High on the Mountaintops: Idaho High Point: Borah Peak (12,662 ft)

The challenge of describing our summits up Mt. Borah has been placed on me, Nolan. I personally have summitted this unbelievable peak on three occasions. Each time it has been with a different sibling. Our most recent successful ascent was with my baby sister, Kari on August 11, 2005. It was a nice day for a hike. After camping near the trailhead, Kari and I awoke at around 6:00 in the morning to start our ascent. We made pretty good time, despite the steepness of the trail. As we climbed higher and higher, so did the sun. It was a gorgeous sight to see the sun rising above this magnificent mountain. Each time I have hiked Borah, its grandeur has caused me to pause and reflect on the beauty that is all around us. To some, this hike may not be all that glamorous, as it is surrounded by sage brush and juniper trees, which you generally find in the desolate Idaho deserts. However, once you rise out of the tree line, all you see is the magnificent splendor of the colorful layers of rock against a backdrop of more mountains and a breathtaking aerial view of Idaho's desert landscape far below. With less green than normal, this mountain has a unique beauty that many overlook. Just a note about "chicken out ridge". Each time I have gone on this hike I have taken a different route over "chicken out ridge". On this most recent summit, we steered far to the right, hoping to make an easy ascent over the top. Well, this would not be my first route of choice. It is much more steep with long drop offs all around you. I don't know about my brave little sister, but I sure was a bit scared free climbing some of what we traversed. On the way back, instead of climbing up and over "chicken out ridge," we dropped down off the north edge and followed a nice trail down and around that side. After we had completed that route, my sister asked why we didn't go that way in the first place, and truthfully it was because I had forgotten that it was easier to go that way. I have found the best way to go is to go straight up and over or go around the north side as much as possible. Below is a picture from the other side of "chicken out ridge". If you look closely, you can see where the trail follows the ridge line. Once you can't see it any more, the trail starts to drop back down into the trees.

And, this next picture is of Kari and myself at the summit. Again, this was our most recent successful trip to the top. Congratulations Kari for getting to the top!

That same year just a month earlier, I attempted it with two of my older brothers, Jayson and Shane, July 11, 2005, but due to sore and aging knees we were only able to make it as far as "Chicken Out Ridge". I climbed around a bit before heading down and was able to see that the glacier was crossing the trail, so if we had continued, we would have had to negotiate carefully across 100 yards of solid, slippery snow with steep drops on both sides.

My second summit was with my younger brother, Bryan. We made this summit on August 20, 2003. It was a very cold day and it began to rain once we made it to the summit, which made the rocks very slippery. We never fell, but I sure was nervous a number of times. We didn't spend much time on the top for fear of lighnting. As anyone who does much hiking will know, this is a big concern, so the rule I have always tried to live by is to be off the top of any mountain by noon. We were up there at around 1:30 pm this time, and sure enough we were reminded of the value of this important rule. Thank goodness we never saw any lightning. If you haven't been up this mountain, you simply cannot believe how steep it is. The hike is roughly 6.5 miles round trip, but the elevation gain is a grueling 5,250 ft, starting at 7,450 and ending on top at 12, 662 ft. It is the 11th highest of the 50 State high points. Bryan and I spent the night in the camp ground and awoke at about 6:00 in the morning to begin our ascent. It is a good idea to take a lot of water because there isn't any at all in the campground or along the trail. The wind can also get to blowing pretty hard, so it's a good idea to take a tent. The following three pictures are near the trailhead. The signs admonish safety and give an interesting history of Mt Borah.

This next picture was taken just as you cross the fence and get on the trail to begin the ascent. The trail winds through the junipers for about a mile and a half, then you're all out in the open, so it's a good idea to get an early start to avoid the heat of the day.

Finally, we reached the top, and here's our summit shot. Don't ask me why we're holding antlers, we just are. It was cold and wet, and there was a group of people up there that took our picture for us. They said we had to hold the antlers, so we did.

Our first successful summit of Borah included myself and my younger brother, Brett. This was the first state high point that any of us had ever done. I don't remember for sure who's idea it was, but my guess would be Brett at least planted the seed. We accomplished that first ascent on September 20, 2001. We camped near the trailhead and awoke at 6:00 am to get a good start before the heat of the day. We made pretty good time. It took us roughly three hours to summit and two hours to get down, and Brett had to pull me the whole way (editor's note: Nolan was really pulling Brett). This hike is not for the faint of heart. It is steep, and there is a lot of loose rocks and dirt. The steepness doesn't just take its toll on the trip up, but it presents a challenge not to slip and fall coming down. Due to how quickly we were making our ascent, I started to get a slight case of altitude sickness about "chicken out ridge," but after a brief rest, I was able to continue on with periodic stops to catch my breath again. I remember later telling myself and my wife that I would never do this hike again, and now I've been all the way to the top three times, and I'm looking forward to my fourth. Please look at the slide show below for a better idea about this first ascent and what the hike looks like. It really is amazing to be able to say you have beat this peak. Wow! That is the best word to describe it.

Brett at Summit