In June, 2000, Kim and I "bagged" our first peak. As peaks go, we picked a pretty hard one,
at least in terms of elevation and distance: Koip Peak from Dana Meadows. The hike to the
12960' summit has a round trip of 20 miles, though with a relatively benign elevation gain of
only 3500 feet or so. By the end, we were quite pooped, especially since we were in bad shape
at that time. But I think it's safe to say that a bug of sorts bit us that day. I've always
liked to get high, and the feeling of being REALLY high, coupled with the sense of accomplishment
at pushing one's physical limits, sealed my love of mountain climbing that day.