hard work, dedication, and quiet leadership. Someone who truly is, as one nomination said, 'the epitome of the ‘Bull of the Woods’ tradition.'"

While he's enjoyed his time in the woods, Wylie notes it can be a hard way to earn a living, and benefits weren't as common when he started.

"The only thing I've got for retirement is Social Security," he said. "But it was our choice; nobody made us do it. But once you do it, it gets in your blood and you're done."