Brothers Dan Hampton, MD, and David Hampton, MD, have a lot in common. Both are surgeons with MedStar Orthopaedic Institute, both graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Medicine, and both share a lifelong love of the outdoors—hiking, rock climbing, and anything else that combines physical activity with beautiful scenery.
The brothers’ most recent adventure—an ambitious 18-day backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail through the Sierra Nevada Mountains—was a true family affair, as they were joined by their 66-year-old father, Leon, an IT consultant and an active outdoors enthusiast himself.
Having grown up in Southern California, the high Sierras are familiar territory for the Hampton family. In 2016, father and sons did a five-day backpacking trip through the area. This time, however, they raised the stakes, as their 180-mile route would take them to the summits of Mts. Whitney, Muir, and Russell, all three with elevations above 14,000 feet. “We had never done a trip of this magnitude before,” says Dan, a sports medicine specialist who also chairs the Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery departments at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton, Md.
Even with their collective outdoors experience, the Hamptons knew a trip through one of the country’s most remote and rugged regions would require extensive planning—two years’ worth, in fact. That included studying maps to plan daily mileage goals and camping sites, testing gear on short hiking trips near D.C., and selecting clothing for weather extremes that could range from high heat to snow flurries. “Weight is always a big deal for backpacking,” says Dave, an attending orthopaedic trauma surgeon at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, “so we try to bring only gear that we’ll really need and get the most use out of.”
Because it would be impractical to carry food for all 18 days, the Hamptons made arrangements with one of the Muir Trail’s many resupply services to deliver a cache of fresh provisions around their halfway point.
The Hamptons also worked on preparing themselves physically, with plenty of endurance training and core strengthening that would be important for carrying camping essentials up and down rugged trails. Back in Southern California, Leon was preparing himself, too, tackling several long hikes after being briefly sidelined by an ankle injury earlier in the year.
As physicians, Dan and Dave had few qualms about handling any medical issues that might arise as they ventured further into the backcountry, and beyond the reach of cell phone coverage. Dan always brings along a portable satellite device to trade texts with his family and signal for help in an emergency.
“But no email,” he says with a laugh. “Part of the enjoyment of these trips is being off the grid for a little while.”
It’s Go Time!
The adventure began on August 3, with some family camping at Yosemite National Park. The intrepid hikers used those relaxing days to make last-minute preparations, acclimate themselves to the higher elevation, and help minimize the potential for altitude sickness. (Even the floor of Yosemite Valley is 10 times higher than Washington, D.C.)
Luck was on the Hamptons’ side when they hit the trail with perfect weather that would last the entire trip.
“We set up our itinerary to start with relatively low-mileage days to help us get used to the conditions, with Dad setting the pace,” Dan says, adding that scenery, not speed, was most important. “We wanted to see what was there.”
Even with their comfortable schedule, the Hamptons covered more trail than expected on the first few days. So much so that they were able to take a day off after about a week to physically recharge for the big climbs ahead. As for their 66-year-old pace-setter, Dave says, “Dad always did great. It never really felt like we were going too slow, especially on the uphill sections.”
Over the next several days, those sections would rise higher and steeper, cresting passes as lofty as 13,000 feet. Yet each new exertion was always rewarded with yet another spectacular view.
“The scale of the high Sierras is so grand,” Dave says, ”and so much different from the eastern part of the country.”
Complementing the unspoiled beauty was an absence of glitches to spoil the backcountry experience. A family friend joined the Hamptons for the latter part of the trip right on schedule, as did the pack mules bearing their supplies.
“I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Dan admits, “but logistically, the trip couldn’t have gone much better.”
Still, as the hikers neared the end of their journey, a shared sense of exhaustion began to compete with the exhilaration of completing a fun, yet demanding trek. And after almost three weeks of eating camp food and sleeping in a tent, the end of the trail with its celebratory pizza and beer, plus other comforts of civilization, couldn’t come soon enough. “Even with the exertion, I don’t sleep well when out backpacking,” Dan says. “The first night back in a regular bed felt glorious!”
After a day of relaxing at their parents’ house, Dan and Dave headed back to D.C. and their busy work schedules. Not surprisingly, however, the brothers’ thoughts have already turned to their next big adventure. One possibility is a rock-climbing trip up the face of Yosemite’s famed El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical climb that typically takes several days to complete.
Until then, the brothers will have no shortage of Muir Trail memories to savor. “It’s just fun going out to the backcountry,” Dave says, “and being someplace that takes time and effort to get to.”
“Part of the enjoyment of these trips is being off the grid for awhile...The scale of the high Sierras is so grand and so much different from the eastern part of the country.”
—DAVE HAMPTON, MD