I have come to the conclusion that no amount of reading is going to teach me the skills necessary for real mountaineering. I need someone with the patience and willingness to show me the ropes without cutting in to the meager budget I have for gear right now. I am based in the Sacramento area and need to get back out in the backcountry. 27, male, halfway decent shape, old enough to not be a complete idiot but young enough to still get out there.

you need to move away from sacramento first! colorado, wyoming, montana, washington, british columbia will teach you much more quickly than sac-town

I have about 10 mountains to climb in California before I head off to other states. Ultimate goal is Alaska and the Canadian Rockies within the next 10 years.