The Descent

Anyone who says, 'It's all down hill from here,' meaning it's easy from here on out has NEVER descended Borah. The descent just beats your body down, hour after hour, step after step from the summit to the trailhead. Maybe I'm a masicist though, because I totally loved it!! Here's a shot of Chicken Out Ridge. You can see the sheer drop on this side, the other side looks nearly identical. You can also see in the middle the snow that is present nearly year round when it's been a good snow year. Because it was late in the year there was a nicely worn in snow bridge. When we crossed on the ascent because it was so early in the morning the bridge had a lot of ice and was very slippery. Slip and you'll take the ride of your life down a 60 degree scree field that continues for a few thousand feet. Gnarly!

From this shot you can see on the right, Chicken Out Ridge and to the left, Borah's Peak. Just to put things into perspective, only 1/10 of a mile of the trial is flat or a grade less than 20%.

I was so pumped up after summiting that I couldn't wait to get to Chicken Out Ridge again. Jason got my picture just before I got to the point with the most exposure. Meaning I had to cling to a crack in a rock about an inch deep and shimmy across a six foot wide rock with, of course, thousands of feet of sharp unforgiving rock below me. Excellent.

I totally rocked that ridge!

Chicken Out Ridge is a Class III scramble. It was awesome. And in case you haven't picked this up yet....just to my left was a wicked sheer drop! The scrambling was my favorite part though. I loved the rush of getting myself up and over or down and across sheer rock with nothing to keep me there but my own strength.

We passed a bunch of people on Chicken Out Ridge. They all wanted to know if we summited to which I replied, "Hell yeah."

I managed to get a shot of Jason on Chicken Out Ridge too. I know I couldn't have done it without him. He encouraged me and kept telling me I could do it, and he was right....I could do it, and I did. This shot, to me, really shows the degree of the mountain side.

This is the loose rock field that goes on and on and on above tree line.

Once we got to tree line and I was able to see it in the light something Jason had said during the ascent clicked in. He said, "When you see this in the light you won't believe you hiked up this." He was right. From the trailhead through the trees was a 40 degree hike from 7,400 feet to 9,800 feet. We didn't get any pictures through this part on the way down, because it was just brutal! My body was engaged in a full on "Anti Victoria Campaign" by this point. The tree field was almost surreal in the light of day. It reminded me of a tree grave yard. One is hard pressed to find a tree that hasn't been struck by lightning. Blackened and twisted trees were everywhere. It sent home the message that this is extreme terrain where nature is unforgiving and holds absolute control. It was a humbling experience.

At the end I blew my favorite mountain a kiss with a promise to return next year!

One last self portrait as we walked off the trail. What an amazing experience this was. I am so grateful to Jason for getting me up and back safely and encouraging me the whole way. I had always told him I would never do Borah and I don't think he really thought I would until we stood at the summit. I've got the fever now and I'm pumped for the next mountain to conquer!