Fifth summit; familiar climb; confident pace; deep connection to trail and shared story.
Saw a peregrine falcon circling above Icehouse Saddle, its shadow flickering across the canyon wall.
The summit wind carried the scent of wild sage.
Met a solo hiker chasing the Six Pack of Peaks for their third year — their excitement reminded me of my first time here.
The fifth summit brought a calm mastery that the first never could. It’s proof that effort, repeated and refined, turns challenge into belonging.
This peak is no longer an opponent — it’s part of my mountain language, one that Ella has helped me speak more fluently with every climb.
And with each return, the story folds back into the greater record of climbs and reflections.