Hike in Yosemiete NP !

Weekend Chronicle

August 3, 2019

Hiking in Yosemite NP

I went hiking twice within 2 weeks to Yosemite National Park this summer.

Due to a lot of snowing last winter, there was still a lot of snow on the trail.
It was much more than June in 2016!

Mt. Dana

From summit of Mt. Dana

It was my second time to hike to Mt. Dana.
Since I woke up late, when I arrived at the trail head it was a little before 11am.
The parking lot near Tioga Pass entrance was full.  However I got a parking spot with a little waiting.
It is probably better going there early to ensure to get a parking spot!

There were two sections where the trail was covered by snow about 300 feet.
Some people detour to avoid snow, however, I thought it might be much easy to hike straight.
I hike on the snow with an ice axe.

It have not had hiking for a while.  I was really exhausted.  The round trip was about more than 4 hours!

Gaylor Lake

Gaylor Lake

The second hike was today!
Since my family went there with me, I picked much easier one.
The trail head is also the same as Mt. Dana, but this one heads to north instead of south for Mt. Dana!

It was just 2 hours hiking from the parking lot.  It is much easier than Mt. Dana.  Just relax and enjoy very nice view around the lake!

Snow on a trail toward Mt. Dana was melted a lot.  There was still some snow, but it was getting much smaller than 2 weeks ago!

Good training after age 40! ~ Don't do training too much!

Good Training after age 40!

I usually run a few times a week last a few years and it might be a good for me.

I resumed running when I was 40 years old.
Originally, my goal was sub-3, which is less than 3 hours for full marathon.
I run about 200 miles a month to achieve the goal.
Unfortunately, I have not achieved the goal after 40 years old due to injuries.

I guess it was probably all right the first a few years.

However, I was getting old and my body cannot recover well in a short time.
That was the primary reason I kept injured.

The problem was once I got injured, I had to stop running for a while.
After resume the training, it took longer time to recover the original fitness level for a long time.

Key is to avoid injury 

Especially after 50 years old, it is very difficult to recover the fitness level before the injury.

Therefore, to keep a similar fitness level, I need to continuously train regular basis.

That is really the key.

Probably, it might be too much to run long distance every day for most of people who is over 50!

There might be some exceptions, but it might be true in general.

Tip for training after age 50!

Here is some tip based on my experience!

• Follow a training plan - There are many free training plans in the internet!
• Using some measurable index for training
• Having one or two resting days

Training Plan 

I am using a training plan in "Garmin Connect".  You need to register the web site, but there are many training plans and they are good to avoid over training.

Measurable index

Some model of Garmin Running device, such as Forerunners / Fenix, has a feature to show a recovery time based on the strength of training.  I guess it might be a conservative side, but it is probably good indication to have the next training for people who is over 50!

Based on the data, the typical frequency of training for me is somewhere around every 2 days or 3 days.

Resting days

Other than recovery time, I set at least one resting days once a week.

Good to have monitor your activities!

It is always good to have a way to monitor your activities!

I am using a Garmin Running device to monitor my activities.

A bit expensive, but there are many nice features!

It is a reasonable price.

This device is one generation older, but it is good enough and the price is very good deal!

Data analysis for hiking! ~ good to have heart rate data during training!

Data analysis for hiking

Heart rate is one of good index to understand training effort.
It is not only managing your pace for hiking, but also analyzing your training effort as well.

The following chart is heart rate distribution for a training last weekend.

I went hiking to a local trail for a training for hiking to Mt. Whitney this summer!

As you can see, the majority of my heart rate stays in Zone1.  This means this activity was pretty mild and easy effort.

The following chart is heart rate distribution for hiking to Mt. Whitney in 2018.

I managed my walking pace based on my heart rate and intentionally kept my pace very slow.
Even though, the almost half of time is zone 2 and it got into zone 3 a little.

The training last weekend is only three and half hours.  And hiking on the first day to Mt. Whitney in 2018 was about four and half hours with heavy backpack!

I got really bad muscle ache after the hiking and I was exhausted.
This indicates my fitness level was pretty bad! 

What would be a potential issue?

The essential issue for my fitness level is really lack of strength of muscle for ascending / descending because I did not go hiking after Mt. Whitney hiking in August last year.

Thus, I really needs to walk more hilly trail next a few month!

Started training for Mt. Whitney hiking this summer！

Hike to Mt. Whitney from Cottonwood Pass this summer

As I mentioned a couple times, I will go hiking from Cottonwood to Mt. Whitney this summer.
This route is much longer than Mt. Whitney Trail where I hiked a several times in the past years.

I plan to hike there in September and I still have three months.
I just started training today!

Running is not enough!

I run 3 ~ 4 times a week, but I do not believe it is not good enough.
People need to train muscle for ascending / descending.  It would be hard to train just running. 

I think it is possible to train muscle for ascending with StareMaster in a gym, but muscle for descending is probably hard.   The best way is just go hiking to do ascending and descending.

I could not reach where I plan!

I went PG&E trail Rancho San Antonio County Park after I dropped my daughter at Japanese School.
I headed to Black Mountain within 2 hours.  However, I could not reach there and returned 1km before the destination.  Total 16 km with 3 and half hours.   It is obvious that my fitness level is getting very poor.

The heart rate is not really reach to Zone 3.   It was the first day, but I need to train on the trail every week to recover my fitness level.

It was bad and I do have muscle ache now!  Just for aerobic performance, it would be all right due to regular running exercise!

How do you carry water for hiking?? ~ A water bottle??

How do you carry water for hiking??

CamelBak is one of popular manufacturer for hydration solution for Hiking

It is probably more convenient if people can drink water with walking.

For a hiker, it would be better to put a water reservoir into a pocket of your backpack! 

Water bottle?

Although water bottle is one of other solutions, it is not really ideal solution for hiking in summer time!  A water bottle is usually packed into your backpack and you might need to stop walking and get the bottle from your backpack.  Then you might wait for the next rest even if you feel a little thersty.

If you use CamelBak Reservor, you can drink water any time during hiking.  It help to minimize a chance to be dehydrated.

Issue for water for cooking...

When you camp on a trail, there might be an issue to use the CamelBak for cooking.

The reservoir is not very good to use water when you cook.

To solve the issue, I usually carry a folding type water reservoir for campping use instead of a water bottle.  When I use CamelBak, I do not need a water bottle and it is likely empty when I walk.   It would waste the space in the backpack.   It is only used in a camp site! 

So that the folding type water reservoir would be much convenient for that purpse.

  

Emergency communication ~ Amateur radio

Amateur Radio for Emergency communication

InReach is probably the best solution for emergency communication!

However, it is a little expensive!

One of alternate solutions could be Amateur Radio!!

Low cost solution

Although Amateur radio requires a license to use it, it is probably low cost solution in many cases.

One of very low cost radios from China is BAOFENG.  It costs about USD $30.

To get license you might want to check a test schedule in your local area.

You can refer the following link to find out an exam in your area:

 http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

Once you pass the exam, you can start using Amateur radio within a few weeks.

What you need to do for the exam is just going over the question pool.

http://arrlexamreview.appspot.com/

To get Technician license, the majority of questions are a sort of "common sense".  Once you go through the question pool and you may be able to get the license!

APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) would be a good method to communicate from Amateur radio to email and text messaging to a mobile device.  It reports your location as well as text messages.  As long as you are on a ridge or a peak, there might be a good chance to communicate even if the area is out of the mobile network coverage.

More reliable communication for an emergency!

I still believe if you really look for more reliable communication method, InReach would be the best solution.  However, the cost is much expensive and you need to pay monthly / annual fee to get the service.  

The coverage is probably much better than regular amateur radio and it has a rescue plan that covers rescue cost as well.

If you are going to really long hiking like John Muir Trail, then InReach would be a better solution!

Heart Rate Monitor ~ chest strap v.s. wrist sensor??

What heart rate monitor is good for hiking?

Chest-strap heart rate sensor

Embedded wrist heart rate sensor

There are a lot of devices which have heart rate sensors!!

Running devices, activity tracker, Apple watch and so on!

A several years ago, most of heart rate sensor for running was chest strap type.

Now, it is getting popular to use embedded heart rate sensor in a device.

I had a comparison about the accuracy!

Offset of measured heart rate between a chest-strap sensor and embedded wrist sensor

Offset of measured heart rate

I collected heart rate data based on my regular running exercise for a month.  I was wearing the both type of heart rate sensors, a chest-strap type and an embedded wrist sensor when I ran.

The chart above is the offset of the both measurements.  More than 90% of samples are within 4 (bpm).    This shows the embedded sensor is probably accurate enough for running and hiking.

Here is an example which has larger offset:

An example of larger offset 

The orange color is a data captured by a chest-strap sensor (with Garmin Forerunner 910XT).
In the middle of chart, there are some portion where the offset is bigger.  However the reading is more than 180 (bpm) which is probably way bigger for mild jog.  Therefore, I assume this data captured by a chest-strap sensor might be something wrong.

Another example is the the following:

Another bad example with larger offset

The blue color is captured by an embedded writ sensor (Garmin Vivosmart HR).  The early part, there are some spikes.  This data captured by an exercise using StarMaster in a gym.  It is hard to believe there is such spike during the exercise since the type of exercise won't introduce such narrow heart rate spikes.  Therefore, I assume this would be wrong reading by the embedded sensors.

Conclusion:The both sensors might have some wrong reading!

The both example shows there might be some wrong reading for the both sensors.  It is hard to identify the reason why the reading gets some offset.  Overall reading is matched well.   I think as long as contact between the sensor and body is good, the reading can be accurate.
My best guess is that if the contact is getting loose or dislocate a proper position to the body, the reading might be offsetting.

When people using a chest-strap sensor, it is probably easy to dislocate position due to a backpack.  I think that would be one of issue when I use the chest-strap type sensor during hiking.
Therefore, I would recommend embedded wrist sensor for hiking!

 

This device is with GPS function and it can track where you hike.

 

This device has pulse oximeter function, but no GPS.
It might be good to see your oxygen saturation which might be a good index for your body reaction of elevation!

Food for Hiking ~ Freeze dry food, Ramen Noodle and energy GEL!!

What do you eat during hiking?

Hikers needs to store food and garbage in a bear canister in man areas.

Food people prepare for hiking is very limited.

What do you usually carry for hiking? 

Breakfast and Dinner

Freeze dry food

A popular food is freeze dry food!  Just put some hot-water into the package and we could eat it from the package.  The garbage is really minimum and easy to cook.  I think it would be a solution.
There are various type of menu from some vendors.  The following is one of them.

Chicken Fried rice

However, if it is a few nights, I prefer to have something different.  For me, the freeze dry food sometimes is too much and I prefer some light food, especially in the morning.

Ramen Noodle Soup

One of good one I recommend is a noodle!!  The product is from Japan and you can buy it from Amazon.  It is also easy to pack into your bear canister as well.

Ramen Noodle

This ramen noodle with soup is good in the morning.  I think many people feel thirsty right after getting up in camping.  This warm noodle with soup would be a very good solution!!  You may want to try it.  Probably, you may want to try before your hiking!

Food during walking

When your are in a trail, many people typically eat light snacks instead of real meal.  Some time it could be candies, chocolate and etc.
Since I also do marathon and during a race, many runners eat Energy Gel like "GU".
I think it would be a good snack for hiking as well.

GU -- Energy GEL 

Each package is very small and it is very easy put some in your pocket and easy to eat even if you are walking.   During marathon race, many runners eat it when they are running.

Are you ready camping in a rain?? ~ Gore Tex Sleeping bag cover!

Camping in Rain? No problem!

In case you need to camp in rain,  it is better to be prepared!

I usually use Gore-Tex Sleeping cover to minimize wetting my sleeping bag.

Memorial day weekend!

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend in the United States.  Our family usually go camping in Memorial day weekend.  Unfortunately, weather forcast says it will be raining.

We are discussing if we need to cancel the camping or not.  It is probably canceled.....

However, it is different story if raining is during hiking / backpacking.  You are not much choice.

Once your sleeping bag gets wet, it is not very comfortable the rest of nights.
To minimize the impact of raining, it is better to prepare in advance!

I am not sure why I cannot see sleeping bag cover in the United States.
In Japan, sleeping bag cover is very popular and it is very useful to protect from rain.

There are some sleeping bag with Gore Tex shell, it is probably one of better sleeping bags.
However, majority of sleeping bags do not have Gore Tex shell and it is easy to get wet if people are camping in a rain.

A solution is using Gore Tex sleeping bag cover, then it will be much better!!

Tea / Coffee in Outdoor!! ~ Gas stove / cooker for picnic

Tea / Coffee in Outdoor?

How often do you go out and enjoy Outdoor activities?

Don't you think that it is a great idea to have some tea / coffee in outdoor?

Camping Gas Stove / Cooker would be a good gear to carry for hiking / picnick!!

Summer is coming!

This weekend is a long weekend, Memorial Day weekend!
Although it is still raining some time even in late May, summer is comming.  It is a good time of a year for outdoor activities!!

Our family is not only go camping / hiking, but also we go to a beach to enjoy nice Sun shine during summer time!   For those outdoor activities, one of good gear I always carry is a Gas stove for backpacking.  It is really small and light.  But it helps to have tea/coffee in outdoor.

For me, a two  burner camping stove might be too big to carry everywhere other than family camping next to our car.  However, this small stove only occupy very small space in a small backpack.

To carry this stove, a cooker from MSR would be very nice fit.  It can be used for boiling water as well as a container to carry the stove, liter, cap and etc.

I think they will help you to have a great day in outdoor!!

Power Solution in Outdoor / Hiking!

Power Solution in Outdoor / Hiking

There are many electoric devices which do not accespt a regular battery.

Smart Phones, GPS devices and etc.

Do you have any power solution to chage those devices in Outdoor?

Here is the Power solution in outdoor / hiking!  

"Solar Panel"

Smart phone consumes a lot of power!

You may charge your smart phone almost every day.  Even a middle of a day, you might run out the battery and you eventually chage battery.  I think many people have such experience 

Do you have any power solution in outdooer / hiking?

You may have not only smart pohne, but also digital camera, action cam recorder, GPS devices, InReach and etc.  Many devices might not accept a regular AAA / AA battery.

A good solution would be "Solar Panel" and "Power Bank (External Battery)"

Solar Panel is not enough!

Just having solar panel is probably not enough to cover to chage your smart phone, digital camera duing daytime.  Since you may want to use them when you are in the trail.  

It is probably better to chage an External Battery Pack (Power Bank) when you walk in daytime.

The best solution is Combination of Solar Panel & Power Bank!

There are so many external battery.  My recommendation is something around 20,000mAH capacity.

It is probably good enough to chage a typical smart phone around 5 times if it is full.

You can chage it in a campsite during night.  Also, even if it is not clear day to get enough Sun shine, it is probably enough to cover a few days.  As long as you can keep chaging day time in some days.  It can cover your entire overnight hiking!

InReach ~ Save you in emergency situation during Hiking!

Just in case in Hiking!

It is very hard to predict what will hapen during your hiking!
You may want to prepare for unexpected accident during hiking!
InReach is a good system using a sattelite network

Many people enjoy hiking.
I am also the one who often go hiking / backcountry skiing.  Even the coverage of mobile network is improving, there are many areas where the coverage is not there.
In case some emergency, it is better to prepare a way to communicate with other people in anywhere!

I mentioned about Amateur Radio before.  Although Amatueur radio requires a license to use it, InReach does not require any license and a better coverage than Amatueur radio.
You may want to consider to have InReach for your future hiking!

Emergency communication?

The mobile network coverage is getting better, however, areas where people visit for hiking do not have very good coverage.  You may want to have an emergency communication method just in case, such as loosing your way, unexpected accident and etc.

One of good systems is Garmin In Reach which uses a satellite network for such communication.

InReach for emergency communication

What is convenient?

Have you heard about satellite communication system?
It is a system using a satellite network and many people believe it is expensive.

InReach is a system to send a text message to other mobile devices such as smart phones and e-mails.
Even if the typical mobile network is out of coverage, it can work if you can see sky!
Thus, it would be very reliable emergency communication system.

The cost is starting from just  US$ 11.95 a month as of May 2019., which is not very expensive to maintain.

Also you may have a rescue plan which can an emergency resucue cost.
The plan also starts about US$ 200 a year.  It may cover up to US$ 100,000 for rescue.

If you air-lifted by chopper, depending on a case, it could be very expensive for you.
It would be safe to have such plan just in case.

It is possible that you cannot move by yourself due to an accident.
You can ask a rescue by pusshing "SOS" button, then they will start rescue based on a location
provided by its GPS.

You never know what happens to you in hiking

It is very hard to predict unexpected accidents during hiking such as falling rocks, avalanche and etc.

Anything could happen any time!

Whenever you have an accident in anywhere, InReach helps you to send your location based on the GPS and asks rescue for you.  Even if you are alone or now other people near you, it could be possible to send SOS and contact to your family and/or friends in an emergency situation.

For you insurance policy!

It is probably better to have InReach as your pertner when you go hiking!

How to use heart rate monitor?

Heart rate monitor helps a lot to manage your walking pace during hiking.  

You will have a great experience with this method, 

"Pace management with your heart rate"

Use heart rate zone!

Do you know heart rate zone?
This is a range of heart rate which can define a strength of your exercise.

This is a very popular method for RUNNING WORLD!

Many marathon runners using this method to manage their marathon pace.
It helps to get their personal record during a race.

We can use it for hiking!!  This is where this idea is coming from!

For hiking, you want to keep your heart rate in Zone 2 / Zone 3!!

The lowest cost solution!

How to define the HEART RATE ZONE?

Heart rate zone is different for each person!

To define your heart rate zone, you need to know your maximum heart rate.

The easiest way to get the number, you can do an exercise with "All out".  

You will see what would be your maximum heart rate.

However it is probably not a good way for many people.

It would be a high risk for trouble, especially people who is more than 40, not have a training in regular basis.  So I do not recommend this method.

Instead of a real measurement, there is a simple equation to guess your maximum heart rate.

Max HR = 220 - (your age)

This is not very accurate, but it is a reasonable way to fiture out a rough number of your maximum heart rate.  For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate would be somewhere around 180 (bpm) = 220 - 40.

Based on the maximum heart rate, the zone definition is following:

• Zone 1: 51% ~ 60% of your maximum HR
• Zone 2: 61% ~ 70% of your maximum HR
• Zone 3: 71% ~ 80% of your maximum HR
• Zone 4: 81% ~ 90% of your maximum HR
• Zone 5: 91% ~ 100% of your maximum HR

For hiking, you wants to stay your heart rate below 80% of your maximum heart rate.

If you want to more comfortable range, you might want to stay less than 70%.

If you are 40 years old, it would be less than 127(bps) (=70%) 

Nice device with GPS function!

The pace is too slow?

If you follow the pace with less than 70% of your maximum heart rate, you may feel the pace is so slow.  But this is probably a better pace for you.   This indicating your pace in the past is probably too fast for you.
If it is just a short hiking, you may be able to push faster pace.  You would be able to do without much trouble.

However, if you hike more than 10,000 feet, you'd better to follow the guidline that you stay in the Zone 2 for more comfortable hiking for your best experience.

More outdoor feature!

The total time could be very similar

Even if you feel the pace is so slow, the overall time to a desination could be very similar.  If you are over pace, then you might need to take more reset.  If you stay in the zone, you do not have to take a lot of rest.  Therefore even if your pace is slow, you have less resting time.  As a result, the total time to your desination would be very similar as walking faster, especially in high elevation.

A good partner for hiking! ~ Easy hiking in high elevation!

Monitoring your heart rate duing hiking helps to manage your walking pace!
This is one of a good way to manage your walking pace.

For experienced hiker, they know their best pace for hiking.  They won't get exhausted based on optimal pace.  Many seriour climbers who climed Himalaya mountains, they understand what the reaction of their body in higher elevation.

However, for many hikiers who do not have a lot of experience more than 10,000 feet. It is hard to tell what is going on for your body.   It is almost no sign for impacts of high elevation.  As a result, you may be exhausted.   Your experience of the hiking won't be great if you really exhausted.

Monitoring heart rate and manage your walking pace will help to keep an optimal pace for you and you will have a great experience for your big desstination like Mt. Whitney which is the highest mountain in lower 48 states in the United States.

Let's get a device which can monitor your heart rate during hiking!

The lowest cost solution!

Hiking season is coming!

In the US, Memorial Day weekend is coming!   It is starting a nice hiking season this summer!

Mt. Whitney which is the highest mountain in Calfornia. 

It is the highest mountain in the lower 48 states in the United States.

Due to the "highest mountain" in the main portion of the United States, 

Mt. Whitney is very popular destination for many hikers.

High Altitude Sickness

Do you know "High Altitude Sickness"?

Due to low oxigen environment in highe elevation, many people feels some symptoms when they hike more than 10,000 feet.  It is sometimes headache, dehydration and others.

If you spend more time in higher elevation, human body will adopt the altitude slowly in many cases.  However, it is hard to avoid in short term. 

Many hiking might be done within a few days and it would be too short to adopt the altitude.

Pace management in high elevation

The pace management for a hiking in higer elevation, which is above 10,000 feet, is probably very difficult for most of people.  Because almost all people could not feel the impact in the early stage of high altitude sickness where the elevation around 10,000 feet.  At this stage, you do not feel anything different from a typical hiking in lower elevation.

However, if you monitor your heart rate, you will see the difference.  Even if you walked a similar pace when you hikin in lower elevation, the heart rate is getting much higher in higher elevation.  This means you do not feel anything special, but there is sign for the high altitude sickness already.

What happens?

Since you cannot recognize any impact of the elevation in the early stage of high altitude sickness, your walking pace is eventually "over pacing".  Then it will gets worse quickly and you will be exhausted in a short time.

Most of destination for hikers is somewhere around 14,000 feet and you may be able to reach the summit without any special thing for the altitude.  But you may be exhausted and your experience might not be great.

Monitor Heart rate helps your experience!

One of a good solution for the high altitude sickness is monitoring heart rate and manage your pace based on heart rate.

It used to be not easy since there is not very good way to monitor your heart rate in real time during hiking.   However, it is getting much easier nowadays.  Since there are many devices which can monitor real time heart rate just waring a watch!

A good solution is using activity tracker during hiking!

There are many activitiy tracker devices in the market.  Also, running is getting very popular for people's health, there are many running devices with GPS function.  Those are all good devices to monitor your heart rate duing hiking!

The following device is called "Garming vivoactive 3".

This device also capable to trace where you go as your record with GPS. 

This is a very good fit for many hikers to keep tracking where you go and how much time you took.

In terms of the cost, I would recomend this device for trcking your heart rate during hiking.

Nice device with GPS function!

The next device is "Garmin fenix 5".  This is a bit expensive.  However due to a updated model is introduced this price is getting lower and now it is a bit expensive but affordable range now.

A good thing for this device is more nice features for hikers.  Longer battery life, built in compas and more profile for many other spots to track your activity.   I have been using the previous modle "fenix 3 HR" and it is really nice gear for hiking.

If you can affort this price, I would recomend this device!

More outdoor feature!

I will post how to manage you hiking pace in the next post!

(To be continue)

Mt. Whitney 2019 Permit ~ expect last minutes cancellation....

From the visitor center in Lone Pine

Availability after May 1st

People who won the lottery need to complete its reservation by April 30.
After that, starting May 1, all dates which is not reserved will be available everybody who wants to get the permit.

I have often checked the availability after May 1, only dates I saw was early season which is May and June and late season which is after late September.  I did not see any other available dates so far.

For day use permit, there are many open dates in weekdays in summer time.  However they had been booked and it is almost full now.

The only way to get the permit is the last minutes cancellation.  Or you may want to get an exit permit like I plan this summer.  You can enter the Mt. Whitney Zone other than Mt. Whitney Trail from Whitney Portal.   But many of short hiking routes are booked and it is likely the last minutes cancellation.   It might be easier to get one than Mt. Whitney trail from Whitney Portal 

I am not sure if it is due to changing the reservation system or more people applied.  It is obviously getting hard to get the permit this year.

I think it is better to consider alternate route earlier to make sure you can get the permit.

Cottonwood Pass to Mt. Whitney ～Day 2 (Plan)

Overview for Day2 and Day3

Toward west side of Mt. Whitney

Although I have hiked Mt. Whitney a several times, I always see the west side from the ridge toward the summit of Mt. Whitney.   Now, if I start from Cottonwood pass, it is possible to get into the west side.

 

In the second day, this is a way to Guitar Lake and very famous John Muir trail is merged on the way to Guitar Lake!

The day 2, Guyot Creek - Guitar Lake (3,525m)　(13.2㎞). Overall, the trend is ascending, however the distance is much shorter than the first day and it might be a little easier. We need to camp about 3,500m elevation and we expect we adopt the altitude since we stay a little above 3,000m a day before. Guitar lake is still lower elevation than Trail Camp on Mt. Whitney Trail.

Due to summit attempt the next day, we will try to get to Guitar Lake camping site early to prepare early departure on the next day!

Although I have never been the west side of Mt. Whitney, I am expecting really nice view and quiet environment which is very different from crowded Mt. Whitney trail!

Cottonwood Pass to Mt. Whitney ~ Day 1 (Plan)

Elevation profile (Cottonwood Pass Trail head ~ Guyot Creek)

Started planing a hike from Cottonwood Pass to Mt. Whitney

Since I got a permit from Cottenwood Pass to Mt. Whitney this end of summer, I started planing the hike.

Here is the day one:

The starting point is a campground of Cottonwood Pass Trail Head.

Based on the elevation profile, I probably want to camp lower elevation as possible to avoid impacting of high altitude sickness.

The lowest elevation is a crossing point of Rock Creek at 20km from the trail head.

That would be one of possible point for the camping on the first day.

The other option would try to camp at a crossing point of Guyot Creek.  The elevation is a little below 3200m.

The total distance from the trail head would be around 20 ~ 22km.

It is better not to camp high elevation where more than 3500m.  So the selection is very limited.

The other factor this summer is minimize crossing creeks.  Since amount of snow last winter is more than typical years, therefore it might be hard to cross creek some time.  For safety, it is better to minimize it.

There are two possible route in the later section of the day one.

One is along with Rock Creek and the other is through a ridge.

I think through the ridge would be better this summer to minimize the crossing creeks.

Here is the day 1 of this hiking:

Cottonwood Pass Trail Head - Guyot Creek (22km)

(To be continue)

Alternate way to hike Mt. Whitney!

Overall plan

   Here is the overall plan from Cottonwood pass to Whitney portal!  The total distance including Mt. Whitney summit is about 35 miles.  It is much longer than a simple round trip through Mt. Whitney trail which is about 22 miles.

   Typical plan is 3 days 4 nights on the trail.

Permit

   It requires a regular wildness permit to enter the trail from Cottonwood pass and an exit permit for the Mt. Whitney zone.
   I got the both permits after notified Mt. Whitney lottery result.   I still can book the both permits on the reservation site outside of the lottery.  That is much easier to get the permit for Mt. Whitney zone via Mt. Whitney trail.

   I heard it might be possible to get a permit with just walk-in on the day of the entrance at the visitor center in Lone Pine.  The person who told me this plan got permit a couple times in the past.

   So it would be a good alternate plan to hike Mt. Whitney without much hassle to get overnight permit for Mt. Whitney trail.

Tip to get Mt. Whitney permit! ~ Avoid Mt. Whitney Trail!

The highest mountain in California!

Getting harder to get the permit

A permit is required to get into the area around Mt. Whitney to protect nature in the area.
They control people who are in the area a day!

As I mentioned in this blog many times, there is a process to get the permit every year!
It starts Mt. Whitney lottery.  It opens between Feb and mid March to file the application.
The result will be notified by April and the winner needs to complete the reservation by the end of April.

It is very difficult to get a permit in high season like July to September, especially during weekend.
I had not won any date last a several years.  However I got a reservation after April 1st / May 1st in the past years where the winner had not completed the reservation.

Even though it is getting harder, I keep checking the reservation site, but I could not see any open dates between July and September for overnight permit.  There are some for day use permits.

Is there any other way?

I guess many people want to go hiking over there!

There are a couple way people may get the permit:

The first one is to expect cancellation to get the permit at the visitor center in Lone Pine.
It might be still hard to get the one during summer time.  However, there is a little possibility to get it at the visitor center.

Second, to avoid the most popular route which is Mt. Whitney Trail. 

One of example is climb through north folk.  There is some easy rock-climbing sections and it requires some rock-climbing skill.  However it could be more chance to get the permit if you can avoid Mt. Whitney Trail.

The last one is to enter Mt. Whitney Zone other than Mt. Whitney Trail.
It is getting much easier than via Mt. Whitney Trail.
As you plan well, you could get the permit outside of Mt. Whitney Lottery.
Also, there is much higher chance to get the permit at the visitor center.
Many people tried this scheme to hike Mt. Whitney.

Based on an advice from a person, I got a permit this summer from Cottenwood Pass and hike to Mt. Whitney from the west side.  It will be a little longer hike than Mt. Whitney Trail, but it is probably the easiest way to get the permit.

Would you like to try it if you do not have permit this summer?
It is not too late!

Mt. Whitney ~ There are still some day use permit this summer!

It is May now!
How was the result of Mt. Whitney Lottery this year?

I guess you might unsuccessful the lottery.
It seems that it is getting harder to get the permit year by year.

Now, you can make a reservation slots which are not confirmed by the lottery winners starting from May 1.

There is not many open dates for overnight permit except early / late season.
However, there are many open dates for day use permit in summer time.

I think you have a better chance to get it now.

The following URL is the one to check it:
https://www.recreation.gov/permits/233260

Mt. Whitney Lottery 2019 ~ Unsuccessful....

99 Switch-back (June 2016)

My Mt. Whitney Lottery result was unsuccessful this year.  It seems to be hard to get the permit through the lottery last few years.

Key date to get the permit!

There are two important dates to get the permit for people who were unsuccessful the lottery.
I mentioned in this blog a couple times, they are April 1st and May 1st.

On April 1st, people can make a reservation a spot which is not allocated through the lottery.
Although I checked the reservation site on the day, I cannot any good spots for the overnight permit.  There are some spots for dayuse in weekdays.  If you are interested in a day trip in weekdays, it would be a good chance to get it.

The other date is May 1st, people can make a reservation a spot which is not confirmed by a lottery winner.  I got a permit from this type of spots last year.

My plan this year?

I will check availability on May 1st anyway,  however, I have a backup plan this year.

Although the most popular route to hike Mt. Whitney is Mt. Whitney trail, a round trip from Whitney portal, there is another way to visit Mt. Whitney from the west side where John Muir trail goes.  It is a long way to Mt. Whitney, however it is much easier to get a permit from that side.  It is called "exit permit".  I checked the reservation site and there are many available spots in the summer time.

I booked one of spots as my back up plan, which will be 3 nights 4 days trip from Cottenwood Pass.

I am a kind of excited to go that hike this year since most of hiking I had done recently is only one or two nights on the trail.

How about you?  Would you also like to try it?

2019 Half Dome Preseason Lottery will open on March 13, 2019!

I found a news release for Half Dome preseason lottery.  It will open on March 13, 2019.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/news/yosemite-national-park-announces-that-the-2019-half-dome-preseason-lottery-will-open-on-wednesday-march-13-2019.htm

Application can be filed on:

https://www.recreation.gov/permits/234652

Avalanche Safety Gear ~ Avalance beacon and snow shovel and probe

Avalanche beacons

Avalanche safety....

There might be higher risk for avalanche when people ski in back country, outside of ski resorts.  I saw many people ware avalanche beacon in Europe even if in a ski resorts.

This is an equipment to identify a location in snow when people meet an avalanche.  It is better to ware avalanche beacon when we go skiing in back country.

Also, we need snow shovel and snow probe as well!

Although an avalanche beacon is useful, it is not good enough to rescue people in snow in a short time.   

Snow probe and Snow shovel

Once we identify a rough location where a person in snow, we need to have a probe to identify exact location / depth where he/she is.  Then we need to dig him/her out.  Without a snow shovel, it is very hard to do in a short time.   Therefore, snow probe / snow shovel are really necessary to rescue people as well.  Basically all member need to carry them.

Snow saw 

Snow saw is probably nice to have.  I think most of cases, we probable do not need snow saw to rescue from avalanche accident.   Since the snow might not be very hard in most of cases.   However it is very useful to make a snow cave especially some emergency case in a snow.

Snow cave would be a good shelter to unexpected camp in a snow without a tent.

Half Dome Preseason Lottery 2019 is delayed (Yosemite NP)

Half Dome (Yosemite National Park / California USA)

Preseason Lottery for Half Dome is delayed according to the web site of Yosemite National Park this year.  It is usually starting on March 1 every year.  The date to open has not been determined yet.

To hike to the top of Half Dome a permit required.  To get the permit, there are two different way to get it.  One is going through preseason lottery and the other is daily lotteries.  Since daily lottery allocation is limited, it is probably a good idea to get it through preseason lottery.

It is better to pay more attention for announcement on the web site to find out the new schedule.

Mt. Whitney Lottery 2019 ~ The reservation form has been changed!Mt. Whitney Lottery 2019 ~ The reservation form has been changed!

From the visitor center in Lone Pine

Mt. Whitney Lottery 2019

As I mentioned in this blog before, Mt. Whitney Lottery for this summer is now opened!  The application can be filed till 23:59 on March 15 (PDT).

I have just filed my application and the form is slightly changed this year.
This year we do not have to fill the entrance and exit location and the exit date in the application.  Just need to fill the type of permit, either day use or overnight and the entrance date.

The application fee is just USD $6.

The application will be filed at https://www.recreation.gov/.

People need to have an account.  If you do not have it, you need to register first.  Then just search by "Mt. Whitney", you will find out where you can file the application.

Again, the application can be filed till 23:59 on March 15 (PDT/USA)!

Update: Mt. Whitney Lottery 2019 ～ Feb 22 - Mar 15, 2019

Due to government shutdown, Mt Whitney schedule was postponed this year.  Now the new date was announced which is Feb 22 - Mar 15, 2019.  It seems that the rest of date will stay the same.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD609658

Lassen Volcanic National Park ~ There is a lot of snow due to storm last a few weeks

Caution! There is a lot of snow due to storm last a few weeks!

https://www.nps.gov/customcf/webcam/dsp_webcam_image.cfm?id=81B46270-1DD8-B71B-0BE9D202820A8990

This is a link to a webcam it shows a real time view behind the visitor center on the south side.
I usually check it when I plan to go back country skiing over there.  There is a lot of snow accumulated in last a few weeks.

There are some observation of avalanche in Lake Tahoe area as well.
https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/observations

It is probably better to be very careful to go back country skiing next a few weeks.  I should be better to check all warning information in the area.  The forecast is all snow next several days.
I think the amount of snow would be the most within a several years!

Mt. Whitney Lottery 2019 ~ No update yet

As I mentioned in the previous post, the schedule of Mt. Whitney Lottery this year was postponed based on a news on January 30.   Now it is February, there is no update so far.

Usually, the application can be filed starting from February 1, however what we know is it would be some time mid / late February and no information for the following schedule of key dates.  The government shutdown was a little more than 1 month and no further information how much impact for the following dates.

I will keep posting any update I found in this blog.  It is better to keep eyes on it if people plan to get the permit to hike Mt. Whitney this year.  It will be something different from typical years.

Mt. Whitney Lottery 2019

According to the following notice, Mt. Whitney Lottery will be postponed this year due to the government shutdown recently.   The actual date has not been settled yet.  You need to watch the update if you are plan to hike there this year.   Based on the notice, it will be mid / late February.

I will keep positing the update!