High Sierra Trail Yo-Yo FKT

[Allen C]

The other day I completed what I believe to be the first/fastest known “speed” Yo-Yo of the High Sierra Trail (44:04 roundtrip), and also an FKT for the Eastbound direction (20:06 from Crescent Meadows to Whitney Summit).

I wrote up a trip report for those who are interested in what it is like to hike/run 122 miles in 44 hours across the Sierra and back with just a daypack. Along the way I from a couple women I met on the trail that some other folks might be trying the same thing starting today, does anyone know who they are? Or is anyone aware of a prior speed yo-yo on the HST?

Anyway, here is my trip report:

https://neverdoingthatagain.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/high-sierra-trail-westbound-fkt-and-yo-yo-fkt/

[Jake J]

Great job on your yo-yo and great description in your TR Allen! That last leg sounded pretty sketchy. Glad you completed it with no major mishaps and just a little worse for wear by the end…

[Casey Bowden]

Wow!
Seriously impressive!
I think you’ve inspired me to try something…

[Allen C]

Jake and Casey, thanks and glad you enjoyed it!

Casey, very cool – care to share what I’ve inspired you to do?
It looks like we are neighbors by the way – I live in the El Cerrito Hills.

[Adam White]

Epic! I loved the TR; thanks for sharing it.

Your timing was thrown off a bit by the permit hassles, but it seemed like it worked out pretty well. What sections would you prioritize having daylight during? The descent from Whitney seems pretty obvious, but any others?

I guess weekend or not, you need a wilderness permit just for parking purposes.

A tip that I got from somewhere–probably someone on here–is to pre-cut strips of leukotape, and put it on strips of parchment paper. So, I’ll cut something like an 18″ strip of parchment paper, and pre-cut 6 6″ strips of leukotape, and cover the parchment paper front-and-back. It works pretty well!

Awesome job, and congrats on the FKT!

[Casey Bowden]

Allen, sent you a PM.

[Allen C]

Thanks Adam!

If you are going both ways you are likely to be in darkness for large sections on each leg, so it may not matter that much. Some factors to consider though:
1. Descending from Whitney in daylight is probably worth prioritizing.
2. Sunrise on Whitney is pretty awesome, but also quite cold – having some warm clothes with you is a good idea.
3. Seeing the sunrise at or near the halfway point, and knowing you have many hours of daylight coming up gives a nice psychological boost at a time when you may need it.
3. Kern Canyon is hot during midday, so doing that at night or in cooler early morning hours is a good idea but it may be hard to time it right on both legs.
4. A Pre-Dawn start may not be a good idea – I thought the way I did it was kind of ideal as I got a solid night’s sleep and a leisurely big breakfast in the daylight, which meant I was rested and well fueled up for the first day which served me well as I hiked through the first night and felt good through the night.

I’m not sure if you need a permit to park at the trailhead on weekdays. They checked my permit before allowing me to drive down the road to the trailhead, but there was no one at the trailhead checking anything.

Good idea on the leukotape. I will try that next time…

Keep me posted if you are going to go for it, or if you have any more questions!

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