The big day finally arrived...

An early start, as the day would prove to be loooooooooong.

Bucky and Aaron, ready to go.

Here's our route - the West Ridge of Mt Stuart. There are many options, all about the same difficulty. I think many people spend a lot of time trying to figure out "the correct route" - at least it seems so, based on all the bivy sites there were on the mountain.

We retrace our steps to Ingalls lake, and skirt around the lake to the outlet side...

Mt Stuart from Ingalls Lake, dawnish.

Some purty flowers. Smelowskia?

Ram at the start of the ridge.

The ridge looms above us.

More pretty flowers, Lupines this time...

Pretty interesting climbing up the couloirs on the south face, on solid, blocky pink granite. 4th class steps occasionally interrupt the 3rd class couloirs.