Not by all.  Still have shards in my back, thank you.

Thanks for the good wishes. Just for the record I definitely don't stay away from the back country here. I'm out in it all the time. I just don't make the unfortunate decisions that a few have made in the past few weeks. I followed closely and was really pulling for those guys on Hood over the past ten days.. It doesn't look like the last two are going to pull it out. It's really too bad. An injury and a storm that wasn't in the forecast did them in. A north face ascent of Hood in the winter is not a good idea anyhow. The weather changes so fast up here it's easy to get caught unprepared. I have plans to do South Sister at 10,358 but I'll do it in the summer. Meeting my demise due to hypothermia or a fall isn't in the plan for me.
Damn. it's been a while since I've complained about 60 degree weather. When I go out to get the morning rag when it's 15 degrees in my tee shirt and bare feet tends to make me grateful for the heat in the house but that's why I moved here in the first place. Hope all is well in in the land of eternal summer.

NM