Hi Steve!
Just waking up after wallowing in self-pity after a failed JMT this year in August. Luckily thanks to Yosemite SAR, got down to TM on a Ranger-led horse after a fall near Sunrise creek (hyper extended my left knee which triggered my old Arthritic pain ).

Any way there was some interesting conversation going on JMT yahoo group where there was a suggestion to combine HST and JMT for a awesome experience of both. I did the JMT (2013) and HST (2014) and remembered your x-country adventure from Kern river to Crab tree meadow and posted your link there. I hope some one important would take this up with SEKI new trail projects and makes it real!!! That would be really nice and will definitely make me look forward to another exciting trek.