Sierra Rendezvous 2005

“LOL!
I was stressing out over plans for the Wind Rivers trip this last summer and asking and making way to many suggestions to sweet om who was organizeing for the SouthEast bunch.

She slapped me up side the head in an email and told me to chill, everything would work out, and did I want to take over organizeing duties! I said, "Sorry Ma'am, I'll be a good boy now". So I chilled.

So chill peeps.........

It will work out.......

or Phil might send 'OM the INFORCER' to visit you!!!!! ;-)

oooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...”

“Phil is making some good points,
I won't book my flight reservations until I know when the party I might ride back to the airport with, decides to come home. I would prefer to leave LAX, ONT or SMF in the AM on Sunday July 24th. But if the afterglow party is scheduled for Saturday night July 23rd in Lone Pine I know that getting to the airport will be impossible. I will schedule my flight around the wishes of anyone who will give me a ride. Beside I want to be at the party!!:)
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As far as going out over Whitney, its no big deal. IMHO fishing for Goldens and rambling around as far from the crowds as possible is more fun. Put me down as a volunteer to go out via Shepherds to clear a slot for someone who really want to go over the mountain. I'll bet there are others who will volunteer. I think Flip already said he was going out via Shepherds.
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Finally with only six slots available for the Saturday, July 16th trip to Shepherds maybe the thing to do is have everyone who wants to leave on Saturday go in via Kearsarge. Thirty-six slots almost guarrantees that everyone would get a permit. We could put down Shepherds as our second choice on the permit application.
This plan allows for several nice options for the Saturday folks. If desired you could do Forester on the second day (Sunday), but if not, you could kick back and spend a relaxing day at Vedette Meadows and then do Forester on Monday with the people coming in over Kearsarge on Sunday.
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Shepherds is a butt-kicker and I've already spent two nights at Anvil so I know what it looks like. I wouldn't mind going over Kearsarge and seeing the Vidette area.
last edited: 12/24/04 12:35:33 PM”

“'OM the INFORCER'

OMG!!!
I've been enforced, and I don't want THAT to happen again.
8^)”

“Nav, since I have to fly back to Nashville on Sun. I will see about getting the latest flight out of LAX that evening/night. I dang sure don't want to mess up a good party Saturday night.”

“Good thinking. That way we keep our options open.”

“SN: If you're interested we might do Sat/Sun over Keararge and do University Peak while out there.”

“I saw a ranger turn around a hiker on the Main Whitney Trail because he had a large backpack and only had a day hiking permit. Both times I did Whitney it was as a day hike from Whitney Portal and there were rangers out there checking permits along the trail, but only on the way up.”

“Hike to Kearsarge Lakes to camp with the TT group if they let me on 7/16 then do University Peak from there before heading out on 7/17.

Anyone else interested in the weekend version?”

“Thanks for the invite to climb University but I'm not much of a mountain climber. I am rethinking my entry point though. If I do leave via Shepherds I kinda would like to come in at another point. Spending two nights (entering and leaving) at Anvil Camp would be a waste. It's a good camping site but not exactly scenic.

>
So what is the elevation gain going over Kearsarge again? And from Vidette to the top of Forester? Anyone know that off the top of their heads? Thanks.
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Merry Christmas everyone. Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards all.”

“I have my flight booked, but will be completly flexible to the "Phil Plans".I can always make changes. I did this mostly to get myself in gear to condition for this hike. If everything falls thru, no problem. But I have faith and have always seen these things go from chaos to perfect as time draws near.

I hope everyone has a fanstatic holiday!”

“unfold~~~unfold~~~unfold~~~~~~~~~~~~



ay! navi, stovestomper....you talkin' to me??? you talkin' to me????”

“AHhhhh....No, Ma'am.”

“wannabp - so maybe I don't understand the Trail Crest quota thing. Are 15 permits given in advance based on the entry day or the planned exit day?

nav - did you end up with the initiation paraphenalia, or was it jvz?”

“UUUMMMM, What Initiation Ceremony??? Should I be worried?”

“hopefully by the time I can book a flight al of the details will be worked out. I will be flying Southwest and they haven't gotten that far in booking flights. They are up to June so far.”

“Solitary - I agree on Anvil - I wouldn't want to spend 2 nights there if I could spend the time up over the pass where it is prettier and typically there are less bugs.

About 2,600 feet gain from Onion Valley to Kearsarge Pass.

About 4,200 feet gain from Vidette Meadow to Forester Pass

If you take the side trip into Wrights Lake Basin, you are looking at a trip with 11,100 feet gain and 14,600 feet loss. It's a little over 40 miles - topo software says 36, but the software always has the mileage too short.

You have some nice options for side trips on that trip. You can go check out the Lake South America area or extend you trip into Wrights Lake Basin to include a trip over to Wallace Lake.”

“Wing, have you done the Baxter Pass trail? I'm thinking of starting a couple days earlier than the rest of the group. Is it worth it or or just one big treeless sunny slog?”

“Sign me up for 1a.

Rockman-
If it's not just a solo thing you're after, you possibly have my interest about going in through Baxter because that gets you a bigger chunk of the JMT. Are you thinking of setting it up where you'd approximately meet in the vacinity of the 1/1a group at Kearsarge Lakes?

Peace \o/”

“Tekdude, you're more than welcome to come along. Yeah, I was hoping to meet up with the first group along the JMT after their stay at Anvil Camp. I still have much planning to do but at least I got TOPO! for Christmas.

Oh, and if anyone else wants to join in on the Baxter Pass part you're also welcome.”

“Well, it's official. I've changed my takeoff point to Kearsarge on Saturday. And I'm seriously considering flying into ONT late Thursday night and taking the redeye out of ONT on Sunday evening.
>
Therefore let the plans for the big bash Saturday night in Lone Pine at the Dow Villa Motel commense!”

“I have not been up the Baxter Pass Trail, but I hear that it's no worse than the Shepherd Pass Trail (maybe a little fainter in areas). I'd like to get up it, so I'll be interested to know what you find out about it.

As far as the tough eastern passes, I've only done Shepherd (twice). Over Memorial Day weekend I'm going to try Sawmill - but I may only get to Sawmill Lake depending on the amount of snow and then in late July/early August I'm going to do the Taboose Pass trail up to Bench Lake and then head north to do Split Mountain from the JMT.”

“We should check with the Dow Motel and see if they will give us a group rate and maybe put up one of those signs out front that say something like:
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"Welcome Trail Talk Weezers & Geezers Reunion '05"”

“question...hikers in group one...what day do you arrive in CA?”

“Nothing firm yet but I'm thinking about flying into ONT late Thursday night. That way I could be at the trailhead sometime Friday.
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And I've been studying the maps. There are three or four lakes on the way up to Kearsarge Pass. If your permit says your start date is Saturday, July 16th will you get into trouble if you walk up and camp at one of those lakes on Friday night?
last edited: 12/27/04 9:41:21 AM”

“Gemini, if you're flying into L.A., Friday noonish would be best. I think I've got a full car at this point, so check with Phil, or one of the other fine folk here in So.Cal. for better details.

Sol, permits come with the right to camp at the trailhead. so if you see a ranger tell him you thought this was the trailhead camping. 8^)”

“I thought ontario was best. Is it not?”

“Are we overplanning considering how far out this trip is (that's to say ... how far into the future)? The extent of my planning at this point is getting to a trail head on Friday, hiking in on Saturday, hiking out the following Saturday. I would like to have one day of day hiking and watching others fish (and consuming said fish). I am not wedded to claiming Whitney (been there...done that). I am leaning toward driving home on Saturday to give me a day to prepare myself for going back to work on Monday. Details can wait. (that said, I understand how people flying in might want things a little more nailed down, and the permit thing is something I haven't dealt with much.)”

“To answer your first question .... aaahh....no. This is Trail Talk adventure of epic, yea even heroic scale. It requires days, weeks, months of careful planning and consideration. To the jaded Californian who can just hop in the old Volkswagon Microbus and head over to the Sierras it may seem like overkill. But I can assure you it is not! This is a serious game pDog.
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Airplanes tickets must be acquired early on. Do you know what a ticket bought late might cost? I checked... twas $1498. This is not chump change my dear.
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Careful plans must be made for the coordination of close encounters at airports and trailheads. No TTer must be left behind.
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Menus must be planned. Group meals are in order. Have you ever done shushi for 35 people pDog?
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And finally there is the big afterglow bash to pull off. No easy task. We'll be working on that right up to the time we start hiking. But it will be grand. And I want to make a prediction right now. PepperDog aka. AnnieB will not drive home to Davis the same day she comes down from the mountains. Ain't gonna happen. Think of the hot shower, the food, the adult beverages, the soft bed, the camaraderie of your fellow Weezers and Geezers. Alas, all of of this taking place on Saturday night, July 23rd, 2005 at the Dow Villa Motel and Hotel. And if that doesn't convince you, think of the TTers who would verbally savage you as soon as your car pulled away from the trailhead parking lot for a wimpy Saturday trip home.
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I can hear it now. "Now would you look at that.....There goes a real cheapskate. She probably left because she thought she might have to spring for a pitcher of beer.... Yeah, I know...You should have seen all the trouble she instigated on that last Llama Rama........etc, etc, etc...."
last edited: 12/27/04 1:22:47 PM”

“Hey, if you want to go home on Saturday night. Hurray!!! I'll ride shotgun and pump coffee into you. As much as I love most fellow TTer's, after a week long trip I'm sure I will be ready to go home. Especially since I have a 9 hour flight to get home.

Solitary....I hope you have a carpool arranged, 'cause you might have just shot yourself in the foot on this one!”

“Yeah! What Sol said!!!”

“Gemini, I think Phil said Ontario is the best for him.”

“CJ,
You better change that flight. See if AA flies out of SMF around 6:00PM on Sunday. In my case Delta doesn't have anything that leaves after 1:00PM. Therefore I am forced to fly out of ONT. Let us face cold hard reality. This afterglow party is a done deal. No sane TTer would dare not be there.”

“Too funny, Sol! I think we should acquire $10 from pepper before the hike at the trailhead for the pitcher. :)”

“whatcha mean afterglow party? I must have missed this discussion...
party?? really?”

“Gem, we west-coasters tend to throw a after-hike party in town. We get hotel/motel rooms, go swimming, drink, go out to dinner, and drink some more. It's almost better than the hike! Oh, and what ever happens at the afterglow party is not spoken of again... so no gossipin' to the east coasters, mmmkay?”

“What happens in Lone Pine...Stays in Lone Pine... or Bishop... or 3 Rivers... or...”

“hahahaha. Sounds like fun to me.
and mmmkay...my lips are sealed.”

“Sol....I agree that an "afterglow" would be alot of fun, but I'm trying to keep 6 vacation days from becoming 7. I would like to be able to do another week somewhere. But we will see as time gets closer, but thanks for the input. If I must take the red eye out, well then the red eye it is. ;)”

“Phil, to answer your question from way back. The permits apparently have entry and exit days and both have quotas from what I understand if the exit is via the main Whitney trail. Getting a permit requires there being available space for your entry and your exit IF you are exiting via the main Whitney trail. I called the ranger station phone number listed for Inyo forest and spoke directly with someone. It was easy. I got someone right away, and she answered all my questions.”

“I think this locomotive is gathering steam!!!!

Gemini - If you are in group 1, then you should fly into Ontario (or LAX or SNA) on Thursday. I am sure I can pick you up. It sounds like Nav will have a full vehicle. I wasn't planning on driving to the trailhead on Friday, but perhaps someone else will be going from our area who is in group 1 who can take you and Sol to the trailhead.

However, after all the permits are arranged, I could be changing my plans and driving to the trailhead on Friday...it remains to be seen. All along I have been thinking I would drive to the trailhead on Saturday and meet my brother and nephew when they arrive there...thus my choice of group 1a.

I think Sol is getting excited about the trip...not sure...just a wild hunch.”

“Six...seven days .....geeez what's the diff? Besides, why would you want to take a vacation day in dreary Easley anyway? Live for once. I'm telling ya .... You are not going to want to miss this. People who don't go on the hike will be coming to this bash. We might even have to charge admission.”

“Somebody hose Solitary down! You're too funny!”

“I also can pick a couple people up at Ontario Airport. I am going in with the Kearsarge/Saturday group so if you arrive friday I will grab you when you land and then we will swing by REI in RC and get any last minute things needed. It will take 4-5 hours to get to Onion Valley on Friday so make your arrival for Friday morning. That way we can hang out in Onion Valley acclimitizing. Something you east coasters might want to consider doing.”

“I have tentative plans to fly into Ontario very late Thursday night. The flight is supposed to come in at 11:59 PM. Either I'll sleep in the airport lobby (if they let me)or check into the Best Western that is about a mile away.
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Anyone flying in is going to need to stop at an outfitter if they use gas cannisters. Also can you buy fishing licenses at the REI?
last edited: 12/28/04 10:35:47 AM”

“Yes SH, let me know when you arrive and I will come and get you. It is better to sleep on my couch than to sleep in the Airport.
Yes a fishing lic. can be obtained at REI or Sports Chalet”

“Thanks man. My hat's off to you! If you do that I'll buy at least one case or keg of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for the party. That is a promise.”

“okay...I haven't booked the flight yet, but I guess I'll be there thursday night like
SH. WLD, i'll send you an email.”

“I'm thinkn' this trip is goin' to ROOCCKK!!”

“it will rock if you all promise not to drink any alcohol!! no drinking while parting!! moahhhhh!!!!

okay...so the 25th would be okay to fly back right? party would be on the 24th??

quick answer...I am about to book
last edited: 12/28/04 11:24:55 AM”

“Where do you fly out of? Aren't you in the southeast somewhere? It's possible we could even catch the same flight into ONT.”