About this point, the three of us huddled and made an joint decision to bail out. We were within a mile of the peak, and then would only have a mile or so further to go to get to the lakes, but we were concerned about the fire - not knowing exactly where it was, or how big it was. Add in the severe wind and you have a recipe for disaster if any little things goes wrong. So we did the smart thing and headed out. Those 28 switchbacks we just climbed? Time to backtrack down them. Any wonder why it felt good to take a breather in the midst of this flower bed?