I’ve been to many places in Idaho, and still have a lifetime of it to see. One place I likely won’t visit up close and personal, is the top of Mt. Borah, Idaho’s tallest peak. I’ve given some thought to climbing it. In climbing vernacular, it’s a “walk up.” Tempting. But there’s that one spot that’s scary enough to have its own name. That’s Chicken Out Ridge.
I’ve had many friends climb Borah. They’ve all assured me that there’s nothing to it. Well, except for the one spot that’s a little hairy.
Uh huh. This falls into the same category as those times when my wife tells me, “Try it. It isn’t hot.”
I am not a fan of declivities, and I HAVE seen the pictures, one of which is included with this post so that you can be the judge. This is the ridge running up toward the top, with a well-worn trail beckoning, though it is not a photo of the “hairy” part.
Mount Borah doesn’t look like much from the highway, which has always been my vantage point. From other angles, it looks quite spectacular. It is one of only three peaks in Idaho with more than 5,000 feet of prominence, the other two being He Devil and Diamond Peak.
As a walk-up, it was likely climbed by indigenous peoples many years ago, but the first recorded climb was by a USGS surveyor, T.M. Bannon in 1912. There are more difficult ascents you can take if you’re an experienced climber and the Chicken Out Ridge route seems, uh, pedestrian. Go for it. Send me a postcard.
I’ve had many friends climb Borah. They’ve all assured me that there’s nothing to it. Well, except for the one spot that’s a little hairy.
Uh huh. This falls into the same category as those times when my wife tells me, “Try it. It isn’t hot.”
I am not a fan of declivities, and I HAVE seen the pictures, one of which is included with this post so that you can be the judge. This is the ridge running up toward the top, with a well-worn trail beckoning, though it is not a photo of the “hairy” part.
Mount Borah doesn’t look like much from the highway, which has always been my vantage point. From other angles, it looks quite spectacular. It is one of only three peaks in Idaho with more than 5,000 feet of prominence, the other two being He Devil and Diamond Peak.
As a walk-up, it was likely climbed by indigenous peoples many years ago, but the first recorded climb was by a USGS surveyor, T.M. Bannon in 1912. There are more difficult ascents you can take if you’re an experienced climber and the Chicken Out Ridge route seems, uh, pedestrian. Go for it. Send me a postcard.
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