I love passes. They turn my attention to my body, to the experiential rather than the symbolic (unlike everything that happens on the computer, TV, phone and in video games – the things which make up so much of our “normal” lives).

This hiking does not mean anything, nor is it standing in for something. My body searches for oxygen, calories, and rest. I am doing this.

I summit Pinchot (12,104 feet), Mather (12,047 feet), and Muir (11,978 feet). Each one is breathtaking; each one has its own personality – striking and sublime. There are lakes in pure emerald and lapis hues. There is water rushing down rock slopes. There are barren shale moonscapes that seem to go on forever.

In these landscapes, I feel especially human and especially like myself. My body works. My feet make contact. My core lifts my legs up over high rocks. I’m breathing. There is something timeless about these climbs. I feel connected to all other bodies. This is how bodies work.