[pct-l] Trailhead transportation

[rogercar@pacifier.com (Roger Carpenter)]

The recent comments about a so-called shuttle service in Lone Pine reminded
me of my experience in Independence.  A group of about 6 thru-hikers
gathered at the Onion Valley campground, hoping for a ride to town.  Being
more on the self-reliant side, I started walking down the hill before the
heat got unbareable.  Meantime, one of the hikers, who also happened to be
an attractive female, managed to "borrow" a car that belonged to a couple of
men who had just arrived to hike for a few days in the area.  I'm sure she
was good at arranging these kind of deals!  As I got nearly two-thirds of
the way to Independence on foot, an extremely overloaded Toyota heading down
the hill, with six hikers inside, stopped to tell me the car was full!  I
still don't know how they got all the gear inside!  Lucky for me, Anita, the
attractive woman who borrowed the car, returned to pick me up about 7 miles
from town.  

The reason for telling this story is that getting a ride to and from
trailheads sometimes requires luck and a little creativity.  

Anita had to return the car back to the trailhead before me and several
others were ready to go back to Onion Valley.  In town, I noticed a
college-age guy working in the grocery store, and I offered him some cash to
take us up to the trailhead.  Basically, we passed the hat and collected
nearly $40, which I think was a fair deal for all, considering the long
round-trip.  I'm sure he and his buddies had a good time with the beer they
bought with the money.

Roger Carpenter
P.O. Box 651 
Vancouver, WA  98666
(360) 696-1746

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