Well, I am back and it was definitely not a stroll in the park.
I had a great time with 5 of my buds.

Only 4 of the 6 made it all the way down and back.
2 of us made it halfway down camped and back.

I was one of the 2 that didn't go all the way down.
I was 5th in line and kinda hung back to make sure the last guy didn't miss the cairnes.

After awhile from being only 45 mins behind it became 2 hours behind.
The 6th guy just couldn't do it... his thigh muscles were qlivering.

This is what he had in his pack (misc items).
10- pack chemical hand warmer.
a 1.5 liter coffee pot with pugalator.
a pair of jeans
a fishing net
a pair of waterproof pants that you can wear in the water while fishing.
frying pan
mess kit
one beer
one flask
camping chair (21 oz)

I was motivating him to go as far down as he can and then got the message to turnaround.
We had only 24 oz of water left when we did decide to go back.
I had originally 4 liters of water and had consumed all 3 liters by myself thinking I was going to make camp at bottom.

So we camped and hiked out in the morning.
Short hikes with many breaks, in which the 6th guy was finally able to enjoy the view he had missed going down.
Our experienced hiker buddy admit the three guys in front were going down way too fast even for strong hikers. In which, One of 3 did had a major burn out 4 hours into the hike.
The 6th guy didn't eat much at all.. which worried me a little.

Some of the quotes from the other guys...
"I totally underestimated the trail and shouldn't have done this" the 6th guy.

"Hardest thing I have ever done in my life"... a guy that just hiked mt. Whitney this summer and will be doing a half trialthon this spring coming.

"This trail is relentless... stair after stair climbing"


I still believe I could have made it all the way down and back.
So, I plan on going back next year... however only 2 others are willing to go next year.

We went to Vegas (4 hours drive) shared some stories.
Getting beat on (humously) for only going halfway down.
We gamble, drank and walked 3 miles to Belligio to check out the fountain.

Overall, It was a Great time with the guys.


Edited by Imager (11/12/07 08:02 AM)