I once asked Fedak what he did for a living; he replied in English, the words all recognizable, but I have no idea what the hell it was. But it was something in high-tech, where business sucks this summer, so John’s renting a place up near Lake Tahoe and trekking the season away till business picks up.

A visit to his home page shows he’s been putting in major miles above the tree line.

• June 30: Waterhouse and Pickett Peaks
• June 27: Freel Peak and Jobs Sister
• June 26: Echo Peak, Desolation Wilderness

There are many, many more. John tells me he’s bagged 15 summits on the Sierra Club Tahoe OGUL List of nearby peaks. (Ogul is a Washoe Indian word for a bighorn mountain sheep now extinct).

I’m thinking if I were him I’d be rooting for hard times to last a long time.