On Thursday Jeremiah ended work in mid-afternoon in order to hike to the top of Mount Blanco, a nearby peak of 12,280′ or so. I asked to go with him, and it gave us a chance to get to know each other better. He and Autumn, his wife, have a two-year-old and her two boys from a previous partner.
This was an exercise hike for Jeremiah, so we set off at a brisk pace. I kept up until the steepest climbs near the peak, when my pulse reached above 150 and I had to catch my breath.