[pct-l] Vacationing with a thru-hiker?

[rogers at isi.edu (Craig Milo Rogers)]

On 05.01.13, Nick Simon wrote:
> two hikes where my partner can fly from the east coast and spend a week at
>  a time with me on the trail.
...
> 2.  Ease of access for her from the east coast (airport proximity, bus line, etc).
> 3.  Maximizing the beauty of the scenery covered during the hikes.

	There is an unfortunate correlation between "scenic" and
"inaccessible" on the PCT, particularly now that Greyhound has
discontinued so much rural service.

	One possibility is... the Angeles National Forest!  I believe
it is possible to fly into, say, Ontario International Airport, catch
a bus to San Bernardino (Omnitrans), catch another bus to Victorville
(Victor Valley Commuter or Greyhound), and catch a final bus to
Wrightwood (Victor Valley Transit, reservation required, see
www.vvta.org/local).  Can this be done in one day... probably not.
But, don't despair... there are many trail angels in Southern
California, and you may be able to arrange transportatin through a
suitable plea on this newsgroup or at the ADZPCTKO.  Historically,
transportation back to Los Angeles has been readily available, say, at
the Saufleys'.

	The eastern Sierra is very scenic, and it is still possible to
get there by bus, in spite of Greyhound's withdrawal from the market.
The High Sierra might be overly challenging for an early-season hike
with a novice hiker, particularly if this turns out to be a late
snowmelt year, but here are some of your options:

1)	Fly to LAX, connect to Greyhound (I don't know the details,
	a local bus, or taxi ride at worst),  Greyhound to Mojave,
	regional bus to Ridgecrest, Inyo Mono Transit to Lone Pine.

2)	Fly to Reno, Inyo Mono Transit to Bishop, and on to Lone Pine,
	if needed.

	You could rendezvous in Lone Pine, hitch up to Horseshoe Meadows,
do Mt Whitney (but you'd need a hard-to-get permit for your girlfriend!),
and come out at Independence.

	You could meet at Bishop, catch a ride up Bishop Creek, hike
in to the PCT, and catch a bus out at Red's Meadow (bus or hitch from
there back to Bishop).

	Bishop to Mammoth, Mammoth to Red's Meadow, hike to Tuolomne
Meadows, (somehow) get to Lee Vining, then catch the regional bus to
Reno.

	If money isn't an object, you can:

1)	Charter an airplane to fly in/out of Lone Pine, Bishop, or
	Mammoth.

2)	Have a horse packer give your girlfriend (and your resupplies)
	a ride to/from the PCT out of Lone Pine or Bishop.

	If you poke around on trailjournals.com, you may be able to
find descriptions from last year on how past hikers made these
connections.

					Craig "Computer" Rogers