It’s noon and I’m standing at 12,999 feet…which means my head is above 13,000 ft. I’ve just rock climbed to the top of a huge granite spire called Temple Crag in the Palisade Basin of the Sierra Nevada. I’m feeling really good. My partner and I had awakened at 3:30 am to start today’s adventure. We blasted the 6+ mile approach in 2 hours, 15 minutes.