Hey Harvey, wish it would have been the altitude. : ) We were doing trail work along the Lost Coast Trail in Northern CA. We packed food for six days,our own gear and tools to carry also. It was unseasonably hot and hiking down the coastal sands each morning to the next work site wasn't easy and after the second day one volunteer had about enough. Three of us split most of his pack load and relegated his duties to cook and water boy. Lost Coast Trail is about 25 miles long and I recommend it. The scenery was fantastic but you definitely need to make sure food and just about everything else is in bear canisters and nothing is in or near your tent that would draw the attention of the wildlife. Black bears were everywhere and their not as used to visitors as the ones around Mt. Whitney seem to be. Another volunteer trip was in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area of Montana. A volunteer's back gave him problems but hey stuff happens and it could easily happen to me. Luckily, since we were about 13 miles in the middle of nowhere, mule teams hauled our gear & supplies to our camp site and back.
Thanks Steve! I'm an early riser and don't mind a long drive so White Mountains looks like a nice option. Will have to do some research on that area. It does look like all of my plans will be at the mercy of Mother Nature. Will keep reading posts on this forum for updates on trail conditions as my departure date approaches.
