We began our day with no real expectations, other than to make it to the summit. It was my 16th summit of San G and my hiking partners 1st. In fact, today had a few firsts for her. First time summit, first time above 11,000 feet. Her previous high was Mount Baldy. And, it was her first time hiking over 15 miles.

We took a deliberate slow and steady pace. Took several breaks on our way to the summit. Three were at least 15 to 20 minutes long each. And, we spent nearly an hour at the summit. There were still some patches of snow and two long snow fields just below the summit as you approach the San Bernardino Divide Trail. We use micro spikes and poles to cross, but there were some cross the fields that had neither.

Time seemed to get away from us and before we knew it we were still at the summit at 2pm. Time for a quick descent! We started down and were making good time. Then my tragedy struck. Nothing too serious, but enough to force us to stop on the trail and rest for about 30 or 40 minutes. As we were descending, my foot slipped and as I caught my balance, I felt a sharp pop in my quad. Not a full rupture but likely a significant tear. Needless to say our last 5 miles out were very slow as I somewhat painfully limped down the trail. We barely made it out before dark, but we made it!

Had it not been for the injury, I think our day would have been perfect! Lots of firsts! Lots of awesome views! Waterfalls! Sunrises! Sunsets! I couldn't have painted a better picture. It was exciting for me, as we neared the summit, to see my partners own excitement for what she had just done. I would have missed that for the world. So, in spite of the injury and the long hard day, the question remains, “Was it worth it?”

The answer, “Hell yes!!”