Tonight Nate said, "I usually don't like to talk like this because it's embarrassing, but
We. Climbed. Mather. Pass. "
Four guys passed us on our late morning start: Pete, Cracker, Josh and Ryan. All passed us individually and were randomly spaced out, although Josh and Ryan were in the same group. We were a greeting committee for all who passed, while lounging, collecting water and enjoying the time before our steepest ascent, Mather Pass. Yesterday we spent hours of hot hellish climbing as we made our way up, but we had been told that the last 1500 ft in elevation would test all of us; ( to be beaten only by Forester, and Whitney). So everyone had a sort of " this is gonna hurt" face on, mixed with a big gulp- dive in- urgency to just get it done.
So hard.
So big.
So steep.
Nate's ability to find substeps up to the giant steps, as well as his coordinated dance through very loose (now large rolling stones) rock paths, blew my mind. Max is still our leader, and will tell us when we are close to the top, since he runs a switchback length ahead. The last ten zigzags were so steep and so hard to climb with packs and without hands, that Nate started to break. I was wondering how much more I could handle too, when we heard, "TOP!"
Max made it. His call pushed us up quickly, where we saw three of our four friends, sitting on rocks, silently smiling. We did it.
Sounding like a broken record, I was once again touched by the kindness of strangers. These guys were so psyched that we made it, and made the boys feel so super cool. They donated treats and candies to our diminishing supply, and fueled a three mile long talk about candy, and cool guys. From LA, San Diego and New Jersey; I wish we could invite you to a formal night of dining with peanut butter, Nutella crepes and instant hot cocoa. Thank you so much. So so much.
The path down was a breeze and the guys were happier and more proud than I have ever seen them. This one made a mark.
