Several years ago, after a 35+ year hiatus, I decided to try and take up backpacking again (I will be 61 a few months down the road). I had done some day hiking in the Eastern Sierra prior to that, and it had awakened my appetite for deeper immersion in the mountains.
My first foray was a weekend trip several years ago to Chicken Feet Lake in Little Lakes Valley, with the bonus feature of a modest snow storm my last night out, making for a magically beautiful hike out. Last year I got lucky and scored a Visitor's Center walk-in camping permit for the Mountaineers Route, and spent a night at LBSL in "cave #2" and a night at UBSL, with a scouting day hike up to Iceberg the next day.
The biggest thing weighing on my mind from those trips was my discovery that I am now sensitive to altitude; something I had never experienced when I was younger. The first time it hit me, I was pretty shaken up, mostly by an intense anxiety attack, accompanied by a complete aversion to food, and insomnia. I have found that by staying well hydrated, and hiking slowly, I can minimize the symptoms, but until this trip, I had never day hiked or camped above 12,500ft, and I really wanted to test myself on a hike to a 14er with only a few nights of acclimation. A Cottonwood Lakes to Mt. Langley hike sounded ideal, with no permit hassles, trailhead camping at 10,000ft, a gentle hike to the lakes, a beautiful camping area, and a relatively modest hike up to Langley, via OAP.
I headed up to Horseshoe Meadows on Friday and camped that evening at the walk-in campground. The altitude didn't bother me much; I was able to eat, and managed a bit of sleep. In the morning I headed up the trail to the lakes. I had day hiked to the lakes before on the main trail, so this time I decided to explore the Muir Lake trail variation at the junction about half way up the trail. It might be shorter than the main trail, and it drops you a bit closer to the Muir Lake trail, but I found it to be not nearly as scenic as the main trail.
I found a nice little spot for my tent at Lake 3, and relaxed for the rest of the day, and was relieved to find that I still had some appetite, and was able eat snacks and a dinner. I had a restless night, but finally got a bit of sleep after dragging my sleeping pad and bag out of the my tent, and sleeping under the stars; I figured if I wasn't going to sleep, at least I could stare at the stunning starlit night, and watch shooting stars. As it happened, there was something very relaxing about being outside, and I actually slept for a few hours. I had prepared my water and snacks for Sunday's hike, so in the morning, all I had to do was eat some breakfast, and head up the trail.
I have to admit I felt some anxiety about the day; whether there would be any tricky route finding, staying focused to avoid injury, and, most of all, wondering if altitude would get the better of me. I knew that OAP was free of snow, but I still didn't know what to expect; it gets such mixed reviews, and on Friday someone I had mentioned my plan to had firmly advised me against using Old Army Pass because of potential rock fall (something I had never heard mentioned before). But, I loved the pass; the trail was very obvious, with a pleasing degree of steepness and exposure, and only a bit of minor boulder hopping near the top. And it was bone dry, not a hint of snow or ice, almost unprecedented from what I gather. I then headed up the plateau, hiking on... and on... and on.
I love hiking solo, but there is also an element of anxiety, worrying about route finding, paying attention to avoid missteps, wondering what unanticipated challenges might lay ahead. It would be hard to get lost on the plateau, but it is a BIG place, and it was empty; miles of decomposed granite and boulders and competing cairns (it was pretty funny to see marked use-trails just feet apart).
After gaining some altitude, I found I had to focus on my breathing; my pace was too slow to push my respiration, so I had to make a conscious effort to breath evenly and steadily. By the time I was about half way to Langley, I had lost my appetite for snacks, and just set my mind to walking and breathing and sipping water, and taking in the vast landscape.
When I finally arrived at Mt. Langley, I stared at the competing tracks heading up, and worked my way toward what seemed to be the most heavily used track. It turned out to be a good one; the decomposed granite was relatively firm, and it led to a nice short class 3 scramble, and then a surprisingly long upward sort of traverse through more decomposed granite and boulders, to the summit.
The summit! I had made it! Aside from an aversion to snacks, I felt fine; pretty damn tired, but clearheaded and happy. The views were simply stunning; the immensity of the landscape is overwhelming, and the view down the sheer East face was astonishing. I took some photos, and despite the wilderness ethic politically uncorrectedness of it, called my wife on my iPhone to let her know I was alive and had made the summit, and sent her a photo of the classic view toward Whitney.
People started showing up on the summit, some from the lakes, some from the trailhead. The story of the day was told to me by two very fit day hikers who had actually gotten to Langley before me, headed up too-steep territory, and found themselves stranded on class 4 or 5 rock. They had been very fortunately rescued by climbers, who had heard their shouts for help and guided them down hold by hold; they arrived on the summit not too long after me, having been pointed up the same route I took.
It was windy and chilling on the summit (although unlike some other hikers, I had plenty of layers to put on), and after 45 minutes or so I headed down, happy, relieved, and tired. As I neared OAP, I was thrilled that I didn't have to make the additional slog up to NAP; I just had to make my way carefully down the switchbacks (lots of opportunity for tired legs and feet to slip on gravel), and hike the easy trail past Lake 4, to my campsite.
My appetite never really returned for the rest of the day or evening; I was very tired, and just managed to drink some broth and sip some ginger tea, but I perked up as I relaxed and enjoyed the surrounding beauty. Despite being tired, I had another restless night, but consoled myself with another night of star gazing and taking in the starlit landscape; it is amazing how clearly you can see the landscape in just starlight.
In the morning, I nibbled on some snacks, still with little appetite, packed up, and headed down the trail, enjoying the perfect morning and the beauty of the terrain the trail moves through. And enjoying the success of hiking my first 14er! It was such a rewarding effort, and leaves me feeling free to dream; longer outings (and a bit higher too; Whitney awaits).
I have been a longtime Whitney forums lurker, and it has been such an inspiration to me. Thanks to all of you who share your thoughts and adventures and beta.
