Thanks for all the replies so far!
saltydog~
I did cross a lot of small creeks on the way to Merton - were those all seasonal and likely to be dried up now this year?
We are planning to camp at Nine Mile Creek, Hamilton Lake, Big Arroyo junction, Moraine Lake, Kern Hot Springs and the JMT junction/Wallace Creek, prior to arriving at Guitar Lakes. I've heard there are bear boxes at (at least) Nine Mile & Hamilton, which would make packing the Bear Vaults easier. But are they reliable? I'm worried that there will be lots of other hikers, and since I'm so slow, they might fill up before I arrive.
I was just ahead of you last year. Check the local beta, but I would not be surprised if everything before Mehrten is dry this year. Oh, the climb from Lone Pine Creek after Bearpaw is pretty dry too, so tank up at Bearpaw, and don't even think about trying to water at Lone Pine Cr.
SAme for wallace Creek:SOuthern exposure and dry. Tank up when the trail separates from the Kern, and don't expect access to the creek as you climb.
There are normally bear boxes at Mehrten, Nine Mile, Buck Creek, Bearpaw, Upper Hamilton, Big Arroyo Crossing,Moraine Lake, Kern Hot SPrings, Junction Meadow, Tyndall/JMT, Wallace/JMT and Crabtree ranger Sta. See
SEKI Bear Boxes http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/bear_box.htm. There are multiple boxes at the most popular sites. I wouldn't worry about space: the boxes seem to be underused and very well matched to the campsite capacity. Double check on the JMT only rule at Tyndall and Wallace.
Get an early start from Moraine Lake and you should be able to stake out space at Kern HS, but by the time everyone else rolls in, you may not want to stay. Its popular.
