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It was 2:30am by the time they returned. Jennie had 2nd degree
burns which probably would hurt, but probably not leave any permanent
scars. Despite the somewhat happy outcome, I think this is a powerful
incentive to take a first aid course. The fact that none of us
knew how to handle a burn is troublesome. I for one have been
putting off taking a CPR class for years. It's especially important
to know first aid when you're hours away from help -- which is
definitely the case with hiking, backpacking, and some car camping.
The first few minutes or hours are critical, and if you're that
far away from help, you need to know what to do.
In the next few weeks I intend to learn exactly how to handle
burns, deep cuts, sprains, broken bones, snake bites, tick bites,
hypothermia, heat exhaustion...anything that could happen out
in the wild. "how to handle" does not mean calling 911. It does
not mean finding help (though of course you should do that if
you can). It means acting, and acting quickly. Hopefully, I will
be able to share some of this information on this web page.
While everyone else was still recovering from the previous night
(i.e., sleeping), I did a little exploring. I hiked along a trail
from Crystal Springs Campground, up to a road toward Panoramic
Point. I was hoping to reach Panoramic Point, but I decided I
didn't have enough time and turned around shortly after passing
Round Meadow. On the way back, I found the trail up to Valley
View, which has some nice views of the San Joaquin Valley. It's
not far from the campground, and would be a great place to watch
sunrise or sunset.
It was 1pm by the time we finished packing up our tents and loading
up our cars. Almost everyone else was already gone. The entire
campground looked like a ghost town. But as we filed out of the
park, we saw a new crop of cars filing in.
After 2 trips to Sequoia/Kings Canyon within 5 weeks, after never
having visited before, I can safely say that there's definitely
still room for more trips. There are several trails in the Grant
Grove area I haven't explored, including Panoramic Point. There's
the Lakes Trail, Mt. Silliman, and lots of unexplored territory
in Cedar Grove, and miles and miles of prime backpacking trails.
And that doesn't even include the Mineral King area I haven't
seen yet. I definitely plan to be back again.
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