Hi,

Despite living in the UK I'm thinking of coming over for the Total Eclipse in August 2017 - as its the only one in the next 10+ years that will be in a sensible place to get to!

Its on a Monday in the morning and I'd love to be high up for it. Something like Mount Borah in Idaho would be fantastic. My main concern is that the trailhead will be mobbed with people doing the same - what do you guys think the risk of that is? Will people do that? How much space is there at the trailhead to park / camp?

My original thought had been Grand Teton but I imagine that will be incredibly busy!

Thanks,

David

Pick a very obscure peak in the Wind Rivers...but only if the thunderstorm forecast is low. Gannett, Borah and Teton will be mobbed with millions of people...billions perhaps.......trillions??? does anyone want to wager trillions??? I wouldn't disagree with that claim

Matt Lemke wrote:Pick a very obscure peak in the Wind Rivers...but only if the thunderstorm forecast is low. Gannett, Borah and Teton will be mobbed with millions of people...billions perhaps.......trillions??? does anyone want to wager trillions??? I wouldn't disagree with that claim

Yeah, it's going to be a psycho madhouse here. Might go down as the busiest tourist August in history. But yeah, pick an obscure Peak.

August is the busiest time of the year on Mt Borah and it's not unusual to see 50-100 people going up on a weekend morning when the weather is good. Next August I expect there will be hundreds (or a thousand?) people trying to get to the top for the eclipse and it wouldn't surprise me if a few of them fall off of CO ridge or get hit by rockfall in the process. My friends in the Idaho S&R are not looking forward to this. I doubt if many Idaho climbers will pick Borah as a destination since the eclipse is passing over the White Clouds, Sawtooth and Lost River ranges where there are lots of obscure summits from which to choose. I'm leaning towards the Sawtooth range or one of the Lost River peaks that are harder to get to. I expect that all of the developed campsites (and motels) will be full or booked solid. But, a high percentage of Idaho's back country is public land so you can camp anywhere you want. I prefer that kind of camping because it's free and I can pee anywhere I want.

Bob

Needless to say i am very excited for the eclipse!!

Thanks all - I will start to research more obscure locations to go to, maybe something at the end of a backpack so I can go in a few days earlier to avoid the madness!

I was looking at a backpack in the sawtooths from Redfish Lake so that may be an option. Either way I plan to see the Eclipse, its the best chance for years to come!

If you decide to go to the Sawtooths all of the camping sites and Redfish Lodge are booked solid for next August. Redfish is one of the most popular camping sites in Idaho during a normal summer so I can't even imagine what it's going to look like next August. There is limited parking at the backpacker parking lot near the lodge so I'd recommend you go in by way of Grandjean on the west side of the range or even the more remote approach from Atlanta to the south. Both require longer hikes to get to the heart of the range but they sure are worth the effort. The hike up to Baron Lakes (10+ miles - one way) is one of my all time favorites. The Atlanta approach is even longer (20+ miles - one way).

Bob

Thanks Bob - Baron Lakes was one of the places I wanted to get to. Will take a look at the western approach.

Here's a link to the Sawtooth lodge at Grandjean. There is a Forest Service campground plus a natural hot spring (Sacajawea) besides the lodge's pool. And if the campground is full, for a small fee the lodge allows camping on their property or you can camp on national forest land for free. The only restrictions to "dirt" camping might be on open fires. Or you can just park and take off up the trail and stay where ever you please.

Best regards - Bob

http://sawtoothlodge.com/

Thanks Bob, it looks like a good option for entering the wilderness.

I'm starting to think my best bet is to plan a 5 or 6 day backpack and head in Thursday the week before. That way I can avoid too many parking problems (as I'll get there before others) and can hike to where I want to be for the Eclipse. Any peaks in that area you would suggest if the weather is good?

David

David,

A 5-6 day trip is enough time to cover a lot of ground in the range and one could plan a trip that makes a loop where you start and finish at the same place. One of our trips started at Grandjean and went over Baron Pass to the Redfish drainage. From there we went over the Cramer divide and back via the Payette River trail. The trip was around 40 miles total. We did it in two days but I regretted it later because all we did was hike for two full days. On a couple of other trips we crossed the entire range south to north and west to east but that required leaving a car at the finish. One time we hitchhiked back to Atlanta and luckily we met a friend at Grandjean who was willing to drive us all the way back to where we started. As for peaks, it depends upon what kind of climbing you want to do. My favorites are mostly fairly hard 5th class climbs that we did when we younger like the Finger of Fate and Elephants Perch. As for class II and III climbs, there are so many I'd have to point you to Tom's or Splattski's sites for reference.

Idaho: A Climbing Guide

http://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/regi ... oth-range/

Splattski Adventures

http://www.splattski.com/

Looks like a lot of options. Given the possibilities I'm now feeling confident that I can find somewhere to go - as long as I can find a parking space I'm good after that in the wilderness.

Definitely Class 2/3/maybe 4 for me. I'm learning to climb higher grades, but I'll be solo so something easier it will have to be.

A couple of options I've looked at as north to south backpacks:
- Pettit Lake to Snowyside Peak to Imogen Lake to Baron Lakes to Redfish Lodge (parking at Pettit Lake and hitch / lodge says they can organise a shuttle)
- Pettit Lake to Snowyside Peak to Baron Lakes to Sawtooth Lake to Iron Creek (parking at Pettit Lake, hitch would be a bit harder!)

Will keep on with the research. This looks like being a month long trip across the Northern Rockies!

Gonna be interesting. We've had several inquiries about renting out our house as the path goes nearly right over us.

My fear here is out of shape people showing up and trying to climb to 11k-12k feet the morning of the eclipse.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but with respect to witnessing a total solar eclipse what's the advantage of being on top of a peak or in a remote location?

So I don't know about anyone else but my motivation is threefold:
- Being somewhere spectacular i.e. adding to the experience
- The view to be had of the shadows over all the peaks, which will be unlike what others may see from below
- I climb mountains for a hobby. Where else would I be?

Checked and Redfish is only booked up for the nights of 18/19/20/21 - all other nights are booking in January. Going to try and stay there on 16th or 17th for a night beforehand if possible then head into the wilderness for 4 or 5 days, coming out later in the day after the eclipse. Arriving in country a week before that so should be properly acclimated to not be dying going up a peak.

I'm going to be on my own on the trip from the UK but not expecting to be alone wherever I end up. Either way that's ok. My experience as a European coming to the USA is that the friendliest people are to be found in the mountains!

PS: I hope I got acclimated right. We don't use that word in the UK!