You're right, phat. I can scramble on snowless peaks, although I'm just getting to that level after knee replacement two years ago. Looking forward to enjoying a few easy summits this summer.

It was the technical climbing I was referring to. My main phobia about that [aside from the obvious acrophobia] was the notion of being roped together with other people. A couple of my friends died on Rainier as a result of their leader falling and pulling them off the mountain. [The others died in an avalanche in Alaska]. I guess I fear being dependent one someone else's skill and judgment. Do you ever feel that way?