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Aug 23, 2022 — Borah Peak (aka Mount Borah) is the high point of Idaho and also an ultra-prominent peak. For these reasons it's a pretty popular hike, and that means a nice trail leads all the way up. Still, route-finding can be an issue for some and many reports speak of a section called "chicken-out ridge" that turns many hikers back. Aside from a couple of Class 3 moves, the hike is Class 2 and quite straightforward. It's just a lot of vertical gain in a short time.
I set out along the trail, which initially just heads through the forest as it makes its way up to treeline. Aside from the occasional view, there's not much to note about the hike until a small saddle at about 8600' where it begins steepening significantly. Tighter switchbacks continue up the slope here and eventually lead to the southwest ridge of Borah Peak. Almost immediately after reaching the ridgeline, I was awarded lovely views of Borah Peak and its sub-peak that the the chicken-out ridge obstacle leads to. The trail continues toward the sub-peak, an enjoyable flatter section giving me a chance to take in the views before the Class 2 (still on a trail) ascent to the base of chicken-out ridge.
Once at the base of chicken-out ridge, I peered up at multiple options that seemed viable. The easiest goes straight up the Class 2/3 face, which has plenty of holds. The angle from below makes it seem more scary than it actually is. Sticking to the left along the crest results in slightly more exposed Class 2+/3. Staying right is likely harder. Once past this initial scramble, the route leads through a notch-like feature before emerging on the other side, where slanted slabs of rock create interesting route-finding obstacles. A web of social trails lead higher or lower and you can find routes ranging from Class 2 to Class 4, but at least the entire ridgeline is now visible. Keeping about 20 feet below and to the right of the crest seems to be the best option since a wide trail emerges at the base of the slabby stuff and continues ascending on less-scrambly terrain. The trail then requires a Class 2 move to reach the crest and then shifts over to the left (north) side of the ridge. Hugging the face, this trail wraps well below the crest and toward a notch. Reaching this notch is the second portion of chicken-out ridge. To get to it, you can choose to take a loose, Class 2 eroded slope on the left, or ascend fun Class 2+ rock to re-gain the crest, then follow a Class 3 down-climb, which had a rope on my visit to assist those who need it. Either way will lead to the notch, and from here the route becomes trivial. The trail continues north, keeping significiantly below the crest and leading to Borah Peak's west ridge. There aren't any sections exceeding Class 2 past chicken-out ridge for the remaining 900+ vertical gain.
Once on the summit, I spent some time taking in the views and talking with my new friend Rebecca and her absurdly capable hiking dog. We giggled for a while and then hiked down separately, potentially planning to meet up the next day for another peak. On my way back I was feeling extra chatty and I was having a nice time stopping to talk to nearly everyone on the way down. I guess I was just amped to actually see other people on a hike for a change! However, one old man, unprompted, thought it would be appropriate to let me know how he moved to the area "...because there's real justice here. I'm a red right-wing die-hard conservative. And you know what? BLM isn't real." I was taken aback. "I thought we were talking about hiking?" I asked, a bit flustered and very much ready to continue on. It's funny how only later after interacting with a rude person do I think of all the things I could have said as a rebuttal. Farther down the trail I ran back into Rebecca and a couple other wonderful humans and we giggled about dumb people and about fun travels, which reignited my good mood. I'm grateful for all the lighthearted, kind people in the world.
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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!
