Mt. Borah, 12,662 feet, the highest peak in the State of Idaho, located in the Lost River Range. Trail from trailhead to summit is about 4.6 miles, though over 5,000 feet elevation gain is achieved in that short distance. Hike date-Saturday 9/27/08

After spending the night in the forest Service Campground at about 7200 feet elevation, I started walking up the trail at 0655 hours, it was still somewhat dark but there was enough light to see the trail. The trail was very unforgiving as it went “up” with no breaks for your body to relax. The trail only seems to continue to get more steep.

At approximately 0830 hours, I made it to the tree line, somewhere between 9,000 and 9,500 feet elevation. From here there is a very steep section to walk up to the edge of a long ridge. The trail was on loose “scree” (rock that is very loose.) Upon reaching the edge of the ridge, I continued my walk along the trail, still going upward though the trail was not so steep.

I reached the next small ridge, named “Chicken Out Ridge” for good reason. Many people turn back here, and if someone has any fear of heights, they will recognize that here. This ridge must be crossed in order to make the trip up the mountain. Here the elevation is over 10,000 feet, and the oxygen supply is getting noticeably more thin. The ridge consists of an area about 8-10 feet wide, with drop offs on each side that may go for 1000 feet or more. To make matters more difficult, the ridge is extremely steep and not necessarily a trail, but more of a conglomeration of large boulders that must be climbed over. This is referred to as a scramble. In order to cross the ridge, one must use all hands and feet, taking care to keep themselves secure by keeping three body parts attached at all times. In the photos, the ridge looks like a steep knife edge with coloring beige in nature.

After crossing the ridge, I was able to take some pictures of the area to the south, capturing some other tall mountain peaks and a green colored mountain lake due to glacier melt, as the minerals give it this color. Onward and forward, I was able to catch some photos of the peak and the steep trail leading up to it.

The final stretch of the trail becomes extremely steep once again. It involved “scrambling” (using hand and feet) on the loose scree. I had to take many breaks in this area as I found myself out of breath due to the length of the climb, altitude, and vertical ascent.

I reached the summit at 1210 hours, giving me a climb time of 5 hours 15 minutes. I spent about 30 minutes on the summit, and was able to take photos of the other peaks and valleys in the area, along with capturing several more glaciated lakes. The summit is marked by an Idaho flag. I spent the first 20 minutes on the peak alone. In the State of Idaho, there are approximately 1.3 million residents. It was nice to know that for a short time, I was at the highest physical point of all of them within boundaries.

I left the summit at 1240 hours, headed back the way I came. The first part of the trip down was steep, and I had to work to keep my footing in the scree. I was able to gain some very good pictures of the peak on my descent, including one or two where you can see the trail going up the summit and other climbers on the top of the summit.

I continued on down the mountain. Just before I reached the tree line, I started down a very steep section with a lot of loose scree. I had to take it very slow, even after I entered the trees. Getting towards the bottom of the mountain, my knees and quads were just screaming, and I found it very difficult to take even small steps, as it was so steep and in many places the dirt and rock was loose. I took some Ibuprofen partway down to help with the pain.

As I neared the bottom, I was excited to get off my feet. I took a photo of what is referred to as a “Mountain Mahogoney” tree which appeared to be in full bloom, which was strange for the fall, but beautiful nonetheless. I also took some shot of some lower level Aspen and Mountain Maple which were in bloom.

You will notice the shot of the parking lot and small campground. I made it to the parking lot at 1630 hours, thereby giving me a descent time of 3 hours 50 minutes.