We are ready to go, from Lyell Canyon trailhead to Whitney Portal starting next week. The logistics is quite different from our other hikes: we had to send food to three resupply points, quite a bit of extra planning what to pack. Calories per gram matter, only meals easy and fast to prepare (no boiling). Our packages will wait for us. We need to buy fuel and we will be able to purchase some food for the days at resupply stops. We are learning how to pack lighter and lighter. Location of the resupply points also dictated hiking plan. We will have four sections: 5, 7, 10 and 7 days. Heavier load (food) at the beginning of each one.
We will drive to Yosemite camping on the way, but will stay in hotel in Lee Vining to get good rest and shower, and dinner. We will leave the car near the start (Lee Vining or Tuolumne Meadow) and will use public buses to get back to it from Lone Pine after the hike.
The trail is very well established and we do not anticipate any navigation problems. We spaced campsites evenly as much as possible to get a steady pace: 12 km and 500m total ascent each day on average. Plus one full rest day. But the plan is flexible. There are many camping options and we will make some days shorter and some longer as needed. We are not in a hurry and will go slow. 30 days, 350 km, 14500 m total ascent. No cellular signal most of the time.
Quite an adventure.
Desolation Wilderness (32 km, 1300 m total ascent, 2000-2600 masl)
