Stages 1 & 2 of L810 - COMPLETED.

Lightning, snow, rain.... the weather at Mt. Whitney is pleasant this time of year.

Despite the weather, they made it. And Sister Marybeth experienced her first mountain climb. For her very first climb she chose the highest summit in the continental US. How's that for chutzpah! Well done!

Despite the frightening picture, Lisa is doing well. In her own words she said "whew... I am one cooked rooster." Which I never really considered Lisa to resemble, but I won't argue with the woman.

And of course, where Lisa goes, so goes the quilt...

Speaking to Terry this morning he sounded the most relaxed and coherent I've heard him in a long time. He was at breakfast with George, but he said "we decided to let Lisa sleep in."

And that there, my friends, is just a small example of the crew's generosity. Okay, okay-- they were more generous than that. They really did go through an amazing amount of discomfort, to put it euphemistically, during all these days to help Lisa make this enormous challenge in the name of charity actually possible. As strong and strong-willed as Lisa is, no one could do this alone.

And of Lisa's strength and will, I am reminded most of something Mahatma Gandhi said:

All of my most secret inventions are cooking and simmering in here. Old Slugworth would give his false teeth to get inside for just five minutes, so don't touch a thing!

Oh. Wait. No, that was Willy Wonka. Sorry about that. Here's the right one:

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

While Lisa does possess a great deal of the the former, she has an almost inconceivable amount of the latter-- enough to endure 312 miles of running through an environment most folks take care to avoid. And no doubt much of that will is powered by the knowledge that in her suffering, she is mitigating the suffering of others. And that's a darn noble thing.

Okay, you can start training for Furnace Creek 508 now, Lisa. But first, a milkshake.