Considering Kami Bakken’s line of work, it’s difficult to imagine mental health being a major issue in her life.

It’s more difficult to think there is a need for the Redside Foundation, an Idaho-based nonprofit that also provides mental health and other services to river, hunting and wilderness guides in Wyoming, Montana and Colorado as well as Idaho.

“We have this romantic ideal about these rugged individuals from the west, and guides are perfect examples of that,” says Shannon Walton, executive director of Redside. “There’s a lot going on underneath that – the loneliness, depression, thoughts of suicide and high levels of substance abuse. In the regions we serve, we have the highest rates of suicide in the lower 48, among the highest rate of substance abuse in the lower 48 and the highest access to firearms in the lower 48. It’s a perfect storm regarding the need for support.”

Bakken, a river guide who lives in Jackson Hole and has a seasonal home in McCall, received the professional help she needed — after experiencing significant low points along the way.

The guiding itself is a pleasure. Her routine consists of spending a week, sometimes longer, guiding a group of 24 people downriver alongside a small team of guides.

“These trips are truly one-of-a-kind experiences, especially with the Middle Fork being a crown jewel of rivers in the United States,” she says. “The Salmon River is also one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the lower 48, and the river is constantly changing. So while the trips are somewhat innately life-changing, we also offer an experience that allows people to connect with this landscape and with each other.”

Bakken relishes every aspect of her job — educating folks about the history and the importance of the Salmon, the games played and even the cooking. She especially enjoys the close relationships with people who take the trips.

“From a guide’s perspective, you are on 24/7 and it’s that way non-stop for three months, or longer for guides that work year around.” she says. “And you are developing connections with people who are guiding with you, and they become your family. That sense of community and having people you can lean on is incredibly important to me.”

It’s an emotional let-down when the river runs end for the season and the wonderful people she met along the way are gone. It magnifies the stress of living in these pictures of paradise, financial and otherwise.

“There were times that I didn’t want to see the sun shine the next day,” she says.

Bakken is not alone, as Walton has seen as the Redside director. One immediate outlet is a helpline for those facing depression, or suicidal thoughts.

According to the foundation’s website, “Redside” is named for an infamous rapid on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River that “conjures up images of the majestic native sockeye salmon on its life-fulfilling journey to the heart of Central Idaho.” The foundation was formed in 2010 after the death of a popular Idaho guide, Telly Evans (1974-2010).

As stated on the website, “Sadly, behind his generous smile and unyielding passion, Telly hid a pain that would eventually steal him from the river and friendships he loved.”

With his death came the inspiration to provide a wide range of services for the guides — including health care access, financial planning and housing assistance. One of the toughest challenges for the guides, as Bakken will attest, is asking for help.

“There is no shame with seeking help,” she says. “Today, I’m good and I feel blessed. I don’t know if I would be here without Redside.”