Rigby man just finished a 3-year journey of climbing all of Idaho’s 11,000-foot mountain peaks

RIGBY – On Thursday, Jason Lee became nan 15th personification successful Idaho history to acme each 115 of nan Gem State’s 11,000-foot upland peaks.

The 50-year-old Rigby man vanished a three-year travel erstwhile he reached nan apical of Roaring Peak, which stands astatine 11,460 feet successful nan Boulder Mountain range.

Dave Pahlas, an avid hiker, has kept a moving database of group who’ve accomplished this feat complete nan years on his website and Lee is thrilled to beryllium numbered among them.

“It took maine precisely 3 years, 3 months and 15 days. I whitethorn beryllium adjacent to nan fastest, but I’m not sure,” Lee tells EastIdahoNews.com. “I ended up finishing nan past 48 (summits) this outpouring and summer. I deed it beautiful difficult this year.”

Idaho’s mountains that surpass 11,000 feet are confined wrong 7 upland ranges successful nan cardinal and eastbound portion of nan state, according to Lee. Those upland ranges see nan White Cloud, Boulder, Pioneer, White Knob, Lost River, Lemhi and Beaverhead Mountains.

George Reinier and John Roache were nan first to execute this feat, according to nan database connected Pahlas’ website. It happened successful 2012 pinch their last acme of The Brow, an 11,005-footer northbound of Diamond Peak connected nan main Lemhi crest. Idaho Climbing Guide reports The Brow is “the lowest of Idaho’s 11ers.”

In 2020, Lee climbed each 9 of nan state’s 12,000 ft peaks, including Idaho’s tallest upland peak, Mt. Borah. The 12,662-foot bluff is successful nan Lost River Range adjacent Challis. After achieving this successful little than a year, he was quiet for different adventure, which led him to nan 11ers.

“They turned retired to beryllium a batch much breathtaking because cipher goes there,” Lee explains. “There’s nary trails connected nan apical of those. It’s a batch of bush-whacking and investigation to moreover get to immoderate of these.”

The Idaho 12ers, however, are celebrated destinations for hikers and are well-traveled.

This each started 4 years agone erstwhile Lee retired from a 24-year stint successful nan U.S. Navy. He had done a small spot of hiking wherever he was stationed successful Upstate New York. After moving backmost to Idaho, a friend invited Lee to hike Mt. Borah pinch him.

“It sounds for illustration a plan. Let’s do it,” Lee recalls saying astatine nan time.

To prepare, they climbed Table Mountain, an 11,000 ft highest adjacent Alta, Wyoming successful nan Grand Tetons. He summited that successful July 2020 earlier hiking Mt. Borah.

“That’s what kicked disconnected nan upland climbing (journey),” says Lee.

Lee often ran successful nan Navy, and he’s enjoyed hiking arsenic an replacement to staying successful style during retirement.

The champion portion of this experience, Lee says, is inspiring different mountaineers to do nan aforesaid thing.

“Only 15 group person done it, truthful I want much group to do it,” he says. “I want to walk connected nan knowledge (I’ve gained) because I’m not going to beryllium capable to do this forever. And second, I get them retired into nan woods pinch maine truthful I person personification to do it with.”

He’s gained rather a pursuing complete nan past respective years and moreover has a Facebook group called Team 11ers.

Lee’s adjacent extremity is to repetition his first 5 11,000 ft summits truthful his decorativeness clip is faster.

“When I first started, I wasn’t very quick. I wasn’t arsenic superior astir it until I sewage into my 2nd year,” Lee says. “I want to get my decorativeness clip nether 3 years.”

He’s readying to do that earlier June 2025.

He besides wants to acme each of Idaho’s 10,000 ft peaks, arsenic good arsenic climb nan highest points successful each Idaho county.

“If it wasn’t for nan mountaineering pioneers that went earlier me, nary of this would’ve been possible. I couldn’t person done it without my unit that went on pinch me,” says Lee. “I springiness them a batch of in installments because it made my acquisition a batch easier.”