Ascending Mount Langley: Reflections from the High Sierra - Part Six

Ascending Mount Langley: Reflections from the High Sierra - Part Six

By Armando Ortiz

Almost there:

The last two miles were slow going and the rolling mounds were more like long slow steady climbs. Although the trail was well defined the ground was annoyingly unstable. It wasn’t sand what I was walking on but tiny bits of granite which were both airy and not compacted. My breathing and keeping an internal rhythm were the only things on my mind. The weather was much warmer than it had been at the top with my skin feeling sticky. 

I found myself taking breaks every ten minutes. Finding a rock the height of my waist made a perfect seat to take a few moments of rest. There was a sense of relief that the air I was breathing was warm and earthy. Some areas in this section had open spaces that looked like they might have been seasonal villages for the Shoshone. From this section to the lakes it is less than 4 miles away, which could have provided fish and game for people. Along the edge of the lakes I couldn’t help but wonder if some of the flat and slick boulders were used to process meat and seats.

It looked like a perfect meeting point where people for thousands of years gathered in the summer and trekked into the mountains to hunt and collect food. Many of the lodgepole pines on this last stretch were far enough apart that numerous temporary shelters could have been built. The area provides enough shade from the sun which would make it ideal for a summer’s stay. The weather is slightly cooler to the hot Owens Valley. Then again their meadows could have easily been created recently. The lakes could have been an excellent source of water to the first peoples that called these mountains home. Although I was moving like a tortoise and found myself pondering how the first peoples lived in these areas, I knew that I was nearing the end of my trek.

I could sense that I was nearing my last few meters. On the last turn of the trail I finally descended towards the left and could see a sign. I had made it back, relief and accomplishment filled me. My car was close. As soon as I reached my car I took a long gulp of water, and attempted to send a text. There was still some light, though the sun was quickly beginning to set. I quickly changed clothes while I boiled some water on a portable stove.

Dinner- shrimp ramen with chili and a packet of jalapeno tuna fish. The meal was comforting, the broth savory, and salty liquids would replenish me of the fluids I’d lost throughout the day. The vapor touched my face and the condensation mixed with my skin.

 After the quick meal I opened the hood. All the coolant in the reservoir had either evaporated or leaked. I turned the radiator cap, it was broken, but there was liquid in there. I searched for residue of coolant salts along the engine hoses and below the car and didn’t see any. There was some residue under the reservoir which made me conclude that coolant had escaped from there. I did not have to put water in the reservoir. The broken radiator cap could have been the source of the car losing the coolant. I returned to the drivers side and hoped I was right with my final inspection, the car could at least get me to Lone Pine.

The engine quickly turned on and began to hum as if nothing had happened. Good old reliable Toyotas. I returned to check the engine, and all was clear. I decided to drive down towards Lone Pine and from there I’d see how the car was doing. It would not be as taxing on the engine as it had been coming up and the weather would be slightly cooler. As I left the campground the forest seemed to merge with the darkness. I drove slowly down the winding road.

Arriving at the Lone Pine intersection the car seemed to be humming along without a problem. I pulled to the side and sent a few quick texts, made a right and merged with the 395 South bound. Family was glad to receive my messages and I was glad to have made it down to the valley. Everything was surprisingly fine. The drive home was smooth, with a stop at the town of Mojave where I filled up on gas and bought some snacks.