I have permit space for 1, and possibly 2 people for a semi-loop hike on July 28th – August 3rd. I am waiting for a firm yes or no on one person as of now, so right now I have 1 spot for sure open. The permit is for 6 total, and I have a good group of experienced guys scheduled now and wanted to open it up for any other BPL-ers that may be interested. It is a moderately aggressive hike in the 16 – 20 miles per day range, 6 nights out, and going over some rugged passes. We will be starting at the Shepherds Pass TH on July 28th after picking up permits ect., probably around 12 – 1 PM. The plan is to make it to Anvil Camp for night 1. We will head down towards Tyndall Creek and take the Kern cut-off trail to Junction Meadow, head up canyon over Colby Pass, head down canyon to Roaring River Ranger Station, back up canyon and over Elizabeth Pass to intersect the HST. We will head east following the HST until Junction Meadow. IF we have the vehicles to pull it off, we are looking at a possible Whitney Mountaineering Route exit. IF we don't have the vehicles to pull off the MR, we will exit back over Shepherds Pass. Total mileage is about 112 mi., ( + or – ) either way.
A few of us are using this as a training hike for a later fast-pack of the JMT to get our feet, legs, and lungs ready to go without messing us up too bad with big mile days. If you are interested, shoot me a PM with an e-mail address and I can answer any other question you may have.
