A Backcountry Winter Introduction

By Justin Dalme

Photos by Adam Eschbach, The College of Idaho

When every road leading into Stanley is closed, it kind of puts a kink in your travel plans.

Adam Eschbach and I were traveling to central Idaho to report on The College of Idaho’s Winter Wilderness Experience class, a combination of environmental studies and creative writing along with backcountry skiing. At the time, I was working with him in the marketing and communications office at the school, and I jumped at the chance to get out of Caldwell and take photos and video in the frozen Idaho backcountry. I’d never visited the mountain paradise in the winter and was excited to embrace frigid Idaho in the middle of January 2017. We couldn’t have picked a better year.

When the road finally opened, we packed into Adam’s AWD with cameras and equipment, and pointed due northeast for the beautiful Sawtooths. We had sunny weather the whole drive, and stopped at Galena Pass to take a few scenic photos. I could have sat atop the pass all day, warm rays beating down on me, a white canvas of raw beauty before my eyes.