A few Big SEKI Loop questions

[Mike Bozman]

So mid-August I am going to be riding my motorcycle 1700km from Victoria, BC to hike the Big SEKI Loop starting from Onion Valley.

Permit was secured months ago.  I have places to spend the night on the ride down.  I have secure parking at someone’s house and they even said they would drive me to the trailhead.  Base weight, not including bear canister, is around 10 pounds.  It is my first time using a bear canister and I managed to jam about 17700 calories in a BV450.  I will mail a resupply to Cedar Grove.  I picked up a prescription for acetazolamide because I live at sea level and it only cost $3.43.  I am hoping to somewhat acclimatize on the way down.  I’ll have a few night of camping over 9000 feet before the hike.

My questions are about water and overnight temperatures.  Seems like there will be lots of water in the mountains this year!  Will I be fine with only 2 litres of water capacity?  On the TRT last year I managed about 20 miles to the gallon of water.

Filter or Pristine/Aqua Mira tablets?  I have and have used both with no real preference.

What about overnight temperatures towards the end of August?  Is it safe to say that most night will be close to freezing?

Thanks in advance.

[jscott]

“Filter or Pristine/Aqua Mira tablets?”

Steripen. The Sierra are perfect for this. Aqua mira or iodine tablets as a backup.

I always hike from water source to source to avoid carrying any water, if possible. And it mostly is. So two liters should work–but I also carry a big collapsible water bottle for camp, for about a three ounce penalty.

Yeah, temps “might” drop close to freezing overnight. More likely, not.

 

 

[Richard May]

I just did some miles in SEKI (south side of Rae Loop). My water kit was a 1lt Platypus and a 1lt BeFree. There was enough water that I never used the Platy. The BeFree let me simply scoop water and move on. The one time I filled the Platy the flow was more than adequate.

And yea, lots of water. Trails were riverbeds, simple crossings were fast moving, knee deep. My shoes were never really dry. :-)

 

[jscott]

Richard, that Befree looks pretty sweet. Actually, a great system would be to carry a Steripen and a Befree as a backup, but just use the latter as a liter water bottle that I’d still Steripen (verb).

[Russ W]

Water was never a problem. I used a steripen, 2 liter platy for camp, and a 20 oz smart water bottle. Last year was “dry” relative to this year from what I’ve heard. I has light slush in my bottle twice, at 11 or 12k feet on a very clear night, but that’s it. Should be a fantastic trip!

[Cameron M]

Try a test run for two days with the acetazolamide before you go. I can’t tolerate it, and luckily don’t need it. I find that a 2L platy and 1L Smartwater bottle are more than enough capacity in the Sierra.

[Mike Bozman]

Fortunately I tolerate acetazolamide and unfortunately I need it.

I will check out the Steripens as well.  Never really considered them before.

[Roger Caffin]

We have several full Reviews of the different Steripen models here at BPL. Fast, no chemicals, no taste, no blockage, no pumping and fully EPA rated.

Cheers

[Lester Moore]

Hi Mike – your route, entry, resupply and timing (mid-August) is exactly what I’ll be doing this year. Good idea spending a few nights at 9000′ before your trip. Consider the BeFree water filter – best $40 I’ve spent in recent memory. Way better IMHO than the Sawyer options or chemical methods. 2L capacity should be fine.

[Mike Bozman]

Lester,

What is your permit date?  I start on the 14th.  I have a campsite reserved at Onion Valley for the night of the 13th.  I’ll gladly share the campsite if you will be there.

Are you hiking clockwise or counter clockwise around the loop?  I am leaning towards clockwise so I won’t have to go over Forrester Pass on the second day.  It does mean two nearly 12000 foot passes the first day though!

 

[Mike Bozman]

Just received an email today from the Forest Service.  Campground at Onion Valley is closed and has a projected opening date of August 31.

[Lester Moore]

The entire road to Onion Valley is closed, or at least is was, depending on the page you read:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd547197.pdf

https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/inyo/alerts-notices/?aid=41286

There’s no mention of an open date on the first page. Shepard Pass may be the next best option?

[Anonymous]

” Shepard Pass may be the next best option?”

Not sure what the other nearly 12,000′ pass is, but if you start out on Shepherd Pass fully loaded, that second day is going to be a tough one, not to mention the first day.

[Mike Bozman]

Well.  I cancelled my reservations for camping on the motorcycle ride down and cancelled my hiking permit.  Going to look into other plans somewhere else.

[Dave Ayers]

Per the Inyo Sheriff FB page (https://www.facebook.com/InyoCountySheriffsOffice/):

Inyo County Sheriff’s Office
July 6 at 4:30pm ·
RE-OPENED ROADS:
Onion Valley Road OPEN – until about a half mile from the Onion Valley Campground at the top.

[Author]

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