16. Idaho - Gem State

Hello my lovely friends

Idaho, known as "The Gem State," earned its nickname due to the abundance of rare minerals discovered throughout the state. Over 240 different types of gems have been found here, including star garnets, opals, and even diamonds. Andre, this place might just pique your interest.

Interesting tidbit: Idaho was the first place in the world to be powered by nuclear energy! The Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) at the Idaho National Laboratory made history in 1951 when it produced electricity from nuclear energy for the first time ever, powering four light bulbs and marking a major milestone in energy development.

We are in the dog days of summer, and wow, are they intense. At this elevation, it can feel as though you're pressed right up against the sun. With extreme summers come wildfires. There have been 14 large fires scattered across Idaho, blazing into a veritable "Great Wall" stretching from the Idaho/Oregon border westward, nearly to the sea. These, combined with the usual summer heat and pollution, have brought significant changes to the air quality.

We recently went climbing at "The Fins," located at the southern end of the Lost River Mountain Range. The vertical to slightly overhung limestone walls here offer climbing unlike anything else in southeast Idaho. The rock features volcanic structures called chert knobs, which are a blast to climb. These chert knobs are essentially fossilized remains of ancient marine organisms. The chert itself is very hard and forms these small, protruding features on the limestone that climbers use as handholds and footholds—absolutely loved it! There’s a nice selection of mostly 5.10 climbs, featuring both technical routes on thin grey limestone and steeper routes on these chert knobs. This is what makes climbing at "The Fins" so unique and interesting—you're literally climbing on ancient fossils that have transformed into rock over millions of years! It’s crazy... at first, you don’t dare or don’t trust them, but then you start to rely on them—well, there is no other choice.

Standing tall at 12,662 ft (3,860 m), Mt. Borah, or Beauty Peak, is the crown jewel of the Lost River Mountain Range and Idaho's highest peak. Of course, we couldn’t leave without conquering it. The range, part of the Western Cordillera stretching from Chile to Alaska, has been shaped by fault movements over the last 5 million years. Despite the smoky skies from wildfires, the views from the top were spectacular. The haze added a mystical touch to the experience. One of the most thrilling parts was the Chicken Out Ridge, a knife-edged section that requires a Class 3 scramble. The climb typically takes 6-7 hours, but the round trip can take up to 10-12 hours. We were moving fast and completed the round trip in just 6 hours, which left us time to squeeze in a visit to the Craters of the Moon National Monument. The late afternoon/evening was perfect for exploring. We hiked up the Inferno Cone, a small volcano, and the Cave Trail, which was even more exciting. Although I’m not a big fan of the "car tourism" aspect of National Parks, with trails designed for easy walking, it was still an impressive experience.

Shoshone Falls, often called the Niagara Falls of the West, were quite impressive, especially in the early morning when we saw the falls and the sunrise—a huge, bright egg yolk in the sky. The best part? The climbing walls are right there, with nice basalt rocks and some of the steepest 5.10 walls in the country, or so I've been told. So nice cragging there. After completing a 5.10d (route: Fire in the Belly), I thought bomber! Besides another climber motivated me doing the 5.11 after watching me climbing w/o chalk, he was impressed, ha. He also offered help if needed. So I dared to attempt my first 5.11a (EU: 7a) lead climb—a route called "Short Hard and Stupid" at the Skunk Cave. Yay! 🙌 Though had a pretty big fall of 13 feet (4m). Theo was horrified seeing my drop, even getting lifted off the ground—I was just about to clip in my quickdraw, but my fingers wouldn't move as they were almost numb from the previous moves, totally pumped. Luckily, nothing happened apart from some frappers. Right at the crux it happened, what a whipper! Theo didn't think I'd finish it to the top after that big, scary fall. But I was sending it. He was all the more proud of me afterward when I made it to the top. Unfortunately, Theo didn’t even dare to toprope it. I was surprised, considering he’s been regularly going to the climbing gym for the last couple of years. Seems like I’m the queen of rocks.

Theo is the king of MTB. He did some biking in Sun Valley while I preferred chatting with friends, continuing to write my journal, and relaxing at a local library on such a hot day.

In the City of Rocks, we also had a nice climbing experience at Flaming Rocks and Castle Rocks. The formations were incredible, bit run out though. Climbing on 28-million-year-old granite, a ranger told me. Isn't that impressive?

We will head to San Francisco to meet Theo's best friend Ingo. We decided to drive through Utah again, this time to the North and do some climbing at Salt Lake City.

Keep rocking!Leggi altro