Blitzkrieg on Gannett Peak; Big Schmile; Scrambled Dano; Hunting an Excuse; The Retreat

I'd been idly considering a trip into the Wind River Mountains of big Wyo.  After a handful of hours gathering beta online, Gannett Peak presented itself as interesting due to its proximity to my HQ, to accounts of its rugged beauty, and to the savor of a challenge.  My mind immediately associated the appellation of Gannett to the peak which is Wyoming's highest with a villain of Nintendo legend: Gannon, the lizard king who kidnaps Zelda's girl.  "We'll soon see to this Evil Fucker," I told myself glibly.  No mere 13K+ feet could withhold its summit from me.  I run up 14K+ in tennis shoes.  I shut my laptop with a smirk.

Now, a side-note concerning my experiences in mountaineering is in order.  I do not presently own a piolet, nor do I have so-called "hiking boots", much less a pair of dedicated mountaineering boots.  Despite these omissions, I feel as if I've done rather well for myself with regard to my gambols amongst and on top of mountains.  I have climbed 9 of Colorado's summits at 14K+ feet, skipping across Sawtooth Ridge between Evans and Bierstadt and cartwheeling across the Narrows on Long's in nothing more than sneakers and just enough clothes for modesty.  I have also done winter ascents in Danner steel-toe work-boots.  I have some climbing technique, i.e. I can set an anchor, belay, self-arrest, &ct., as well as being lucky enough to have great balance, a high level of physical fitness, and a natural proclivity to play well in the great outdoors.  In short, I am well-equipped with everything but gear and, as I found, a facility for blithe commitment.  

A word on commitment: to do so completely is to forever turn from any contending options.  This can be a very scary thought, especially to a person such as myself who believes that a key general principle to leading a happy life is to keep one's options open.  But the extreme of that philosophy leads to gadfly dilettantism, superficial acquaintance but never deeply meaningful relations, and finally, in extremis, the high treason of yourself by not demanding that you do something, even just one thing, to the very best of your ability.  It has been my blessing/curse that I've never been absolutely obligated to commit to anything, ever.  I have always had an embarrassment of choices at my disposal, and have struggled under the weight of them.  This is, I know, a very first-world, privileged, even enviable problem to have, but there you have it.  Additionally, my intellectual curiosity and taste for life are wide-ranging, so I've always wanted to sip from every cup rather than drink deeply from one.  In my own defense I offer the fact that I've done things that not many people have the pluck for.

That detour was all by way of saying that I did not commit fully to an ascent of Gannett Peak from the word "Go", and therefore shot myself in the foot and did not accomplish a goal half-heartedly set.  But I did get in a great day of hiking.

08/10/13: 0300 hrs saw me driving towards the Green River Lakes trailhead in the Wind River Range just North and West of Pinedale, WY.  I opted for the alpine start rather than camping at the trailhead because I like to get mentally psyched on the drive to any climb.  Loud country music billowed from my truck as I ground to a halt in the gravel of the trailhead lot.  Early morning mountain silence is dense and heavy, and it rushed in to fill the air when the sound of my truck's engine died.  There was just the slightest penumbra in the East as the Sun began to spill into the darkness from across the other side of the planet.  Scent of pine, wildflowers, dew, cold air that almost catches at the back of the throat.  The sky was clear of clouds.  A beautiful day to hike.