Castle Crags

Well, training pays off. This past Wednesday, April 4th, Castle Crags proved easier with a 55lb pack than it had last September without any added weight. I felt strong, sure, and swift the whole way up and down, and that should be a decent gauge of my Shasta-readiness, as the rate of ascent on Castle Crags is actually about the same as on Shasta (though the total elevation is significantly lower, and Shasta has about double the gain/distance through the total trip, and Shasta also has the snow to deal with). Whatever the case, my performance on Wednesday is solid proof of my progress. Now I just need to do what I can to drop any additional weight over the next two months so that there's less of me to haul up the mountain...

And a note: trekking poles are awesome. Using the poles enabled me to be more agile with 55lbs added weight than I would've been sans pack and poles - I was scrabling all over the granite up top... They also did much to decrease joint stress on the descent.

Up next, Goosenest?