OK, Rainier is about 9 weeks away, so it's time to start training in ernest. I've been running twice a week at work with Minesh and Peter, and playing my usual regimine of handball, but this weekend begins the real Rainier Training Climbs.

Minesh, Laura, and I will ascend Gold Hill, 12,711' (topo), from the Taos Ski Village. We're going to go as far as Bull-of-the-Woods pasture (10,880') tomorrow evening, camp for the night, then hike to the peak and back, strike camp, and go back to the truck on Saturday. It'lll be a bit less than 3,500' of vertical in two easy segments, and the weather looks like it's going to be fantastic. Should be a cakewalk.