#mt borah

[eopederson]

South face of Mt. Borah, Idaho, 2024.

[eopederson2]

Mt. Borah, Idaho, 2024.

The highest point in Idaho.

[ker-bee]

You can see the peak from the Trailhead

[darkalleysunflower]

This weekend I’m doing my second Grand Slam hike in preparation for climbing Mt. Borah in August (to celebrate turning 46). Borah is Idaho’s highest peak. 

The climb we’re training for is more than 5,400 feet in less than 4.5 miles. I’ve done 2,000 feet in 2.5 miles. Chicken Out Ridge may break me, but even if I don’t make it to the summit it feels really good to set a goal like this & hustle.

[vipeyr]

Sunset Soaring

[vipeyr]

Mt Borah

[dwyguyhikes]

Borah Peak

8.2 miles roundtrip

5,301 feet elevation gain

Link: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/idaho/mount-borah-trail--2

And just like that, it’s time for another state high point! This time it’s Borah Peak, the highest point in Idaho, with an elevation of 12,662 ft.

We decided to do this an overnighter since it was nearly 5 hours away. The drive itself wasn’t too bad, but we went through some patches of really, really heavy rain. It got a bit scary in some parts, but we made it there no problem.

The parking lot at the trailhead was PACKED with other people who must have had the same idea as us. There were only 5 official campsites there, and I estimated over 70 people camped out. We just pulled into an open spot and pitched the tent right by the car. With plans to wake up at 6:30am, we hit the sack.

At 5:30am, Emily woke me up because she was having trouble sleeping. We decided to start a bit earlier than expected, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We had a quick bite to eat and hit the trail just as the sun was starting to creep up.

This trail was STEEP! We started out winding our way through some trees and taking frequent breaks to stay fresh. The switchbacks seemed to never end, but then we finally made it above the treeline and got our first view of the summit. Still a long way to go.

The next part of the trail was a super long stretch along the ridge line over some loose rocks. This was the calm before the storm, and also where we got passed by a ton of kids. It turns out the entire cross country team of the local high school was here to do the hike with us. They blew past us wearing jeans and string bags with no water, leaving me feeling older than I’ve ever felt before.

After the ridge line, we reached the crux of the hike: Chicken Out Ridge. I had been nervous planning this trip because of how many people got freaked out by this part and turned around, but it turned out to be not that bad and actually really fun. It was just a lengthy scramble up some rocks with some decent exposure, but there weren’t any parts where I felt unsafe. I’m sure that feeling comes from my years of experience rock climbing, but I think an average hiker would have no problem here. Emily also really impressed me with how confidently she moved through this section – I was struggling to keep up with her. We even got to see some fossils in this part!

Chicken Out Ridge ends with a 30ish foot downclimb with a fixed rope to help people. We saw the line of about 40 people to use the rope and decided to have a little adventure of our own to avoid the bottleneck. We climbed down the side instead and did some scrambling around the sides to bypass everyone. This was definitely not the safest option, and I may have put myself into a couple stupid/dangerous positions, but it all turned out ok. I felt like Alex Honnold free soloing out there.

The final push was an uber steep section right before the summit. At this elevation and this level of incline, we were struggling! We could only go a few minutes before having to stop to take a break. We also got lumped in with some decent crowds, and I ended up ditching the trail to scramble up the rocks to the right instead. I’d say it saved me a grand total of 2 minutes for about 3 times as much effort. That’s efficiency, baby.

The view from the top was unbelievable. We posed for some pictures, took a nice, long rest, ate our food, and began our descent.

The descent was almost as bad as the ascent. With the steepness and all the loose rock, you had to be incredibly deliberate with every step. Chicken Out Ridge was also a lot more difficult going down than up, but I still thought it was the most fun section of the trail.

The “mellow” parts left of the trail were done at a slow pace, which was good for both of us. We were both super tired and had run out of water, so we did what we could to conserve energy. This also meant that we were passed by literally everyone, and that is not an exaggeration! Hard to believe we started at sunrise and ended up being the last people on the trail.

The last few miles were quiet for us as were both exhausted and hangry, but some energy was injected into me at first sight of the car. We threw everything into the backseat and immediately headed home, feeling accomplished and on the lookout for the nearest Burger King.

Let me say that this trail was VERY challenging. Despite only being 8.2 miles roundtrip, it took us nearly 11 hours to finish. We gained over a mile of vert over 4.1 miles! That’s bananas!

I also want to say how incredibly proud and impressed by Emily. She got an IUD inserted the day before this, got zero sleep because of the cramps she was feeling, and still absolutely knocked it out of the park. She’s a beast and I love her so much.

[ker-bee]

Borah peak and the Lost River mts, Idaho