Mike you are no stranger to the high country; yes, they were tough miles. I have some pics I'll send over of the "trail". I bet we only put boots on dirt 10-15% of the time. Mostly granite slabs, blocks, cut steps, and rubble, especially above 10k feet, where we spent a lot of time. One had to move with great precision or risk serious injury- at least I did- or hop around like a damn ageless goat like my wife.
My aerobic base was rockin' from cycling so the altitude didn't bother me. I much preferred the climbs, tough as they were, to going back downhill. Downhill was dangerous and tough on my beat up old knees. Again, thank God for trekking poles.
