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(Back Row L to R) Travis, Rachel, Tim, Marissa,
Lauren, Melissa
(Front Row L to R) Clayton, Matt, Abby, Ella, Laura, Mike, Drew
This trip was awesome and definitely one of my all time favorites. Many
strange events transpired, but it was always exciting and no one got
seriously hurt, which is positive! We left Friday night, October 12th,
arriving up at the trailhead well after sunset. It was freezing and dark,
but we managed to setup tents by headlamps and store the food in bear
lockers before falling asleep. The next morning we woke up at dawn, divided
up the food and supplies, and repacked our backpacks. We
had looked at weather patterns before leaving school in Friday and the most
we expected was 60% chance of precipitation, which means snow at 12,000
feet, in October, and in the Sierras. On Saturday morning, as we loaded our
packs and prepared for the hike, we spoke with fellow campers who had
arrived early. The most up-to-date weather information they had received was
nearly guaranteed snow over the weekend. Armed with this new information and
determined spirits, we began that day's hike from the trailhead to base
camp. The trail was beautiful and we proceeded without any problems, other
than a headache or two.
We made base camp that night at one of the many
Cottonwood Lakes, one known as Long Lake. After setting up camp, we walked
down to the lake and warmed ourselves in the thin October sunshine, watching
those of the group who were brave enough to enter the frigid water.
Unfortunately, Abby cut her bare foot on a sharp rock hidden beneath the
water's surface. After a little medical attention, she was ok, and the
evening proceed without further incident.
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At supper that evening, one of the stoves refused to
light, but we still managed to prepare our Thanksgiving style meal of
powdered mashed potatoes, canned chicken, boxed stuffing, and a wonderful
can of Spam™. Surprisingly, large number had quite an aversion to the canned
ham product and there was plenty to go around for those who appreciated it. |
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As soon as
the sun went down it was freezing. We cleaned camp up for the night and 3-4
people went down to the to pump fresh water. However, the water purifier was
rather clogged and it ended up taking forever to pump water for the next
day. I had a slight altitude headache by this point, but had refrained from
taking any Tylenol up to that point. I was unable to fall asleep that night
and tossed and turned till about midnight when I finally gave in and decided
to take something for my head. Clayton was also still awake and generously
offered to leave the tent and get the medication for me. Upon returning I
swallowed down the pill and laid back down, but something was still not
right. My concentration instantly shifted from my headache to the feeling of
nausea which was now building in my stomach. After a brief attempt to quell
this mounting discomfort, I lunged for the door. Half way out the door, my
body began to spew forth the half digested pill, along with the entire
contents of my stomach. Worst of all, I rewarded Clayton's kindness by
filling his shoe with chunks from my last meal. Despite the mess I made and
the disgraceful treatment of his shoes, Clayton graciously cleaned up my
mess and I quickly
fell asleep. Sunday was summit day, but not everyone in
the group was up to the challenge. We split the group in two; Abby and I led
Emily, Travis, Laura, Lauren, Drew, Melissa, Clayton and Ella up to the
summit, while Marissa remained at base camp with Mike, with Matt, Rachel. As
we trekked through the switchbacks up New Army Pass, roles from the previous
night became reversed as Clayton became sick and I remained at the rear of
the group to encourage and pace with him. Reaching the top of the
switchbacks was great, despite to cold wind whipping over the edge of the
canyon. To be continued...
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