Leanne Veldhuis, SpecialUses Program Manager for the Mount Hood National Forest (MHNF), noted that before the recently released movie “Wild” got to film scenes around Mount Hood, the production hit a snag during the permitting process.

Just as work on the permit started in October, 2013, the federal government
shut down for approximately three weeks, putting employees of the U.S.
Forest Service on furlough.

Luckily, Veldhuis added, the film crew could shift their schedule to prioritize
some scenes on private land until the permit process could be completed. And
she noted that the film crew fortunately avoided early winter weather that
could have made things worse.

“If it had been later in the year when the weather turns for the worst, you can
really lose your filming window,” Veldhuis said. “It could have had serious
repercussions for the film.”

But the hard word was worth it from all the parties involved and on Tuesday,
Jan. 6, Governor John Kitzhaber presented an Oregon Film & Television
Office’s Annual Governor’s Award in the category of “Film Advocate” to the
MHNF for their work on the film.

Bill Westbrook, District Ranger for the Zigzag Ranger District said in a press
release, “It always feels good to be recognized for hard work. Putting together
filming permits like the one we established for Wild took great efforts from
many talented staff members. It’s wonderful to celebrate their efforts in this
way.”

The film (based on a book by Cheryl Strayed), stars Reese Witherspoon as a
woman who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) by herself after her life spirals
downward and features numerous locations in the MHNF, including the
Clackamas Lake Ranger Station complex, Timberline Lodge and SkiBowl.

Veldhuis noted that she and Kathleen Walker, Westside Recreation Program
Manager for the MHNF, spent time monitoring the sites where filming took
place to ensure nothing was damaged. On one occasion in the past, she
added, a film crew at the Clackamas Lake Guard Station used some heavy
equipment too close to the building, which had a negative impact on the site.

Their responsibilities included preventing damage to structures (such as nails
put into walls), protecting salmon and other wildlife and stopping any pollution
from contaminating wetlands – basically enforcing to the fullest extent the
“Leave No Trace” principals. Veldhuis also noted there is a balance to be
struck between the people who want pristine forest and those who want to
use it for artistic purposes.

“We’re public servants, right, so we’re representing the interests of the
American people,” Veldhuis said.

Veldhuis and Walker both noted how some of the most time-consuming work
performed by the film crew resulted in only a few seconds of screen time in
the final film. The Clackamas Lake Guard Station, for instance, includes a
ranger’s office and a barn, both called for in the script. But instead of using
the real spaces, the film crew created new ones by building intricate sets,
including making an office in a mess hall and using a warehouse as the barn.
“They ended up spending a lot of time to create a corral outside the barn,”
Walker said.

The process for acquiring a film permit is the same as commercials and photo
shoots. Fees are based on the number of people involved and the number of
days in the forest. The permit for “Wild,” which had a crew of 75 in the forest
for nine days, cost $828 per day.

Five percent of the funds collected go to the Washington, D.C. office of the
USFS, while approximately 80 percent go to the local agency. Veldhuis noted
the MHNF uses the money to “help build the program,” including staff time for
future film projects and the like.

“That money collected goes back into managing the land,” she said. “It’s a
good thing.”

Interest in PCT already increasing
Both Walker and Veldhuis also reflected on how “Wild” should increase
interest in the PCT, something Jack Haskel, Trail Information Specialist for the
Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA), reported has already happened. The
trail stretches from Mexico to Canada through a wide range of terrain, from
deserts to lush forests and more, but Haskel noted there are no hard numbers
for how many people utilize the trail or parts thereof each year.

Haskel added that the impact from the book, and the book it’s based on, has
had a notable increase in the donations, volunteers, website views, phone
calls and social media activity for the PCTA. The organization has responded
by launching a campaign called “Responsibly Wild,” including public service
announcements and a microsite (a small cluster of stand-alone web pages) to
increase awareness of “Leave No Trace” principals and how to be safe when
hiking in the wilderness.

“It’s really important that they don’t get in trouble,” Haskel said of new
potential hikers.

Haskel added that the Mount Hood chapter of the PCTA is the strongest
volunteer program in the organization, with approximately 900 people, and
that the stretch of the PCT around Mount Hood is “really fantastic.”
He recommended summer as the best time for hiking, to avoid the perils of
snow, such as getting lost and falling (while muddy and wet trails also receive
more damage from hikers).

Fore more information, visit pcta.org.