I grabbed a solo day yesterday. And it was awesome. My work schedule has me well acclimated, somewhat rested, and coiled like a spring! I have had excellent trips, with really enjoyable folks and objectives. Guiding is mentally and physically and emotionally engagine. But solo time in the mountains can make it purely physical. And that is what yesterday was about. The route I chose (or, really, part of a route) turned out to have reasonable route-finding, minimal objective hazards, and fit perfectly into a 12 hour spurt of activity. I spent basically that entire 12 hour period moving, keeping my heart rate and exertion near 75% of my max. Perfection, in my book. When one moves at that rate, reflection and sight-seeing fade to the periphery. Its just movement. When one is alone and on reasonable terrain, technical challenges simply spread out the impact and demands over more
of the body. Never did I fear for my safety. With the intention of only scouting a portion of the Evolution Traverse, the pressure normally associated with finishing the objective was a non-issue. Once again, all added up to pure movement. Mountain athleticism at its purest, in my book.