whew....tonight we had our planning evening to review schedule and required group equipment and personal gear.... the level of responsibility i felt was pretty significant as these guys haven't done this level of "hiking" climbing ever before....not just for the physical challenge but the emotional committment..... for that very reason the level of excitement i feel for them and me of course to experience this amazing episode is hard to explain.... I can't... one of my most fond and elevating moments on the mountain was on rainier... at a lower camp but it was totally snowed in.... I got up early to utilize the one luxury of man...the open air out house. It was about a 25 feet away from camp walk but once there...in the trees ..pure solitude. I sat on the top of what must really have been a large containment tank but with a wooden cut out seat..watching the moon set and sun rise ....with not a sound...except for the periodic gurplunk of my own doing. it was really amazing. fresh, quiet, reflective. if these novices have the opportunity to experience this (save the gurplunks) they will look back on this experience as one of the best of their lives...