After a huge Italian dinner and beers, we casually decided at the midnight hour, “let’s do Dragontail tomorrow”. The prior 2 big days had started to take their toll, but the beer was talking now. Only thing: I had a catch a flight back to SF the next evening. If we went for Dragontail, we’d have to book it. I was skeptical. But Josh just said, “Let’s do it.”

On the trail to Colchuck Lake at 6:30am. We flew up, under 1 1/2 hrs to the lake. I ran out of steam a bit on Aasgard while Josh surged ahead and flashed the whole pass climb in 40 min.

From here, we made some routefinding mistakes that cost us precious time and eventually led us into walls of smooth boulders in a glacier headwall. Getting out of that mess proved to be our crux; we were also dangerously close to our turnaround time.

Luckily, once above the rock bands it was smooth sailing. Crampons across to the top of the glacier and then a couple class 3/4 moves over a late-season moat to gain the Class 2 south ridge.

Going down we skirted left and avoided all of the mess in the headwall. A climber’s route is well cairned and only moderately tedious talus and rocky footing.

We stopped rarely and motored down to the trailhead, getting to the car 3 minutes before our drop-dead departure time (that also factored in a required stop to get these huge milkshakes again at a place we’d hit 2 days ago). Stats for our 3 day trip: 4 peaks, almost 50 miles, and 20,000 ft vert.

Threw on new clothes in the parking lot, made my flight, and then hit In-n-Out before midnight (2 Double-Doubles Animal Style). Thus history may have been made — the first ever same day ascent of Dragontail and 2 Double-Doubles at In-n-Out.

Also --- my 500th peak on peakery.