South Lake to North Lake Travelogue

The trip to the Eastern Sierras was nothing short of epic. Here a brief travelogue of the hike from South Lake to North Lake through Dusy Basin, Evolution Basin, Evolution Valley, and Piute Canyon. We traversed over 55 miles, hiking over three mountain passes—Bishop, Muir, and Piute Passes—with nearly 10,000…

South Lake to North Lake: Day 6

September 5 We had gone to bed when it was 40 degrees outside, and this morning, our breaths had condensed and froze to the tent wall. I am scraping ice off the silnylon using my towel. Outside, everything is frozen: my water container, my shoes, the tent. The first thing…

South Lake to North Lake: Day 5

September 4 This entire day will be all about climbing. It’s all uphill. After coffee and the usual breakfast, I take a few more pictures of the surrounding beauty. Then, we head up the trail toward Piute Pass. Brad and I are both glad that we had pushed a little…

South Lake to North Lake: Day 4

September 3 We both slept very well. The night felt warmer, and we had very little tent condensation. Brad checks his thermometer, which reads 30 degrees Fahrenheit. It feels warmer. Anyways, I go on a private walk back along the creek, taking pictures along the way. I find an interesting…

South Lake to North Lake: Day 3

September 2 This day would be the longest. I wake up to a beautiful morning. The air is crisp, the mosquitoes are gone, and my tent held up to the wind. I had guyed out Brad’s side of the tent to give more lateral headroom to the A-frame profile, and…

South Lake to North Lake: Day 2

September 1 A dusting of frost covers nearly everything. I first notice this on the backpacks just outside the tent. My towel is frozen stiff. There is bad condensation inside the tent because it’s so cold outside. The cure, of course, is a nice helping of hot coffee. Starbucks Via.…

South Lake to North Lake: Day 1

August 31 The noontime sun beats down by the time we arrive at the trailhead. The first part of the trip takes us along the South Fork of Bishop Creek. Before reaching Long Lake, we pass a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, who are planning to spend their first night…

South Lake to North Lake: Pretrip

On and before August 31 The sliding glass door at Clark’s once again opens and closes. I feel as if the checkers are looking at me, wondering why I am back. I had gotten the wrong package; there is no reason that Pad Thai should have fish sauce in it.…

South Lake to North Lake: Plans

Getting ready to leave on what should be an epic backpacking trip through the high Sierras out of Bishop, California. Here are the itinerary and menu (vegetarian, except for other choices for lunch). Wednesday, August 31 Breakfast at Rainbow Outfitters Car shuttle to North Lake Take in from South Lake…

San Gorgonio Peak

This trip took me and our group of residents and medical students from the Vivian Creek trailhead to San Gorgonio Peak. […]

Alice’s Birthday Party

On the weekend before Alice’s actual birthday, we had a group of friends over for an evening celebration. The menu, of course, was Thai food.

Seared ahi

I had been wanting to try making seared ahi. From the looks of it, it shouldn’t be that difficult. Anyways, I decided to try two recipes. Trader Joe’s had nice ahi steaks, and the first recipe was ahi encrusted in five spice powder served with a salad drizzled with wasabi…

Minnesota

The Musculoskeletal Infection Society meetings took place August 4 to 6 in Rochester. I took a driving tour up to the Boundary Waters for the weekend, spending Saturday night in the little town of Ely, exploring the many lakes of the area.

Joshua Tree Stargazing

The purpose of this trip was to gaze at the Delta Aquarid and the beginning of the Perseid showers in what was supposed to be a celestial traffic jam. After we arrived, clouds rolled in to obscure much of the sky. A few of us saw some meteors, but we…

Leoni Meadows Honor Science Camp

Going to Leoni Meadows was a great way to get out of town and find some peace and quiet among nature. I flew up on Thursday, and after trying to find my way from Sacramento to Grizzly Flats after dark, I made it to the lodge. The next morning, Dr.…

La Sierra Graduation

My cousins Ariana Anugerah and Rachel Hechanova graduated from La Sierra University. Walking around on campus brought back memories of my alma mater. The entire campus mall area looked very familiar, but so much has changed throughout. Somehow, all the buildings seems smaller than what I remembered them to be.

Barbeque by the Pond

We had a group of friends over for a simple barbeque by the pond. The main course was vegetarian burgers, and the sides were grilled zucchini and corn on the cob. I also grilled top sirloin steak seasoned with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette marinade. Afterwards, some people suggested that I…

Mandy and Lawrence’s Wedding

For Mandy and Lawrence’s wedding, I traveled to Oakland International Airport, rented a car, and drove north. On the way, I had a chance to take night shots of the Golden Gate Bridge. The next day, I visited Muir Woods and had other excursions along various points on the coast.…

May 25

Today was special. This morning, Stuart Green came over from Irvine to give us Grand Rounds. The talk was very enlightening, shedding light on such things as the placebo effect and how the mind perceives treatment. Then, I had all the students who matched into Orthopaedic Surgery over for tea…

Reunion with Ariana

This weekend was Ariana’s big senior cello recital, and it became a big reunion as well. It was good to see everyone again.

Central Europe

I just got back from a whirlwind tour of Central Europe, which was my first time in that continent. Starting about a week before my trip, I started a time adjustment schedule, moving sleeping and waking time by an hour earlier each day. During that week, I attended a meeting…

Spring Landscaping

There was a lot of work this year. First, we decided to extend the bridge to the other side, and that involved draining the pond somewhat. Also, for the platform above the vault, I finally got around to drafting the plans and getting the framing underway. Constructing the gazebo took…

Channel Islands

Leaving early Saturday morning, a group of us took the ferry out to the Channel Islands. Kayaking around Santa Cruz Island was fun, especially with the excitement of immense swells. I brought my homemade tent out for the first time, and it withstood gale-force winds that night. The seas were…

My Birthday

My family took me out for dinner at Happy Family Restaurant for my birthday. Then, we also had a dinner at Orchid Thai Restaurant. I got to try out my new 50mm F/1.4 prime lens, which is quite nice for low light shooting.