After planning my High Sierra Trail hike for the past 6 months, it occurs to me that there may be a need for more discussion of the western alternatives to the MT and MR. Although the Eastern routes over the Crest will also have a lot to do with this I am primarily interested in the Western Slope approaches such as HST, JMT SoBo section/through- hikes , Mineral King, Cedar Grove, etc. PCT from the south (Walker Pass) and Kern Canyon from the south would also definitely be of interest.
My first observation is that for what is considered a classic through-hike, the HST is one mother bear to set up a shuttle for. Its an old New England joke that "You can't get there from here", but I have never come as close to applying it seriously as between the Portal and SEKI. I learned that I can get back to the JMT TH in Yosemite, 223 miles away cheap and easy , Portal to Crest to YARTS, same day, under 30 bucks plus a hitch Portal to Lone Pine. Same trip to SEKI? Maybe 40 miles as the raven flies? FUggeddabouddit. $300 bucks for one or two, 800 bucks up for any more or Multi-day, multiconnection through Ridgecrest, Tehachapi, Lancaster, Bikersfield, Visalia SEKI shuttle yada yada.
SO how about that easy way to Yosemite, and then to SEKI? There must be good transportation between these crown jewels of the NPS, right? No deal. The proposed Fresno shuttle to both Yosemite and SEKI could close that gap some day, but at the moment there isn't even public transit from -- I love this -- "Fresno Yosemite International" to Yosemite. There is nothing even approaching the CREST/YARTS systems on the Western slope, where all the NP main entrances, gentle climbs and population centers are.
OK, enough of the worst of the logistics. We are going for it, Whitney from the West. Anyone else into a Western approach?
Last edited by saltydog; 06/09/11 08:25 AM.
