[pct-l] VVR in 04

[v2skater at hotmail.com (Mary Wholey)]

We stopped at VVR in 2004 and thought it was very nice. We were there in 
August, so maybe by then they had a few months to get used to hikers. The 
staff was disorganized, but very friendly.

The prices were high, but certainly not outrageous given the location. I 
think I paid around $21 for a rack of lamb and good salad (with spring 
greens - not iceberg lettuce). Shower was $5, with soap, shampoo & 
conditioner, and a towel included. Laundry was another $5, soap included. 
The boat ride was $10 each direction - not so bad compared to Echo Lake, 
which offers a boat shuttle for $8 (I think) each way for less than half the 
distance. We hiked out (Southbound) to save a buck, and I would not do that 
again. Lodging for a night was free (we ended up with top bunks, but only 
because we waited too long to claim a bed), and of course, the first beer 
(tasty microbrew - on tap!) was free too.

There were some things on the shelves of the store that looked like they 
came from the hiker box, but we were still able to find plenty to eat in the 
hiker box, including things like Mountain House dinners that they could have 
easily taken out and sold (the freeze dried chicken breasts we found there 
were surprisingly tasty!).

All in all, I had a great time at VVR, and I'm definitely planning on giong 
back this year. (At least, if the snow ever starts to melt - we skied in a 
blizzard Sunday at Mammoth!)

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