[pct-l] Food Drop Services

[Bob Bankhead]

Resupply by Ned at Sonora Pass is a suberb idea and a service long needed. Yuo can avoid the ~13 mile downhill highway roadwalk to Kennedy Meadows (North) - and the same 13 miles back uphill.


Cottonwood Pass: It is a short, gentle 2 mile, 600 foot descent from Trail Pass down to Horseshoe Meadows campground. Easy hitch into Lone Pine. Lone Pine is a great place for a zero. Stay at the new Lone Pine Hostel ($22). Eat, drink, and make merry at local restuarants. Hitch or take local shuttle ($80 in 2009) back to HSM.


Kearsarge Pass: It is a 1000 foot climb from the PCT up to Kearsarge Pass and a 2600 foot drop to the Onion Valley trailhead parking lot. Then you get to reverse that with a full pack; total non-PCT distance travelled is 16 miles.

For those of you who want to avoid the lost trail time, the hike over Kearsarge Pass down and back up again with a full pack, or the hassle of hitching a ride into Independence for resupply (and an overnight motel bill), the pack station at Onion Valley can offer two options. 

Option 1: For the heavy wallets among you, they will bring your supplies up to the PCT/JMT and meet you (other locations also available but the Kearsarge Pass/JMT junction is the least expensive). This is an especially good option for groups whose members can share the cost among themselves.

Option 2: They will hold your package at the pack station for a fee. You can pick it up 24/7 anytime that they are there so no more worries about hitting the post office's hour and days of operation. For a small extra charge, you can use their showers and camp at the station, or just grab your package and go back up the hill or over to the USFS campground. Your choice.

For details, pricing, and procedures, contact Sequoia Kings Pack Train at pinecreekps at aol.com or call 760-387-2627. Website is http://horse-pack-trips.gordonsguide.com/sequoia/index.cfm


Wandering Bob

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Ellzey 
  To: ned at mountaineducation.org  
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Food Drop Services


  As Patti said, a resupply service to the trailhead east of Kearsarge Pass and at the picnic site on Sonora Pass would be really sweet. I don't know if there is a need to hike it in to the PCT at Kearsarge, I personally would just like to avoid the hitch into Independence. 

  BigToe

  -----Original Message-----
  From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net 
  Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 11:16 AM
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Food Drop Services

  We used to bring thru hiker's resupply boxes right to them on the trail years ago. Never had a problem with the USFS, but then it was only into the Sierra while there was still a lot of snow still on the ground! (1984 to 2005)

  We would still offer the service to points like Cottonwood Pass, Kearsarge Pass, Bishop Pass, Mono Pass, Red's Meadow, Tuolumne Meadows/Tioga Pass, Sonora Pass, and Echo Pass if hikers could make it worth while. Would anyone be interested?

  It depends on whether it is important to the thru hiker to stay on the trail, saving the time it takes to hike down the thousands of feet to the trailhead (think the first four Passes), hopefully hitch into some closest town, and then repeat the round-trip by hitching back and climbing up to the trail with a full pack or not. 

  This is what we offered and would do again if we could afford to do it. We're non-profit, after all....


  Ned Tibbits