WINDOW ON THE WEST
BOISE FOOTHILLS

Valley
of
frost

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLENN OAKLEY

Ice crunching underfoot, trees and shrubs shrouded in crystal - you'd think the world had frozen over, the final triumph of winter. But it's an inversion: On a clear, calm evening, the ground begins to give off heat, and as the warm air rises, it leaves cold air trapped beneath. A valley can hold this microclimate together like a pocket full of frost. Photographer Glenn Oakley and his fellow citizens of Boise witness the phenomenon several times every winter. 'You can often drive right out of it,' he says. 'in this case, by climbing up in elevation on the road to Bogus Basin Mountain Resort-popping out into blue skies and temperatures that can be 20' warmer.' -DALE CONOUR, Sunset, Feb. 2005