On Sunday, Shauna Hermes and I walked up Mt. Dana in even colder and windier conditions. After an 11am alpine start, we caught and passed every party in front of us - all turning around at the 12k (approx.) plateau below the summit. The summit - and nearly the whole mountain - belonged to only Shauna and I. My guess is the summit temp (w/ windchill) was at least 0 or sub-zero. Beautiful, winter-like conditions well before the coming of a calendar Autumn. Views were astounding, especially to the west where we could see more inclement weather mostly traveling north/northeast. At times, Cathedral, Fairview Dome, Conness, and even North Peak were getting socked in, but our hill remained clear. Car-to-car in five hours.
Another beautiful weekend in the High Sierra. Ding-ding: Autumn has arrived in the high country.