[pct-l] fuel and resupply stations/snowpack

[brick@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Brick Robbins)]

At 02:51 PM 5/5/03, Nathan Goldfarb wrote:

>Question #2:  We start June 8, hiking S to N.  We were going to send
>food and boxes to VVR, Reds and Tuolumne.  However, according to the
>rangers, Tuolumne  might not be open if there is late snow.  They said
>some years it's open Memorial Day, some years not until July 4.  Then
>what?

Same thing applies to both place for slightly different reasons.

There may or may not be traffic. The problem with Tuolumne is Tioga Pass,
so often the road to the meadow will be open but not the pass, due to
avalanche danger and road repairs. Not much traffic before the pass opens
so the lodge and store don't open till the pass does.

>  Is this true for Red's too ?

Yes. They don't plow the road into Reds, so it depends on when it is clear.

>Do we hitch into towns for food...

Kind of hard to hitch if the roads are closed. You can walk to Mammoth
Mountain from Agnew Meadow in a few hours.

>and what happens to our food boxes.

The mail drop at the Tuolumne Meadows store is a post office. Reds is a
private outfitter.

In Yosemite, the boxes end up in the post office in The Valley.

I don't know what Reds does with them. They may have an office in Mammoth
that holds them till the road opens You can call them and ask 760-934-2345,
800-292-7758. Last time I did this, Red's wouldn't accepet packages by
mail, you had to physically drop them off at the pack station.

>Do they eventually get sent home?

If you sent them first class or priority, they do from Touolmne, since it
is a post office. For Red's you would have to make arrangements for them to
send it back.

>Can anyone offer some advice on how to safely plan for this?

Go later in the season.

>And how do PCT hikers deal with this dilemma?

They don't get to Reds or Yosemite park that early. Most don't leave
Kennedy Meadows till two weeks after you start. Personally, I think the
food drop issue will be the least of your worries. Bring an Ice Axe and
know how to use it.




--
Brick Robbins
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are
cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
------- Bertrand Russell