[pct-l] Use of TH Bear Boxes

[Bob Bankhead]

True enough, Hootie. However, the OP asked for options so that's what I gave
him. That said, I doubt OV sees many visitors in mid-June, when most
thru-hikers are passing by, so I doubt the rangers would be as picky.
There's still a lot of snow in the high country then and the CG may not yet
be open. The July - Sept time frame is a whole different story.  All
resupply options have some level of risk, but being wrong here could really
ruin your day.

I did not mention the option to have a vehicle meet him there. That's what I
did the year I went through. Some of my former hiking buddies were waiting
for me at the CG, and we went on to Reds Meadow together, but this was in
August.

Neither did I mention trying to convince a VERY good hiking friend to drive
up to OVCG and hump his resupply up over KP, meeting him at Upper Kearsarge
Lake, Charlotte Lake, or even at the 4-way trail junction. While
time-saving, he would definitely miss seeing one of the most jaw-dropping,
wide-ranging views of the high Sierra from atop KP. IMO, it is not to be
missed, and it's a much easier ascent from the west side. 

All options are only valid if the road is open. The most reliable of the
options, IMO, would be sending a box to the pack station. It is not always
manned, but they will have someone there on the day you agree upon. Dee and
Brian have their own secure bear box by the barn so that even if you miss
your estimated arrival date and there's no one at the station when you
arrive, you'll still be able to retrieve your box, using the access codes
they provide you. 

Were I to skip both the Horseshoe Meadows and Onion Valley resupply options,
I would definitely opt to resupply at Muir Trail Ranch rather than at VVR,
if for no other reason than that MTR is about 1.5 to 2 days closer to
Kennedy Meadows. I'd resupply again at Reds Meadow (and take a couple of
much-needed zeros in Mammoth Lakes), then resupply again at Tuolumne
Meadows. 

But that's just me. Having done the trail, I'm not inclined to repeat it;
too many other trails to walk before I finally hang up my boots.