So hopefully a lot more blog posts will be put up when I have time. Real brief this is what I was up to during the month of January: a one month trip to Stanley Idaho, backcountry skiing nearly everyday, literary analysis of creative works, learned about local history and land policy of the area, hot springs at night, journaling, great food every day, and a yurt trip at the end. That’s where I’ll start at the end of our trip up at Williams Peak Yurt.
The whole experience was absolutely unforgettable and had altered the way I think about the places I’m in. The approach was pretty impressive since the yurt is in the Sawtooth Wilderness Area everything for the two nights had to be packed up the six mile and 1500ft vertical foot skin track that follows a steep marian. With near 50 pound packs and weather so thick you could barely see, it became a true adventure. When we were just feet from the yurt we couldn’t see it and actually ran into the director of the National Sawtooth Recreation Area and the owners of the Sawtooth Mountain Guides (SMG) who pointed it out to us.
The reason for going to this amazing place was two fold: to live in actual defined wilderness and ski the unbelievable backcountry that exists nearby. On the full day two guides from SMG came to lead us to the top of Skiers Summit which is a flat spot just underneath Williams Peak. From there you could see the entire valley and the sharp granite that make the tallest peak of the range, Thompson Peak. The way down was fun passing through variable snow on the run called Garry Garcia and picking up some amazing snow on Tortilla Flat just above the yurt. It was truly an experience I’ll never forget.
There was a myriad of other things we did up at the yurt like building a snow fort to sleep in and a toasty sauna to bring you closer to friends. But the memory that I do not have images from was the full moon ski we did that night. It was one of those times that you must do without camera something you do with good friends to draw a tip to a close. We had no clue that the moon would even rise for the skin up, but as we got on our way in the pitch black night became bright as the yellow disk rise above the White Clouds. When we got to the top of Tortilla Flat the full moon lit the snow like a muffled sun. A magical experience with amazing people!
