True North is beyond the fence.

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In less than three weeks, we'll gather in Sun Valley for the 12th edition of Rebecca's Private Idaho. This annual pilgrimage marks an important milestone for the first, and biggest gravel event to exist in Idaho that started before gravel specific bikes even existed.

We're excited to see you in a short time for everything we have cooked up for you this year. But this message is a plea for you to commit to experiencing this place in a way that will take you beyond our regular programming, and spend a little time discovering your very own Private Idaho...

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8 Miles southeast of Galena Summit between Stanley and Ketchum Idaho, a pile of rocks is scattered without human intervention over the side of a mountain, two thousand feet above the valley floor. This unassuming patch of earth is hard to reach, and has been there for millenia. It's where Rebecca's Private Idaho begins in earnest. It is an anchor from which we cling as we produce one of our most complex events of the year.

At this location, high above the valley floor, the view of the entire Boulder Mountain range is so immense that it tranquilizes conscious thought, and captivates you in a way only nature can. It becomes the epitome for what draws us here every year, broadcasting the meaning of Private in Rebecca's Private Idaho. It's the thing that you get to make your very own, that becomes a part of you wherever you go.

On this perch of rocks, we place a temporary 40-watt radio repeater that stands sentinel in front of the Boulder Mountains of central Idaho while we conduct stage 1. Juxtaposed with the work of airing down truck tires to climb a technical OHV road, and carrying deep cycle batteries, a mast, antenna and radio equipment up the side of a mountain, there is raw, natural beauty.

Save for the steady, mellow breeze that marches by, and on occasion the deafening sound of a rambling F-15 Strike Eagle, it's predominantly quiet on this outcropping of rock. This is one of the "many true norths" of Rebecca's Private Idaho--a place where abundant time and space exists, allowing for reflection amidst a fast-paced production and myriad moving parts--here lies a haven where solace abounds.

There are countless places like it scattered throughout central Idaho, and we go to great lengths to share some of them with you: The Boulder Mountains, The Smoky Mountains, Dollarhide Summit, Frenchman's Hot Springs, Trail Creek Summit, Copper Basin, El Diablito.

But as we hurtle towards our 12th edition, we want to take a moment to remind you to give yourself a little time and space to break away from our regularly programmed activities. Idaho is a free, and wild place with an abundance of untouched nature. You'll sell yourself short if you don't experience some of it for yourself.

RPI may be your excuse for coming to central Idaho, and its majestic surroundings, but don't make it your only reason. This year, we want to encourage you to step away, and discover, to give yourself time, and space. You will be stunned, changed, and better. We promise you.

While we look forward to greeting you very soon, and while we don't expect any of you to grind your way up a mountainside to install a radio repeater, we do hope you'll take your turn exploring this place for yourself as you make your very own Private Idaho, and step outside the fence line of the event if even for a moment.

See you soon.

Sincerely,
The cast and crew of Rebecca's Private Idaho.

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