Doug arranged a couple of hikes thru the Alabama Hills last winter. On the first one we car-pooled from the Hostel to about the 5K' point - the road above that was mostly impassable - and then snowshoed/hiked down to the Hostel thru the hills. I think it was about 13 miles.
The second was in early spring - we started just below the first switchback - maybe 6,500'? - then hiked up to the Portal and back to the vehicles. We then drove down to about 4K', and hiked back into town thru the hills.
You might check with Doug - I have a hunch he'll arrange these outings again this year. If he does, maybe you can coordinate the timing with your DV trip.
