I’ve been known to be stubborn…….

and admit being OLD & HALF WORN OUT……

BUT INSIST I’M NOT STUPID–with the half of me that still works pretty good capable of more than you could imagine!

But being in my 83rd year,  and the 16th  of my HIGH UINTAS WILDERNESS PROJECT, is reason to be cautious….but it got complicated this past winter with 3 months lost in my conditioning with a bad case of BRONCHITIS….with remnants still hanging around, and a reduction in my pulmonary capacity.

My heart passed the STRESS-TREADMILL ordeal with flying colors, but with 

 the problems I’ve had in recent years with 

HIGH ALTITUDE SICKNESS……need to be careful.

So this week I will be checking out just how much I can accomplish by spending half of the week of June 4th   in the BALD MOUNTAIN PASS area in my  trailer you see above  in the  parking lot.

I’ll be doing the following hourly:

 Checking frequently my BLOOD PRESSURE & PULSE

And…most importantly checking the oxygen level in my blood with my oximeter that now goes everywhere with me in the High Country.

  The count should  be 90 or above.  If it dips, I rest a bit until my  body normalizes.  If it gets low and won’t normalize that could bring on High altitude Sickness, the only solution is 

GO DOWN TO A LOWER ELEVATION.

SURVIVAL IN THE HIGH COUNTRY…the 1st RULE:

  Let people know specifically where you’re going

Monday, June 4th:  Drive to Bald Mountain Trailhead parking lot, check vitals, then CLIMB MT. BALDY, 11,943 ft. checking at every rest stop my vitals–especially focusing on how my reduced pulmonary capacity responds to high altitude.

Tuesday, & Wednesday – June 5th & 6th:  If all went well with the climb, do a little backpacking from the Pass Lake Trailhead, hiking .5 miles to  Scout Lake (10,387 ft.), then about another mile to Lofty Lake (10,888 ft.), and spending the night trying out a new system to reduce load–using my new Bivy Sack, that I’ll report on in a week with photos.

From Lofty Lake, I will drop down to Kamas Lake and return to the Trailhead    by Wednesday afternoon having done 4 miles of  backpacking.

 I will  return to civilization Wednesday to see the 3rd NBA Finals game, and evaluate the results of being at medium altitude and then plan accordingly the rest of the backpacking season.

If it seems reasonable, smart and enjoyable, I will do two more   backpacks in June:  To Hell’s Hole & then to much higher Naturalist Basin.……then evaluate what might be wise for July, all with the hope of in August doing the entire HIGHLINE TRAIL from Hayden Pass to near Flaming Gorge.