Tag: backpacking
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High Sierra Trail: Day 8
Hikers bidding for the summit trudge by our campsite. Even though it’s barely light outside, I see their headlamps and hear their voices. Then, I hear Mickey. He and Wayne are off early as well. They are going to hike down to Whitney Portal first, where they will unload and clean up, thus avoiding the…
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High Sierra Trail
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…
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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 I do is to heat…
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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 further the day before. Our…
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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 tree whose bark had split…
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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 he says that it’s better.…
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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. Being in charge of the…
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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 at Saddlerock Lake. We decide…
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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. I walk back in the…
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Haleakalā
This backpacking trip started by parking our car at the exit point, at the Halemau’u trailhead. It took forever to find someone to take us up the mountain to our starting point, but eventually, a car of girls picked us hitchhikers up. The Sliding Sands trail was long, gentle, and beautiful. We started out along…
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Ediza and Minaret Lakes
On Thursday, we pack up and head to New Shady Rest Campground just outside the town of Mammoth. For dinner, we have cold soba noodles. The next morning, we shuttle to the Agnew Meadow trailhead and begin our hike. Our semi-loop trip takes us around Shadow Lake to Ediza Lake, where we spend our first…
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Zion Narrows
Chad, Kevin, and Armando meet me bright and early on Thursday morning. We load up Armando’s car and head out to Zion National Park and find our site at the Watchman Campground. We inch along the trail’s knife edge through dizzying switchbacks to Angel’s Landing for a panoramic view of the park. This trip had…
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Routeburn Track
The trail up to the Routeburn Flats wasn’t too bad. Everything was covered in moss and ferns. There were some spectacular waterfalls. At the hut, we dropped off some of our gear. We forgot to print our tickets, but the warden took our names and radioed the information for confirmation. We then proceeded up to…
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Tuolumne Meadows to Happy Isle
This is the trip when Ryan forgot his shoes, but we still made it up to the top of Half Dome.
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Continental Divide – Tonahutu Loop, Rocky Mountain
Epic trip through Rocky Mountain National Park, after the Musculoskeletal Infection Society Meeting in Aspen, Colorado.
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Hockett Meadows and Lower Blossom Lake
This was the trip of unforgettable sunsets, spectacular scenery, roaring river crossings, and packed snowfields. It was also a celebration of Patrick’s birthday. We left home in the early morning and made it to Mineral King mid-day to start our hike. It was an easy four miles to Deer Creek where we spent the first…
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Big Pine Lakes
This trip started out with an acclimatization detour to the White Mountains just east of the Owens Valley. We arrived at Grandview campground in the afternoon and enjoyed a relaxed dinner before marveling at the spectacular sunset. Early Thursday morning, I was the first to get up. We drove to Patriarch Grove to watch the…
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Lodgepole to Rowell Meadows Loop
This was my dad’s first backpacking trip. We decided to combine it with a parallel camping and day trips for those staying behind. For the backpackers, we did a lollipop loop through three wilderness areas: first from Lodgepole within Sequoia National Park, then into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, then through Kings Canyon National Park, and…
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Rae Lakes Loop
This was the first backpacking trip that I planned myself. Prior to this, I had gone on several trips in college as part of the Wilderness Survival class. To celebrate the end of a long stretch spanning medical school and residency, I had decided to treat myself by taking this epic loop. We left home…
