Early starts are always best. I'd set an alarm to wake up an hour before daylight so you can start hiking at dawn.
For microspikes, try calling Elevation Mountaineering 760-876-4560 in Lone Pine. Ask about hours and availability.
Steve I noticed you posted a suggestion to sbhiker for finding MicroSpikes. I did not mean to suggest Amazon was a better source but I did get them in a hurry after unsuccessfuly searching locally (Orange County). Thanks for the weather assessment and link to the trip report. We'll see what this this next low pressure system has in store for us. Take care.
