Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion OV to Woods Creek Day-hike SPOT link

Here is my SPOT link for my Thursday hike - http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=04nJgroK7ciT8gMaqDEEJ3W2rEAlMr8It

I'll head up to Onion Valley, depart very early Thursday (but not my usual midnight start time), climb up over Kearsarge Pass, cruise down past Bull Frog lakes to the southern fork to join the JMT (if I take the shorter northern fork I miss .2 miles). Once on the JMT I go north over Glen Pass to the Paradise Valley junction near the Woods Creek suspension bridge. I'll get a selfie and retrace my steps except returning I'll use the northern trail to Kearsarge.

Follow along if you are bored.

I've done some big day-hikes before (C2C2C, R2R2R, etc), but I wasn't solo. My last big solo hike was also out of OV when I went to Roads End and back (and a lot of folks from this board followed along).

My runners vest is packed full of gear, more than ever, but it's actually lighter than other big hikes because I don't need to carry much water.

I am delaying my usual midnight start to 0300, in hopes to be better rested and to have the new to me sections of the trail in full daylight. In the past I have really pushed my limits and gotten away with it, but I'm wiser now. If something doesn't seem right I'll pull the plug and come back another day.

On the slim chance that anyone from this board is in the area and sees a guy dressed like a tennis ball running the flats, that will be me. ..................................DUG

At the trailhead enjoying a relaxing afternoon and quizzing thru hikers as they come in for resupply (8 so far). The campgrounds are reopened with new lower pricing. Dry camping only, no potable water. There is a trailer mounted tank of water that says it is for cleaning and campfires only. No camp host is on site. Many sites are occupied or reserved. Parking lot seems pretty full.

Reports from the trail suggest only small snow patches on the way to the JMT. Glen might be challenging, some hikers say it was rough, others claim no big deal. I was guaranteed to get wet, with promises of one slow moving waist deep crossing. I'll play that by ear. Still looking at 0300 start.................DUG

Is DUG in trouble? I see a HELP message on his SPOT track!

The message said its turning into a shit show. I might be having problems.

The message reads.....It's turning into a shit show. I may be having problems.

Well he hit the OK button on his SPOT and he is much farther along on his track now.

This route is next on my 2-3 night backpack to-do list, though unsure when (sept?). Glad his check in was 'ok' after the help.

Glad to know he's alright, was getting worried for a little while there. Conditions must have been bad because he seemed to have turned around well before Wood's Creek.

Down safe. Glen was a indeed a shitshow. I hit the second of three waist deep water crossings about 45 minutes before my preset turn around time. I thought about pushing it, but I would have to do two more waist deep crossings twice and the one I already did once more. On top of that it was still over four miles to my objective with another 1800 feet of elevation loss. Hiking up 3500 feet back to Glen with multiple deep crossings and probably going over a snowy, somewhat schetchy pass in the dark plus Kearsarge wasn't something I wanted to do. The good news is I can go back any time over Baxter and easily finish. I had a scare on my second trip over Glen when one of my brand new carbon fiber poles snapped in half and sent me backwards into a steep snow field. Luckily my shoe caught a rock and with the help of the other pole I didn't go for a joy ride. It did leave me with just one pole for some areas I would rather of had two. I just slowed down even more which explains my late arrival. The good news is my new Altra Tikas are fantastic....................DUG