On a summer day in Idaho’s pristine wilderness, a diverse group of young adults plunged their paddles into the crystal-clear waters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, their laughter echoing against canyon walls that have stood for millennia.
Among them was Moab resident Sallie Hodges. Hodges was there not as a participant, but as a documentarian — capturing what would become “The Wilderness Within Us All,” a film that has since gained national recognition.
[To watch the film, head over to the Moab Sun News website. -ed.]
The short film, which premiered in 2024 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center in Washington, D.C., documents the transformative experience of participants from the Greening Youth Foundation as they navigate both whitewater rapids and the complex realities of diversity in outdoor recreation.
“The film explores the nature divide, and how it affects both our mental and physical wellbeing,” Hodges explained.
“It highlights the healing power of nature and the importance of access for BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Color] and LGBTQI [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex people] by shedding light on barriers like geographical, financial and systemic exclusion.”
Hodges, who has worked in the film industry for nearly three decades. After moving from London to LA in 1995, Hodges sought a different path—one that led to the red rock landscape we call home.
“When I moved here, I felt like Moab was this place that sort of allowed my creativity to come back and actually to flourish,” Hodges said. “Then, in 2017, I realized I could edit.
Getting control of the process of editing her own footage into a finished project was a revelation.
“It was like finding a key to a treasure chest,” they said. “It was like finally I could tell stories.”
That newfound storytelling ability found purpose when Captain Greg McFadden, owner of Canyons River Company in McCall, Idaho, invited Hodges to document the company’s partnership with the Greening Youth Foundation during summer 2024.
The Atlanta-based Greening Youth Foundation connects underrepresented youth and young adults to outdoor experiences and careers in conservation.
“A lot of times people count young people out that have not gone to college, but we don’t count them out,” says Renee Alston-Maisonet, chief development officer at GYF. “We are looking forward to plugging them in.”
For the second consecutive year, McFadden offered to donate their time to capture the experience on film.
“One of our greatest foundations and ethos here at Canyons is our role with diversity and creating safe spaces for everyone,” McFadden explained. “And those aren’t always the case in wilderness and certainly in some states that are a little more remote or smaller in population than other places.”
Canyons River Company has made inclusion a cornerstone of their business model, reportedly employing more female and LGBTQ guides than any other river company in Idaho. As the film shows, this commitment to diversity creates a uniquely welcoming atmosphere on the river.
The film alternates between breathtaking landscapes and intimate interviews, allowing viewers to connect with participants’ personal journeys with nature. Through these conversations, a common theme emerges—the wilderness as a place of acceptance.
“I’m very proud to be out. I’m very committed to living authentically, and for me, outdoors is one of the safest spaces that I can do that; where I am not reminded of how my out might bother someone else,” shares one participant.
Another reflects on the diverse makeup of their group: “On this trip we have Black, Latino, Asian, queer, straight, bi. We just have a little bit of everyone, and it’s just so great to see everybody come together with an understanding that we’re here to enjoy this great place and we want other people to feel comfortable.”
The success of “The Wilderness Within Us All” has propelled the project beyond its initial scope. Now entered in numerous film festivals, Hodges is developing it into a feature-length documentary.
The film also serves as a testament to the growing relationship between Canyons River Company and the Greening Youth Foundation. McFadden joined the foundation’s board at the beginning of this year’s trip, further cementing the partnership.
Throughout the documentary, viewers witness not just the joy of river recreation—soaking in hot springs, fishing, and navigating rapids—but also moments of education about the Indigenous history of the river corridor, home to the Nez Perce and Shoshone Native American tribes.
It’s a sentiment that echoes Hodges’ ultimate message: “Nature belongs to each and every one of us.”
