it was hot, and I mean hot, we put in some sweat equity on the first day

almost at railroad grade

time for a break in the shade, the mountain looks so close from here

they may not look big, but they weigh big

these are the standard NPS issue toilets, they get hauled out by helicopter when full, we stayed well away from them.

we cuaght up and then proceeded past this guided group. We later watched them practice rescue skills. They would use 3 days to summit, taking a day to rest. We would camp about an hour above them

we would establish camp on the large rock outcrop just above them, little did we know it would end up being quite windy up there.

we thought we might lose the tent to the wind

and with the massive walls around it to protect it

what you see is the false summit, you actually go into the col and then around to the other side and then the true summit comes into view