There we were on the exposed ridge between Virginia and Stanton. It was not a place for someone with tremophobia. Our hearts were in our mouths. We quivered like aspen leaves. To the north the ridge dropped away for five hundred feet. To the south, the same. Most people choose to climb either the face or from the Twin-Virginia Saddle where in winter it is possible to ski the route. But with courage undaunted, we six resolute PCSers, reeking of chutzpah, shooting with spunk, armed with backbone and good old-fashioned guts. We. . . --hey, wait a minute, I'm not one of the testosterone crew.

Take two. On a clear August day we traversed the exposed third class ridge between Virginia and Stanton. Our goal was to ensure that everyone in the party made the summit. To achieve this, we alternated confident with less confident climbers and provided support when asked. We all made it. Climbers were Bob Bynum, Greg McDonell, Milushe Kudnrnovska, Arun Mahajan, Richard Stover and Debbie Bulger, leader.

After lounging on the summit for about an hour, we returned to Return Lake via the Twin-Virginia saddle, packed up and hiked back to the trailhead. We especially enjoyed exploring the stamp mill ruins and miners cabin on the east side of Virginia Pass. The mountain pennyroyal was particularly fragrant that weekend. It was a lovely trip.