Some of the training has to be to think "out of the box", a box I've been trying to crawl into most of my life. Have to think of goals rather than procedures.

And I've done some dumb things, pretty much all of them at altitude. Couldn't clean my water filter of super-fine silt and did not think to use my stove to melt ice. Actually, three of us didn't think of that, all three of us very well educated and two of us experienced mountaineers. It isn't that we wouldn't have remembered, it's just that we got fixated on the spring which was a couple of miles down the mountain. Once we went from no water filter to spring we didn't think of anything else.

We just went too high too fast. From sea level to 14,300 in 40 hours, and then to 16,000 feet in another 12 hours. Felt strong until I got lost with 60 pounds on my back, rock climbing, and by the time I fought my way out of that mess I was shot. Laid over a day, didn't recuperate all that fast. Could go uphill fine, didn't trust myself going downhill.

Leaving for Kili around June 19, will be back and leave for the hike from Ashland to Mt. Whitney and out around the middle of July. God willing and the creeks don't rise too high.

Arf