KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho -- Along I-90 near Fourth of July Pass, you will see something besides treetops on the skyline.
It is old glory waving in the wind. Every winter for the past several years, someone puts a flag at the very top of one of the trees. The flag recently popped back up.
This is the fifth year in a row the stars and stripes have graced the top of a 100-foot tall tree. It is one thing to look at the flag from below. It is a mystery as to who this patriotic tree-climber is. It looks like they "shimmy" up the massive tree and then use duct tape and a flag pole to secure it. There is even what appear to be lights. But, there does not seem to be a clear path through the forest to get to the tree.
It is very patriotic but not exactly legal.
U.S. Forest Service officials have said that memorials on Forest Service land are not authorized. This act not safe and they worry about copycats. In the past, the agency has said they are not making a big deal about this specific case.
Although this person has also cut off the very top of the tree, the Forest Service has said they do not plan to investigate this and it is too dangerous for one of their folks to remove it.