We set off from the parking lot in late morning. The first five easygoing miles ended at a pleasant campsite on a crystal clear river. My first fear had been quelled: my relatively young bones kept me up with my older and more experienced companions. However, the remainder of the climb to Necklace Valley, 2,550 feet up over the distance of two miles, was approximately equal to summiting 1.8 Empire State Buildings, or the height of 26 full-grown blue whales stacked from tail to nose tip.