I have been at my new job
in Sacramento, CA for nearly five weeks now. I was hired into the intensive
care (ICU) float pool at UC Davis Medical Center. I am being trained to work in
the Medical ICU and the Medical Specialty ICU. The process of being hired to
the Medical Center was difficult and slowed by the incapacity of the CA board
of Nursing. Six days before the potential job start date, I still did not have
my CA license; when I did receive my license it left me precious little time to
find housing in Sacramento. Thankfully I was able to arrange to live with a
family in Rancho Cordova while I sought housing of my own and tired to get my
feet underneath me.
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| The other four nurses that were hired with me into the Patient Care Resources department |
There is a beauty and a
curse to working twelve-hour shifts. It is great to have such an extended
period of time to be immersed in patient care, it is wonderful to have such a
block of time to try to take in the immense amount information that I am
expected to know. It is also great to have extended periods off from work. For
example if I am fortunate to work three days in a row at the beginning of a
week, and then three days at the end of the following week, I am left with a
significant block of free time. The down side to working three twelve-hour
shifts are difficult for some of the same reasons. As a new graduate nurse I am
constantly vigilant and constantly stimulated (over stimulated) by the shear
volume of information and responsibility that has been handed to me. I come
away mentally exhausted. Twelve hours of work does not allow much time for
anything else in the day, and three twelve’s in a row means that the next day I
might be pretty useless. I have been taking the light rail train from Rancho
Cordova into the city for work, and then back, which means that my twelve hour
day is really a fifteen hour day.
When I am able to find
breaks in my schedule, I cherish them, and try to spend them wisely.
Last week I had the
privilege of having six days off in a row. My friend Steven happened to get in
touch with me a few days before the break began and asked it I wanted to go
camping for a few days down by Mt. Whitney with him and his friend Trevor who
had also worked at Kidder Creek in the summers before us. The timing was
perfect and it would have been criminal to say no, three days later I was off
on an adventure into the eastern sierras.
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| Excited to be out in God's beautiful creation |
We met up at Lone Pine, a
small town that probably generates a significant portion of its income from
people coming to climb and camp in the mountains around Mt. Whitney. I was
charged with the task of obtaining the wilderness permit that we would need for
our backpacking trip, unfortunately a combination of not leaving early enough
and unexpected traffic placed me in Lone Pine after the ranger station had
closed. The slight hiccup in our plans did not derail us, and we decided to
drive up to Horseshoe Meadows for our first night of camping.
Horseshoe Meadow is vast,
beautiful, and a destination in its own right, however we had our sights set
higher. The meadow provided us with a safe place to store food in a bear
locker, access to our trailhead, and perhaps most importantly the opportunity
to acclimate as the meadow sits at an elevation of 10,000 ft. After camp had
been set up, an evening campfire, and a chat with a gentleman camping nearby,
we dosed the fire and turned in for the night.
I was thankful for the
rising sun, for the night had been colder than expected, and my lost and found
sleeping bag was not quite up to the task. Steven had volunteered to head down
the mountain to the ranger station in order to obtain a permit, while Trevor
and I prepared our gear and food for the coming days. Steven arrived back, and
a short while later we hit the trail for a destination above the tree line.
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| Ice in Nalgene after a night a 10,000ft |
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| On the way to High Lake |
The Sierra Nevada
mountain range is beautiful; running north to south it covers a vast area of
land and contains some of the most beautiful landscapes in California. While
the eastern side of the Sierras can be desert like, it still can be
overwhelmingly beautiful.
We hiked through forests
and meadows, over boulders and along creeks until arriving at High Lake at an
elevation of 11,500 located at the base of New Army pass. Now above the tree
line with the daylight quickly leaving us we set out to find the best wind
sheltered area for what we knew would be an even colder night. Once shelter was
established we turned our attention to food. A hot meal can go a long way, and
it is always nice to have a story to pass the time.
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| Trevor reading The Horse and His Boy |
The night was indeed cold
and a cutting wind did not help the situation. Morning came early with the
sunrise and gave me the courage to brave the elements in order to relieve my
bladder. We decided to forgo a hot breakfast in an effort to save time; after
some hardboiled eggs, tortillas and peanut butter we began our assent towards
the summit of Mt. Langley.
Mt. Langley stands at
14,026 ft (although the plaque at the top says 14,042 ft.), it is the 9th
tallest peak in CA. Less than an hour into
our summit attempt we encountered what was likely the most dangerous aspect of
the trip, second only to the ever present danger of acute mountain sickness.
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| At the ridge top with the cornices in the background |
When the wind blows over
a ridge it creates a back flow, an eddy, immediately behind the ridge. Snow
carried by the wind accumulates in this wind break, and dangerous cornices
(overhangs) can form at the top. While none of us were prepared for snow
travel, we were able to find an area without a cornice, and decided to make a
go for it. We concluded that if we were significantly uncomfortable ascending
this pitch, then we would abandon the route and seek an alternative, for we
knew that it would be even more difficult and dangerous to down climb in the
warmer afternoon. Thankfully, we were able to safely make the ridge.
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| Steven coming over the ridge |
The remainder of the hike
to the summit was fairly uneventful, perhaps nothing more than long and
wearisome. Like Ben Stiller in the movie The
Secret Life of Walter Mitty we had to make oxygen decisions, therefore we
did not dilly dally to long here or there, nor spend too much time talking. The
views were still spectacular and there were innumerable marmots scurrying
around the rugged landscape.
One thing that was
special was the opportunity to chat with different individuals that we came
across during our time in the outdoors. Each time that we met an individual or
couple both parties stopped to talk with each other. I think it is as much
about having common interests as it is about looking out for your fellow hiker.
I was especially impressed with a couple that hiked out of their way to meet us
as we were resting in the wind break of a large rock. It was nice to chat and
give them advice about which way to descend. It was also fun to see names of
those that we had met along the way inscribed in the notebook that was in the
ammo box at the summit.
The summit, wind striped,
barren, and cold, provided beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and
mountains.
The hike down was much
quicker than the hike up and we were all thankful to arrive safely back at
camp, especially after descending the snowfield.
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| The slow and careful decent |
This was my first
14,000ft summit and while it left me exhausted heading back into work, it also
left me wanting more of the mountains and wilderness that God has created.
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| At the summit |
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| Lenticular clouds at sunset |
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Looking down on the half froze High Lake
and our tent tucked in behind the rocks |
I left Sacramento loaded up with the appropriate supplies
around 8:30pm. Getting to the Brewer Creek trailhead is not very
straightforward and at least an hour drive off of I-5 (30-40min of which are on
dirt roads). If you are approaching the mountain from the southwest head
east on Hwy 89 towards McCloud, 3 miles after passing through central McCloud
turn left on to Pilgrim Creek Rd (Forest rte 13), 7 miles later turn left onto
Military Pass Rd (Forest rte 19) you’ll be on this road for around 13 miles, at
most intersections stay left. There are signs every now and then that will
point you in the right direction. The later half of the dirt road is pretty
rough with ruts and large rocks however I was able to make it to the trail head
in a ford focus. (I have however been stopped by unexpected snow banks before
when hiking for Ash Creek Falls)
