[ckissick]

I'm back. I made it to the summit! I used the Clear Creek route, described in a guide book as the easiest route. Yeah, right. After hiking 3 miles to base camp at 8200 feet, I spent the night there and left for the top the next morning at 5:30. It took me 5-1/2 hours to climb 6000 feet in the remaining 3 miles. It's a relentless, steady, steep climb, inclined at about 45 degrees for much of the way. Think Mt. Doom. Easy, it was not.

Going down was brutal: it seemed like it would never end. Very steep with loose scree. You have to watch every step, but I only fell once. Flat on my back like a cartoon character stepping on a banana peel. I got back to camp at 5:30 PM, completely wiped out. I dropped my pack in the dirt, plopped down on my sleeping bag, and didn't move for an hour. Everyone at base camp agreed that it was hardest climb they ever did.

The weather was perfect for a change. Cool with a welcome breeze. It was about 40 at the summit and very pleasant.