[pct-l] Traversing the Sierra

[Steve Courtway]

All day to pack the bear can ?

I take it you organize the meals such that you don't have to dig out 
somthing for the first night's meal from the bottom, thusly requiring a zero 
day to repack the thing ?


s.c.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Reynolds" <tomreynolds_ilan at yahoo.com>
To: <AsABat at 4Jeffrey.Net>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, March 23, 2007 12:55 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Traversing the Sierra


> This is a clear roadmap how to legally traverse the Sierra on the PCT 
> without undue hassle.
>
>  The problem for a thruhiker is how to get enough food in a bear canister 
> to get from Kennedy Meadows to VVR without resupply. I personally can pack 
> 18 pounds of food in a bear canister. However, it takes me all day, AT 
> HOME, to do so and the food I carry requires significant fuel to 
> reconstitute. Obviously, I carry a much more powerful and efficient stove 
> than the typical alcohol stove carried by thruhikers.
>
>  It is, IMHO, rather difficult for a thruhiker to get that much food in a 
> canister and rather unlikely that s/he will. I therefore propose the 
> following.
>
>  First, pack enough food to get you from where you stop north of Woods 
> Creek in the canister. Second, do not open the canister until told to do 
> so. (There will be a test.) This means that you may need to split some 
> essentail supplies, toothpaste for example. Store allthe food required to 
> get past Woods Creek in two, equally balanced stuff sacks and carry 100' 
> of nylon rope. Learn to bear bag. You will bear bag the first few miles 
> leaving KM. Obviously this will require some planning. Only you know your 
> daily hiking range. Remember, however, that Sierra hiking means hiking at 
> high altitudes and significent elevation changes.
>
>  From Kennedy Meadows to south of Trail Pass you can legally and rather 
> easily hang your food that is not in a canister. There are lots of cool 
> tricks that make counterbalancing easier. However, the best tip IMHO, is 
> to start looking for a suitable tree 2-3 hours before you plan to stop. It 
> may well take 6-9 miles of trail to find a suitable tree.
>
>  Once you reach the restricted area around Cottenwood Pass you must either 
> reach the bear box at Rock Creek or hike into Cottonwood Campground where 
> hopefully you can bum a beer from campers.
>
>  From Trail Pass north you must stop at bear boxes.  Recommended thruhiker 
> stops:
>
>  1-Lower Rock creek/PCT. The first bear box except in Cottonwood 
> Campground.
>
>  2-Lower Crabtree or Crabtree Ranger Station . Toss excess food in bear 
> box, then proceed towards Mt. Whitney camping on the flat 300' above 
> Guitar Lake with no excess food.
>
>  3-Tyndall Creek/JMT. Summit Whitney very early, then return, pick up your 
> food and pack and make Tyndall Creek if possible. If not, kick back at 
> Crabtree Meadow. Tyndall Creek is the last box south of Forrester and no 
> suitable trees near the base of Forrester Pass. Alternatively, you could 
> try Forrester from Wallace Creek, planning to find the box at the Center 
> basin Trail junction. That shortens the Whitney day but means more 
> climbing the next day.
>
>  --cross Forrester Pass-
>
>  4-Center Basin/JMT or Vidette Meadow or Charlotte Lake. From Tyndall 
> Creek it is a few miles to the base of Forrester. North of Forrester you 
> descend to a large flat with, unfortunately, no box. The first box is at 
> the Center Basin Trail and relatively hard to find. It is a gentle 
> downhill to Vidette. The boxes are off trail nearer to Bubbs Creek. This 
> is serious bear country. I don't recommend trying to make it to Charlotte. 
> To make it to Charlotte Lake requires a serious uphill.
>
>  --cross Glen Pass--
>
>  5-Middle Rae Lake or Arrowhead Lake or Woods Creek (Rae Lakes is one of 
> the prettiest locations in the Sierra. However, it is only 8 miles, 
> downhill to Woods Creek, the last bear box. Scenery or miles, you choose)
>
>  6-Eat everything left outside the canister where you camp. Essentially, 
> you leave the last bear box with one day of food outside the canister. 
> From Woods Creek you traverse the Kings River's headwaters and one or two 
> passes depending on your range. Depending on where you camp you eat 
> everything.
>
>  7-Open the bear canister for the FIRST TIME to eat breakfast. For some 
> reason it seems impossible to repack a canister on the trail as 
> efficiently as one can do at Kennedy Meadows. If you open the canister 
> before this point, somehow it won't all fit back. At this point you are a 
> far north as Palisades Lakes (3-4 days from) VVR or maybe a day behind. 
> Anyone but a weekender can get 5-6 days in a canister.
>
>
>  List of applicable Bear Boxes (North to South)
>  ------------------------------------
>  Woods Creek crossing/John Muir Trail (2)
> Arrowhead Lake
> Middle Rae Lake (2)
>  Charlotte Lake
>  9900' Elevation/John Muir Trail
> Vidette Meadow (2)
> John Muir Trail/Center Basin Trail
>  Tyndall Creek Frog Ponds
>  Tyndall Creek/John Muir Trail
>  Wallace Creek/John Muir Trail
>  Crabtree Ranger Station
>  Lower Crabtree Meadow
>  Lower Rock Creek crossing/Pacific Crest Trail
>
>
> AsABat <asabat at cox.net> wrote: 
> http://www.pct77.org/adz/archive/2002_photos_02.htm
>
>
>> NOW the ADZ is starting to sound like a real circus! =-)
>>
>> Do you know what kind of bears will be attending the ADZ?
>
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