After setting myself up to lead this trip, I was a little bit concerned - the peaks would be "boring," the group would consist of unknown beginners with all the possible problems that could entail... Well, first of all, we got a beautiful day - the kind when anything you do outdoors is fine. We started with Vetter Mtn, ascending the E ridge use trail, with David occasionally stopping us to share some botanical information. The road to Mooney was in poor but (literally) passable condition. To make up for the shortness of the hike, we took a leisurely, sociable break for brunch. On Sally, we did a Pathfinder Ascent (for me) when David led us up the impressively steep, at least to begin with, east ridge. And everyone did fine, with minimal kvetching.
Somehow, though I've gotten a bit spoiled by some of the spectacular and demanding hikes I've experienced in HPS, I found myself enjoying this trip a lot, both the terrain and the fresh and enthusiastic faces. It was rewarding enough that I thought I'd want to lead more trips for relative beginners, in the easy-moderate range. Participants (in sign-in order) were: Joe Morris, Sue Jean, Daniel Rosenthal, Lydia Dobbs, David Gardner, Grant Gardner, Garrett Gardner, Marilyn Schmitt, Jim Collins, Diana Collins, Lori Alexander, Adrian Bartlow, Mary Tyler, Hermine Kitzler, and Leon Gurvin.
Thanks again to David Eisenberg for his excellent co-lead.
