But Jen and I, both under 30, were fit and had been close to these heights before, and as the predawn light hit the snowscape, we realized that our worries about altitude sickness and the impassable snows had been needless.
We hadn't counted on finding the access road to the trail impassable with snow.
Winding two-lane roads, sometimes impassable in snow and ice, connect the small population centers of trailers, small homes and the occasional minimart.
City officials have said that the cleanup's primary obstacle was the large number of vehicles stuck in the middle of streets, which left many impassable to snow plows.
Motorways in the Paris region were described as impassable as snow that had already hit other areas of France spread to the capital.
Some roads in the west and north of the county were impassable due to snow and ice.
Most main roads had been cleared down to the pavement, though many Buffalo side streets remained impassable or narrowed by snow piles.
"It is particularly challenging in London and parts of the south-east in areas where the roads are impassable because of the snow".
As steady rain washed eastern Long Island all day Monday, melting snow into impassable puddles that worsened the already abysmal driving conditions, parents found themselves baby-sitting as schools throughout the region were closed.
He crossed the Alps at winter, when the best military thinking declared the Alps impassable due to drifting snow and mistral wind.
The peak season for this park is summer (June-October) when you can get onto the lake, explore areas with lake access, drive the full length of Rim Drive, and hike out on passes that aren't rendered impassable by slushy melting snow.
