Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

A forum to initiate member meet-up. Looking for a hiking/climbing/fishing/skiing/etc. partner, or are you planning a trip where you wouldn't mind having some company? Last minute invites can be just as fun as a well-planned group trip (sometimes even better) so don't be shy! And be sure to post a trip report to the appropriate forum when you get back.
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oldranger
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by oldranger »

kathy

not quite sure what not eating fish has to do with fishing! ;)
Mike

Who can't do everything he used to and what he can do takes a hell of a lot longer!
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by Hobbes »

KathyW wrote:I'm not sure if I'll start at the Shepherd Pass Trail, Cottonwood Pass, or the Whitney Trail.
It will be fun to meet you and WD. If I didn't have this obsession with finally fishing the Kern, I was playing with the idea of shotgunning it straight over Trail crest to the meet-up spot.

For those thinking of entering/returning via Portal, Steve C over @ the Whitneyzone posted a very detailed x-c route from the HST he hiked this past summer. Starting below Junction meadow, he followed Whitney creek to the Crabtree watershed, and then up Discover pinnacle to Mt Whitney:

http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthread ... r_Shortcut" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One loop I've done various iterations of is to leave my car in Lone Pine, pay an avg of $75 to Horseshoe (or other THs), and exit out of Whitney. As opposed to trying to get a next day entry permit to the Whitney zone, a same day alternative entry TH and subsequent WZ exit permit is practically a dunk shot. And, it's super easy to hitch a ride from Portal back into LP to retrieve your car.

So, a cool route would be to get to the meet-up spot from any point west, north or south, then follow Steve C's path up Whitney creek, continue up the Crabtree watershed, ascend Discovery pinnacle to the main Mt Whitney trail (MMWT) at the Trail crest junction, and head down to Portal. Or, throw in yet another Whitney summit into the mix just for the heck of it. After all, once you're at Trail crest, it's only 2.2 (.3 to the JMT junction, 1.9 to the summit) miles each way. :D
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by maverick »

Alright WD and Kathy, it will be great to have some more female HST members
attending this Meet-up, and hopefully this will have others consider it in the future. :)
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by SSSdave »

maverick wrote:... Dave, now that you carry the Sony A6000, and lost some of that weight off your back, you should seriously consider putting our trip on your schedule.
I remember several years back you saying, that you would like to visit Kaweah
Basin, but it was to much work with all photography weight you had to carry, well
here is the perfect opportunity Dave. :)
The date could work and I can take a lot of time off from my job. I have a lot of trips to choose from and much depends on conditions. I won't go up to the Upper Kern unless it is in prime flowery greenery of late July thru early August. Explained this on last years trip thread and mentioned it on my earlier post in this thread. If I make a huge effort to over Shepherd Pass, for aesthetic reasons am going to be more at timberline than above timberline versus the usual orientation here. And as noted on an earlier post on this thread, it will likely be a solo journey and on the east side of the trench. A few years ago put on a spreadsheet a 9 to 10 day trip that will go off like clockwork to hit various places at optimal times of day for best light. And sometimes may change plans and sit on something really good. So not easy for others tagging along. But then again might be able to link up with others somewhere depending on where others are enroute. And any slow hikers would enjoy my dawdling pace.

For example, am likely to night hike late afternoon in shade from the trailhead most of the way up those switchbacks to the 2760 meter ridge crossing then next day hike at sunrise to somewhere near The Pothole that offers interesting late work. Following morning early dawn will climb over the Shepherd Pass, ramble down to foxtail pine forest to be in the promised land by time the light is prime. Later in trip would be about the big wide open views on Bighorn Plateau and Tawny Point.
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by Jimr »

Hobbes wrote:... continue up the Crabtree watershed, ascend Discovery pinnacle to the main Mt Whitney trail (MMWT) at the Trail crest junction, and head down to Portal....
Hobbes, are you referring to the N/E slope from upper Crabtree Lk toward discovery pinnacle? AKA the dreaded sand hill?
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by maverick »

Okay Dave, will put you down as a possible show, anything I could entice you with
to bump it up from a possible to most likely? Like the entire Star Trek TV Series on
DVD. :D
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by Hobbes »

Jimr wrote:are you referring to the N/E slope from upper Crabtree Lk toward discovery pinnacle? AKA the dreaded sand hill?
Yep. Here's Steve C's full report:

http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthread ... cs/39433/1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And a suggested route up the sand monster.

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.p ... 0&z=16&t=s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In my typical loosey-goosey, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants fashion, I could see making last minute trip alterations. For example, if you, BlueWater, Kathy or others got a wild hair & wanted to exit @ Portal, we could book it early Friday from Kaweah to Crabree (via HST/PCT or the Whitney creek x-route) in order to make it to "Beach lake". That would provide some additional fishing opportunities Fri afternoon/evening, and put us in position to go up & over Discovery Sat am; tagging the summit would be optional.

Once in Portal, we could catch a ride down to Lone Pine, and from there split the fee (say, $100) to have someone drive us to get one of our cars - whether @ Onion, Shepherd or Horseshoe - and then shuttle the other(s) to their car(s). If everyone was beat, we could crash overnight in LP at the hostel, then head home early Sun am.

Now that you're going (ultra) light (er), I'm sure you're gonna wanna try out your new equipment on some alternative paths. :unibrow:
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by Jimr »

Dude, you scare me.
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by Hobbes »

LOL. You wanna go on an early training hike in late April? (Right after tax season ends - file your extensions and split!) 110 miles in 5 (maybe 4 days) @ the PCT kick-off? The only elevation gain/loss is 3k+- up/down Mt Laguna. Get ahead of the pack by 1 day from the border and exit @ Warner springs aka Section A:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserRevi ... ornia.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Park the cars @ WS and pay someone to drive to the border. Get back, drive home - EZ breezy. But, you gotta get your base weight down to around 5lbs + wear running shoes. Add 10lbs water/day + 5lbs of food, and you'll avg carrying 20-.
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Re: Maverick's 2015 Annual HST Meet-Up 7/22-7/24/15

Post by Jimr »

Let me think about it. You still have that extra set of UL?
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
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