) we had a good idea what to expect and how to prepare.
Heard that Museum parking was going to be an issue on 5/5 so we decided to check out the Ramon trailhead the day before. That gave us an idea what to expect parking-wise (plenty of no parking signs in the vicinity). The trail seemed well maintained - nice sign to the entrance off the fire road, good treadwork in the trail, the white dots to show the way.
Next morning we left the car at 4:40 AM and met MSugarpants and his crew before they took off. We started up the trail and it wasn't long before a single headlamp was closing the distance on us - Florian was on his way up and was soon long gone. He said he starts fast and finishes slow but I ain't buying that. We saw Mr. Sugar again at the Museum trail junction as his balky knee was giving him trouble. Hope that thing feels better soon.
Took the obligatory painted rock shots and headed up Skyline, it was light enough now to put the lights away. The trail was mostly easy to find, though we did end up on some shortcuts instead of switchbacks. We were following the boot tracks up and they didn't always stay on the switchbacks. We crossed paths with a number of hikers on their way up and generally leapfrogged at breaks. We stopped for breaks every two hours - got the pack off and off the feet for a few minutes and had something to eat - and that worked well. Heat wasn't a big issue, there was a decent breeze and we got up in the altitude soon enough. Things got a little tougher after we passed the oak grove about 6000 feet - the steepness, altitude and sliding DG on the trail increased the effort. That part of the trail reminded me a lot of the Manker trail up Baldy from the Ski Hut on.
We made it to Long Valley in just about 7 hours - it is kind of jarring to pop up off of that remote trail and seem people pushing kids around in strollers.
we picked up our wilderness passes at the Ranger Station and after a lunch break we started up the trail to Round Valley with the throngs. Started to see snow patches around 8500 and were soon crossing them on the way up. Made it to Round Valley pretty easily, but things got interesting after that. We talked to a couple who lost their (one) water bottle and were asking if the water outlet there (which said to purify before using) was OK to drink. We didn't know for sure, and I didn't bring my filter so we couldn't help them much. there was certainly a lot of snow around and fresh stuff could be found pretty easily and it wasn't that cold. Anyway, we started heading up and the trail soon disappeared beneath the snow banks. We followed the dirty footprints as much as we could but there was still a lot of post holing and we slowed down considerably.
Finally made it up to Wellman's Divide and met three cool PCT thru hikers - Calf, Hannah and Jason and headed towards the peak with them (though Calf and Hannah soon left us far behind). They had come up the tram from a rest day in Palm Springs and were going to finish up near the peak before a big day the next day going down to the valley then back up. I asked Hannah (who was wearing running shoes) how she kept her shoes dry coming up from Round Valley. She just laughed and said she just walked lightly. She must have some elf in her.
The trail across to SJ was pretty clear of snow, except for the middle part between Jean Peak and SJ where there were big snow fields again. We passed many hikers coming down from the peak in that area - must have been a big group on the summit before they left. We scrambled up to the Summit at 4:15, about 11.5 hours from our start. About 10 people up on top, including MSugarpants friend who made it all the way on his own. PCT hiker Jason pulled out his carbon fiber guitar, which was doing fine after being carried from Campo, and played a song on the summit. He plays in a bluegrass band back in Maine and he has the chops. Very cool.
Chris pulled out a 20 oz can of Modelo cerveza he carried all the way up and he cracked it open to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. There were a couple of guys up there with a small Mexican flag and we agreed that was a more weight efficient way to go.
We started back down around 5 PM. We passed some folks on the final connector who we had met earlier on Skyline and congratulated them on making it to the top (hope everyone made it down OK). It was a little better heading down through the snow as we had a better idea where the trails (and better paths) were, but it was still slippery and I managed to bend my hiking pole on one slip. Oh well.
We made it back to the tram station and headed back down on the next tram. Again a funny feeling to be packed into the gondola with a lot of people after being out in the wilderness all day.
So, for other newbies, some things we did that worked:
Check out the trailhead in daytime so you have an idea where to go in the dark.
Drink some gatoraid or some water before you hit the trail - G2 has been working for me and does not upset my stomach. I also had some powdered G2 mix that I used as well. No dehydration issues for me.
Be prepared for the weather - it was probably 80 at the warmest, and down in the 40's at the coolest.
Water - I took just under five liters, Chris a little less. I made it to Long Valley with about a liter left and Chris was out by then. I think the G2 on the drive up helped with that.
Hiking poles - lots of discussion on this in other threads. We kept them on our packs all the way to Long Valley. The trail is too rugged and narrow for poles to be much use to us. We broke them out on the way up and down from LV. For me, they definitely help my knees on long descents and they seem to help going up on smoother trails.
Snow - I was surprised at the amount of snow up there still. The rangers said we should be OK with poles and boots, but we had to be careful. It took quite a bit of time and energy for me to make it through there.
All in all an epic experience. I hope Whitney does not seem anti-climatic after this!
Thanks for the good info!
Ron
