High Sierra Trail

“Hamster, how's it going buddy? I haven't seen or heard from ya since the JMT. You finished it, right? Well, welcome back to the fold. You found a good group of folks to hike with. You will enjoy their companionship and hijinx, esp. geologyguy. He's a character. :)

I'm thinking of getting a hike together for May. I'll get in touch with ya about it. Hope all is well with you.

-Bill”

“Thanks Bill,
Wuzup playah? Good to hear from ya.

Yes I did finish the JMT that year and 2 more times the next two years. I was actually looking for transportation/shuttle info for HST on the web and I found this group. Yes it seems like a nice place to find folks to hike with.

I'm planning on doing HST, TRT and maybe part of JMT again this summer. I know not much XC, but what do you expect of a solo hiker?

I also have plans to climb(attempt) Mt. Shasta via Avalanch Gulch(easy way) this Memorial Day and am wondering if anyone else is interested in joining me. I know it ain't really backpacking, but we can camp at the hut, or at Helen Lake for fun and maybe try-weather permitting- to do the summit as a day hike. Talk to you later,

Hamster”

“What's the situation on shuttle reservation? My brother is thinking about going on this trip, but he can't commit until February. Do we already have 12 signed up for the shuttle? If we get more than 12 people, is there an easy and inexpensive way to get more vans?”

“Matt, I think Wingding is coming in from the east for the last few days, making the number 11 positives.

Hrez13, look at the Winterfest thread. Mtnsteve lives in Redding. He would be an encyclopedia on Mt. Shasta.”

“I don't think my trip timing is going to allow me to hook up. I'm going in over Shepherd Pass on July 1st to try Williamson but I'll be gone back out by the 4th or 5th. :(”

“I'm working out the details right now regarding the shuttles: the one from Whitney Portal to Lone Pine, and the one from Lone Pine Back to the TH. I think that its possible to get "another" van, but I don't think we'll get more than 12. We have'nt heard from some of the Yes' since it was posted.”

“I got my room. Now I just have to figure out when is the best time to buy my plane tickets to get the cheapest rates.”

“A shuttle operator out of Lone Pine offers his service for $25 per van load (3-4 people per van) between Whitney Portal and Lone Pine. This may work as people will be coming out at differant times. It's a 20-25 minute drive between points, and we call him at a credit card use only phone at Whitney Portal.

According to Lou at Kountry Korners, the longer shuttle can only accommodate 11 people and their packs. The most recent quoted price was $320 (next time I talk to her, I'll tell her the previous quote was $295). A smaller 7 person van is also available.

I\'ll need a farily firm commitment from people regarding taking the shuttle back to the entry trailhead. It looks like the 11 passenger van will work; however, if there's more then 11 we'll have to reserve the other van also.
last edited: 1/04/05 2:51:46 PM”

“I am definitely in on the trip and the shuttle.

If anyone is coming from LA area let me know and we can carpool up to Sequoia.

I can not wait for this trip. Just hope there is not much snow on the passes.”

“g.guy....

i am definitely in on the trip and the shuttle, too....

like cubfan, i can hardly wait for this trip....”

“I'm most assuredly in on this tripo, have my reservations back from Dow Villa also. They were nice enough to change me from motel to hotel, saved me $20.00!”

“I'm in for this trip, if there's room left in your group. Don't you need to pay a deposit to reserve the shuttle and the permit? I can send my share as early as now so you won't end up paying out of pocket if, for whatever reason, I flake later.”

“Yes, the shuttle peep's want a deposit (20%), so I\'ll sent off a check soon. People can pay for the shuttle/permit later. I guess you\'ll want to have some cash with you at Whitney Portal to pay for the shuttle ($8 each), and buy some beer, more beer, and a bacon cheeseburger. Just don't flake.”

“I'm in for the trip and the shuttle!”

“So far, its 7 confirmed. Any more? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

By the way, I have a room reserved at the Dow Villa that I can share.”

“Are Jerry and I confirmed? (Isn't that some kind of religious ritual?)”

“9 ...I think”

“I am going to change my status on this trip to a "maybe", I have been watching the snow levels, and talking with the nps rangers, and to me, this looks like it is going to be a heavy snow year. I wonder whether the passes will be passable during the current anticipated dates for this trip. I do not want to commit to time off and incur expenses if we cannot do the trip.”

“I talked with my brother and he is out. I never listed him on the trip page, but I thought it would help clear a few loose ends.”

“when are you guys going to be down in town after the trip? Friday 8th or Saturday 9th?”

“we'll be in Lone Pine on Friday, July 8th.”

“Staying the night and leaving Sat?? Might be up that way and could stop by...”

“Hey everyone, I have signed up as a maybe for this trip. I don't know if there is a size limit for the group, but I am assuming that there is room for a couple more trekers if they so desire. I am not sure I can get the time off or if it might conflict with another previous commitment. I will have to sheck the calendar to make sure. Also, if I change jobs, it will probably rule out any participation in this adventure. Anyway, I will probably know all aspects of my eligibility for participation by the first of March. Is that to late to commit?

I recently attended Winterfest with wannabp and landscaper, so I am known a little by them. Landscaper encouraged me to join in on some of these trips. Anyway, I would like to get down into the Sierra and see what the fuss is all about. This trip seems like a good opportunity for that and to meet and make new friends.

nihilist”

“Welcome aboard. I think there is still room. The only pressing date right now is for permits, and that is somewhere near the beginning of March. So once you know if the trip is a go for you, let us all know.”

“Also possibly pressing is the Dow Villa reservation since rumor has it that they fill up fast. You can always cancel, if it doesn't work out.”

“Okiehiker - I've been looking at that, too. I am thinking of changing to maybe as well...”

“When do we start getting serious about making reservations / getting our permits?

I have my hotel res at Dow Villa... now, it seems we should get going on trip permits?”

“March 1st is the date you want to submit our permit info.”

“Hey, With all this snow we got and the possiblity of more to come, what will it be like at the higher altitudes. We may not be able to hike to Whitney or the switchbacks down might be covered. We are still in the rainy and snow months and this has already been a wet winter.

Just some thoughts and concerns!!”

“It seems to me that each year the question of snow and passes comes up, and the question is not answered until we're standing at the pass.”

“Or, postholing over the passes, as the case may be!

My first-ever planned TT trip was a number of years ago, Memorial Day weekend... there was STILL a lot of snow up on the higher passes, we had to really, really work to get over them!

Now that I think about it, none of those people have ever hiked with me again! LOL
last edited: 1/19/05 6:16:17 PM”

“Its a tough one. Although there's still 5 months to really see what the conditions will be. For all we know, we have just received the years percip. I would guess that we'll see snow mainly on the east side of Whitney. And by July, there'll be a fairly established trail even through that part. The west side of Whitney is pretty exposed, so the snow should be gone. Who knows about Kaweah Gap.”

“I'm not worried for 2 reasons. 1, if I am flying clear across the country, I am going backpacking somewhere. If the itinerary changes a little, big deal. And 2, if the HST is as popular as I am led to believe, plenty of people should have already gone through the snow ahead of us.”

“matt....i agree....

i intend to hike and have a good time no matter where i end up going....my backpacking plans are subject to change....my plane reservations are the only thing that can't be changed....”

“i agree that it's too early to tell what it's going to be like in July”

“Actually folks, it's the Sierra. This morning can be too early to tell what this afternoon will be like! LOL! Don't like the weather? Wait 15 minutes, it'll change!”

“Shiprunner08 and I have signed up as maybe's. I think the odds of us coming are better than even. Please give me the short answer on (a) whether there is still room, and (b) what should we do now to keep this option available.

Thanks!”

“Fantastic. It'll be great to see you guys again.”

“Welcome Fritz! 11 is the magic number, because its the max that the return-trip shuttle can hold. Although if people drop like flies, there's a smaller van that we can use. With that said I think there's enough room.”

“Man you guys hike a lot of miles! I don't like those double digits milage days. Wish I could go on this one but I can't. Not enough vacation. :( I already have a trip in July that I'm doing.

You'll have a great time with this group!”

“I did the Sierras trip led by naviguesser in July 2003 and am looking forward to seeing more. Climbing Whitney is high on my list of peaks I'd like to summit.

I don't post often and was completely out of action for most of last year due to an injury.

But I'm getting back in shape. Looking forward to meeting more TTers. I have a (literally) passing acquaintance with wannbp and landscaper.”

“I'll be booking a room at teh Dow Villa, but am interested in sharing a room if anyone else is so inclined.

Regarding shuttles - sign me up. I'll be flying in from Seattle on Friday 1st July, (I guess to Sacramento ?), so would like to catch a ride with someone to the trailhead. I'll probably leave booking my flight for a couple of months yet, so at the moment have complete flexibility as to when I need to get back to the airport.

Does anyone else have their flights booked yet ? If so, let me know times so maybe I can sync up with yours to make airport pickups/dropoffs as easy as poss.”

“Aussie, I'm so glad to see you are recovered. If we're to have more than a passing acquaintance again (I remember, too), you will need to slow down or we will need to speed up!!!”

“Aussie, glad you can join us. I work about 10 minutes from the Sacramento airport, and can help you out if your arrival time is sometime in late afternoon. Don't forget that March 1st is the date for permits.”

“sniff, sniff

Aussie doesn't remember me...”

“Aussie,
I will also probably be flying into Sacramento. I haven't made my plans yet, but I should be coming in on Friday. gonzo should also be coming in around the same time.”

“i keep waiting for southwest airlines to push their schedule out beyond june.... i just want to make sure that i am getting the best deal....

is everyone that is flying into sacramento looking at coming in on friday afternoon??”

“that's my plan for now”

“Ummmm......Fritz.....are you a redhead ? and did you have your son with you ?

I can arrive almost any time Friday - its only about a 2 hour flight for me. Matt and gonzo - once you start looking at flight details let me know and we'll go from there.

I'm unclear on the permit situation - are we each responsible for our own ? I read most of this thread but must have missed that.....”

“LOL...um, blonde actually, under normal circumstances. But Day 4 in the wilderness, who knows what it might have looked like. Yes, my son was with me.

And I was just teasing you about offending me. There were 12 of us walking past you that day. :)”