View Full Version : The weight of food...
Megapixel
01-09-2010, 21:37
A bit of concern has arisen here as I've begun planning the last leg of our JMT SOBO hike this July. The Harrison maps have come, as well as the Lizzy Wenk Guidebook, both of which have been very helpful. Here's my dilemma: Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney Portal > 11 days. I've gone over elevation profiles and knowing my wife and I's backpacking capabilities it comes down to 11 days through here for us. I don't feel comfortable carrying less than one day extra of food on such a secluded section of trail as this, so that makes it 12 days, at 2lbs. per person, that' 24 lbs of food alone each...22 is the most my wife's pack has ever weighed total!
So what I'm hoping is first off some serious cardio training and strength training to prepare for this section ( shakedowns in the flatlands here in FLA., resistance weight training, treadmill, etc.). I'm hoping this + the first 2 and 1/2 weeks of hiking on the JMT will put us in a stronger position to carry more weight longer miles during this portion of the trip.
Second I'm hoping during this section we can get by with 1.5 lbs. of food per person instead of 2. I guess one thing I have not thought of here is that we will not be carrying our typical water weight. So...if all goes as planned, we will plan on 10 days + 1 day emergency food = 11days @ 1.5lbs = 16.5 lbs. per person. If I take on some of her food, say a few pounds, then I think the concern is more reasonable.
Does this seem like a reasonable plan to eliminate this concern? :-?
garlic08
01-10-2010, 00:28
You're definitely leaning in the right direction. Have you ever run out of food on a hiking trip? Most hikers pack WAY too much food.
On my first long hikes, I was amazed at how much hiking I really did. I never expected to start easily hiking 15+ miles. The planned 100-mile, ten-day hike would always turn into seven easy days with six pounds of food left over, even after giving away as much as I could.
Food is never an emergency concern. You can survive weeks without it--not fun, I bet. The concept of "emergency meal" is not really an issue. It's a matter of comfort, not survival.
One of the greatest lessons I've learned on long hikes is what it feels like to have marginal food. As Americans with the means to travel, most of us have never been truly hungry in our lives. Being in the Sierra for ten days with just enough or slightly less than enough food is a real eye-opener.
My formula for food is not pounds per day, it's miles per pound. What works well for me is 10 miles per pound of food, usually a little less for longer stretches. I hiked a 160 mile stretch last summer with 14 pounds. Good luck working out what works for you.
Megapixel
01-10-2010, 00:31
You're definitely leaning in the right direction. Have you ever run out of food on a hiking trip? Most hikers pack WAY too much food.
On my first long hikes, I was amazed at how much hiking I really did. I never expected to start easily hiking 15+ miles. The planned 100-mile, ten-day hike would always turn into seven easy days with six pounds of food left over, even after giving away as much as I could.
Food is never an emergency concern. You can survive weeks without it--not fun, I bet. The concept of "emergency meal" is not really an issue. It's a matter of comfort, not survival.
One of the greatest lessons I've learned on long hikes is what it feels like to have marginal food. As Americans with the means to travel, most of us have never been truly hungry in our lives. Being in the Sierra for ten days with just enough or slightly less than enough food is a real eye-opener.
My formula for food is not pounds per day, it's miles per pound. What works well for me is 10 miles per pound of food, usually a little less for longer stretches. I hiked a 160 mile stretch last summer with 14 pounds. Good luck working out what works for you.
Thanks Garlic, this is very helpful.
Garlic said:
" The concept of "emergency meal" is not really an issue. It's a matter of comfort, not survival."
While of course true, I found the couple of times I came up a little short while thru-hiker hunger was in full gear were very much not fun.
Like seemingly everyone, I found myself coming into trail towns still carrying too much food and so eventually overdid it a couple of times in cutting back until I got reasonable at guesstimating how much to carry. While it sounds appealing to be able to estimate food requirements so as to come into the next trail town "on fumes", I'd much rather carry, say, a half a day's worth of excess than come into town a half day short (and very hungry).
karoberts
01-10-2010, 02:12
You can resupply between Muir Trail Ranch and Whitney by having food horse-packed in (Charlotte Lake, I think). It will cost about $500 for one horse. They will carry out your garbage for you too.
Kerosene
01-10-2010, 10:06
I've found that my appetite is greatly diminished for the first 10 days of a backpacking trip, so I can typically get by with less than 1.5 pounds of dried food per day initially (175 pound male). I've also found that I need fewer calories per day as I've aged, although I'll eat it if it's put in front of me.
garlic08
01-10-2010, 10:17
Like seemingly everyone, I found myself coming into trail towns still carrying too much food and so eventually overdid it a couple of times in cutting back until I got reasonable at guesstimating how much to carry. While it sounds appealing to be able to estimate food requirements so as to come into the next trail town "on fumes", I'd much rather carry, say, a half a day's worth of excess than come into town a half day short (and very hungry).
For sure. I can remember the first time I under-estimated--I carried seven pounds for a 100-mile hike, about a full meal short. I was hiking with my wife into Donner Pass, of all places, very hungry. I think she was starting to get a little nervous :eek:.
I feel very proud when I plan it so that my last meal is a half-day walk from town, especially after 100+ miles. At that point I usually drink my fill of water and dump the rest. That last half day of walking, with the lightest your pack will ever be, and usually downhill, is like heaven.
I guess it's another illustration of what's in your pack reflecting your fears. After going hungry a couple of times for the sake of that perfect last day, I realized a few rumbles of the stomach wasn't fatal and from that point on, food became much less important to me. My pack became a few pounds lighter and I enjoyed the hiking that much more.
Megapixel
01-10-2010, 13:02
The pack mule is starting to sound like a viable option. Here's another problem...the biggest bear canister holds 9 days worth of food. Ok, I can deal with that. But how about my smelly trash? Toothpaste, soap? We'll probably get out there and hike in 8 days and be like ok wow we would've been fine...but at this point I can only plan based on what I know we are capable of mileage wise, and it's still coming out to 10 or 11 days. I will google this pack mule thing and see what I can find. Thanks everyone, for helping me think this trip through.
garlic08
01-10-2010, 13:08
The pack mule is starting to sound like a viable option. Here's another problem...the biggest bear canister holds 9 days worth of food. Ok, I can deal with that. But how about my smelly trash? Toothpaste, soap?
You don't have to fit the first day's food in the cannister. That'll help.
As for the other smelly stuff, it may attract animals but it won't feed them, and that's the main idea. The cannister is not odorproof anyway. That's why the instructions say to place it 100 yards away from your campsite in a secure location (so it doesn't get batted down the mountain--this is important). Put the other smelly non-food stuff in the same place. Hopefully you cooked and ate there, too.
Megapixel
01-10-2010, 13:16
Hopefully I can find a cheaper alternative than the $500; otherwise maybe a few other hikers will want to split cost??? They allow up to 150 lbs. per delivery.
"But how about my smelly trash? Toothpaste, soap?"
Smelly trash: presumably your food volume goes down as you generate smelly trash so you can just put your trash bag inside the bear can. Ditto toothpaste soap after you've eaten down some food if it won't fit initially; of course it's a potential issue prior.
For such a short trip you could consider bringing no soap, or just a small amount of Dr. Bronners (http://www.drbronner.com/) repackaged in a very very small container (here's an example (http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/mini_dropper_bottles.html)). Ditto toothpaste; I personally use tooth powder (http://www.eco-dent.com/dailycare-specialcare-toothpowders.htm) in a very small container (a little lasts a long time), and I cut the handle off my toothbrush ... more for volume and so it fits easily in a snack sized ziplock (than from tweaky gram counting).
I.e., if you feel you need those things, they don't have to take up much volume in your bear can.
You can test yourself on a shorter section, using say 1 pound/day plus 1/2 pound/day reserve in case you miscalculated. If you are burning body fat, then alot of those calories can come from your waist and hips. The calories you need to eat then needs to be mostly protien and carbs, but some fat in the diet is still good.
Say for 500g food per day:
120g Protien, 300g Carbs, 30g Fat, 10% fibre and moisture = 1950 kcal
Plus say another 0.5 pounds body fat = 200g fat = 1800 kcal
So that will provide 3750kcal of energy per day, at 13% protien / 32% carbs / 50% fat.
If you are say 200 pounds total weight on feet, with clothing and gear, and your basal metabolism and rest of day calories are 1750 kcal, the 2000 hiking calories should get you about 18 miles over flat even terrain, or say 15 miles on a level hiking trail, or say 10 miles on a hiking trail with 2500 feet of cummulative elevation gain.
Test it for yourself though. If you are off, you just end up burning more fat, and muscle, but its also less pleasant. In cold or cold and wet weather its more critical though. Be more careful in that stuff. In particular I like more fat in my diet in colder weather. Also if it might snow, which slows you down and burns more calories per mile. Also more food if you might get lost now and then. Bushwacking burns alot of calories. Other things can slow you down, like sprained ankles. I might go as low as 0.5 pounds in summer if I knew where I was going, maybe as low as 1 pound in spring/fall, but never less than 1.5 pounds in winter, because you never know how long your might want to stay out there when it gets really interesting. ;)
Fitting all the food into a bear canister is a problem. You do not want to fool with leaving food exposed. You might consider a ursack to carry the overflow just for the few days when your canister is full.
You be the pack mule. Remember you only have to carry 11 days worth of food for one day! The first day hike south out of MTR into Evolution Valley is not strenuous.
"You might consider a ursack to carry the overflow just for the few days when your canister is full."
Depends on where you are; my recollection is that the nearby places where bear cans weren't required, they for whatever reason specified "counterbalance method" of hanging. You could also find out where bear lockers are and adjust your schedule to spend the first night or two at one of those places (not sure if this is a good strategy at most popular times of year, however).
Seems to me that a single bear can per person ought to do it. It's certainly in part what kinds of food you pack and how you pack them. Do a web search with the text "how to pack a bear can" and you'll get multiple hits with a lot of ideas. Compressible foods are good, and to have some stuff packed loose that can fill in the gaps. Some like to pack in layers ... I think there are various strategies, but you can definitely get more in if you do strategize a bit.
Megapixel
01-10-2010, 16:07
The cannister is not odorproof anyway. That's why the instructions say to place it 100 yards away from your campsite in a secure location (so it doesn't get batted down the mountain--this is important).
so what is "secure"???
"so what is "secure"???"
Garlic is talking about a bear pushing, batting your can so that it rolls downhill, down a mountain, into a lake or river ... the bear can't open the can but certain can move it.
Folks typically look for a depression, put it inside vegetation, wedge it into rocks, something so it's not easily rolled a long way away. And if there is a risk of it rolling, you at least want it to roll somewhere not too far away that you can find. Some advocate putting orange paint on the can for this reason; I've always found places to put mine that it didn't seem to be an issue.
One vaguely related issue depends on what kind of can you have. If you have the original black Garcia can, turn it upside down (lid down) if it's raining, as those lids aren't water proof ...
bigcranky
01-10-2010, 16:19
Two pounds per person per day would be nice, but you should be able to get enough enjoyable food at less than 1.5 ppppd. The key is to get rid of all the water weight, and carry only dried or freeze dried (like Mountain House or Enertia meals) or very calorie-dense foods (nuts, oils.)
So, for example, that convenient and tasty large bag of chicken is totally out of the question. It weighs almost eight ounces, but provides a total of only 210 calories (full bag of Sweet Sue chicken.) Same with those bags of tuna. That same weight of Cashews would provide 1300 calories, and of Olive Oil would provide 1900 calories.
Same with snacks and bars and such. A lot of bars are 100 calories per ounce -- not very dense. You can get detailed info on all the bar/snack choices here (http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-snack-bars-ic2504).
If you can make your own meals, you can add protein powder, butter powder, powdered full-fat milk, etc. I put all those things in two cups of homemade granola, add a big handful of walnuts and dried strawberries, and I have a huge, filling, and long-lasting breakfast that weighs about 6 ounces. Homemade dinners like couscous with cashews, raisins, and curry powder are light but pack a good calorie wallop, even more if you add a couple of ounces of olive oil when serving.
If you want dried fruit, dry your own -- commercial dried fruit still has a very high water content. My own dried fruit is almost crunchy, but rehydrates nicely in my morning oatmeal or cereal.
The more calorie-dense the food, the easier it will be to fit inside the bear container, too. Not saying all this will be easy -- but carrying 11 days of food is never easy. Good luck.
Protein powder is a good way to go. I'm having a hard time finding a good way to add substantial amounts of it to food. I think I'll just stick with consuming it in shakes. You have to be careful though. If it sits long, it'll get nasty, although probably still safe to drink. I plan to put a scoop or so into my drinking bottle and keep doing that. I did that when I was lifting weights and the bottle never got nasty since the contents were always being cycled...just be sure to rinse the bottle out at the end of the day.
How long does butter powder last once you open the bag?
Spirit Walker
01-10-2010, 19:50
On the JMT I carried way too much food and I found that I couldn't even give it away since everybody else also had too much food. One of the side effects of altitude is that it diminishes your appetite. Also, if you are planning to take your time then you won't get as hungry as you would doing 20 mile days. Except on a really long hike, I generally get by on about 1 lb of food a day. Later it goes up to about 1 1/2 lbs. If you pack calorically dense food, you really won't need 2 lbs a day.
If you are really concerned, you might resuppy at Vermillion instead of Muir Trail Ranch. It's about a day farther, so would shorten the final stretch. It's not as close to the trail, and it doesn't have the nice hot spring pools, but they do have showers and beer.
DuctTape
01-10-2010, 20:29
There's no need to go through all of this. About half-way between MTR and Whitney is the Kearsarge Pass Trail (About 8 miles?) that leads to the busy Onion Valley Trailhead. The trailhead is at the end of a dead-end road that leads another ten miles or so into the town of Independence. Hitchhiking into town (More like asking for a ride from the trailhead) is almost too easy. This adds about two days to your trip, but it was worth it to me. There are also plenty of bear boxes at Onion Valley... though you're technically not supposed to, people have been known to have success with leaving resupply packages in the bear boxes.
Megapixel
01-10-2010, 20:46
There's no need to go through all of this. About half-way between MTR and Whitney is the Kearsarge Pass Trail (About 8 miles?) that leads to the busy Onion Valley Trailhead. The trailhead is at the end of a dead-end road that leads another ten miles or so into the town of Independence. Hitchhiking into town (More like asking for a ride from the trailhead) is almost too easy. This adds about two days to your trip, but it was worth it to me. There are also plenty of bear boxes at Onion Valley... though you're technically not supposed to, people have been known to have success with leaving resupply packages in the bear boxes.
If i can get the extra 2 days fit into my timetable, this sounds like the best and most economical decision... and town food !!! Thanks DuctTape!
Spirit Walker
01-11-2010, 00:29
If you go to Independence, send a box of food. Last year the only 'grocery' was the gas station.
"If you go to Independence, send a box of food. Last year the only 'grocery' was the gas station."
Agreed, but if memory serves you can hitch or I think there's also a bus to Bridgeport, which should have decent resupply possibilities.
Megapixel
01-11-2010, 09:20
Is there a place to stay for the night in Independence? ANy restaurants? Thanks for the heads up on the mail drop...will do.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
01-11-2010, 13:47
Is there a place to stay for the night in Independence? ANy restaurants? Thanks for the heads up on the mail drop...will do.
here's the classic place to stay in Independence
http://www.winnedumah.com/
there's also
http://www.mtwilliamsonmotel.com/
and some other places.
restaurants - Still Life Cafe, never been there but gets good reviews. If in doubt, they have a Subway.
when in Lone Pine - don't miss the Alabama Cafe - that's where all the locals who know what's good in town eat. right next to the Laundromat, very convenient for hikers cleaning up after the trip.
Hiking out over Kearsarge Pass into Independence is absolutely a resupply option. It allows someone who plans on hiking 10-11 mile days, like it seems you are, to split up the food haul. Couple of thoughts. The hike over Kearsarge Pass is beautiful(what else is new, it's the Sierras!). The hike out is easier. Getting back over the Pass and back to the JMT is harder because you will be fresh w/ heavier packs(your last JMT resupply?). The trail on the eastern side of the pass is steeper and some of it is on rather loose scree on always eroding trail. If you are planning 10 days to hike the roughly 108 miles from Muir Trail Ranch to Mt Whitney at that rate it will take roughly the better part of 1 1/2 - 2 days to hike out to Indy, resupply, and get back to the JMT(told you it wasn't always like resupplying on the AT). You have to allow for that traveling time, and none of it is on the JMT.
Before going further on resupplying and Indy here are my thoughts. I don't know you and your wife or how you hike, but for two avg JMTers(not being acclimized to the elev., not in thru-hiking condition, very often carrying more than they need), starting in Yosemite Valley, and barring any major injuries or extreme fatigue I'll make a bold statement, that admittedly doesn't know all the variables, but I bet the two of you will avg. more than 10-11 miles per day and that you will not need to haul 10 days of food between MTR and Mt. Whitney. Just a prediction based on what I know. Obviously, the call is yours. I think you could also possibly limit your haul between MTR and Mt Whitney if you ate a big breakfast at MTR before leaving. Realize, at the base of Mt Whitney, at the parking lot, where you may choose to rid yourself of that rented bear canister, and ACTUALLY finish your thru-hike(it's misleading to think that your JMT hike ends at Mt Whitney summit, AT hikes don't end at Mt Katahdin summit either!), there is some food available.
Indy cont.: You don't walk into Indy. At the Onion valley TH(after going over Kearsarge Pass) there is a rather busy paved parking lot. You can get a ride there into Indy by politely asking. Never had a problem or long wait. Aug. will be busy. NOTE: if I'm going into Indy and I know I'm DEFINITELY coming back out to the trail(JMT, PCT), BEFORE I leave the JMT/PCT, I leave some of my gear, that I know I'm not going to need, stashed by the JMT/PCT to avoid having to haul it over the pass and back up to the JMT/PCT(just a thought!) There are at least two hotels I know of in Indy. Nothing fancy, as nothing in Indy is. The Courthouse Motel, across from, you guessed it, the Indy Courthouse, and adjacent to the PO is where many hikers stay. They accept parcels if you are staying there. Ph: 760-878-2732. It's on the corner of Rt 395 and the street that you will have to take back to OV TH. Independence CA PO(93526) 9:30-12:30, 1:30-4:00 M-F, closed Sat-Sun. There is one rather fancy, I think French, restaurant, two gas stations w/ possible resupply(both rather mid size, one had, I think, a Subway). The grocery store has closed down and despite repeated rumors of a grocery store opening back up, NAH! There is a taxi service that can take you back to OV TH or hitch. If these services aren't enough you catch one of the buses that rumble up/down dusty Rt 395 north to Bishop(one of the best thru-hiker towns in the eastern Sierras) or south to Ridgecrest. There are some smaller possible resupply options between Bishop and Ridgecrest although I personallly have never taken any of those options. You do not need to go all the way to Bridgeport from Indy for resupply.
Typically, Lone Pine is usually accessed, only after your thru-hike is finished. You will go through Lone Pine at the end of your hike after you drop down from Mt Whitney through Whitney Portal.
As HM has said the Alabama Cafe is where the locals go. Lone Pine, and several other eastern Sierra towns along Rt 395 through the Owens Valley, has that dusty dry old California Western feel. Lots of Westerns have been filmed in and around this area. If you have the urge and time it might be worth exploring some of these sites.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
01-11-2010, 18:54
thing about Kearsarge pass is that you can have your food waiting for you at the Pack station at the trailhead for a fee (I think it was $50 in 2009). There's always a chance that they aren't in business this summer, as it was questionable in 2009.
An alternate option would be to reserve a campground (with bear locker) for the approximate time you plan to get there, and have Bob Ennis shuttle up your food at that time and leave it in the bear locker at the site. You head down, set up camp, repack your stuff, hike out the next day. I think it's about $60 to have him come up there, but that all depends on gas prices. He has done this before and can give you details. His phone number is on this site
http://www.mtwhitneyshuttle.com/
If you know your phone works at Kearsarge Pass (Verizon your only chance), you can probably forego the site reservation and call him the day you arrive, but then he probably can't guarantee that you get the food right when you arrive.
If you are flexible with time, that's obviously logistic overkill.
Unless, you desire a night and shower in a hotel, that is a more expedient way of getting resupplied via Kearsarge Pass that HM recommended. I knew those bear boxes were meant to be used for something.
Helmuth, Fishmonger that is a great book! (JMT 2009) It must have taken quite awhile to put that together. Do you have a hard copy at home or is it entirely a web publication? The writing is a bit small to read easily on my computer.
This is a very helpful thread. I had no idea about the other access to the trail until I started meeting people on the trail who were not thru-hiking. Someday I hope to return to hike sections. Have you hiked any of the High Route as described in Roper's book and if so what section would you recommend? Somewhere I read about a loop around Forester Pass.
(I do not want to divert from the theme of this thread, however. So, be brief!
More on topic: Judging by the food I found in the hiker's box at MTR, most bring excess food. I ate some food out of that box right at the ranch and I also left some of my own re-supply that I could not fit in my pack. I was concerned that my camera batteries might not last the trip, so I asked to buy some at the store there. The nice lady referred me to the hikers box and sure enough I found the AAs I needed.
BTW after leaving Red Meadows I had no Verizon reception along the JMT until Whitney. VVR did have a satellite phone which you can use for a modest fee.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
01-14-2010, 12:25
Helmuth, Fishmonger that is a great book! (JMT 2009) It must have taken quite awhile to put that together. Do you have a hard copy at home or is it entirely a web publication? The writing is a bit small to read easily on my computer..
I have three copies (two for the kids, one for myself, which I got for free, because they somehow screwed up the text printing in one copy and replaced it for free). The web thing is supposed to be a teaser to buy it (that's how Blurb works), but I figured I show the whole book there so that people can see it without having to buy it. A 120 page book of this size is quite expensive as you can see there.
Have you hiked any of the High Route as described in Roper's book and if so what section would you recommend? Somewhere I read about a loop around Forester Pass...
I have done a few small segments. My favorite is the Dusy Basin - Knapsack-Potluck Pass to Palisade Lake route, which is dramatically more interesting than Palisade Valley, but it will take an extra day almost, and you better be comfortable with some class 2-3 climbing/scrambling. Don't go there alone. Actually, don't go anywhere on the High Route alone. The Part around Forester is not something related to the High Route, since the High Route starts north of Forester. However, we had planned to do the old Muir Trail northbound on our Yo-Yo hike (and plan to do it this year again). The old Muir actually goes higher than Forester, but you first need to cross Shepherd Pass, drop down to a Valley called "The Pothole" and from there you head up a barely visible trail that in sections has completely eroded away. It gets you to the top of Junction Pass, from where you drop into Center Basin and reconnect with the JMT far below where the valley meets the one the current JMT runs through, just a mile or two above Vidette Meadow.
some pix of the area
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~rlilly/High_Sierras/King_Kern_R/Junction_Pass_S.html'
Not very technical, but there's supposed to be quite a lot of loose rock on the south side of Junction Pass. Still, if you've seen Forester many times and are looking for something new, that's a good alternate I think.
Further north, again, not part of the Sierra High Route, but one of my favorite JMT alternates: Instead of Lyell Canyon and Donohue Pass, take the shuttle bus from Tuolumne Meadows to Mono Pass Trailhead (or hitch-hike - there's no easy trail to walk. I walked the pavement on Hwy 120 once to get there and it sucked until somebody finally stopped).
From the trailhead, go south towards Parker Pass, from Parker it goes down to the base of Koip Peak. Lots of snow can make that route to Koip Peak Pass difficult in early season, but I've managed to get up there in July. Last year it was too much snow so we hoped to do it northbound. The pass is higher than Donohue, plus you get the most amazing views of Mono Lake while going up there. On the other side is Alger Lakes, a great place to camp. Drop down to Gem Lake next day and from there you can either double over to the JMT at 1000 Island Lake, or continue to the PCT along the other side of the valley (my favorite there, also a day faster than the JMT and the total opposite to the lake valley roller coaster between Donohue and Reds).
South of Reds, I usually go into Fish Valley and past Iva Bell Hot Springs, up the trail to Goodale Pass from there past Grassy Lake and over to Lake of the Lone Indian where you have to make the call if Goodale Pass snow is ok to pass or not. If it isn't you can go over to the JMT, just a mile east, if it is nice, Goodale Pass trail will lead you down to VVR. On all these alternates, you'll barely see any people in high season. Last year we saw only one person south of Rainbow Falls before we got to Silver Pass.
More on topic: Judging by the food I found in the hiker's box at MTR, most bring excess food. I ate some food out of that box right at the ranch and I also left some of my own re-supply that I could not fit in my pack. I was concerned that my camera batteries might not last the trip, so I asked to buy some at the store there. The nice lady referred me to the hikers box and sure enough I found the AAs I needed. ..
yes, as long as you have your own stuff there, she will be the nice lady that points out what is available. However, if you hike in to just grab stuff from the barrel because you figured that's a cheap way to go, she will enforce a "quota" and lecture you on "planning ahead." PCT hikers like to abuse these hiker barrels as a resupply without sending anything of their own to these places, and I think she got tired of those types. I met somebody who headed south on the JMT and was told he could grab a few things, but not a full supply. He looked pretty skinny when we met him at Trail Crest on Whitney :)
BTW after leaving Red Meadows I had no Verizon reception along the JMT until Whitney. VVR did have a satellite phone which you can use for a modest fee.
..
AT&T works just fine at VVR, but it doesn't work on Whitney :-)
H.F, I can't get the picture link to open. I checked the Dusy Basin Route (p. 101) Wow there are too many places...so far I don't have a hiking buddy.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
01-15-2010, 12:19
sorry - have to take the ' off the end of the line
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~rlilly/High_Sierras/King_Kern_R/Junction_Pass_S.html
RichardD
01-29-2010, 01:25
The logistics of Muir Trail Ranch to the portal gave me lots of concerns. The cost of having a resupply packed in to me over Kearsage was too expensive and I did not like the idea of hiking out over Kearsage and hitchhiking into Independence. I had no time (or inclination) to make the very long drive to preposition food at Onion Valley.
I shipped 12 days of food to MTR but only packed 11 days, I left the rest for other hikers. I had puchased the Carbon fiber Expedition bear container and I was able to fit 11 days of mostly freeze dried foods into it.
I only used 9 of the 11 days worth of food.
I was very glad after I crossed Glen pass that I did not have to hike out to resupply.
To each his own, but the somewhat heavier pack out of MTR for me was far better than having to leave the trail at Kearsage. I took an easy afternoon from MTR to Piute Creek then a very easy day to Colby Meadow. A day and a half of food gone and I was quite ready for a long day over Muir pass.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
01-29-2010, 10:51
To each his own, but the somewhat heavier pack out of MTR for me was far better than having to leave the trail at Kearsage.
I prefer the one-stretch run on the southern half as well - by the time you get to MTR, you usually are so well adjusted to the activity, the extra weight of the 3 days of food you'd need from Kearsarge to finish is not really worth the hassle to hike out and resupply.
Meanwhile, my kids still want me to resupply there, because they know very well that if we do, they don't have to carry any food on the southern half of the trail... but I am going to talk them out of that. It was absolutely no problem last year to cover MTR to Whitney in 8 days, for two 11 year olds with a full Bearikade Weekender in each of their packs. This year, we should do that stretch in less time.