On this trip, I saw footprints. That's an unusual thing for Idaho, but then, Galena is a popular summit. The northernmost peak of the Boulder Range to exceed 11,000 feet, I picked it because I have been out of state for the holidays and haven't kept up on the weather reports - a critical thing for avalanche safety. Galena's west ridge route is about as avalanche-proof as they come. I arrived and left in darkness to make the climb, a straighforward but long jaunt from Highway 75. The summit was clouded over and receiving a good shellacking from a chilly west wind, but it was a beautiful climb, and my first summit of 2018.