Author Topic: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice  (Read 5420 times)

martyconlonontherun

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I'm planning an extended weekend trip out west this August and wondering if anyone has advice where to stay cheaply at these locations.

We are open to both camping or cheap hotels; but a little hesitant on camping being so close to Death Valley for Mt Whitney and not sure where is the best site within Yosemite.

We are planning to do Mt Whitney the first day, and two days later do half dome with hiking at Yosemite in between.

I know we need to enter a lottery for Mt Whitney and Half Dome, are their any other sites that require lottery entries?

Yosemite seems beautiful but would love any advice I could get on what to fit in during a 2 day stretch.




wordnerd

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2018, 07:14:20 PM »
RE: Yosemite. If you do Half Dome and you only have one other day, I wouldn't try to fit much in on day 2. Maybe a couple of short walks in Yosemite Valley, like Bridalveil Falls, and then drive around the park some. As far as cheap lodging, I enjoyed staying in the tent camps at Curry Village (now called something else; ETA: it's now called Half Dome Village), if it isn't full already for your dates. Staying the park will be very helpful if you're doing Half Dome, as you'll likely want to start out very early.

peeps_be_peeping

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2018, 07:43:36 PM »
When I hiked the PCT I took a couple of rest days in Lone Pine at the http://www.mountwhitneyportal.com/. There are shared dorm style rooms as well as private rooms. It was clean and not too expensive. I think the dorm bed was $25 per night. I know there is camping near Lone Pine at the Alabama Hills BLM site but no personal experience. Bishop has a hiker hostel www.thehostelcalifornia.com/ with inexpensive rooms as well. I heard it has a party atmosphere which may or may not be what you are seeking.

Also Yosemite campgrounds have "backpackers' camps" that are only $6 per night and do not have to be reserved. You have to carry your stuff to the site and you may not get a picnic table or fire ring, and you have to have a wilderness permit.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2018, 07:52:44 PM by peeps_be_peeping »

FINate

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2018, 08:03:34 PM »
Camping is going to be much much cheaper than a hotel. Typically $20/night or less, plus you're eating out the ice chest instead of restaurants. It also puts you closer to interesting stuff rather than driving back and forth to a small GEM (Gas, Eat, Motel).

It's all about elevation if you want to avoid the heat. Anything above about 6000' to 7000' should be fine, average high of around 85-90 during the day, lower the higher you go. May be cold at night, frost is possible. Lots of variation depending on exact location and weather, could be over 100 or cold and rainy or even snow...so YMMV.

Check National Forest sites for campground info. August is high season so you'll want to reserve in advance if possible, typically via recreation.gov. Popular campgrounds (read: very scenic, higher elevation) are probably already filling up, weekends are probably a no-go at this point. If you can't find sites to reserve then search around online for campgrounds that are first come first serve and plan on getting to these early to find a spot. E.g. for weekend arrive early Fri or even Thurs, right after checkout time which is usually around 10am. Then keep that spot over the weekend. Some of these campgrounds are less popular because they have few amenities, such as lacking potable water. You can bring your own water - a 5 gallon container for camping can be purchased for about $20-30. Just fill it before you go and/or at a campground that has water.

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous then there are some places that offer dispersed camping. No water, no bathroom, no tables, no fee, nothing. Just pull off the road and camp. This is usually USFS or BLM land though disallowed in certain areas, and not with a certain distance of campgrounds. Will need a California Campfire Permit (free and easy to get) if you want to have a campfire or operate a stove. Call the managing agency if in doubt about the rules, and always check fire restrictions (usually more of an issue at lower forested elevations). A WAG Bag / bucket setup takes care of the toilet situation, though in many places it's also okay to just dig a hole (not a big deal for those of us accustomed to backpacking).

As for specific locations to look: Just east of Whitney is the Alabama Hills area. It's high desert BLM land and a popular dispersed camping location. A little lower (5000') so average high is about 95 in Aug (though could be much higher if having a heat wave). But that shouldn't matter if you're planning on hiking all day in the high country since it cools off at night. Interesting rock formations in the area with short hikes, probably best in the cool of the morning. No trees, so bring a shade tarp if you plan on being around camp during the day.

Nearer Yosemite there are a bunch of USFS campgrounds in the Lee Vining Canyon area, a few first come first serve. Or, in the same general area, there are places near Mono Lake that you can do dispersed camping. Higher elevation than Alabama Hills, so a bit cooler, no shade so bring your own. You need to check in with the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center for details and to get a permit (free I think). And lots of BLM land east of Highway 395. Again, call the district office for details.

A word of caution if you do decide to disperse camp: Many of the dirt roads are not well maintained or are designated for higher clearance vehicles (e.g. trucks, real SUVs not crossovers), so heed the recommendations from the agency in question. Easy to crack an oil pan or transfer case or get stuck, and not a lot of travelers on those roads. This isn't a problem for the main area of Alabama Hills (the first mile or so in), popular enough that the dirt roads are well maintained, but much less so the further in you go. The roads around Mono Lake are sandy.

cats

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2018, 05:56:36 PM »
OP since you only have 3 days (and I'm assuming that's including driving days too) you might consider doing just Whitney and over night in the Mammoth Lakes or back side of Yosemite area rather than going all the way to the valley. There are tons of campgrounds everywhere and beautiful places to hike or climb all over the eastern side of the Sierra. Its a fairly long drive between Lone Pine and the Yosemite Valley and so many places you'll want to stop it will likely take you most of the day.  Mammoth is a cool ski town and the weather is nice in Aug. I usually camp in the Lake Mary campgrounds just out of town but they can be crowded. There's also a campground right at the entrance of town too.  June Lake a bit north has public campgrounds and both towns have budget motels.  The Bode ghost town is cool to visit and fairly close as is Mono Lake. Tons and tons of trails everywhere.

I agree that it might be better to do one or the other.

I just took a look at Tuolumne Meadows on recreation.gov and it looks like booking campsites for this season is not open yet, so you could still snag a spot there. We stayed there last year and found it to be a good location with easy access to multiple gorgeous hikes.

martyconlonontherun

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2018, 06:24:13 PM »
Thanks for all the responses. I have points and cousin who is energetic like me so the original plan was use points and do a cheap to climb Mt Whitney. Kind of a bucket list item.

Yosemite/half dome is crazy out of the way and looked cool, so added it on the itinerary. We entered the lottery last night for both so it's not a given we get accepted. But you guys are probably right on doing closer hikes and enjoying it instead of crossing of an activity from the bucket list. Got a month until the lottery is announced so that will make some decisions for me but wanted ideas from those with experience.

MayDay

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2018, 08:04:13 PM »
We stayed in Half Dome/Curry Village in a tent cabin.

It was great for the price (50 a night I think?).  I would definitely pay extra to be in the valley.

Downsides:  you are very close together, so it was a bit noisy.  We were exhausted after hiking 15 miles so it didn't bother us.  And we were freezing.  The provided bedding was skimpy for October.  Most people brought sleeping bags.  We flew in and didn't realize quite how cold it would get.  It worked out though.

We didn't get a half dome permit (we tried but didn't win the lottery).  Still worth doing.  We did one crazy day, and that was ok, but I'd like to go back for 2 or 3.

FINate

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2018, 08:04:26 PM »
The other problem with attempting Half Dome after Whitney is driving from the eastern side of the park to Yosemite Valley. Scenic but long drive. And the valley will be a three ring circus in Aug and quite hot. My recommendation: If you want to explore Yosemite on short amount of time coming from the east, then stick to the Yosemite High Country / Tuolumne Meadows. If you want to kill two birds with one stone and bag another peak after Whitney then go for Mt Dana. Easy access from Tioga Pass Parking Lot at great views from the top of Mono Basin and Yosemite and up and down the crest of the Sierras.

TFTF

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2018, 01:53:21 PM »
I share the perspective that this itinerary is too compressed. The other factor to consider for Whitney is how much time you need to acclimate to altitude. Do you have experience at altitude and are you confident in how your body will react? Please be sure to build in time to acclimate properly. Altitude sickness is serious business, and unfortunately many people are dangerously misinformed about it. This FB group is a good resource: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AltitudeAcclimatization/ (This could be an argument for doing Yosemite first, although I'd still encourage doing something closer but lower in the Eastern Sierra instead.)

bognish

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2018, 02:20:30 PM »
Whitnet & Half Dome would be a serious amount of vertical to do in a long weekend with a long car drive in the middle for your legs to cramp up. Sounds fun. Alabama Hills has tons of disbursed camping right on the approach road to the Whitney trail head. no bugs and desert so you won't even need a tent in the summer.

The Valley is a total circus in the summer. An alternative hike is Clouds Rest from Tenaya Lake. shorter drive from Lone Pine. If you are feeling energetic from the summit you can drop down towards Half Dome and try and join a group with a permit.

FireHiker

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2018, 10:36:38 AM »
Good luck on the Whitney lottery; I put in for it last month (the cut off was last night I think). My dates are all in July so we aren't competing against each other. :) The Whitney lottery results are published March 24 I believe. It is a bucket list item for me, so I get it. If we get the permit, we'll either camp at Whitney Portal, or get a cheap hotel in Lone Pine. A friend said the Best Western is pretty decent in Lone Pine, and it is fairly inexpensive. Are you planning to try for single day or overnight? My friends who have done single day (which is what we put in for) recommend starting your hike by 2:30am, so we're hoping to get a campsite close to the trail head.

I'm another vote for Tuolumne Meadows instead of Yosemite Valley in the summer. The hike to Cathedral Lakes is nice; it's been several years since I've done it, but I think it was 7.5 miles round trip. I did it with a 7 year old towards the end of a long road trip. We stayed in Mammoth that night (lodging is pretty reasonable in the summer there). If you can't get Whitney and like backpacking, I highly recommend the JMT/PCT section that starts at Reds Meadow, taking the High Trail up to Thousand Island Lake and then back down via the river trail (or the PCT where you go by Garnet Lake; again it's been several years so my details are a tad hazy). Feel free to messaeg me if you want any other local info; I love the Sierras.

mm1970

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #11 on: March 16, 2018, 11:35:18 AM »
OP since you only have 3 days (and I'm assuming that's including driving days too) you might consider doing just Whitney and over night in the Mammoth Lakes or back side of Yosemite area rather than going all the way to the valley. There are tons of campgrounds everywhere and beautiful places to hike or climb all over the eastern side of the Sierra. Its a fairly long drive between Lone Pine and the Yosemite Valley and so many places you'll want to stop it will likely take you most of the day.  Mammoth is a cool ski town and the weather is nice in Aug. I usually camp in the Lake Mary campgrounds just out of town but they can be crowded. There's also a campground right at the entrance of town too.  June Lake a bit north has public campgrounds and both towns have budget motels.  The Bode ghost town is cool to visit and fairly close as is Mono Lake. Tons and tons of trails everywhere.

I agree that it might be better to do one or the other.

I just took a look at Tuolumne Meadows on recreation.gov and it looks like booking campsites for this season is not open yet, so you could still snag a spot there. We stayed there last year and found it to be a good location with easy access to multiple gorgeous hikes.
I was thinking Yosemite (and especially Half Dome) would be a massive zoo in Aug and the eastern Sierra and Mammoth area not so much. Not sure where the OP is coming from or if they are just passing thru quickly and want to just hit those two mountains, or this is a planned trip to somewhere they've never been before and they want to see and do other things as well. Just seems like they are setting a fast pace if its the latter.

Yes, I'd agree Mammoth or June Lake or East Yosemite would be better from Whitney.

I think a lot of these campground slots open 6 months in advance?  Take a look and mark the date, because they sometimes fill up fast.

crimwell

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #12 on: March 17, 2018, 08:53:14 PM »
Bognish and Finate had good advice

Mt Whitney is a 22 mile round trip, quite strenuous (6000+ ft elevation gain/loss) so it's an all all day thing if you do it in a single day (probably most do it as a backpack). You're not going to want to go far to find somewhere to sleep after that.

Either stay in Lone Pine (hostel was linked above) or camp. Whitney portal campground is kind of expensive and will fill up but there are about 4 other developed campgrounds farther down toward lone pine (including inyo county's portagee Joe campground  and Diaz lake just south of town) plus a few private campgrounds. Cheapest option obviously is free camping in Alabama hills. August is hot and may be pretty busy but even with a passenger car you'll very likely be easily able to find a spot to park, throw out a ground cloth and sleeping bag, and crash (tent would be  just for darkness/privacy, it's not likely to rain).

Yosemite is a madhouse in summer but if you're coming from Mount Whitney the day before and trying to do it cheap, I'd recommend giving yourself a full day to travel the ~2 hours from Lone Pine to Lee Vining,  camp at  Inyo National Forest Big Springs, Deadman Flat, Hartley Springs, or Glass Creek campgrounds (these 4 are free) in between Mammoth and June lake, or dispersed camp east or north of Lee Vining (or there are several pay campgrounds run by  National Forest in Lee Vining Canyon that will likely fill up early). In other words take the day easy and get some sleep early. In between Lee Vining and Yosemite there are no free camping options. You'll have to go a good way west/north/south of Yosemite Valley on the west side of the Sierra if you want to find either free dispersed camping or a campground that isn't full already.

then get up v early the next day to drive the few more hours into Yosemite Valley to get a somewhat early start.

YHD

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2018, 03:34:31 AM »
Stayed at curry Village and the ahwahnee before the rebranding. Much preferred curry village.

FireHiker

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #14 on: March 28, 2018, 04:55:42 PM »
Checking in here now that the Whitney lottery has happened. I'm happy to say we got our date in July for single day! I will caution you, if you're doing Whitney, book any lodging ASAP. The lottery results were posted last Saturday. I went online to reserve a campsite at Whitney Portal yesterday and there were 2 left for my dates. Well, for 2/3 of my dates...we do our single day trek on a Tuesday and planned to drive up Sunday, camp Sunday-Wednesday. We're still going to drive up Sunday and get our permit (can be picked up 2 days in advance) but will probably camp Horseshoe Meadows/Cottonwood Lakes the first night since Whitney Portal campground was full and Horseshoe Meadows is first come/first served. There's also Lone Pine Campground; there was some space left there. There's BLM land in Alabama Hills for free camping if you don't need facilities.

Even the hotels were nearly fully booked for my dates, and more expensive than last time I checked. Whitney is definitely not something you can throw together last minute unless you can get in on a cancellation.

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #15 on: March 28, 2018, 06:06:47 PM »
Checking in here now that the Whitney lottery has happened. I'm happy to say we got our date in July for single day! I will caution you, if you're doing Whitney, book any lodging ASAP. The lottery results were posted last Saturday. I went online to reserve a campsite at Whitney Portal yesterday and there were 2 left for my dates. Well, for 2/3 of my dates...we do our single day trek on a Tuesday and planned to drive up Sunday, camp Sunday-Wednesday. We're still going to drive up Sunday and get our permit (can be picked up 2 days in advance) but will probably camp Horseshoe Meadows/Cottonwood Lakes the first night since Whitney Portal campground was full and Horseshoe Meadows is first come/first served. There's also Lone Pine Campground; there was some space left there. There's BLM land in Alabama Hills for free camping if you don't need facilities.

Even the hotels were nearly fully booked for my dates, and more expensive than last time I checked. Whitney is definitely not something you can throw together last minute unless you can get in on a cancellation.

Walk up day of permit, dispersed camping, sure you can throw together a last minute whitney trip with the understanding that it might not work out and have a backup plan.

I'll have to try for the walk up as I want to climb mt russell and the whitney zone permit is needed for that as well, so maybe I'm just trying to convince myself.

i didn't know you needed a permit for a campstove......

Stasher

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2018, 09:41:37 AM »
Lots of great advice here ! Thanks for the tag @spartana

First thing I support is avoiding Yosemite, do that is the shoulder season as it is more enjoyable and the crowds aren't there.
Yes to Toulumne Meadows, stunning there.

First thing, are you a hiker scrambler or climber?
The standard Whitney route is a hike, but as mentioned if you are doing it in a day you need to have experience and conditioning at pushing yourself that hard. Totally doable but you need to be prepared, I saw someone mention conditioning yourself to the altitude, yes to this so consider summiting a minor peak or two elsewhere prior to this day if you can.

If you are a hiker I might suggest doing this as your itinerary for conditioning
Day 1 - hike up Mt Dana and down, park for free with no park pass required just prior to the Yosemite Park gates
Day 2 - hike up the class 2 route for Mt Conness from Toulumne Meadows.
Day 3 - drive to Lonepine, eat and enjoy a recovery day (get your permit) and camp for free in Alabama Hills
Day 4 - drive up early to Whitney Portal and crush the standard hiking route up Whitney, good luck!

For my trip.... 2nd week of September
Day 1 run up Dana as our first day conditioning and then camped at Saddlebag Lake (free and slept in car)
Day 2 day tripped and climbed the North Ridge of Mt Conness
Day 3 drive to Lonepine and we won the morning lottery for Whitney and camped in Alabama Hills
Day 4 parked at Whitney Portal and headed up trail, took NorthFork route and camped at Upper Boy Scout Lake
Day 5 scrambled Mt Russell via East Ridge , return to camp at Upper Boy Scout for Whitney next day
Day 6 turned around on attempt of Whitney via Mountaineers Route due to lightning storm and extreme winds, hike out
Day 7 crushed a day hike and scramble Mt Emerson via South Slopes (not a single person on mountain)

Whitney would be epic but man Mt Russell is badass, there were 4 people total at camped out near us and ran into 6 people total on the trail from Whitney Portal. Mt Emerson was the only camping we paid for as a way to be able to park at the trailhead for Piute Pass, otherwise you need to park in the hiking designated spot which adds a bunch of distance to your hike.

Mt Dana 13,061 feet
Mt Conness 12,590 feet
Mt Russell 14,094 feet
Mt Emerson 13,225 feet

@zoltani the permit for Upper Boy Scout is different than the one for Whitney but with it you are allowed to do Whitney via the Mountaineers route or any of the face climbs. East Russell is the shit ! so good
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 09:43:18 AM by Stasher »

bognish

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #17 on: March 29, 2018, 11:54:31 AM »
I did Whitney on a walk in permit and no reservations. We didn't see another person on the trail during the 3 day round trip and were the only tent in the lone pine campground before and after our hike. I think it might have helped that we summited on Christmas Day... So I hear summer time is a zoo, but there is a long shoulder season in the fall that is perfect for hiking in Yosemite and the Sierra. The weather is usually good and bad weather is predictable a few days in advance.

Have a great trip.

zoltani

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #18 on: March 29, 2018, 12:07:17 PM »
@zoltani the permit for Upper Boy Scout is different than the one for Whitney but with it you are allowed to do Whitney via the Mountaineers route or any of the face climbs. East Russell is the shit ! so good

I'd like to do a route on the south face, Mithril Dihedral or Fishook Arete, probably try and do it in a day or camp at Iceburg Lake. I'm not that familiar with the area, but I think i need the N Fork Pine creek permit.

FireHiker

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #19 on: March 29, 2018, 04:00:31 PM »
I did Whitney on a walk in permit and no reservations. We didn't see another person on the trail during the 3 day round trip and were the only tent in the lone pine campground before and after our hike. I think it might have helped that we summited on Christmas Day... So I hear summer time is a zoo, but there is a long shoulder season in the fall that is perfect for hiking in Yosemite and the Sierra. The weather is usually good and bad weather is predictable a few days in advance.

Have a great trip.

The OP said they were going in August, I think, which is definitely a zoo. My friend has gone in October when the weather was still nice and had a lovely time. I've never heard of anyone going on Christmas; that sounds awesome. August is right in the heart of the crowded time though.

I'm going in July and was shocked to see that the campground and hotels were so booked already, three days after the lottery. We're planning to just go up to Horseshoe Meadows for the Sunday night after getting our Tuesday permit. Then we'll hike the Whitney trail to Lone Pine Lake and back on Monday (so we can see what we'll be doing in the dark with a headlamp on Tuesday), and doing our single day summit hike on Tuesday, if weather is in our favor. We REALLY want to do it this year (so much so that we only put in weekdays and took advantage of all 15 back up dates...got our first choice though), and live far enough away that we don't want to take our chances with cancellations. If I were retired or had more flexibility I'd probably do one of the longer routes.

@Stasher, do you have a link to the awesome blog that Spartana mentioned? I'd love to read it!

Stasher

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #20 on: March 29, 2018, 09:48:13 PM »
I'd like to do a route on the south face, Mithril Dihedral or Fishook Arete, probably try and do it in a day or camp at Iceburg Lake. I'm not that familiar with the area, but I think i need the N Fork Pine creek permit.

@zoltani  DUDE ! We met Mick and hung out with them when up Upper Boy Scout, we set out and did East Russel and the sent Mithril Dihedral ! EPIC day for them.....Not sure if you do Instagram or if this link will work without but here is the video he made the day we were up there. https://www.instagram.com/p/BYuJ1TeFsyO/?taken-by=mickbailey_
Yes you stay and camp at Upper Boy Scout (permit for North Fork Lone Pine trail) and then in the morning head up and go around Iceberg to the base of Mt Russell

@Stasher, do you have a link to the awesome blog that Spartana mentioned? I'd love to read it!
Thanks @spartana  and @FireHiker
This link has my 2017 photo recap that has some of the good Eastern Sierra Images...
https://www.chrisistace.com/2017/12/29/year-review-2017-photo-essay-adventures/

Here was the photo I took as we drove up to Whitney Portal as a teaser for your trip :)

Whitney Portal by Chris Istace, on Flickr
« Last Edit: March 29, 2018, 09:50:15 PM by Stasher »

Lmoot

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #21 on: March 30, 2018, 05:57:12 AM »
^ I’m in Florida and I am crying at that photo. So beautiful...and exotic from my viewpoint.

FireHiker

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #22 on: March 30, 2018, 10:09:51 AM »
Oh man, that's a heck of a teaser; 3.5 months and I'll see that in person!! I am so excited about our trip; and very relieved to have not just gotten a permit at all but to have gotten our first choice. This is going to be a great year!

@Stasher - I can't wait to read your blog; thank you so much for the link. :) I have a feeling I may have some things to add to my outdoor travel to-do list! Also, being married with kids, it's really inspiring to me how you downsized and made the change you felt was needed (I just finished reading your "about" section). I'm in that "I feel like we need a change" spot but we have some obligations to fulfill before we can pull that plug. There aren't a lot of people around me IRL who "get" that. In the meantime we're focusing on getting active and outdoors more so that we keep our health and fitness (and mental well-being) in a good place while we get our financial house in order to facilitate the future.

Stasher

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #23 on: March 30, 2018, 12:16:35 PM »
Visiting the Eastern Sierra will quickly have you wanting to be FIRE and free to be in the outdoors :)

Climbing the North Ridge of Mt Conness as another teaser


FireHiker

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Re: Mt Whitney and Yosemite Lodging Expense Reduction and General Advice
« Reply #24 on: March 30, 2018, 12:28:44 PM »
Visiting the Eastern Sierra will quickly have you wanting to be FIRE and free to be in the outdoors :)

Very true! I've had some great treks through the Ansel Adams wilderness out of Mammoth, north of Whitney. I'm reading your blog right now and noting down hikes to add to my list. We want to do the Wonderland Trail in Rainier in a few years with the kids. I'm not sure if you've done that one yet or not, but it seems like it's your sort of thing. Thanks so much for sharing your photography; I added your page on instagram for inspiration.