Mount Breitenbach is the 5th-highest peak in the State of Idaho. It is 12,140 feet high. This is the second 12er I have done so far this year, and the 6th now of 9 12,000 foot+ mountains in Idaho. I did Diamond Peak a few weeks ago and thought I'd get this one out of the way as well this year. Basically there are 2 hikes to go to get the remaining 3 12,000+ peaks (Church and Donaldson can be done together, and then Mount Idaho).
This hike is right next to Lost River, and pretty much the same, just longer. You start going up via a creek bed and then eventually make it to a long and fairly steep scree slope. The rock was better than Lost River with less slipping back as you went up, but it was still pretty tiring. As with Lost River, the summit is actually a little further back to the north along a ridge line once you get to the top of the scree slope.
With the round trip drive and the hike, it turned out to be a 13 hour trip which I think has been fairly standard for these 12ers. Most are about 3 hours away from my home and I end up hiking about a mile/hr on average. I actually almost turned around near Mackay and drove back home when I realized I forgot to add the way to the trailhead to my GPS. I was not totally sure where the trailhead parking was or what dirt road I should turn off on. Since I had already driven 2+ hours though I figured I'd give it a try. Turns out I was right on and ended up driving down exactly what I had marked down at home. Lucky me!
Mount Breitenbach
