It’s going to be Daphney’s first camping trip. I’m a little nervous about the altitude. Days before, I had been researching high altitude problems in babies. I had read that staying below 2500 m (8200 ft) is safe, but approach 3000 m (9840 ft) carefully. Since we’re staying at Big Pine Creek (7600 ft) the first night, I feel better.
We arrive just after sunset, but our site is still visible. Yan quickly nurses Daphney while I set up the tent. Then, we arrange our pads with a slight gap between and our sleeping bags on top, zipped together. We experiment a little. The baby’s changing pad goes in the middle, right between our pads. This ends up being the perfect arrangement.
Daphney is happy! The first night had turns out to be a success. She slept through most of the night, and now, I can tell that she loves being outdoors.
To acclimatize, we stay relatively high, visiting Rock Creek Lake and Crowley Lake. Deciding to visit Mono Lake for sunset, we stop just beyond Mammoth to have noodles for dinner. Even though she likes being outside, the wind really bothers her at while we visit the Mono tufas.
East Fork Rock Creek is situated at nearly 9000 ft. We are venturing into high country. Again, I’m worried, but everything turns out well. At road’s end, we hike from Mosquito Flats (10000 ft) into lovely Little Lakes Basin to arrive at Heart Lake.
Now, we have confidence in taking Daphney high alpine adventures.
