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Day 1

Picture of mountains from the road

View from car, on our way to the Ranger Station.

Andrew and Jeff with backpacks on ready to climb the mountain

Andrew and I are geared up and ready to go...

Andrew standing on the trail with rocky mountains around and behind him.

Lots of switchbacks to get to this point. This is about 3.5 miles in.

The Platforms, essentially a hillside covered in huge builders with a large rock outcropping above it.

These are "The Platforms". Essentially the trail ends for a while and you have to climb over these boulders. This is 5.6 miles in.

Jeff in The Meadow with the mountain looking down on him from above.

This is "The Meadow".

Rocky canyon with what looks like a glacier in the middle of it.

This is "The Moraine" (11,000 feet). This is where we set up base camp. Those rocks look comfortable, huh! There are a few flat spots around to set up a tent, but essentially you're on gravel. Above is the Lower Saddle...we do that in the morning....

The whole night we were out of breath and our hearts were pounding as our bodies tried to acclimate. By morning all seemed well.

Pictures: Courtesy of Andrew Teasdale (mostly).