Adventure filmmakers Robert Lester and Ben Kaden explain why they walked the corridor of the proposed 211-mile Ambler Road through Alaska’s Brooks Range to make the film Roadless. Lester describes the region as the largest intact section of wilderness left in the United States, with no roads, development, or trails, and says the idea began when social media posts about the road’s reapproval used generic Arctic imagery that did not show what was at risk. They describe a low point around day five, when illness and an injury to a third member of the party ended their plan to walk the entire route, and how the team shifted to documenting the highlands and lake outlets around the road corridor. Lester also addresses the copper argument for the road, saying the question is where and how mining is done, not whether, and the film is screening across the Pacific Northwest from November 13 to 23 before a free YouTube release the day after Thanksgiving.

A proposed 211-mile industrial road would cut through the largest stretch of roadless country left in the United States, and most Americans have only seen it in stock photos. Robert Lester and Ben Kaden, adventure athletes and filmmakers, joined Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds to talk about Roadless, the film they made by hiking into the Brooks Range along the route of the proposed Ambler Road. Both grew up skiing and hiking with their parents, Lester outside Butte, Montana, and both describe wanting to protect the places that gave them so much.

Lester says the project started with the administration’s reapproval of the road about a year ago, when the posts he saw online relied on generic Arctic imagery that did not show what was at risk. The film follows a trip that did not go to plan. Both men were sick early, a third member of the party was hurt around day five, and the goal of walking every foot of the route went away. They explain how that forced a new approach: side trips up to ridgelines and along the outlet of Walker Lake to show the larger area the road would affect, and a realization that the failure was part of the story. Anders brings a question about whether turning wilderness into images lets viewers off the hook, and Lester answers that the film is meant to inform, like investigative journalism, instead of telling anyone how to feel.

The conversation also takes up how each of them now defines wilderness, with Kaden describing a 360-degree view with nothing made by humans in it, and the copper that would justify the road. Lester says this is not an anti-mining argument; it is about where mining happens, how efficiently, how it is cleaned up, and whether public dollars subsidize foreign mining companies, and he points to existing copper sources in Montana, Utah, and Arizona. The episode closes with where to see the film and what they plan next.

In this episode:

• How Rob and Ben got here Both grew up hiking and skiing with their parents, Lester near Butte, Montana, and both describe wanting to keep wild places available for the next people.
• Why walk the Ambler Road Lester calls it the largest intact section of wilderness in the United States and says the project began after the road’s reapproval, when online posts used generic Arctic imagery.
• When the plan fell apart Around day five, with illness and a hurt third member, the team gave up on walking the entire route and refocused on capturing the beauty of the surrounding country.
• Failure as part of the story Side trips to ridgelines and the Walker Lake outlet showed the area affected by the road, not only its footprint, and Lester says the setback made for a better film.
• Does an image of wilderness protect it? Anders raises Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle; Lester says this place is beyond the usual dynamic, and that a short local trip is no less valuable than a long expedition.
• What happens after the credits Lester hopes viewers call their representatives and use comment periods, but says the film aims to inform, not to push anyone toward a conclusion.
• Redefining wilderness Kaden describes looking in every direction for 360 degrees without seeing anything built by people.
• Copper and the road Lester says it is about where and how mining is done, not whether, and names existing copper sources in Montana, Utah, and Arizona.
• How to see the film A Pacific Northwest tour from November 13 to 23, and a free release on YouTube the day after Thanksgiving.

Links & Resources

Media & Books

• “A Long, Long Walk Down the Ambler Road” — Lester’s RE:PUBLIC article about the trek. 
• The Columbia River Canoe Project — Earlier film by Lester and Kaden. 

Organizations & Initiatives:

• The Wilderness Society — Conservation organization mentioned in the episode
• Americans for Alaska — Alaska conservation group that set up a comment page on the Ambler mining permit. 

Government & Policy:

• Ambler mine comment periods — Lester and Bill note that a comment period on a proposed mine in the corridor recently closed, with further opportunities expected.

Places & Landscapes:

• Ambler Road corridor — Proposed 211-mile industrial road through the Brooks Range.
• Brooks Range, Alaska — Mountain range where the expedition took place.
• Walker Lake — Lake in northern Alaska whose outlet the team explored during the trip.
• Butte, Montana — Lester’s hometown area, where he says copper is still mined from the Continental Pit.

People Mentioned:

• Guy Debord — French theorist and filmmaker whose book The Society of the Spectacle Anders cites.
• Farley Mowat — Canadian author of Never Cry Wolf, which Bill names as his favorite Alaska-set movie.

Ben Kaden is a filmmaker and photographer from Montana. His favorite elements of life include family, the outdoors and living outside of the box.

Find Ben on Instagram and at his website.

Robert Lester is a professional expedition athlete, environmental steward, filmmaker, and writer whose work explores the intersection of adventure, conservation, and the protection of wild places. He is known for his first film, the award-winning documentary The Columbia River Canoe Project, chronicles his 52-day, 1,300- mile human-powered canoe expedition down the Clark Fork of the Columbia River from Butte, Montana to the Pacific Ocean. His work combines firsthand expedition experience with environmental storytelling, using exploration, writing, photography, and film to bring attention to landscapes and conservation issues that are often difficult to experience firsthand.

Find Robert on Instagram, Facebook, and at his website.

This episode of The Wild Idea is sponsored by The Wilderness Society. 

Learn more about opportunities to sponsor The Wild Idea.

Follow along for updates, upcoming conversations, and live events, and share this episode with someone who cares about wild places, working lands, and the future of our food system. You can also support the show through our Buy Me a Coffee page. 

Subscribe to our show on your favorite podcast player, and be sure to follow us on social media, too: we’re on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

We also send out a weekly newsletter with updates on our show: sign up for that list right here.