Devil's Bedstead East - 11,865
Summer 1997
This peak is undoubtedly one of my favorite climbs. No question. Back in the early 80's we would spend a couple of weeks on what we called the "Fish Trip". Two weeks at the head of the North Fork of the Big Lost River. Wonderfully wild area full of tall pines, clear streams, Brook Trout and yes, mountains. Big ones. Kent and Ryan peaks formed the head wall of the upper reaches the North Fork, and downstream would be mile after mile of great fishing for these colorful trout.
DBE
When one drove far enough down the dusty track to the junction with the Sun Valley / Mackay road, the Bedstead would form an awesome backdrop as you exited the Northfork canyon. It always held snow in spots, even into September. I would gaze up at it and I would think to myself, someday ... someday I will climb that peak.
Gene and Craig
Well, that time would come in 1997 with a father and son duo, Gene and Craig Kantack. I had been invited to climb with them on a few occasions previously and had forged a friendship based upon climbing many of the high peaks in Idaho. It changed my life really. I had hiked plenty as a youth, even climbing one or two mountains, mostly by chance as I wandered the back-country in the Palisades area during the summers of my youth.
But now, we were getting out and scrambling to the top of some of the highest peaks in Idaho. McCaleb, No Regret, Lost River Peak to name a few. It was hard. Very hard. Sometimes I wondered what the hell was I doing this for.....but I always went back, time after time. It was fun, in a bizarre, twisted sort of way....
This particular trip still echos in my mind as one of the very best I have been on. Started with a creek crossing. Barefoot. Ouch. Brrrr. I took my boots off and flung the first one over to the opposite bank. It hit the top of the opposite bank, and then started to roll back down towards the fast moving water.....YIKES!! It stopped one inch from the edge.......phew! The second boot went 30 feet past the top of the bank, no chance of this one floating downstream. The water was ice cold, numbing my feet and lower legs, then after crossing it took me a while to find my boot, the one I tossed so far.
DBE from Wildhorse Creek
Then, after drying off and getting the boots back on, it was up the trail, the Boulder Lake Creek trail. I trudged along, trying to keep up with these two companions. They were always ahead of me. Always. No matter, I loved the way they would wait for me, and tease me about being so slow.
The views, once you gain the upper reaches, is amazing. Huge cliffs and sharp ridges in all directions. Up the talus slopes we scrambled, to a saddle between DBE and a point on a ridge to the south. The Kantacks slowly widening the gap between us. I got to a point on the ridge, sat down, and decided I needed long rest. I ate a bit of chocolate, drank some water and found a comfortable position to recline on. The next thing I know, I am waking from a nap. In all the places I have ever had an afternoon siesta, this was one of the strangest places to do so. But it revived me enough to have another go at it!
I looked up the long last section of the climb, about 1200 feet feet of straight rock to the top. Made of boulders of different sizes. Some basketball sized, some the size of cars.... and every thing in between. I could see Gene and Craig on top...waiting for me. It took me over an hour to reach them and they waited patiently, yelling encouragement from time to time.
I reached the top, and what a top it was. Narrow would be a good descriptor. Not a lot of room here, but what a view. Some water, some food, some photos and we were on our way down....feeling like a million dollars!!
Back to the pickup we went, feeling pretty good. It always feels good after a climb like this, endorphins I suppose, makes the skin tingle....
That afternoon found us headed north, for a climb of Castle Peak the next day, but I will leave that for another story. A pretty good one it is too!!
This peak is undoubtedly one of my favorite climbs. No question. Back in the early 80's we would spend a couple of weeks on what we called the "Fish Trip". Two weeks at the head of the North Fork of the Big Lost River. Wonderfully wild area full of tall pines, clear streams, Brook Trout and yes, mountains. Big ones. Kent and Ryan peaks formed the head wall of the upper reaches the North Fork, and downstream would be mile after mile of great fishing for these colorful trout.
DBE
When one drove far enough down the dusty track to the junction with the Sun Valley / Mackay road, the Bedstead would form an awesome backdrop as you exited the Northfork canyon. It always held snow in spots, even into September. I would gaze up at it and I would think to myself, someday ... someday I will climb that peak.
Gene and Craig
Well, that time would come in 1997 with a father and son duo, Gene and Craig Kantack. I had been invited to climb with them on a few occasions previously and had forged a friendship based upon climbing many of the high peaks in Idaho. It changed my life really. I had hiked plenty as a youth, even climbing one or two mountains, mostly by chance as I wandered the back-country in the Palisades area during the summers of my youth.
But now, we were getting out and scrambling to the top of some of the highest peaks in Idaho. McCaleb, No Regret, Lost River Peak to name a few. It was hard. Very hard. Sometimes I wondered what the hell was I doing this for.....but I always went back, time after time. It was fun, in a bizarre, twisted sort of way....
This particular trip still echos in my mind as one of the very best I have been on. Started with a creek crossing. Barefoot. Ouch. Brrrr. I took my boots off and flung the first one over to the opposite bank. It hit the top of the opposite bank, and then started to roll back down towards the fast moving water.....YIKES!! It stopped one inch from the edge.......phew! The second boot went 30 feet past the top of the bank, no chance of this one floating downstream. The water was ice cold, numbing my feet and lower legs, then after crossing it took me a while to find my boot, the one I tossed so far.
DBE from Wildhorse Creek
Then, after drying off and getting the boots back on, it was up the trail, the Boulder Lake Creek trail. I trudged along, trying to keep up with these two companions. They were always ahead of me. Always. No matter, I loved the way they would wait for me, and tease me about being so slow.
The views, once you gain the upper reaches, is amazing. Huge cliffs and sharp ridges in all directions. Up the talus slopes we scrambled, to a saddle between DBE and a point on a ridge to the south. The Kantacks slowly widening the gap between us. I got to a point on the ridge, sat down, and decided I needed long rest. I ate a bit of chocolate, drank some water and found a comfortable position to recline on. The next thing I know, I am waking from a nap. In all the places I have ever had an afternoon siesta, this was one of the strangest places to do so. But it revived me enough to have another go at it!
I looked up the long last section of the climb, about 1200 feet feet of straight rock to the top. Made of boulders of different sizes. Some basketball sized, some the size of cars.... and every thing in between. I could see Gene and Craig on top...waiting for me. It took me over an hour to reach them and they waited patiently, yelling encouragement from time to time.
I reached the top, and what a top it was. Narrow would be a good descriptor. Not a lot of room here, but what a view. Some water, some food, some photos and we were on our way down....feeling like a million dollars!!
Back to the pickup we went, feeling pretty good. It always feels good after a climb like this, endorphins I suppose, makes the skin tingle....
That afternoon found us headed north, for a climb of Castle Peak the next day, but I will leave that for another story. A pretty good one it is too!!
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