Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion HST Day hike!

Hikers up Whitney this morning may want to be on the lookout for Bill Clements, who left Crescent Meadow about 6 AM yesterday, with a goal of doing the HST and exiting Whitney Portal as a day hike. AS of 4:30, he is on the switchers above Guitar, a couple of miles shy of Trail Crest. If you see Bill, tell him a lot of people are watching his SPOT and pulling for him. I am sure he could use some cheering on. Check out his track at SpotBill

AS of 930, Bill is reported chowing down in Lone Pine. Anybody see this guy?

Who is Bill Clements? (I googled the name and found a former Texax Governor, a bassist..)

I am not much into popular culture, so I may be missing something....

Just a guy out for a day-hike. 72-miles. Trans-Sierra. Whitney summit.

Oh, okay. Reminds me of something our drill instructor would threaten us with.

BTW: here's one for the Whitney permit system experts out there:
You are a SEKI ranger at the Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine, and you get a call from someone who will be dayhiking in SEKI, planning to start from Crescent Meadow after midnight, and finish later that same day, before midnight, after summiting Whitney, descending the MWMT and exiting the wilderness byway of the Portal.

What is the permit requirement?

(Note: it didn't turn out exactly that way, as it happens, but pretty close, that was Bill's original plan and question on another forum)

Don't think he needs any.

Anyone else? Extra credit for showing your work.

I'm guessing he needs a "Cross Country Exiting Mt Whitney" permit for that day

If you start a hike in SEKI, you do not need an exit permit (aka endorsement) over Whitney. The "Cross Country Exiting Mt Whitney" permit is only for trips that originate at Inyo NF trailheads. A SEKI permit is good for your whole trip (I know...I got one last year and confirmed at the time.)

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5150055

The problem is, because he is a "day hiker" from SEKI's perspective, they probably won't issue him a permit. So he has nothing to show the Inyo folks when he crosses Trail Crest.

Yah, so how does that conversation go, then?

Ranger: "Sir, did you realize you just passed into the Whitney Zone here at Trail Crest? Can I see your permit?"

Hiker: "No, but do you know where I can get some Bengay? I just ran here in 20 hours from Crescent Meadow."

Ranger: "You seem to have some delusions. I am going to have to do a field sobriety test too. Or perhaps you are suffering from cerebral edema? Should I call a helicopter? Except there's really no way for one to land here at Trail Crest."

Hiker: "No, I don't have any kind of headache. But my feet and knees are a bit shredded. And my quads are screaming. I really need some Bengay."

Ranger: "You seem very fixated on a product that no one uses anymore. I find that sweet and endearing. And kind of genuine. So did you really ran here in one day from Crescent Meadow"?

Hiker: "Yes, sir."

Ranger: "Okay. At the very least, that's a great story. Pass on through. If you see any other rangers, tell them Bob R. said to give you a pass."

Hiker: "Thanks!"

My Senior Drill Instructor would have barked, "You got about a heartbeat to finish, sweetheart!"

Aki: LOL. I think that's about what Bill was counting on. With the possible addition of "Hiker: OK, here, you can check out my Garmin track while I go cough up a lung."

In fact, I think you have identified the gold standard for a ranger's enforcement discretion: "What would Bob R. do?"

Don't get me started