Jay Krajic was a director, editor and chief videographer of Outdoor Idaho for over 15 years. He retired in December 2022 with his last show being ‘In the Shadow of the Bitterroots.’ Check out Jay’s Top Ten episodes selected from his time working with Outdoor Idaho.
I picked this list because of the physicality of most of them. There were long, steep hikes, long horseback and mule rides, or bone-chilling cold. I had to shoot two avalanche snow checks. I still have a few toes that are perpetually numb from those shows. I always wondered if some of the segments would have even existed if I didn’t like to hike. Or if some of the shows were created because of my love of the outdoors.
I mistakenly left “Summit Idaho” off the list. Those four peaks were tiny compared to the Twelvers but that show seemed like the precursor to all the others. I can hear the producers saying behind closed doors, “Oh, if Jay can do those then maybe we should climb all these other peaks.” I think I’ve climbed 20 with a video camera for Outdoor Idaho. That doesn’t include all the trails and lake basins.
“Search and Rescue” took a year to shoot. Lots of hiking and not a lot of lost people. “Desert Therapy” involved a group of high school students who had been sent to a wilderness camp near Gooding, Idaho, against their will. They weren’t always too sure how they felt about having a camera crew around. Cold mornings and blazingly hot days for that one. That ended up being a show with just the students and counselors telling the story. There wasn’t any narration and it was a very difficult edit. Sometimes working with people who don’t want to be videotaped is just as difficult as hiking to the top of a mountain.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast on many of those adventures. Some of the people I worked with, as with those who were profiled in shows, were some of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. They made those extreme workouts a whole lot of fun. I was always up for the challenge and I’m sure I’ll keep challenging myself. But, without a video camera it will be so much easier. – Jay
1. Land of the Lost River Range
They are Idaho’s tallest mountains, but many would be hard pressed to find them on a map. Geologists call it Basin and Range. We’ll meet some of the hardy individuals who work and play among these 12,000 foot peaks. This is a part of the state that in many ways still resembles the Old West.
The Outdoor Idaho crew explores the unique formations of the province geologists call Basin and Range, and meets the hardy individuals who live, work and play alongside these 12,000-foot peaks. “They’re so majestic,” says Mackay rancher and native Kevin Donahue. “They draw you home.”
Some seek thrills, some seek records, some push themselves to the edge of physical and mental endurance. But for most Idaho climbers, simply standing on the top of Idaho’s tallest mountains is reward enough. Outdoor Idaho explores “Idaho’s 12ers” and the Idahoans who cherish them, from close up and from afar.
It’s some of the most dazzlingly diverse country in the West, deserving of the gold standard of protection. In this hour-long special, the Outdoor Idaho crew visits the three new wilderness areas in the center of Idaho—the White Clouds, the Hemingway-Boulders and the Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness—to tell the fascinating fifty-year story of how the threat of an open-pit molybdenum mine eventually led to a unanimous vote for wilderness in Congress. This program also examines some of the major battles yet to be decided.
Outdoor Idaho explores what it takes to be a volunteer for Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue and how important their service is to Idaho ‘s outdoor community. Communities rely on them; law enforcement welcomes their help and the rescued are grateful. Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue answers the call when people get lost or hurt in Idaho’s wild places.
Positioned between glamorous Sun Valley and desolate Craters of the Moon, the Pioneer Mountains are, for many, just a blank spot on the map. The Outdoor Idaho crew set out to change that, exploring the valleys and the tallest peaks of Idaho’s second-highest mountain range. This is not official wilderness, but it’s every bit as wild as the nearby Boulders and White Clouds, with a rich history and diverse landscape sure to inspire and intrigue.
We are a state rich in rivers. And the waters that feed those rivers—Idaho’s headwaters—are truly some of the West’s sacred places.
In this hour-long program, Outdoor Idaho pays tribute to the hundreds of miles of small streams that transport water from the upper reaches of the watershed to the main part of a river. Headwaters help determine the character of major rivers, like the Snake, the Salmon, the Selway, the Boise, the Owyhee, the St. Joe; and in turn those rivers help define Idaho and the West.
Located in some of the state’s most beautiful, hard-to-reach places, “Idaho Headwaters” reminds us what it is that’s worth protecting in this world of ours.
Follow a group of youth at SUWS, one of the country’s oldest wilderness therapeutic programs, as the teens make their way through 21 days in the sagebrush, a journey that requires both self-sufficiency and collaboration.
8. In the Shadow of the Bitterroots
Idaho’s Bitterroot Mountains define our state’s squiggly eastern border. Rugged, remote and hard to get to, the Bitterroot Mountains offer a challenge and reward. Outdoor Idaho’s “In the Shadow of the Bitterroots” will uncover the history, culture, recreation and science of the land. From sacred Nez Perce trails to the tallest peaks, this show will inspire curiosity about a unique mountain range.
Is there an adventure that you’ve always wanted to experience? That’s the question Outdoor Idaho posed to our Facebook friends. Here are four stories that take viewers to some of Idaho’s best loved parts of the state.
10. Winter Grit
Idaho’s outdoor enthusiasts can be a gritty bunch — especially this time of year. Cowboys on horses pull skiers on a snow-packed track, reaching speeds up to 40 mph. Climbers scale 100-foot columns of ice along basalt cliffs. And powder hounds hitch a helicopter ride to a mountaintop in Palisades range. Together, these adventure-seekers demonstrate it takes true grit to brave Idaho’s elements.
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