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JMT Resupply betweet MTR and Whitney

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 6:25 pm
by dharter
My wife and I just received our permit confirmation for the JMT. Planning a SoBo trip from Happy Isles to Whitney portal beginning the afternoon of August 22nd. Intend to resupply at Red's Meadow and MTR. However, next resupply point is the problem - Oh, forget to mention my wife is 5' 1" and just about 115 lbs - don't think she'll mind my divulging that info! Anyway, even with just a 5-6 day food supply I estimate her max pack weight to be about 35 lbs - and I believe anything heavier would take the enjoyment out of the trip for her. Of course, there's no way to put 10 days worth in a bearvault anyway. It seems that a trip to Independence or a packer resupply are that most feasible options available. I also read on another site about sending a package to Road's End in King's Canyon- not sure if that is still a viable option. Time is also an issue. Our plans call for us to be in Reno for a return flight on the 14th of September - an that means at minimum a day for travel from Lone Pine to Bishop and then the CREST bus to Reno, so I would like to minimize any down-time.

Anyway, sorry to be so long winded. I am looking advice on all resupply alternatives, packer recommendations, and any other pertinent information regarding the trip that anyone is willing to share!

Thanks.

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:06 pm
by EricJLee
Probably the easiest points to have food hiked in to you would be over Bishop Pass i LeConte Canyon or over Kearsarge Pass near Bullfrog Lake. I know there are packers that run out of both trailheads, though dunno if they do food drops/meetings. The other alternative is to find a nice local who will hike in a meet you somewhere(I live too far away now unfortunately). Hiking out to a town/supply would take too much time and effort in my opinion. I'd rather just schlep the extra 3-4days of food with me.
Oh, and while 10 days won't fit in your canister, just plan those first few days near bear boxes or camp away from major junctions/campsites, this usually avoids bears.
Eric

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 3:12 pm
by Steve Bearman
I had a very positive experience with Rainbow Pack Outfitters. They operate out of South Lake on the Bishop Pass trail. They could easily meet you at the LeConte Canyon ranger station or anywhere within a half day's ride south or north of there. You can ship them your food (as is true of most pack stations).

They are on the web at: http://rainbow.zb-net.com/.

Here is a web page with contact info for other pack stations: http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/pack_ ... age54.html.

I have found that contacting pack stations on their off seasons (like now) can be a bit tricky. Try all numbers listed until you figure out which one they check in the winter. Be persistent.

If you haven't used pack stations for food drops before, it's well worth the money. You just prearrange a meeting place and time. They'll pack out your trash. Some of them will even do some shopping for you if you want fresh food.

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:35 am
by cherron
Hi,

I will be traveling in the other direction about the same time...hope we can say hello along the way! I am starting from Crescent Mdw and hiking along the High Sierra Trail, then turning northbound on the JMT. We are leaving on August 25th.

Two years ago, we did the same trip you are doing and we resupplied at MTR and carried the full resupply to Whitney...but our packs were pretty heavy starting out of Muir Trail Ranch (45lbs each, I guess-two women, but we are not as slightly built as your wife. ). The upside is that we were in good shape by that time, so it was not a big burden. I can understand why you would want a resupply mid way on that stretch.

I had a packer on another trip, Danice Berner, Berner pack station. Here is their website: http://www.395.com/berners. They packed it in when they said and even included a note from a friend who was not able to meet us on the trail. It was packed into Charlotte Lake, out of Kearsarge Pass. This was back in 2003, so not sure if they are still at it.

I agree with others who state the overflow of your bear box might not pose a big problem as you will encounter places with bear boxes along the way, if you feel you need the extra security.

Enjoy your trip, and we hope to see you! :D

Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:38 pm
by TwoFortyJeff
cherron wrote:Hi,

I will be traveling in the other direction about the same time...hope we can say hello along the way! I am starting from Crescent Mdw and hiking along the High Sierra Trail, then turning northbound on the JMT. We are leaving on August 25th.

Two years ago, we did the same trip you are doing and we resupplied at MTR and carried the full resupply to Whitney...but our packs were pretty heavy starting out of Muir Trail Ranch (45lbs each, I guess-two women, but we are not as slightly built as your wife. ). The upside is that we were in good shape by that time, so it was not a big burden. I can understand why you would want a resupply mid way on that stretch.

I had a packer on another trip, Danice Berner, Berner pack station. Here is their website: http://www.395.com/berners. They packed it in when they said and even included a note from a friend who was not able to meet us on the trail. It was packed into Charlotte Lake, out of Kearsarge Pass. This was back in 2003, so not sure if they are still at it.

I agree with others who state the overflow of your bear box might not pose a big problem as you will encounter places with bear boxes along the way, if you feel you need the extra security.

Enjoy your trip, and we hope to see you! :D
I'll be doing this exact trip, but starting in mid June if the snow stays low.
Where are you going to resupply? I am planning on mailing some food to Whitney Portal and then resupplying at VVR. I'm not sure if I'll bother with Red Meadow or not.

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:50 pm
by dharter
To all who replied, Thanks.

Steve, I was in touch with Rainbow today. Hold on to you wallet - about $600 for a resupply. :eek: They were pretty fixed on the Bishop Pass area.

Cherron,
Did see a reference to Berner's on another forum's post - will get in touch with them. See you on the trail.

To All
Just got off the phone with a friend of mine in Phoenix. He may be willing to do the resupply if he can get away. Any suggestions on the best location between Bishop and Kearsarge passes?

Also, anyone do the "Short Stay" at MTR? Is it worth the $125/person?

Thanks.
Doug

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:02 pm
by Rosabella
I've not stayed there myself, but last summer while on the JMT I met up with two brothers from the Washington DC area (also doing the JMT) who stayed there. The accomodations were fine, but they RAVED about the food!! After being on the trail for a couple weeks with just backpacker food, probably anything would be a welcome change, but they went on in detail on the menu and quantities.... made the rest of us pretty envious :nod: !

It seems to me that they had stopped at VVR for a re-supply and only stopped at MTR because another hiking buddy convinced them to stay... I always thought the food at VVR was pretty good (again....nice change from the freeze-dried stuff) but they said there was no comparison between the food - MTR was exceptional.

Whether a couple of great meals are worth that kind of money....I don't know, but I don't remember hearing them expressing any regrets.

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:13 pm
by cmon4day
Leave the Bear Vault at home and bring your fishing pole and catch fish for dinner. :D

Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:55 pm
by paul
These guys - http://www.highsierratransportation.com - will supposedly bring a food drop to any trailhead you want. Onion Valley (Kearsarge pass trailhead) would probably be the easiest to hike out to, especially if you go out with an empty pack, leaving a campsite behind and returning to it with just the new food load.

resupply

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 12:09 pm
by cherron
Hi, TwofortyJeff & dharter

I am going to resupply at Charlotte Lake, then at VVR, then at Tuolumne Meadows. We will pack in our own resupply to Charlotte Lake and then mail it to VVR and then a friend might leave it for us at TM-otherwise we will drop it before the trip. On other trips I also used Red's Meadow out of Mammoth. You can go to the PCTA.org website and use the program that has all the resupply points along the way, the program will even print out labels for you.

We have been in the Whitney Area a few times, and want to avoid it on this trip, so I have not used that as a resupply point myself.

I have used MTR coming the opposite direction and they are great, also. More expensive for the service than VVR and not as many services for those who are not staying at the resort. But I found them to be extremely accomodating and friendly, if you are low key and don't disturb the paying guests. The hot springs are wonderful and definetly more accessible that make the winding drive (hitchhike) from VVR to Mono Hot Springs. Mono Hot Springs is a must do, if you stay at VVR, however. Ah, fond memories!

dharter, I used Berner in 2003 and I think I did find their info from this website, but not the forum. It cost about $350 back then, but we split it amongst our group. "Dee Berner" was the contact name.

happy trails!
cherron