Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Shuttle from Portal to Yosemite July 11

Looking for more riders to share the cost - we are leaving Lone Pine early on Friday July 11, going to Tenaya Lake in Yosemite. There are 4 seats left in Bob's van and anyone else to share the cost with would be great.

bump for the thread - trip is now booked and times are set: departure from Whitney Portal on July 11 at 7am - flexible by an hour or two if that means we can get another rider or two.

hey fishmonger, wish i had a better fix on my exit date but i'm doing a first come first serve permit so still uncertain on when I'll reach the portal. I'm going to make a note in my journal about the pickup time and date just in case I come out on that day and there is room.

Where does he pick up?

Thanks,
Al

The pickup is gonna be where I am leaving my truck in the long-term parking. Look for a black Wisconsin-plated 4Runner (with car cover in the morning) and a group with 2 11-year olds.

Well try to overnight in the walking campground at the portal, or we'll be up there around 6am to park and packup early.

If you're coming down the mountain on July 10, just call Bob at http://www.mtwhitneyshuttle.com/ to check in and see if we are still on schedule for a 7am pickup on Friday.

You probably have this all researched out by now, but, or you're trying to get back to Oregon via 395 . . .

Are you doing the JMT? . . . I've thumbed from the Portal to LP a bunch of times and it's never a problem. Funny enough, there's usually about twenty fat guys in humongous EMPTY trucks that'll pass you by, before some little old lady in a beat up toyota with no room and a dog (my ride last summer) will pick you up.

if you've got the time, make a call from the portal to the Dow Villa and reserve a room––I call them the backpacker specials and I don't know why they don't but . . . $50-55 bucks this summer probably for a room/2 beds with shower and toilet down the hall. CLEAN place. Best hot tub in all of LP. (although I did get a whiff that Doug, here, or someone is opening a hostel next to the Dow. Is it finished yet?)

I've also never had a problem getting out of LP. Of the eight times I've been out of there, I've only taken the local shuttle once, but that only gets you to Bishop.

And only once have I ever had to spend a night in Mammoth and take the 7 a.m. YARTS shuttle into Y-valley. it gets you down there by about 1pm––long enough to dawdle around and wait for afternoon YARTS/AMTRAK bus to Manteca or Modesto (depending on rock slides and so on, or not) which leaves around 330pm.

Usually, I leave LP, NLT 9a.m. and I am at least at the 120/395 junction by three––usually after wandering around Bishop for whatever . . . muffins, sandals . . . again, if you're not in a hurry, you'll get that ride to T'me or even the valley and then just stay in the backpackers campground until the next valley shuttle in the morning.

My biggest tip––if you are successful in thumbing a ride OUT of the valley and you are headed for the AMTRAK, GO TO MANTECA.

I met some great guys who offered to drop me in Manteca or Stockton and I chose Stockton. Bad idea. there's a train that leaves manteca and drops you off in Stockton to switch to a bus that will get you to San Francisco, BUT, I found out that I could not buy a ticket in Stockton, due to whatever stupid regulations, there are regarding switching from a train to a bus or something.

better to get the train in Manteca and just make the transfer, no problem. I had to bribe the driver––just plopped a twenty in his lap and got on. Anyway, this might be too much info. hope someone can use it.

thanks for the tips Bob, with so many hikers in and out of the portal, I figured I could be a bit flexible if I miss on this shuttle. I don't have to be back home on a fixed date so hitching will work for me. I'll keep the Dow Villa in mind.

if you just need to get down to Lone Pine and are alone, that's absolutely no problem. Talk to people at the Portal and you'll get a ride in no time.

Getting up there is another story. One year I had to walk the entire road up one late July afternoon, with dozens of cars driving past my thumb. None stopped. Afternoons are not the time hikers drive up there, I guess, and everyone I saw figured I am some bum with a big pack.

This year I'm doing the pre-arranged shuttle to Yosemite because I am traveling with my kids and at that point in time they'll be running out of patience (food depot setups done, warmup hikes done) and a 2 day bus relay via Mammoth just doesn't sound appealing.

Back in the early 90s there was that $22 10pm Greyhound from LP to Lee Vining, a short night in the park until the sprinklers kicked in, then the Yosemite bus at 11am and you were there. Those were the days...

The eastside transport situation seems to be really out of sync. The Crest bus is ridiculous because it doesn't sync up so that you can get from Lone Pine to Lee Vining in one day. And the link between YARTS and Crest doesn't seem to exist at Lee Vingin. Its almost as if there is a conspiracy ! Fortunately for me, I got a wide open end schedule but for someone who is tight on time, one is screwed.