Westward Bound - Nevada and Mt Whitney

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REGISTRATION & PAYMENT REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page. This is a paid event with payment managed through the AOC. Please read the event description carefully for details; you will be given payment instructions after you sign up. Late payments are NOT accepted for this event, in any circumstance.

Westward Bound - Nevada and Mt Whitney

The Basics:

Event Type:

Hike

Event Location:

Nevada, California

Hike: Westward Bound - Nevada and Mt Whitney

Date(s) & Time:

Sun, Sep 6 2015 8:00 am >> Sat, Sep 12 2015 6:00 pm

Registration Opens:

Sun, Apr 5 2015 9:00 pm

Registration Cut Off:

Mon, Jun 1 2015 5:00 pm

Event Duration:

6 Days 10 Hours

Difficulty Rating:

D7: Extreme (Exploratory)

Distance:

60 Miles

Pace:

Moderate

Trip Leader(s):

John L
Bill

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Member Cost:

$600.00/Person (See Detailed Cost Info Below)

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, 21 And Older Only

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

6 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Note: This is an "EXPLORATORY" trip. This means that there are parts of this trip, or perhaps the whole trip, that is new to your Trip Leader(s). However, they are confident that this will not be an issue.
This note is here so that you can make an informed decision. When a Trip Leader isn't personally familiar with a trip, there is an increased chance of things not going as planned and you need to be prepared. The Trip Leader may have additional details in the itinerary.

Itinerary:

** PLEASE READ FIRST **

Given the overall difficulty of this event, along with the challenge of consecutive hikes at elevation, only those with advanced hiking and backpacking experience should register.

The group size is budgeted for 8 people Max. We might be able to do a group of 10...this depends on the 2nd Lottery Sale of Mt Whitney Permits on April 1st. All registrants will initially be placed on the wait list so that the Trip Leaders can evaluate the registrant’s overall skill level.

If you do not have a recent resume of D5 events (and above) in the AOC, you will likely not be placed on the event list unless you can demonstrate an appropriate fitness and experience level gained outside the club. The Trip Leaders also reserve the right to consider any registrant’s social history within the AOC and to make the final determination as to whether the registrant is an appropriate candidate for this event.

I recently went out West and visited all of these areas. I attempted a solo summit of Mt. Whitney in heavy snow and decided to turn back at 13,000 feet because no one else up was there (not to mention the weather started to deteriorate)

Join me as I go back out West to finish what I started! This will be a fun, tough trip. Once you read this itinerary you will see why:

Arrive in Las Vegas on or before Saturday Sept. 5th

If you wish to arrive earlier, that is entirely up to you. The adventure officially begins on Sunday, Sep. 6th.

Day 1: Sunday, Sep. 6th (Red Rock Canyon)
We pick up the rental SUV's early. Sunday is an easy warm-up with a tour of Red Rock Canyon. We will drive the scenic loop and get in some short hikes to warm up the legs. We will stay in or around Vegas Sunday evening, preferably off strip. Hotel is up to you for Sunday night. However, I will most likely stay north of Vegas at a lower-priced hotel. Sante Fe Station appears to be the perfect location, as it puts us closer to our Day 2 Destination. If you want to do the strip, it's up to you but be warned you will need to rest up for Monday. Note, Monday is Labor Day and I expect Vegas to be busy.

Day 2: Monday, Sep. 7th (Charleston Peak)
Charleston Peak. This is the highest mountain in the Spring Mountains (11,918 feet) and 8th most prominent peak in the nation. Tough, but rewarding climb.

Charleston Peak

We get up early, make the short drive to the North Loop Trailhead and park our vehicles. The North Loop Trail is 10.2 miles one-way to the summit with over 3500 feet in elevation gain. We will backpack up a few miles, setup camp, then complete our summit in time to make it back to camp for dinner and relaxation as we settle in for the night. You will need to have 1 lunch, 1 dinner and 1 breakfast meal for this segment.

Day 3: Tuesday, Sep. 8th (Death Valley)
We get up, eat, enjoy some coffee, then quickly break camp and head back to our vehicles. This is more of a recovery day with a lot of driving, stopping, light hiking, picture taking, etc. We will visit Badwater Basin, Artist Drive, Golden Canyon and other scenic spots of Death Valley. Eventually, we make our way to a wonderful outdoor ranch in Tecoa, CA called China Ranch. China Ranch has full showers, full kitchen and climate controlled TEEPEES!

China Ranch

http://www.discovercynthias.com/wp/china-ranch-lodging/

We will take a load off and and enjoy dinner at China Ranch (they have meal options - details to be provided later). After dinner, we prepare for an optional night "headlamp" hike to explore Amorgosa Canyon and parts of the Old Spanish Trail. We will have to wing this portion of the trip based on how we all feel (and weather). We have the whole camp to ourselves with some room to spread out.

Day 4: Wednesday, Sep. 9th (Telescope Peak)
After enjoying our comfy accommodations, we head to Telescope Peak for a day hike. At 11,049 feet, Telescope Peak is the highest mountain in all of Death Valley. The trail is 12 miles round trip with 3000 feet in elevation gain. The trail head is hard to get to via rough dirt roads. We will take our SUV's as far as we can go. It's a tough but rewarding hike and will get our bodies ready for Whitney. Once we bag this peak, we head back to China Ranch for one more night's stay.

Days 5-6: Thursday-Friday, Sep. 10th-11th (Mt. Whitney)

At last, we will prepare to summit Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower-48 states (14,505 feet). The Mt. Whitney Trail is 22 miles round trip with 6000 feet of elevation gain.

We leave luxury and head to Lone Pine CA to prepare for the grand finale. We pick up our permits at 11am at the Visitor Center. I have secured 8 day-permits for Friday Sep. 11th. Now, it is very possible there will be extra walk-up permits available, so I might make our group size 10 and let the last 2 people make a calculated risk. You can also still apply for permits on April 1st.

Mt Whitney Trail

The plan will be to secure rooms at the Mt. Whitney Hostel for Thursday and Friday night. Thursday we nap and rest as much as possible. We get up EARLY Friday AM, drive to Whitney Portal and start our 22-mile round trip hike at around 2-3 AM.

If all goes well, after we summit we head back down to the cars at the trailhead. I should note that it took me only 3 hours to make it down from Trailhead camp to the trailhead in heavy snow (I was moving fast). We should make it back to Lone Pine in time to clean up and celebrate our week's work.

Ideally, I would prefer to backpack this segment and not day-hike. We might be able to secure walk-up overnight permits once we are in Lone Pine, hence I am keeping this set as a backpacking trip.

Day 7: Saturday, Sep. 12th
We head back to Vegas and head home as our schedules permit. You could take the red-eye back to Atlanta Saturday night or stay an extra day to relax in Vegas. We drop off the rental cars Sat. night or early Sunday AM (we have them for 1 full week).

** ONE LAST NOTE **
The weather during this time of year is unpredictable. We are trying to avoid the heat of late summer but also avoid the early snowfalls in September / October. It is possible we might have to alter our schedules last minute, so we need to be prepared to be flexible in case of unexpected weather systems.

Required Items to Bring:

Medium-size backpack 45L or above (to be used as a day-pack as well)
Backpacking meals for 2 days
All essential items for light backpacking
Jackets, cold-weather backpacking clothing (for summits)

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

Sun screen
Bug spray
Hiking poles
Change of shoes
Large duffle for storing clothes (I will pack a large duffle and carry on my backpack on the plane)
Microspikes or Yak Traks (for possible snow / ice on Whitney)

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

Trip begins and ends in Las Vegas.

Notes:

I will try to post some trips this summer to help with training. We will have at least 1 or 2 meetings beforehand as the trip approaches for gear review and to go over and details about this trip.

Important information for paid events in which payment is managed through the AOC:

- Payment must be received by the payment due date and prior to participation in the event.

- Some paid events require a minimum number of registered participants. If that number is not met, the event will be canceled and refunds will be issued to those who have already paid.

- Third-party vendors often require damage deposits. Each registrant agrees to be liable for and required to reimburse the Atlanta Outdoor Club for any withheld deposits due to the actions of or damages caused by that registrant.

- No partial payments. All registrants must pay the posted Member Cost regardless of any agreement you may have with any party involved in the event.

- Read the event description carefully for additional information, and contact the trip leader(s) with any questions.

* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost & Payment:

Member Cost:

$600.00/Person

Cost Includes:

Car Rental (Large SUV's to be shared by 8-10 people)
Car Rental Gas (Estimate 1100 miles of driving and predict gas price at $4 per gallon)
Accommodations at China Ranch in Tecopa (Meals not included)
2 nights Accommodations in Lone Pine (Mt Whitney Hostel)
Red Rock Scenic Tour
Mt Whitney Permits
Miscelleanous funds for contingencies
(Any extra funds will be reimbursed)

COST DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Airfare
Meals / Food
Hotel arrangements in Las Vegas
Transportation to / from Las Vegas Airport

Payment Cut Off:

Payment must be received by the AOC on Mon, Jun 1 2015.

Make a Payment:

Click here for the details. PLEASE PAY AFTER YOU HAVE SIGNED UP BELOW.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance: Please review the AOC cancellation policy.
*Note:

If you cancel on or before July 31, 2015, you will receive a full refund less a $35 administrative fee. There will be no refunds for cancellations after July 31, unless someone (approved by the trip leaders) replaces you from the wait list and pays in full. If you are replaced, you will receive a full refund less the nonrefundable fee $35.00. There is no partial payment for partial attendance.