[pct-l] Looking for ~100 mile section that is transportation accessible

[Paul Hoffman]

There are a number of trailheads on the east side of the sierra that will
allow you to gain access to the PCT/JMT - and avoid the issue that all  JMT
trail permits may already be reserved.  In any case the whole JMT at 200
miles is 2X what you wanted to hike.  So you could choose an entry
trailhead and exit trailhead to get you the miles/days you desire.

I did a couple of hikes two summers ago (one started at North Lake over
Piute Pass, south on JMT/PCT and exit Bishop Pass - about 50 miles, the
other Onion Valley / Kearsarge Pass - south on JMT and exit Trail Pass /
Whitney Portal - about 45 miles).  Even though I procrastinated in getting
permits - I had no problem finding some dates that worked for the first
trip.  Finding dates that worked for the second trip was a bit more of an
issue as exiting at Whitney Portal is popular and they have a daily exit
quota on number of hikers exiting (if you start your hike on the eastern
side in Inyo NF) ...    There are enough entry / exit trails that you can
construct trips of various lengths until you get what you want.

The scenery is spectacular anywhere along the JMT - so whatever route you
choose will be memorable.

Transportation is a hassle - in addition to the comment below an option is
to fly into Reno, get to the Greyhound station and take the CREST bus that
travels up and down the eastern sierra to a town close to your start point.
 Likewise you could exit the trail at a town serviced by CREST. (e.g. I
recall they stop in Independence and Bishop...).   There are independent
shuttle services too - but they are pretty expensive.

You'll need to do some research.  You might want to start with Inyo
National Forest  http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/passes-permits  :    Also
you can search for wilderness permit availability by trail entry & exit at
www.recreation.gov  or you can call Inyo NF for permit reservation (760)
873-2483.   Another hassle is that you need to pick up your wilderness
permit in person (from one of several ranger stations).

Good luck with the planning - it is a hassle, but the trip will be worth it.




On Thu, Apr 18, 2013 at 5:13 PM, Timothy Nye <timpnye at gmail.com> wrote:

> The problem with hiking this section is that unless you already have a JMT
> permit, I believe you aren't likely to be able to get one at this date. I
> could be wrong, but be sure to check this out before you settle on this
> part of the trail to hike. A PCTA permit requires a 500 mile commitment.
> Additionally, if you're coming in from sea level, you're at risk for some
> altitude problems since you won't have time to acclimatize.
>
> An alternative would be to hike either North from Tuolumne Meadows or
> South from Sonora Pass.  This is a beautiful section.  It will require a
> hitch to/from Sonora Pass from Bridgeport, which can be daunting for
> newbies, but look at it this way. If you do it to start you'll be clean and
> fresh and MUCH more likely to have an easier time of hitching which is
> actually pretty fun as far as interacting with the folks who stop. Please
> be sure to offer gas money, say ten bucks for that particular hitch, to all
> who offer you a ride.
>
> Have a great hike.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Apr 18, 2013, at 3:39 PM, aslive at charter.net wrote:
>
> > You can fly into Mammoth.  Once in town, you can catch a ride on the
> > Yosemite Area Rapid Transit System to Tuolumne Meadows.  Hike south to
> > Bishop Pass and out.  Catch the YARTS back to Mammoth.  This is one of
> > the most beautiful sections of the trail.  Late July would help you
> > avoid a lot of snow,although there still may be a bit.
> >
> > Shepherd
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 18, 2013 at 10:53 AM, Gerry Rempel wrote:
> >
> >> My wife and I are interested in section hiking the PCT, but only have
> >> time
> >> for about 1 week of hiking this year. (kids)
> >> We are considering hiking either north or south of Toulemene or
> >> around the
> >> Lake Tahoe area.  Can anyone recommend an airport close to the trail
> >> the
> >> offers reasonable transit to and from starting and ending trailheads?
> >> We are coming from BC, but don't want to start at the north end
> >> because that
> >> is too similar to what we see all the time.
> >> Thanks,
> >> Gerry
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