I’m the first one up on this short rest day. The sky is clear, and I emerge from my tent in time to catch the first light on the distant mountains, painting the tops a fiery orange. Moraine Lake is a perfect mirror. I step onto the lakeshore to take pictures, tiptoeing between bear tracks that Mark pointed out to me the day before. Again, we have French press coffee.
It’s a lazy morning. We’ve had a tough second day, and to reward ourselves, we decide to not rush it. Mickey had slept under the stars, and that must have been beautiful. Wayne, seated on a smooth boulder, reads his devotional. I take pictures of the stark above-treeline views. Mark pulls out his fishing rod, attaches lures, and heads to the lakeshore. In his first cast, he gets a bite.
This would be our hardest day, stumbling into camp around sunset, completely exhausted. But, the start of the day is great. We set off early, climbing through thick forest along the gentle trail covered with soft forest litter. Soon, we arrive at Bearpaw Meadow. The luxury of staying there for $350 per night doesn’t seem worth the price. Mark gets water while Wayne and Mickey check out the restaurant. The chef is willing to make us pancakes. From the restaurant porch, we catch a glimpse of Kaweah Gap. We will be hiking over this pass, gaining 5,000 feet over 3 short miles. From here, it looks towering and daunting.
We’re off! Setting out from Crescent Meadow, the trail climbs a gentle knoll through carpets of fern fronds shaded under giant sequoia stands. After about a mile, we emerge from the forest and hike along the open slopes, passing Eagle View Overlook. Across the valley, Cathedral Rocks provide a steady landmark throughout most of the day.
It’s all about the luxury items. The scale is actually quite ruthless, and ever since Brad convinced me to try using it before our trip to Rainier, I’ve been letting the scale make most decisions. The pack weighs 1191 g, the sleeping bag 1038 g; and the second shirt 156 g. In total, my pack’s base weight, sans food and water, is 29 lbs. That’s including my luxury items—all the camera stuff, with the body, lens, tripod, and other accessories, making up the extra 7.5 lbs. But the scale can’t really decide our luxury items. I can’t part with my camera. Mark, third year orthopaedic resident, packs fishing tackle and extra fuel to make warm water for baths. I convince him to leave behind his pillow and the ugly pink emesis basin, which he wanted to use for doing dishes and taking warm baths.
The term “Ao Ai” 《欸乃》 originally appeared during the Tang Dynasty, in a poem by Yuan Jie 元結. As a guqin melody, however, this piece traces to 1549. Also known as the “Northern Fishermen’s Song” 《北漁歌》, the more well-known title “Ao Ai” is an onomatopoeia—it’s melody was written to conjure…
It’s Saturday afternoon, after church service about peace, and I’m so excited. I’ve been trying to grow wing beans for a long time, and in all previous attempts, although the beans grew into stalks, the plants refused to produce fruit. But today, there are six beans; I picked all of…
Before this trip, I was made fun of. It’s because I tightly budgeted the times for exploring the island while not in the meetings of the Western Orthopaedic Association, and my time plan was more like a work schedule. The good thing is, the meeting is set up so that…
We could have just driven up there, against the car rental policy. I didn’t actually read the verbiage, but according to a lot of websites, most rental car companies prohibit driving up the road from the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station to the top. So, we decided to hike it.…
The Western Orthopaedic Association meeting took place on the Kona Coast, at the Fairmont Orchid. The Loma Linda University group had several papers that were presented over the days of the meeting. Thursday Robert Quigley: Comparison of bupivacaine and liposomal bupivacaine toxicity in articular chondrocytes Friday Krysten Bell: Comparison of…
This trip was to realize what was left unaccomplished last time with the Orthopaedic Surgery Interest Group (OSIG). The goal, for those of us who are struck with summit fever at times, was to stand on Mt. San Jacinto’s peak. Andrew, Co-President of OSIG, had sent out the notices weeks…
It’s a sultry day—perfect for sitting by the pond, sipping iced tea from mason jars. Because of the enormous amount of work that went in to the Installation of Officers’ dinner, I’m having the San Bernardino County Medical Society staff members over for dinner as a thank you. On the menu:…
With just-harvested garden vegetables, it’s the perfect time for a barbeque with friends. On the menu: Salads Potato salad Tomato, onion, cucumber salad, feta cheese on the side From the Grill Herb lemon butter corn on the cob Garlic thyme artichokes Lemon garlic asparagus …
Of the three springtime building projects, this cabinet was the first to get done. The stairs down into the pond pump and filter vault needed to be concealed, and I thought a cabinet would both be functional and aesthetic. Starting in May, I bought some redwood lumber to supplement the…
It was great to catch up with Dr. Ken Lane, who, along with Dr. Bangasser, introduced me to San Bernardino County Medical Society when I was a student. Tonight, I felt honored to be joined by my family, colleagues from Loma Linda University Health, and representatives from the medical community.…
There was little time to explore the city during this year’s combined American and Canadian Orthopaedic Associations’ meeting. From the reviews, the Emerging Leaders Program was another success. I also learned a lot from the Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors (CORD), where there were many take-home messages on resident assessments,…
My grandma comfortably passed away four days ago at the age of 90. The guqin piece below, Evening Call of the Raven 烏夜啼, is dedicated in her memory. * * * * * ’Ma was born April 19, 1924, the sixteenth day of the third lunar month, year of the…
This year’s California Orthopaedic Association took place in beautiful Monterey. Hutch Huddleston and Leslie Kim put together a nice program, beginning with practice management topics. The Saturday night gala at the Poppy Hills Golf Course featured guitar and steel drum—Caribbean Extravaganza. On Sunday, we participated in the “What’s New in…
Having been here for just over a year, Dr. Jay Zhao completes fellowship training in orthopaedic surgery. In last twelve months, he gained a well-rounded experience in all the subspecialties with special emphasis on sports medicine. Also, he developed a deeper understanding of graduate medical education in the United States,…
Congratulations to the Class of 2014! This is the 100th School of Medicine graduation. Richard Hart, Roger Hadley, and Ron Carter presented the awards. Distinguished Service Award: John W. Mace, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, LLUSM Class of 1978 Distinguished Service Award: Clifton Reeves, Professor of General and Trauma Surgery, CME/LLUSM…
This church service featured the graduating school of medicine class. Pastor Charles White, great grandson of Ellen White, relayed personal stories of his family and of how Loma Linda University came to be.
Another special year and congratulations to all the graduates! The tradition of baby cups continues, but this year, Roger and Donna Hadley updated the rule to include babies that are in the third trimester. Scott Nelson and Elaine Hart coordinated the hooding while Henry Lamberton and Tami Shankel read student…
Michael Xu came over from the Children’s Hospital in Hangzhou for fellowship training pediatric cardiothoracic surgery. Having spent a year in Loma Linda, he’s ready to return to China with new skills.
Happy Mothers’ Day!!! at King’s Fish House.
My uncle brought us salmon from the northernmost California coast. Having extra cedar planks from a yard project, I had what I needed for cedar planked salmon. After planing the planks, I soaked them for two hours in water. In the meantime, I skinned the salmon, chopped garlic, grated ginger,…
