33rd High Point Visited
12th Highest State Highpoint
6th Most Difficult
summitpost.org
wikipedia.org
2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 I've been on a roll summiting some of the toughest state highpoints including Maine, Texas, Utah, and New Mexico. Still the hardest 3 in the lower 48 (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) have illuded me all these years. Before I get too old to climb them, I thought it was time to make an effort to see if I could begin tackling these three.
I just started discovering Facebook groups for about everything under the sun and as luck would have it there exists a Facebook 50 State Highpoint Group. It's motivation every day to see people all over the country visiting state highpoints. The ones I've been bring back memories and the ones I haven't been I look forward to seeing first hand.
Kind of whim the last day of July I was looking at my busy calendar the remaining summer and warmer fall weekends and realized if I'm going to plan a trip I got to commit to a date and make it happen. Literally the only possible weekend I could travel would be August 22-25. That's a narrow window of time for such a great place to visit but it's all I could afford to be away from home so busted on a airline ticket and would see what unfolded.
Early in the year I saw a post from a guy that was planning a trip to multiple highpoints so joined his group chat to see if his dates might overlap with a weekend I could travel. There were too many uncertainty's of his trip so I decided to post my own trip plan.
I received a few replies to my post wishing me luck on the hike/climb and a few people offering advice and one user who said she would be there the same weekend so I reached out to see if coordinating plans to hike together would make any sense. She also had a friends in Boise that had done the climb multiple times and he was planning on hiking as well which sounded terrific to me as it never hurts to hike with someone that knows the route.
I thought I might have a two day window to climb, either Friday or Saturday, however I quickly learned that the trailhead is a 4 hour drive from Boise so it would make it very hard to hike the first full day so it looks like Saturday would be the day. Looking a week ahead at the upcoming weather it seemed like there was a cold front moving in and it was literally going to drop from 50-60's at night to 20-30's at night. I had to begin preparing for a possible frigid night under the stars and a likely really cold hike. To my surprise Boise had completely different weather, it was over 90 degrees when I landed so seemed hard to believe it could be that cold only a few hours away.
I sent out my plans to a few of my hiking friends including my friend Greg in Ohio who has been my travel partner for the past couple of highpoint adventures including Katahdin in 2019 and Wheeler Peak just last year in 2023. With an exposed ridgeline I didn't think it would be for him but he reminded one of our good friends from Ohio moved to Boise and gave me her number so I could look her up.
It ends up she had been in hospital for cancer treatment and recently returned home. I hoped I could cheer her up with a visit and talking about the old days. She welcomed a visitor from an old friend so first stop after landing in Boise was to visit. Her sister was visiting for several weeks and helping look over her so the three of us had a pleasant time reconnecting.
A grocery store was right next to her house so I stopped by for some food/snacks/drinks for the weekend. I hadn't even booked a hotel for the night because I wasn't sure where I was going to stay but found a last minute option close by for a reasonable rate so checked in for the night. The night was still young and I was a little bored so I thought it might be fun to see a little more of the city and check out what the town had to offer. A quick Google search and I found there was a historic district called Hyde Park that had a few pubs so I headed out to have a cold one.
I was hoping as close as Idaho is to Montana that I might find some Big Sky Brewery options on tap but no such luck. I did find a little microbrew that had their own selection so had one and done. The bartender had one recommendation downtown Boise that I might find some Moose Drool, but no such luck. I drove nearby to downtown Boise which especially for a Thursday night was happening. I briefly walked around but soon realized I needed to get some sleep.
As the climbing day drew closer the weather was looking less favorable each day with regular afternoon thunderstorms as well as a big drop in temperature. The forecast was poor enough that the group from Boise whom had climbed many previous times decided to forgo the plans to hike which left the final plan just to the hikers coming from Arizona. Borah Peak would be the first for all of us.
I had last visited Boise in 2008, my last time there for Ironman Boise 70.3. It was a quick trip I had arrived the day before the race and left the next day so really hadn't got to explore any of Idaho. I was looking forward to getting to see a little more what the state had to offer.
Since I flew in on a Thursday and my climbing day was Saturday, that gave me all day Friday to get to the trailhead where there were only 5 campsites. The drive was 4 hours and I had all day to get there so I wasn't in a big hurry other than with limited campsites an earlier arrival would increase the chances of getting a spot.
I found two routes to the trailhead, both about the same distance but different scenery along the way. I really had wished I took and extra hour and drive down to check out Twin Falls, but instead I noticed there was actually a National Monument and Preserve called Craters of the Moon right along the way so it seemed the perfect place to plan to visit/explore.
Boise is it at 2,700 feet and the drive to the trailhead would take me up to 7,400 feet. When I left Boise Friday morning the skies were blue with not a single cloud in the sky. As I drove a couple hours the blue skies started disappearing. At first there were spotty clouds and then soon they there were more clouds and darker ones rolling in as the day progressed. The entire drive was beautiful. I-84 was flat but most of the drive would be on Rte 20 which takes a northern turn and gets you closer to Sawtooth National Forest.
Eventually I came up on the Craters of the Moon. The lava rocks could be seen from the road and there were several spots I couldn't help stopping to check out the scenery. By the time I got to the park entrance the skies were becoming more ominous and I was beginning to think the weekend high point hike might be a bust with cold + rain (with snow at upper elevations). I had recently picked up a National Parks Pass and unfortunately didn't have it with me but I showed the park ranger a copy of my purchase receipt and sweet talked her into letting me in. The drive was a loop with several attractions to see.
While at the National Monument the skies grew dark and I could see lighting in the distance. There was one mound that was tempting to climb but with the storms looming I had to forgo that thought. I continued out of the park, realizing that I hadn't had lunch and was starting to get really hungry. After leaving Boise there had hardly been any place to stop. It looked like Mackay was going to be the only place to stop. On the way there the skies lit up and the rain came down and the wind was blowing fiercely. When I arrived in Mackay I learned they were without power. I had brought so little cash I didn't even have enough for a sandwich. There wasn't much in town but believe it or not they actually had a US Bank location and their side of the street had power, so I was able to get some cash and buy some lunch as well as pick up a sandwich, half which I would have for dinner and save the other half for lunch on the trail Saturday.
My new friends from Arizona drove all the way and miraculously arrived in Mackay about the same time shortly after me. We said our hellos and headed off to the trailhead. There were large mountains on the east side of the road which somewhere nested within had to be Borah Peak. There is a dirt road to the campground is about a 3.1 mile drive from the highway. Turning off on the dirt road I was thinking that we are going to have the campground and trail mostly to ourselves, however, later I would discover was far from the case. Expecting cold and windy conditions the first couple camp sites were a ways back from the road and offered some tree cover to shield our tents from the wind. Also a small creek ran right past the site so I pitched my tent next to it so I could hear the water flow all night.
I walked to the trailhead where I picked up some envelopes to register (and pay) for our campsites. I came from sea level so already above 7,000 feet I could feel the elevation. There were only 2 cars at the trailhead and must have been the Friday hikers. I sure hope they were someplace safe when the earlier storm blew through. As for the weather now, it wasn't that cold and the sky opened up a bit and gave us a couple of glimpses of the mountains towering above. Certainly as promised it's a short very steep hike. As we had dinner, other hikers started rolling in and the other sites were quickly taken up. Still dozens of more cars shows up and ended up had to set up tents next to their cars in the parking area.
Our next door campers had been here before but turned around last time at Chicken Out Ridge. They did however know the route and pointed out the peak and the trail (what we could see of it) from the parking area. We've read various trip reports and total times for the hike varies greatly. Some discussion was had regarding starting time and unanimously it was agreed to depart camp at 4 a.m. to hopefully avoid any afternoon storms that were still threatening in the forecasts. As soon as the sun set we all retired and still it wasn't as cold as promised and I slept like a baby. It was cloudy so couldn't see any stars.
Before the alarm went off I could already hear other hikers getting ready for their hike. Our camp site to the trailhead was only a couple minute walk. I was surprised to see the whole parking area was full of cars. Given the weather forecast and the storm the day before combined with no other hikers in the parking area when we arrived I thought we were going to have the mountain to ourselves, however it seemed no longer the case. Since there was a camp site shortages, they must have slept in their cars/campers or pitched a tent in the parking lot next to the vehicles.
We made our way to the trailhead and already there was one larger group, mostly younger hikers already on the trail in front of us. Seeing that they were so young I didn't expect to see them again. Well that is see them again so early. The first section thru through the trees is very steep, so early on we took turns passing each other. I'm not going to lie, I had a few butterflies about chicken out ridge, but felt that I was prepared both mentally and physically as well as felt like I had the right equipment packed for the day. I knew the trail was going to be rugged and was greatly surprised to see not just one of them, but a couple of them were wearing sandals which seemed inappropriate for such a trial/hike. Not only was the terrain not suitable I didn't expect the weather to be the best or in the least really cold (for basically bare feet). One of the guys was overweight and he soon pealed of the back of their group. I thought to myself that there is no way this guy is going to make it. Of course, not much further up the trail we heard the group taking about him dropping out and turning around.
When I hiked Longs Peak, a 14'er in Colorado the trail has several well know obstacles that are well documented and had a good description for each one. I feel that there are four distinct parts of Borah Peak, however, three of them from what I read don't really have a name. If I were to name the sections I would say first there is the steep forest which is where the trail begins and rises quickly in the safety of the treeline. Leaving the treeline you hike across the flattest section along one ridge of the mountain. This ridge points you directly toward the infamous chicken out ridge which is the sketchiest part of the climb. Once you get through chicken out ridge, then the scariest part is behind you and it's just a ridiculously steep section to the top. Once above tree line there is no part of the rest of the trail the seems suitable for adverse weather conditions thus planning the hike you are at the mercy of mother nature for cooperating to make the day most enjoyable.
We sledged our way thru the tree line still in darkness with headlights to show us the trail. It was pretty easy to follow even in the dark. We all started with too much clothes so we took various short stops to remove layers. About the time we exited tree line the sky started to brighten up, although a little cloudy we could still had some great views. There was a few trees down at the top of tree line that looked like it made for a good rest spot. We had a few short breaks on the way to this point. This also seemed to be a good place to stash our cache of extra water for the hike back down without having to carry and extra liter of water all the way to the top and back.
Since we started so early I didn't have to use the rest room, but by the time we got here I was ready to find a tree to hide behind. (as there would be no safe cover the rest of the day) I wondered off the trail with a roll of TP and wouldn't you know I sat it down on the ground, but bumped it and the terrain was so steep it took off quickly and rolled down the mountain leaving it's tail as it bounced away. Just my luck. Ugh. Luckily it got hung up but it required me hiking down a steep hill to retrieve it and roll it back up so by the time I got to go I had worked up another sweat hiking back up to where I was when it rolled away.
Looking ahead we could see there were others hikers way ahead of us so was hoping that we could make some sense of their route through chicken out ridge, but we continued to move slowly and take breaks so was less likely we could learn/copy their route. Of course, above tree line (and now daylight) there were a lot more Kodak opportunities! The trail along the ridge, wasn't right on the edge, but every once in a while we were close enough to hike off trail and have a look down and believe me it was straight down!
When we finally got to chicken out ridge there isn't a sign saying that you are at "chicken out ridge", but there is no mistaken that you are there. The first clue is that the clear trail disappeared and you just stare at a bunch of rock and wonder to yourself, "which way now?" From a long distance away it seemed that the group that "made it through" seemed to "go to the right", however, after some serious contemplation and actually trying to go right we quickly realized it seemed to sketchy. We looked back and others behind us "went left" and disappeared over the next obstacle so we had to back track which was harder coming back down that what it was going up. A good lesson to learn as getting to the top is only half the hike, getting back down (safely) is the 2nd half of the hike. Making it to this point offered us the first view to the right side of the mountain. Really it was breathtaking in both directions.
I have several 50 state high point guides and one of them wrote (in black and white) that "chicken out ridge is not as bad as it looks". That was what I kept trying to tell myself the whole time. Since there are no signs you really don't know how far you've gone or how far you have left to go through the class 3 scramble. All I can say is I'll be happy when it's done. Also there is no way I would want to be anywhere near this section in bad weather. I was still thinking about the storm only a day earlier and someone was probably could have been here? Still a day later there were patches of snow left over from the storm that added a little extra obstacle for finding good footing.
There were enough people in front of us that were going slow at the same time we were going slow and holding others up. We would pass slower groups then run into another sketchy section and then hold them up. Thanks to the 50 State Highpoint Group's Facebook page there were a lot of pictures (and videos) of what to expect on the hike. One of those sections was a roped section with a big rappel up/down. Just as we past a group that we tried to look like rock-stars passing them quickly we got to the top of the section we had to rappel down. Not sure exactly the best way to maneuver down we took turns each with our own style and technique. We each took a lot of time down the rappel and I had a little remorse that we were now holding the group up that we had been waiting on that we passed just before the rappel. On the brighter side, we didn't have to wait on their whole group to rappel!
The next small section gave us a little of a break before the steep section to the top. It seemed pretty level and traversed around the left side of the mountain. It seemed the perfect place to break open a Red Bull that I had packed before the steep section. While flat it still seemed pretty steep off to the left so when more patches of fresh snow from the day before were on the trail is was just a reminder to be careful. I elected to hike in my Hoka Speedgoats, a trail running shoe as opposed to hiking boots and felt comfortable in them all day as they provided great traction along with good comfort.
While I thought we were one of the first groups starting in the morning, either enough were well head of us or passed us on the way up that we could see all of them on the steepest section ahead. The rest of the hike was a giant staircase as each step was always up. I could quickly see coming down this section wasn't going to be much faster. There were always groups stepping aside and resting and letting pass meanwhile any chance to catch your breath you could step aside and let someone from behind pass you. It was like a giant game of leap frog because you kept passing the same people over and over.
Later in a photo I shared in this section with my mom, I got a chuckle because she said, "what did they loose because it looked like everyone was looking down on the ground for something." In actuality it was just so darn steep that the "stairclimbing" section soon began the "crawling" section as you were basically using both hands and feet to make forward progress. Eventually there is one final right turn on the straight way up to the very summit. There were many others already on top celebrating and getting their summit photos. There was an American flag that was on the summit and could be seen as you made your way thru the final section. I was happy to make it to the top but the sensible side of me was a little anxious to get off the mountain before any of the threatening clouds blew in and surprised us with storm like the day before.
My friends learned someone might have stolen the summit sign so she made sure to make a stop on the way to camp to get crafting supplies to make her own sign. She broke out thee sign and we all got our pictures. Views were spectacular but with the clouds visibility in the distance was affected. I was never cold all day long, but hiking steeply uphill all the way to the top I was burning a lot of calories and helping me to stay warm. On the top it was windy and I quickly broke out an extra layer and put on my wind/rain shell.
Turning around I quickly noticed all the others still coming up. As you make your way down it's slow, but without being out of breath every step it seems a lot easier. It was pretty much smooth sailing all the way back town to the rappel section. I saw other hikers going way down right and avoiding the ropes, but I felt more comfortable returning the same way we came up. "The devil you know is better that the devil you don't!" was the logic I went with. Both the groups that hiked down to avoid the ropes all had to end back together the same place as the chicken out ridge is just the narrow section of the ridge with falls left and right so it's the same bottle necks that we experienced on the way up. The only difference going up you always had someone in your sight and knew where to go. On the way back down when you got to a section that you had to move slowly, there were many times that the hikers in front of you quickly disappear out of site and once again you have to guess the best way to go next. There were several sections that looked familiar, and we knew we came up through the same passage, while there were other sections that we may have zigged instead of zagged and ended up in new parts of the ridge.
I remember on the way up, I think the scariest section was the very beginning of chicken out ridge. Maybe that's why so many people get there turn around. I wasn't looking forward to going back through there on the way back down, and sure enough it was the slowest part. Even our group of 3 got split in two and I went one way and the girls when the other way. I waited and waited only to learn they were already ahead of me and appeared from the other side of the rock. I was really surprised there weren't blazes of some kind painted on the rocks showing you the way. What I realized based on your rock climbing skills there are so many different routes to go based on how comfortable you are with yourself.
I was relieved when we all safely navigated chicken out ridge and were back on the flattest section along the ridge back to tree line. We took way longer than we ever imagined, and I'm most thankful that we started as early as we did. The weather held out all day and while the skies weren't perfectly blue we had decent visibility all day. We were all ready for a break and sat down in some rocks and had our lunch. We continued further onward back to where we stored our extra water which was easy to find right at the edge of the tree line. Hiking back down thru tree line we got to see all the views we missed when hiking in the early morning in the dark.
I had written earlier that there was another Facebook guy that originally, I was going to try to hike with and unbelievably I recognized a hiker rising from the tree line as we descended at it was him. I thought he was going to be one day behind, but he made it to the trail and decided to do a late day hike. We stopped and shared some pleasantries and wished him luck. Later I would see his photos he posted and he had a perfectly blue sky on the summit with views ten times better than when I was there just a few hours ago.
At one point from within the woods their was an opening and we could see the parking lot below so we knew we were getting close. Being tired, it seemed to take forever to get back to the trailhead. A lot of the cars that were in the parking lot in the morning when we started were all gone. We made it back to camp and the girls would spend another night, but I had an early flight the next morning out of Boise so I packed up and headed home.
I made the best of the route home. I knew from looking at Google there were at least two routes home. I could go the way I came but I thought it would be fun to drive through Sun Valley. The direct route too me on a road called "Trail Creek Road" which is not maintained in the winter, but was the most direct route to Sun Valley. I've driven a lot of scenic roads but this road was off the chain. It started off and seemed like farm land but eventually followed the river with steep mountains on both sides. I'm so glad I took this route home as the views the entire way were spectacular. Note to self...next time in Idaho go back and drive this road again!
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| Borah Peak (12,662), Idaho - State Highpoint #33 |
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