Ramoo has spewed for years how the July Cascades Trip is his best trip of the year. Yeah, like 5000 foot ascents; super-scary loose rock on alpine ridges; really truly bad weather and Ramoo without a bath for 19 days in a row could be fun... I keep thinking, I should have done this when Ram was pudgy and I was skinny - but have to settle for current conditions - a lack of conditioning on my part, and Ram literally on steroids. At least we had young, cute Ram to lead anything scary and carry the big loads. I signed up. Good thing, so did Bucky, so I would have a congenial partner-in-misery, chasing up them big mountains after Ram and Young Ram. I tried to convince myself that my slightly screwed up shoulder was excuse-enough, but couldn't quite do it. So, 10:30 pm (having successfully avoided packing for 2 days, finally conceeding) July 17th, I poured a quart of oil in the old Honda and headed north for Bucky's Salt Lake Villa, planning on catching a few hours sleep here and there. July 18: A Long Drive Mount Carmel to Salt Lake to Winthrop - ugh!!!           1144 miles. 18 hours of driving. July 19: West Ridge Cutthroat Peak The start - steeply uphill, loose, scary, dangerous...       3290 feet of altitude gain. July 20: Northeast Ridge Black Peak Time for a bigger day, a bigger, scarier climb.       4970 feet of altitude gain. July 21: Pack into Boston Basin A casual day of rest, packing, then a shortish hike in the afternoon       2100 feet of altitude gain. July 22: Rest Day in a Cloud A casual day of rest. I ran down to the car to pick up a few things.       2100 feet of altitude gain. July 23: Sahale Carryover In the cloud, to the ridgecrest, then Sahale Peak and down to Cascade Pass.       3400 feet of altitude gain. 5200 feet of loss. July 24: Ingalls Peak ... and the hike in for Mount Stuart.       3800 feet of altitude gain to the summit of Ingalls, 1200 descent back to the bivy spot. July 25: Mount Stuart, West Ridge A bit of a long day on Stuart.       Climb: 3000 feet of gain. Descent: 4600 feet down, 1400 feet up, 1700 feet down, 1900 feet up! July 26: Goats! Hanging with Ram's cousins on Ingalls Pass, then home.       3460 feet of altitude loss.