Who We Are

Greg’s family moved to Boise, Idaho from South Dakota in 1979, where he graduated from Boise High School in 1981. That first summer he backpacked the White Clouds and has considered the central Idaho wild places his spiritual home ever since. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in upstate NY in 1985 with a BS in Geology, where he met fellow adventurer and PUG director Barry Lifson. Together they explored the wild places in the Adirondacks.

After receiving his MBA from University of Colorado in 1992, he worked in public accounting and later became CEO of a property investment and ranching company in Western Australia. In 2003, he returned to Idaho to be closer to his beloved mountains and wilderness. He is currently a land planning and water rights consultant, but his passion is wilderness stewardship.

During 2012-2014, he began volunteering for trail projects, where he met advisory board member Jay Dorr and became interested in the history and utility of crosscut saws. This led to taking a saw filing class from master Dolly Chapman, which in turn led to Greg working for the US Forest Service trail crew. He spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons working on improving tails in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. In 2017, Greg took a position with the Sawtooth Society as their Stewardship Coordinator, where he substantially expanded their program. Additionally, he has led trips for the Idaho Trails Association. He was inspired to form PUG as a tightly focused partner to the Forest Service, specializing in remote and complex stewardship needs in logistically challenging areas.

Dave graduated from high school in suburban Chicago and headed west to study at the University of Idaho. He married his wife, Melissa, in 1987 and graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1988.

After graduation, they moved to Boise where they raised their two children, Kyle and Christine, both now adults. Dave spent 30 years designing computer memory chips before retiring in 2018.

Dave grew up with an enthusiasm for backpacking and mountain climbing. He has backpacked extensively in the Pacific Northwest, including large parts of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington, the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier, and all throughout Idaho’s Sawtooths. He has climbed Mount Rainier seven times, scaled three of the Seven Summits, and explored many of the peaks in the Sawtooth Range.

While living in Boise, Dave and his family developed a significant love for the Sawtooth Mountains and the town of Stanley. They built a home there in 1995 and spent many summer weekends and holidays up in the mountains. Now, in retirement, they consider Stanley their home.

Sarah enjoyed growing up in Boise, Idaho when the population was approximately 67,000 and people never locked their doors. Because it was such a safe community, Sarah’s parents didn’t worry when she and her friends rode their horses and bikes down to the Boise River and other places around town. Once they obtained their driver’s licenses at age 14, Sarah and her friends spent countless hours exploring the southwestern Idaho desert and mountains.

After graduating from Capital High School, Sarah obtained her Bachelor of Arts at Boise State University, majoring in Social Science and Art. She then spent several years living in Salt Lake City, Utah before moving to Portland, Oregon to attend law school at Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College.

During and following law school, Sarah practiced law in Jacksonville, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as Portland, Oregon. Each of these locations offered ample opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, however, none offered Boise’s quick and easy access to the outdoors.

After a thirteen-year absence, Sarah returned to Boise where she continued to utilize her legal skills in the government, non-profit, and private practice arenas. Sarah and her law partner, Brooke O’Neil, founded the law and mediation firm of Law/Alternatives/PLLC in 2016, where Sarah focuses on estate planning, probate, guardianship and conservatorship, and elder law.

Sarah and her husband, Kenley Hinrichs, spend almost every minute of their spare time camping, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowshoeing. In partnership with the Forest Service, Idaho Department of State Lands, and various private groups, Kenley has spent years designing, mapping, and maintaining motorized trails. This experience has allowed Sarah to enjoy remote trails that are otherwise very difficult to access. Whenever possible, Sarah and Kenley are accompanied by their Giant Rat Terriers, Decker and Dyna.

Jay worked on the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, both the trails and wilderness crews from 1971 through 2018. He was the Trails Manager, Crosscut Saw Coordinator, Lead Blaster, and Air Quality Manager. He is a crosscut saw evaluator and was part of the Intermountain Region crosscut saw training cadre. He is an expert in use of traditional tools: crosscut saws, numerous hand and power tools, pack and saddle stock, blasting, and the techniques of trail design, construction, and maintenance. In retirement he continues with volunteer trail and other work, gardening, hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities. He has a BS in Forest Resource Management from University of Idaho. He splits his time living in Hailey, on the East Fork, and the Idaho mountains with his wife Patti, a retired nurse.