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Local mountain climber scales Idaho's tallest peaks
Maybe it's the challenge.
Maybe, it's just the view.
But at age 47, Scott A. Burgess of Mountain Home, a relative novice to the sport of mountain climbing, achieved a pinnacle of achievement this summer when he successfully completed an effort to climb all nine mountains in Idaho that are over 12,000 feet in height.
The director of Service West Coast for GE Healthcare Life Support Systems, Burgess has lived in Mountain Home for 17 years. Six years ago, he took up mountain climbing for a hobby.
He'd skied Soldier Mountain since he was 12, "and I'd always wanted to climb Smokey Dome," a 10,080-foot peak visible from the top of the second chair lift. In June 2001, after two false starts, he reached the summit.
With his wife, Debbie, the couple began tackling higher and higher mountains. But some of the taller, and more rugged climbs, "she called them 'death peaks'," and refused to go. He's climbed over 40 10,000-foot-plus peaks in Idaho since then, 25 of them solo climbs.
He found a partner, Mike Sweat, to accompany him on some of the taller peaks, and this year the pair scaled the final three peaks in Idaho taller than 12,000 feet.
At those altitudes, climbers don't rush. "I'm not fast, but I do a lot of planning."
And, he said, if you're not "intimately familiar with the terrain, "you always go down the same way you came up."
Five years ago, he did Mount Borah, the tallest Mountain in Idaho at 12, 662 feet with a 5,400-foot elevation gain in just 3.5 miles of climbing.
But while that may be the tallest peak in Idaho, it's not the hardest to reach the summit.
The most challenging of the nine peaks, he said, is Mount Church in the Lost River Range. "Almost every mountain has some easy stretch. But there aren't any there."
The most dangerous, he said, is the Lost River Peak in the Lost River Range. Rockfalls are a constant danger, and when he climbed it he ran into a lightning storm that hit him with static discharges through his head and trekking poles while on an exposed ridge.
"I left my poles on the ridgeline and dropped down about 15 feet, as far as I could. Both my poles and the ridgeline continued to make buzzing noises, like a bad neon sign, for about 45 minutes until the storm passed. My hair was standing on end the entire time.
"I prayed a lot of Hail Mary's" before finally "getting up the nerve to start a very speedy descent."
To get to some of the peaks can be a major trip in itself, often going miles and miles through back country to set up camps at the base of the peaks. And you can run into some interesting wildlife.
On time, while doing a solo ascent of Saddle Mountain in the Lemhi Range, he returned to his motorcycle at 9 p.m. after a 14-hour roundtrip climb.
"It was nearing dark as I approached my bike and discovered that a bear had not only bit a hole into my spare water bottle, but had also ate the foam seat of my Honda and tipped the bike over. Only after I got the bike started and moved on down the trail did I begin to relax and smile."
Burgess doesn't do vertical wall climbing. His ascents are all hikes, although they can be quite steep.
But the glory of the Idaho countryside is worth every step.
"The north facing headwall in Wildhorse Canyon east of Ketchum is probably the most beautiful place in Idaho I've ever hiked into," he said. And Lower Cedar Creek Springs in the Lost River Range "is the most amazing geologic feature I've ever seen. We (he and his partner) had just summited Mount McCaleb, directly east of Mackay, on a very calm day at 11,600 feet. As we finished taking our 'hero pictures' I thought I heard the sound of a large amount of running water, much like a waterfall.
"After some searching with our binoculars we spotted an extremely large spring gushing forth from a north-facing snowfield from the mountain just to our south. The next year we hiked up that drainage about 90 minutes and found it. The amount of water and clarity of that spring was on par with anything in the Hagerman Valley."
Typically, he said, climbers spend about 15 minutes on top of a peak, taking their "hero shots," and usually leaving some memento to mark their accomplishment. Most peaks have some kind of cache device, from metal boxes or cairns to simply tin cans at the top, where the mementos are left.
But climbing isn't just about finding a mountain and heading up.
Every 12,000-foot peak in Idaho is rated as a "Class 3" climb. "Only two of the nine have anything that resembles a trail," Burgess noted. A class 3 climb, he said, "basically means it is cross country and some portion of the climb will involve the use of both hands. You could spend 10 minutes, or half the day in actual climbing requiring the use of both hands."
It also takes a great deal of planning, Burgess noted, and some common sense.
"Know your route! Nothing is as embarrassing as spending eight hours climbing through drainage only to discover you're climbing the wrong mountain. I started out using a GPS and USGS topographic maps, but over the last two years have relied very heavily on Google Earth to plan our route.
"Take more water than you think you need. Not every mountain has a water source. As an example, the standard route up Borah Peak climbs the southwest ridge. There is not a single drop of water on the entire route other than snow."
And, he noted, "know when to throw in the towel and turn around. If you think you're in the wrong drainage, you probably are, if you think it looks like a storm is coming, it probably will. The mountain will still be there the next time you come back."
And if you're not on top by 2 p.m., you should probably head back.
Furthermore, he said, "don't forget where you parked the pickup. Many of the climbs on larger peaks start before daylight and end after dark. Only two of the nine big peaks have anything that resembles a trailhead or trail. Nothing like wandering around several square miles of sagebrush flat at 7,000 feet looking for your truck after dark."
Make sure you take bug spray and sun block "for obvious reasons," and "secure your hat with a string as it will blow off. You won't want to climb back up and get it.
"And always take some type of rain gear. You never know what the weather will be like at the summit.
"Take a Ziploc bag and pack your survival kit in it and keep it with you at all times. I keep a small rain poncho, matches, knife, aspirin, zip ties, headlamp and small flashlight, and medical tape in mine. Take one of those aluminized space blankets if there is any chance you'll be out late, but never, ever use your space blanket during a thunderstorm!"
And, he said, make sure to invest in some sweat dissipating outdoor wear. "The use of cotton fabrics on any climb should be limited."
Trekking poles also are essential for stability on loose rock and boulder fields. "Look for those with carbide tips."
And if you decide to take up the sport, "expect to spend some cash on pants and gloves. I've shredded three sets of climbing pants and over six pairs of gloves. I've found that the $10 'mechanics' gloves are very durable."
For anyone thinking about taking up "peak bagging" as an outdoor activity, Burgess "strongly recommends" to begin with a book by Tom Lopez, titled "Idaho, A Climbing Guide." It is available at many outdoor oriented stores in Idaho. Also check out www.climbidaho.com and www.idahomountainrec.org for route details, scheduled trips, and other essential details.