Seagull photo by Rhonda Lee
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The Once and Future Car: Bill Brown and the Reappearing Pontiac Chieftain 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 Ed Gygli relaxes on the summit of Mount Borah, Idaho’s highest peak at 12,662 feet, where he and friends erected an Idaho and U.S. flag. When Ed is not climbing or mountain biking, the retired Idaho State Police officer works on ski patrol at Pebble Creek Ski Area south of Pocatello. [Photo courtesy of Ed Gygli]
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 (Continued on p. 11)