Back from Camp... Ready to Hike

Follow the Walk 4 SOCK starting Thursday, August 5th, at:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=0933O8mCvhXC6kaJgrSOb4IloX2ZqE1Dg

Camp SOCK was awesome this year... over 20 campers and loads of counselors to help out... It was the biggest year yet by far! I had lots of fun with Tracy, the kids, and Katie's boyfriend, Alec. Worked with my friend Jacquie from nursing school and got to know Jill and Jonathon, two med students that helped us out along with the guidance of Nurse Susan and Dr. Jon. Good people.

Nominated, selected, now on the Camp SOCK Board of Directors... attached to 3 committees. Fast and furious.

2010 camp pictures should post soon at www.campsock.org. Keep an eye out for them.




Walk 4 SOCK is almost here. Spent yesterday morning hiking up Mt. McLoughlin for some altitude acclimatization.








Started at 5:13am - 2 hours, 58 minutes to the top... 2 hours, 9 minutes coming down, finishing at 10:20am.






As usual, I got off on the wrong route going up. Worked along the ridge, had to do a few class 3 hands-and-feet scrambling moves, one crawl under a fallen rock, and a class 4 hang to get around one ledge area. More work than necessary, but an adventure anyways.

A chilling breeze on top. Most of the wall foundation from the old lookout tower is gone now. A few photos, then turnaround. Coming down, I use the scree to aid the descent. Scree is loose, sandy rock that makes for a controlled slide each step going downhill. Uphill, it is murder... two steps forward and one step back all the way.




I was able to do some trail running once I got out of the rocks and back into the woods. GPS said 8.99 miles. Guess it does not account for slant distance going up and down the hill. 5.5 miles x 2 according to the signage. Round trip time: 5 hours, 7 minutes.



Walk 4 SOCK schedule - Leaving tomorrow night at 10pm on the southbound train. Sounds like the beginnings of a country-western tune... at least it is not the 3:10 to Yuma. Amtrak will drop me in Sacramento at around 6am, bus me to Stockton and train me to Merced to catch the Yosemite bus at around 11am on Wednesday for a 1:20pm arrival at Yosemite Visitors' Center. Pick up the permit and then wait until Thursday to start. I hope to blast off from the Happy Isles trailhead at just after midnight, night-hike until dawn and then hike through the day.

It is around 211 miles to Mt Whitney down the John Muir Trail. I want to hike around 30 miles per day which will put me at 7 days and a few hours. The 50/50 betting pool with the Klamath Falls Kiwanis is for the time to reach the summit. From the top of Mt Whitney, it is still 11 miles and 6000 vertical feet down to civilization, so 222 total. The rounded-off math to the summit of Mt Whitney works out to:
21 miles per day = 10 days
24 miles per day = 9 days
27 miles per day = 8 days
30 miles per day = 7 days - this is my basic goal
35 miles per day = 6 days
43 miles per day = 5 days
53 miles per day = 4 days
The record for a South to North trip is...

Brett Maune

Sep. 3-6, 2009

unsupported

3d14h13m (3d9h58m)

3 days, 9 hours, 58 minutes from the top of Mt Whitney to Happy Isles. Unbelievable. Anyway, Brett's adventure is documented on YouTube here - click this link. Trailhead to trailhead... 3 days, 14 hours, 13 minutes from Whitney Portal to Happy Isles.

For North to South...the only recorded time is...

Jacqueline Florine

Aug. 27 - Sep. 2, 2005

unsupported

6d12h27m (6d6h53m)

She kicked butt back in 2005. Everyone else takes the easy way out going northbound.

All way beyond my capability, most likely. I'll just shoot for 7 days.