This past July, I joined a friend on a trip from Horseshoe Meadow to Whitney Portal during which I made a number of discoveries, including: I REALLY LIKE WALKING AROUND IN THE MOUNTAINS. The catch is that I live in SE Michigan, which I would think was the flattest place on earth, if I hadn't grown up in even flatter suburban Chicago, where local runners classify highway overpasses as hills.
I'll be in Southern CA about a year from now, and I'm thinking about whether it would make sense to make my way to Lone Pine after my duties in San Diego are done. Some questions:
1) Obviously, weather and route conditions in November are going to tend to differ from those in July. And it hasn't escaped my notice that trip reports have dwindled to a trickle. Is this just a flat-out bad time to be hiking? How much weather/condition luck would it take for a trip to Trail Camp (or Trail Crest or the summit) to be doable? [Relevant facts about me:
a) Due to my biography, I'd be satisfied with an overnight trip to Lone Pine Lake. But I wouldn't mind doing more than that, if it was safe to.
b) Also due to my biography, I don't at present have significant winter mountain travel skills. I am not an idiot and would not venture beyond sight of the parking lot unless I was with someone experienced. And I have a year to develop some skills.]
b) indicates that I could use some advice---and this is whether or not the Nov. 2012 trip is a go---about how to acquire winter travel skills. I'll be in Seattle in April---are there good places to look for training around there and around then? Are there any non-ridiculous training options in the midwest? (I'm picturing myself furtively waiting for local children to evacuate the toboggan slide, so that I can practice self-arrests.) As for the experienced companion, I'm figuring SMI is a good resource, but I'm happy to be advised here too.
Thanks!
