Ours was a party of six and a rather unique one at that. In these parts, it seems that one is either a “horse person” or a backpacker but not both. We had shown up as both! My friend Orlando envisioned a 16-mile horse trip into Little Lake along the Kern River, then a 45-mile backpack over the Great Western Divide to the Kearsarge Lakes. Our packer Jolene, was pleasant and capable but was given confusing information about a “shortcut” to the lake. As a consequence, we were in the saddle for more than nine hours covering over 20 miles. Needless to say, our butts and legs were quite fatigued as we pulled into camp at sunset!
The following day however, was a layover at Little Lake. Our legs recuperated, we went swimming in the cold water, and made ourselves at home in the wilderness. The following three days saw us move up the arrow-straight Kern River Canyon, camping in Lower Funston Meadows, the Kern River Hot Springs (nice!), and Junction Meadow, where we enjoyed another layover day just a few miles from the crest of Mt. Whitney. The gleaming Sierra granite was framed by mature old growth forests of Jeffrey pines, lush bracken ferns, and an unreal cerulean blue sky. We marveled at the grandness of it all!
Then on the night of August 10-11, I woke up feeling ill. Morning proved to be no better but I decided to tough it out and not tell the others. It was now day 7 of the trip and our trail led us uphill to the Bighorn Plateau at nearly 12,000 feet. The scenery was beyond belief but my condition worsened. I finally told the others that I was not well but that I’d carry on , thinking that it would pass. On day 8 we went over Forester Pass at 13,200 feet and I did pretty good even though I did not feel that well. When we finally got to camp that night, I could barely move with the body ache and fever.
I made it one more day on the trail to the Kearsarge Lakes but unfortunately, between the high elevation, the stress of all the backpacking, and the relentless fever and ache, I could move no further. On day 10, just six miles from the trailhead at Onion Valley, I had to admit that I was seriously sick and a helicopter was called in with two paramedics. (One of our participants had packed in a cell phone which he used to call 911 from Kearsarge Pass). As a professional guide, it was odd to be on the other end of a med-evac. But even if those last six miles had been all downhill, which most of them were, I still could not have made it.
I was taken to the hospital in Lone Pine where they pronounced me recovered from “Acute Mountain Sickness”. But within a few hours I regressed considerably. I decided to drive home, thinking that if I was really sick and needed to be laid up for awhile, I’d rather do it at home rather than Barstow, California. What an ordeal! I hadn’t slept for five nights and just felt awful. I almost passed out from exhaustion a few times on Interstate 40 but stopped now and then to collect myself. I wasn’t watching the gas gauge and ran out of gas near Needles. I was so sick I couldn’t even get upset about it!
I eventually made it home to find out that I had probably contracted West Nile Virus from one of the many mosquito bites I had received on this or a previous trip. It was horrible to say the least - my brain felt like it was going to explode, the ever-present body ache went right to my core, and the headache behind my eyes was powerful and throbbing. Two blood tests were inconclusive but clearly showed a progressive increase in the number of antibodies that fight West Nile Virus. Adding insult to injury, I also tested positive for acute strep. It was a minor miracle that I walked for three days with a backpack over high mountain passes in this horrible condition. I am mostly recovered now and feeling fine. Thanks to all of my wonderful friends who called or helped during this time of recuperation!
This is the first of what I hope to be many “blogs” for this web site, describing adventures or trips along the trail or tromping worldwide on tours. I regret that this one has such a woeful ending - I have never experienced such a mishap in my many years of exploration. But travel always brings us the unexpected and that is why it can be so rewarding in most instances. Some of my friends have reminded me to be on the lookout for some significant positive outcome from such an awful experience with this virus. And certainly, the month long recuperation at my home in Flagstaff has allowed me the time to reflect and “catch up” with myself. I have truly enjoyed that.
Addendum dated 10/19/04: My friends were right! Seems that the WNV cleaned out the cob webs and I'm better than ever now! WhooooHooooo! I also believe I have isolated where I might have gotten that mosquito bite - I have friends in Durango, Colorado who personally know of three people who got it there. I was on a four-day backpack near Pagosa Springs, Colorado in late July and that is where I believe I picked it up. I would have been OK (80% of the people bitten by an infected mosquito never have the symptoms) but on the Sierra hike, I got the infectious strep and it brought my immune system down. A double dose of trouble and that's my story and I'm sticking to it! That which does not kill me makes me stronger!
