On July 20th to 22nd SMI’s Chris Werner and Sara Berghoff teamed up with Jon Dorn, Chief Editor of Backpacker Magazine, Chip Noble of Delorme, Mike Byrne of Backpacker Magazine, and Steve Carlson of Spark Communication in a climb of Mt. Langley, the southernmost 14er in the Sierra. This Backpacker Magazine climb benefited Big City Mountaineers, which is responsible for providing 7-8 day wilderness trips for inner-city and under privileged youth.
Our team enjoyed blue-bird skies and a pleasant hike up to High Lake at just over 10,400ft. We spent the afternoon swimming in the lake and enjoying views of the granite cirque that surrounded us.
The following morning we awoke at 4:30am to climb to the summit of Mt. Langley. We started our hike just after sunrise – temperatures were perfect for the climb including a slight alpine breeze keeping things pleasant as we ascended the approx. 3,500ft to our high point and Mt. Langley’s summit at 14,042’, 4280m.
The whole team enjoyed the varied terrain, beautiful long reaching vistas, and Mt. Langley’s summit. After an hour of relaxation, photos, and some lunch we descended back down to our camp and enjoyed another afternoon swimming in the lake and napping the afternoon away. Dinner was followed by a tasty desert, great stories and lots of laughs.
Thanks to Backpacker Magazine for bringing us together in support of BCM – another great trip!