Cover Story
Mount Borah beckons climbers of all ages
By Dianna Troyer
Like a bird compelled to navigate a familiar migration route or a moth lured to a summer porch light, every year Ed Gygli heeds the call to climb Idaho’s tallest peak, 12,662-foot-high Mount Borah at the north end of the Lost River Range.
Ed, a 53-year-old Pocatello resident who retired in 2008 as captain of the Idaho State Police’s southeastern district, has climbed Borah for a decade, taking friends of all ages, from young Boy Scouts to senior citizens.
“Every climb is different,” says Ed, who has reached the summit 10 times along the popular, non-technical southwest ridge route where ropes are unnecessary. 
“It’s pretty neat to be on top of that mountain. I like taking people with me who have never climbed it before. It’s a lot of fun and gratifying to see the summit through the perspective of someone who is climbing it for the first time.”
Physical stamina rather than youth is the most critical factor in reaching the summit, Ed says. “To climb Borah, you need to have done some conditioning. You shouldn’t just get off the couch and expect to reach the summit, even though it’s really more of a long, steep hike than a technical climb.”
The trailhead starts at 7,400 feet, and the elevation climbs 5,262 feet in less than 3.5 miles. The average climber can expect the roundtrip to take 10 to 12 hours.
“I like climbing in September because it’s not so hot, and the chance of summer thunderstorms has decreased. We usually try to leave Pocatello at 3:30 a.m., be on the trail by 6:30 a.m. and reach the summit by about noon. Then, we take about 45 minutes to have lunch and bond with other climbers.”
Ed shares some advice for anyone wanting to check Borah off their bucket list. Besides being physically fit, he suggests being mentally prepared. Leave behind any fear of heights, and have a heightened sense of awareness for incoming weather systems.
“Always have your head in swivel mode. It’s so easy to become mesmerized by the scenery, but you have to have your head in the game because you never know what storm systems will suddenly come in and make it hazardous to be up there. There are some extreme weather conditions at the summit.”
During a recent climb, the metal grommets on a U.S. flag he had secured at the top a few years ago were charred black. “It had obviously been hit by lightning.”
As for physical items to take, his checklist includes sunscreen, at least a gallon of water, lunch, a good hat, gloves, comfortable hiking boots, warm layers of clothes, retractable trekking poles and a camera.
“I like to take two gallons of water and stash one gallon about halfway up, so it’s there for me on the descent,” he says.
Along with his gear, Ed always has a few stories to tell of previous climbs to keep his friends motivated and to encourage them to keep putting one foot in front of the other on the quad-burning climb.
Once, Ed confesses, the scenery was so entrancing he forgot to activate his “swivel mode,” and a big thunderstorm suddenly bore down on him.
“We got off the summit as quickly as we could, but we were still near the top when it just poured. We hunkered down in a crevice and held a tarp over our heads. Another climber was coming down, so we told him to get under with us to wait out the storm.”
The climber mentioned he administered Ada County’s drug court program, which Ed could relate to, due to his 32-year law enforcement career, 26 of those years with the Idaho State Police.
“We had a lot in common, besides climbing Borah,” Ed says. “Every time I go to Boise, I look him up, and we go mountain bike riding together.”
Seasoned Borah climbers not only have a sense of camaraderie, they also have a healthy respect for the mountain. Although the climb does not require ropes, it is not a cake walk, either, and fatalities have occurred, due to lightning strikes or falls.
Most falls happen at Chicken Out Ridge, a knife-edged ridge about two-thirds of the way up with steep drop-offs on either side. Climbers must execute a class three scramble, using hands and feet to maneuver up a series of boulders for 300 feet.
“Some people turn back here,” he says, “but if you can climb a ladder, you can do Chicken Out Ridge. There are plenty of solid handholds.”
After Chicken Out Ridge, climbers navigate a snow-draped couloir before the final ascent up a boulder-strewn slope to the summit, where a log book is kept. In one entry, a climber wrote, “If you are reading this, you know how to live.”
Ed never tires of snapping a few photos and allowing the serenity of the scenery to soothe him. From the summit, climbers can see 24 of Idaho’s tallest, most impressive peaks. Toward the east and northeast, the Lemhi Mountain Range soars. To the north are the Salmon River Mountains. Toward the west, the White Cloud, Boulder and Sawtooth mountains stretch skyward. To the southwest, the Pioneer and White Knob Mountains rise. Leatherman Peak, Idaho’s second tallest mountain at 12,228 feet, is directly to the southeast.
The spectacular scenery prompted early surveyors to name the mountain Beauty Peak, but it was renamed in 1933 to honor William E. Borah, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1906 to 1940.
After relaxing on the summit with a quiet sense of satisfaction, Ed reminds himself and his climbing companions to remain cautious. “Most accidents happen on the way down. Don’t get in a rush because it’s not over yet. We wait to high-five until we reach the trailhead.”
For some people, the descent is harder than the climb because loose rocks slip from underfoot, and there’s so much concussion on your knees. “Our knees aren’t what they used to be.”
When he climbs Borah this year, Ed plans to take a new U.S. flag and a new state flag to replace the two tattered and wind-worn flags he and friends erected on the summit a few years ago.
Besides putting up new flags, Ed wants to do something he hasn’t done previously, something to make his next climb even more memorable. “I’ll check the calendar and go on a full moon night.”
The Mount Borah trailhead is 21 miles north of Mackay off Highway 93. The U.S. Forest Service offers climbing advice at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/lostriver/borah/borahltr1.shtml. Another useful website is www.idahosummits.com.