The next day we headed towards Spire Col. This required 2,000 feet elevation gain with full packs on snow. People were getting into shape now; we made good enough time to stop and climb Spire Point. Eight people on Spire Point is a real crowd, so not everyone could be on the route at once. Having lead the way up and set protection, I beat a hasty retreat down to the snow to make room for others. There I met Joe and Joan Firey and two of their climbing partners waiting to climb. Soon the members of my party left on the mountain, some going up and some going down, were so disorganized and yelling at each other I wanted to pretend I did not know them. I got people organized again and I am sure the Fireys were glad to see the end of us. Again, the lack of an additional leader had proven to be a problem.

The ranger at Cascade Pass, the hiker on Sahale Arm, the Firey party and a group we met on the hike out were the only people we encountered on the traverse.

The traffic jam at Spire Point cost us a lot of time, so we arrived at a camp near Dome Peak late.