Whether or not we would be reaching our destination was uncertain as morning broke; on Day 1 of the trip up Mount Adams, Shanna's ill-fitting boots had put her in agony with shin bang as we approached shelter at Grey Knob, and we were unsure that problem could even be fixed.  Nevertheless, she was willing to try again.  What could be fixed--thanks to the well-stocked field repair kit which I had brought with us--were her dead-on-arrival crampons purchased specifically for this trip.  My first order of business after waking was to rig the locking mechanism that held them together with 3mm nylon cord and steel wire.  Something as simple as losing traction on ice and snow-covered mountains can become disastrous when combined with the effects of gravity, so ensuring Shanna's crampons kept her solidly attached to the ground was of paramount importance. 

Despite having re-laced her boots, Shanna's shin-bang became agonizing to the point of tears.  Over the next two hours we continued up the steepest stretch of Lowe's Path because the plan for retreat--heading back to the trailhead--would be more difficult than pressing on to Grey Knob…