86-year-old who summited Mount Borah may be the oldest person to do it

BLACKFOOT, Idaho – At 86, Noel Johnson may quite possibly be the oldest person to summit Mount Borah.

At 12,662 feet, Mount Borah, which resides in the Lost River Range near Mackay, is Idaho's highest mountain and one of the most challenging high-elevation climbs in the state.

The former middle school coach from Blackfoot reached the top on July 31. Johnson, who came within 400 feet of reaching the top last year, tells EastIdahoNews.com he's pleased that he completed his goal on the second attempt.

"We started at 3:30 in the morning, and we got back at 11 that night," Johnson said. "We took it slow. Zach (referring to Zach Campbell, his friend who hiked it the year before and helped him along the way) said all along, 'I'll help you. We'll get there no matter what. We're going to get to the top of Mt. Borah.' We did at about noon.'"

While there is no official record tracking the oldest person to reach the top, there are reports of an 80-year-old man summiting the peak in 2013. Johnson appears to be the oldest documented person to summit Mount Borah, though EastIdahoNews.com is unable to independently verify that claim.

In response to the notion that he could be the oldest climber to summit Idaho's tallest mountain, Johnson said, "That would be pretty amazing."

"If I don't hold the record, maybe I'll try it when I'm 90, who knows?" said Johnson.

That attitude stems from a weight loss and fitness journey that began in 2015. Johnson had recently retired from his second career and said he was overweight.

"I weighed about 200 pounds," he said.

As a retired P.E. teacher and coach, Johnson was "embarrassed" about how he looked and felt.

He began an exercise regimen that included running, riding bikes and lifting weights. After about four months, he'd lost 30 pounds.

Through the years, he ran numerous 5K races, winning first place in his age bracket several years in a row. Last year, at age 85, he set a course record, running a 5K in 30 minutes and 42 seconds.

"I ran a 10K and a 5K last year and won both of them," said Johnson.

Today, he weighs in at 157 pounds.

At the beginning of his fitness journey, he'd set a goal to climb Mt. Borah.

"I talked to various people, and it seemed like, no matter what their age, somebody would say, 'I've done that before.' I thought, 'Why can't I?'" Johnson said.

He put it off until last year when a friend who'd hiked it before got a group together to help Johnson with his goal. With less than 400 feet to go, Johnson said his body "just gave up."

"I started out too soon. I didn't hydrate," Johnson recalled. "I lived with that for quite some time, and I thought, 'I'll never do that again.'"

But he kept training, climbing smaller mountain peaks and hiking in Wolverine Canyon.

Johnson credited his friends, Alan Southern, Campbell and others, for encouraging him to try again. Johnson said he wouldn't have made it to the top without Campbell's help.

Nearly a month after his summit, Johnson is proud to say, "We made it!"

"When I got up there, I thought, 'That's pretty cool!' Then I saw an 11-year-old girl who was up there already, and I said, 'Well, that's pretty good for an 11-year-old,'" Johnson said.

At this point, it's safe to say that physical training has become an addiction for Johnson. During a phone conversation with Johnson on Wednesday morning, he explained to EastIdahoNews.com that he'd just run a 5K on a steep road at Wolverine Canyon by himself hours earlier.

If he's not running, he's on the elliptical, riding his bike or lifting weights or stretch bands. He said he isn't planning to stop anytime soon.

"I'm still in good shape, and I'm going to run the 800-meter, the mile, the three-mile and the six-mile at the Huntsman World Senior Games (in St. George) in October," said Johnson.

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