"Day 12, my morning dash took on a new flavor. Secretly flustered by the constriction of the groups when to leave, when to stop. This was my goddamn trip, not there's. Popped up in the morning and scalded my kind tentmate Phil, "get your shit out the tent." Packed up and hit the road. The embarrassment and triumph jolted me up the Golden Staircase, 1500 vertical of feet of rock stairs, the last gap of the JMT to be completed in 1938 under WPA, deemed "golden" for it's $1 million price tag. I was here to do something special, looking out from the top of the stairs like Ayn Rand's Howard Rourke looking out from atop his in-progress building. Some hours later the group joined me lounging at Lower Palisade Lake, waking me from my individualist day dream. Reminding me the merits of collaborative living, especially tangible when I nearly froze that evening at 10800 feet, but for the shared warmth of my tentmate Phil." - Taun Taun
Itchy after climbing up the Golden Staircase
Palisade Lakes...
This night was cold; I didn't sleep in my hammock.
Above Upper Palisade Lake
Looking towards Mather Pass, which we tackled the next morning
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