| Summary | None |
| Owner | Richard Kramer |
| Creation Date | 2009-10-08 19:16:59 UTC-0400 |
| Description | An all-too-short long weekend in the Eastern Sierras at the end of August.
Day 1: Starting in Orange County, CA, a long but scenic drive north along Rt. 395 through the Mojave Desert to Mammoth Lakes. It was a cool day in the desert, max temp was only 97 F. Upon arrival, a short (5 mi) sunset warm up hike to a peak (10,300 ft.) above Deadman Pass before setting up base camp in the Coldwater Campground (9,200 ft.). Day 2: 12 mile loop along Mammoth Crest (up to 11,200 ft). Day 3: several short hikes at Mono Lake, Bodie, and the upper Yosemite Valley. We fled Yosemite earlier than planned because of the unpleasantly thick smoke from an 80 acre controlled burn which turned into a 6000 acre wildfire. Day 4: Mono Pass (12,200) and Mt. Starr (12,800). Day 5: Return south through the Mojave Desert back to what passes for civilization in Orange County, CA. Note: Going directly from sea level to camp at 9,200 ft. and several days of hiking well above 10,000 ft. was a bit too extreme. It left the relatively fit, but unacclimatized party with mild AMS including some pulmonary edema which took several days after the trip to resolve. |