The Long view: Outdoors for all

At just 2 years old, Aidan Nichols Long went on his first overnight canoe trip.

Adventures that fostered a love of nature and the outdoors would continue to play a central role in his life. Looking through a spotting scope, he saw his first grizzly bear when he was 4. At 5, he went on his first backpacking trip — a visit to Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness Area.

“He loved all of that kind of stuff,” said his dad, Ben Long, of Kalispell, Mont. “I think that is why this scholarship is so special. It will help other kids get the most out of their lives and enjoy their lives as much as Aidan enjoyed his.”

Aidan died in his sleep last year at the age of 16.

“He was a wonderful boy,” said his dad, who grew up in Moscow, graduated from the University of Idaho and worked as a reporter at the Daily Idahonian (now the Moscow-Pullman Daily News). “He was a very healthy young man but he had a syndrome. He had intractable, unstoppable seizures that developed at about age 5 and got worse and worse the older he got.”

Aidan died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. Although the illness and efforts to mitigate it meant he spent a lot of time at hospitals and doctor offices, it was under the Big Sky of Montana and other western states that he found the most joy.

“His best times with us were the times he spent outside,” Long said.

Now his parents, Long and Karen Nichols, want to help other kids with similar challenges experience the great outdoors. The Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, with help from a $5,000 gift from the hunting and fishing media company Meateater, established the Aidan Long Outdoors For All Scholarship after his death. The fund has grown with additional donations and, later this spring, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers will begin giving awards to help kids who face physical or mental challenges spend time outside.

“We have enough money in the bank we can give away the interest every year in gifts to kids to get them better outfitted,” Long said. “A lot of these kids need specialized equipment and it’s really expensive.”

Applications are being accepted through March 30 and can be sent to admin@backcountryhunters.org. More information is available at bit.ly/3seLYz1. Long expects to award grants between $500 and $1,000. People interested in donating to the fund may do so at bit.ly/3IDrWnq.

“Nothing will ever bring him back,” Long said. “But it’s a reassuring way to honor his life.”

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.