[Editor’s note: J.D. Martin was an early settler of the Lost River Valley. As he was nearing his 90th year, he wrote a memoir covering the early history of the Lost River area which was published in installments in the Arco Advertiser. This portion covers his ascent of Mount McCaleb in 1884. It also references other ascents of mountains in … Continue reading
In 1987, an experienced climber descending Mount Borah fell on the snowpack and lost control of his self-arrest. He landed just above a water chute/water-melt tunnel as the avalanche he triggered pushed him into the chute and buried him. Water Chutes/Water-Melt Tunnels When temperatures warm, water melts below the snow surface and flows in river-like patterns downhill. As the water … Continue reading
Editor’s Note: On August 4, 2006, a fatality occurred on a summit attempt of Mount Church. What follows is the final article, published by the American Alpine Club in Accidents in North American Mountaineering 2006. I wrote the article along with Butte County Sheriff Wes Collins, with additional input provided by Portneuf Life Flight Registered Nurse Lance Taysom. Wes, an exceptional … Continue reading
Lyman Marden was a member of the USGS team that surveyed the Borah Peak quadrangle. He wrote an article entitled Climbing the Slopes of Mount Borah—the Dean of Idaho Peaks about the survey. This article appeared in the Idaho Statesman in 1935. In 1950, he wrote the following report for the Boise Public Library. —An account given to the Boise Public Library … Continue reading
This article was published in the Aberdeen Times on August 18, 1949.Since 1940, only 62 people have climbed Mount Borah, Idaho’s tallest mountain. Among these are 4 amateur mountain climbers from Aberdeen who scaled the 12,655-foot peak last Monday morning. Stanley and Horace Nealey, Howard Morton and Norman Brown put on a good pair of shoes last Saturday afternoon and drove to … Continue reading
The book discusses the discovery of Borah Peak as the highest point in Idaho on Pages 16 and 17. This entry expands on that discussion and adds source documents relating to the issue as well as documentation for T.M. Bannon’s first ascent in 1912. The following 1929 article from Idaho Statesman declared to the world that Borah Peak, also known … Continue reading