Trip location planning

[michelle Annett]

This summer i was finally able to manage to get off 1 1/2 weeks to 2 weeks off for a back packing trip. I will be going with one other person who is my friend i have known for years. We have both never done a long distance trip to this caliber before. We live in California and can POSSIBLY travel to other states if it is close. Anyways we can both put in a minimum of 10 miles a day, but with training i am hoping i will be able to do 15 before this summer, i have a good amount of time.

My question is know is were would you guys go for your first long distance trip? Would i be able to bring enough food for the whole trip, or will i have to some how plan some one to drop off some? My friend and i have been trying to get our pack weights down from the 40 pound bags we used to carry and are about at 20-25 pounds. I do not think i could lower it anymore for such a long trip. Thanks for your guys advice and tips.

[Roleigh Martin]

I suggest you consider the High Sierra Trail in Sequoia National Park. It is 72 miles long. You can do a round trip with a resupply point midpoint. Her is how we did it 5 months ago. Leave Crescent Meadows in SEKI (Sequoia National Park) on the HST (High Sierra Trail), when you get to Kern River, go south 9 miles on an established trail to Kern River Ranger Station, then head 18 miles East on an established trail to Cottonwood Meadows (there, hitchhike to Lone Pine, pick up your supplies at post office or buy them there), resume hike next day at Cottonwood Meadows, get on the Pacific Crest Trail heading north to Rock Creek Ranger Station (first night on resumption, stay at Chicken Spring Lake), next night Crabtree Meadows or Guitar Lake, then summit to Mt. Whitney, then return onto the HST back on the conventional HST to Crescent Meadows. You will be be resupplied this way at the 70 mile mark, and the hike back will be between 80 and 95 mile length depending whether you tangent from Crescent Meadows to Whitney or if you skip Whitney. We skipped Whitney this summer as we had done it the year before. Your hike will look like a rope lasso design. When you get 3 miles south of Kern Hot Springs, you will resume the HST at the same point you left it going south at the Kern River.

Another option is to go from Red Meadows on the JMT (John Muir Trail) to Independence via Onion Valley, which gives you 1 resupply point inbetween (John Muir Trail Ranch) at the midpoint, this is about 150 miles long trail.

[michelle Annett]

Both of those hikes sound very tempting i will look further into them thanks a lot. Any more suggestions are welcome than ill pick from the one that sounds the funnest.

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