[pct-l] Trail Crest to Whitney Portal/ Lone Pine

[Will M]

My plan is to get off the trail at Whitney Portal so I will be taking the
Trail Crest Route.

Thanks for the great info.  Hopefully the trail down from Whitney will be
relatively ice/ snow free by the time I arrive around June 19th.

-Will

On Mon, May 18, 2009 at 10:11 AM, Bob Bankhead <wandering_bob at comcast.net>wrote:

>  Over Trail Crest to Whitney Portal:
>
> Yes, it's a quick exit to Lone Pine, but the same is true for Horseshoe
> Meadow. However, the hitch from Lone Pine back to the Portal has more
> traffic and so will be easier than the hitch back to HSM.
>
> The deciding question is "do you intend to re-supply and return to the
> PCT?". If so, you do NOT want to make that steep climb back up to Trail
> Crest with a full pack. Better to go out over Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley
> and hitch down to Idependence, resupply and return the same way.
>
> Also, crossing Trail Crest means you must pay the $15 Whitney Zone fee,
> whether you climb Mt. Whitney or not, and have it noted on your PCTA permit.
> If you don't cross Trail Crest, your PCTA permit still allows you to enter
> the zone temporarily to climb Whitney then return west to the PCT.
>
> Wandering Bob
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Will M <jalan04 at gmail.com>
> *To:* pct-l <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> *Sent:* Monday, May 18, 2009 9:27 AM
> *Subject:* [pct-l] Trail Crest to Whitney Portal/ Lone Pine
>
> HI,
>
> I was wondering why some of the guide books don't mention hiking over Trail
> Crest  to Whitney Portal as a away of getting to Lone Pine?  I checked the
> Data book, Yogi's guide, and even the recent ( and very cool) PCT Atlas and
> none of them mention this option. From what I hear, it is probably the
> easiest way to get into Lone Pine while bagging Whitney.
>
> Am I missing something here?  How is the trail going from Trail Crest to
> Whitney Portal in Mid June?
>
>