Full Value in the High Sierra

I returned from some much-appreciated play time on the Eastside. I'm slowly working my way through the Sierra Peak Section's Emblem Peaks: 15 of the Sierra's most prominent peaks as a way of exploring new parts of the range. First up was Matterhorn Peak which was in pretty good shape despite a bit of awkward postholing on the approach.Then, escaping a violent cold and wind storm, I went to the southernmost Sierra to Olancha Peak, where I had my first ever bighorn sheep encounter despite countless trips to the Williamson region and other remote parts of the Southern Sierra.After a trip to Tucson for the holidays and adequate time for my blisters to heal, I returned to Bishop for a day of full-value alpine climbing on Mount Darwin, including a mountain bike to the base, a trip over Lamarck Col and a fantastic climb up perfect styrofoam on the North Face.The casual thirteen hours car-to-car from Aspendell showed me that my fitness is right where I want it to be and my approach to the mountains is as solid as ever. Here's to 2018!