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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From the Mammoth Ski Resort last year we caught a
ride with the bus bringing mountain bikers up from Mammoth Lakes, so you might
be covered there. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Those who wish to avoid both Muir Trail Ranch
and V V R, Independence and Mammoth worked out well mile-age wise as resupply
locations, so we didn't have to carry so much food weight. As others have
pointed out the hike out Kearsarge is a gorgeous hike in itself, and at
only 2000ft. vertical, the easiest east-side pass to boot. The hitch down
to Independence can be difficult, particularly if you hit it on a weekday
morning, but thru hikers always find a way down there. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Even with the shorter food carries of this
strategy, I was carrying more food than my Garcia could hold. Some
hikers were able to get all their food into Bearicades, but not all of us.
We were starving after 700 miles and needed the energy. We *never* cooked
where we slept, and stealth camped (a good idea for thrus and non-thrus
alike IMO). After a day or two it became possible to cram all
the food in the cannister. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I understand the appeal of the KM to Mammoth or KM
to VVR in one shot approach. The immersion would be incredible.
I opted out however, as I believed I would be in a race against time
with the food situation. The High Sierra are not something I want to
rush. And when you're walking through the hot woodlands in
NorCal you may wish you had spent more time in that incredible stretch.
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We actually slowed down a lot when we finally
reached the Sierra, 13-17 mile days with lots of resting time - Bullfrog Lake on
the trip up Kearsarge is a fantastic place to while away an entire afternoon -
if you allow yourself the time to do it, that is! Of course, 2007 was
perhaps the easiest year snow-pack wise since what, 1977? Even with all
these things in our favor - smaller food carries, low snow - easier
hiking, relaxing days - I lost a lot of weight in this section - and so did all
of my hiking partners. When I ran into a friend in Sierra City - having
not seen her since KM, about 500 miles and only a month's time, she almost did
not recognize my scrawny ass. A couple of guys in '06 told me
they ran out of food a couple of days before their resupply when attempting
to go all the way from KM to VVR or something like that. They said they
smelled like ammonia because of their muscles wasting away from
starvation. All very dramatic sounding and probably not dangerous but
something to be considered if you plan on going 200 miles between supplies in
this very difficult section. People can and do make the trip in
one shot every year for sure, but I wouldn't want
to. One man's opinion from Bounty Hunter (big time
lurker)</FONT></DIV>
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