Been there, done that. In fact 3 times. It's one of my favorite lift places to ride. While you are riding the lift, if you look straight east there is a big bald mountain with a goat path going all the way to the top. It is way WAY above the timber line. Anyway, we saw that the first time we went there. We started at the campground down in the valley one morning. Made it to the old pass on top before I bonked. 9 hours in the saddle for that one. The next year we cheated and parked a little higher up the mountain. I made it to the pass again, my friend made it quite a bit higher but not anywhere near the top. It still hasn't been conquered, but I still will try next time I go. Being a low-lander for some reason my lungs start locking up at around 12,000 feet.
Excellent pictures, they bring back some good memories...