No Bob, no altitude issues. Three nights at 10K' and a quarter-tab of Diamox each twice a day pretty much took care of that. We did have a gastro bug of some kind circulating among us, though. At various points I, Barb and Carole each had episodes that were no fun. Murphy's Law was certainly with us this trip.
Carole was a blast to backpack with. She's been up high a lot this year on some tough routes, and she's an extremely strong and knowledgeable hiker. In fact she christened Bri with a new trail name: "Tornado - because she's more than a little breeze". Her presence made an otherwise disappointing climb a ton of fun. The woman has more energy and personality than the law should allow. By the time we parted ways in LP a few days later, we felt like we'd known her for years. Now Bri has another "Sierra Aunt" to go with Laura and Betsy, and I feel fortunate that she's had so much quality time with these strong female role models over the past few years.
Keep rubbing it in about the geographical proximity to all the fun - it may actually work some day . . .
