Glad to hear you two made it through the weather OK - We left Trail Camp not long after you came thru Sat am - Just wanted to thank you so much for all the encouragement you gave my son Tyler ant the others (Tom and Sam) - you instilled the fact that the drive and desire to achieve a goal is just as important as the training - they were pumped up after meeting you on Goyot pass
As you know we summited Fri. early from Guitar Lk. (leaving at 3 am) and then the three of them headed to Trail Camp, dropped gear and headed to the portal (only Tyler and Tom continued as Sam had large blisters on both feet) - the rest of us got to TC and set up camp, got water and food ready for their return on the way to a double (one from the west and one from the east) Tyler and Tom made the trip from TC to Portal in under 5 hours and my guess they would have made the round trip from TC to summit in less - They hit heavy hail just before Trail crest and reports from those comming down were not good from the other side of the crest - They made a decision to turn back, inspite of a strong desire to succeed -
Just to fill you in Tyler is 17 Sam is 18 and Tom is almost 16 - They have grown up together in Boy Scouts - and spent lots of time backpacking together - Tyler and Sam are Eagle Scouts and Tom is a Life Scout (Close to completing his Eagle) - we had 2 other Life scouts with us (they are only 12 and 13) and are both over achievers like their older friends
After talking to you they realized that their thoughts of a double in 24 hours was really a possibility if they planned properly and remained focused on success, still keeping their heads on straight and watching out for each other
As a dad and a scout leader I really appreciate it when an outside sourse reinforces the ideals that are important to our guys -
Jack - You and Betsy are a gem -
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk a while and share experiences and advise - You both have made a positive impact on the 5 boys as well as the 3 adults on our trip
Dave
Last edited by davehikes; 07/16/08 12:28 AM.
