Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General The Mountain by a fair means San Diego "training" hikes

We've gotten a couple Southern California girls that are interested in Moosies August hike. So I thought we could start a thread discussing training hikes in preparation for our future Girls only hike.

It may lead to continuous hiking throughout the year. What do you think?

SoCal & all, is weekend open or are you hiking at the fair?

(also - I didn't want to hijack Moosies thread)

I would love to do a hike on Saturday if anyone is up to it. I'm in LaCasta but can drive anywhere.

Somethign short and sweet might work for me Saturday morning... otherwise it's no bueno... I have a boy child who needs to be gotten ready for summer camp with his scouts!!!

What did you have in mind Carole???

Oh.. and whatever we do will entail dragging my younin's along with...

If any of you ladies want to hike up Gorgonio on the 19th July, send me a pm. A new recruit and I will be going, so I can't offer up a carpool. I would like to do either Moymer via Dollar Saddle or do the South Fork/Dollar Lake again. Figure on at least 9-10 hours, 23 miles. It is good training for Whitney - minus about 3,000 ft Permits and Adventure Pass are required so we need to plan in advance. I did this hike last Sunday, btw. Lots of wildflowers, trees, shade. SoCal, I saw lots of scouts on this trail, not so steep that they would burn themselves out if they were not carrying a heavy pack.

Blooty Love... Let me check my families calendar but I might be in for Sanny G on the 19th... I'll send you a PM when I get things together. I've never been there and would love to tag it... Can you give a rough timeframe?

I'm taking my boys up San J (cheating and using the tram for the first bit).. Round Valley, summit, Round Valley, tram.. There are a few of the boys who have never backpacked before the training hike we did last weekend up in our local San Diego Mtns... and most of them have no experience with altitude... and as I think of it now.. as funny as it is, the ones wiht the altitude experience have no backpack experience and vice versa.. lol

SoCal,

Save the money on the tram and take them up Marion Mtn. Trail. Seriously.

If they can make it from there to strawberry fields, and further... I bet they could go to Little Round Valley.

you could camp at LRV. Or...Base camp at the trailhead.

Tram? What tram?

Blooty...

I tried to talk the Boy Leadership into hiking (at least the older boys) from the base and bypassing the tram. Then the younger boys could take the tram with some of the.. um... less worthy leadership.

The Boy Leadership, however, ixneyed that idea PDQ... he doesn't seem to think that any of the boys are up to it. So... I told him we'd do it this way this time... but next time around... we were hoofing it the whole way...

By the way... haven't you seen what DUG67 said about Marion whatever Trail... he said that the section between mile 2 and 3 was the steepest... ever... steep... ouch.. steep...

I thought it was steep! Guess I would be the evil scout leader. Bwahhhaaaa.....!

*LMAO* I can be the Evil Scout leader.. I just get over ruled sometimes.

The MM trail is indeed steep, in fact, known for it. I think I heard that the local SAR uses it for training/fitness tests w/ full packs, as it's the shortest trail to get to the summit.

That was the first training hike I did in prep for Whitney. I loved it! I think I carried 6L of water just for the training weight. I tell you, I was hooked after that hike .

Besides, we all know that SCG's troop leaders are a bunch of weenies... (Remind me to tell you about DUGs boy-child attempting to pick up my pack this past weekend...)

-L

Yes... we all know what a bunch of weenies my troop leaders are... *snickers* Should I put up this of KewlChickKid with your pack on from last year? Mind you... you and I both know that it wasn't your -full- pack.. to bad I didn't get a better angle of the "No Whining" sign.. I should have had BoyChild turn it around while he was trying to pull her down LOL...

Hey Blooty,
I'm up for this one. I can drive myself and meet everyone there. I may have a girlfriend with me but she also flacks for some reason or another. What time does everyone want to meet?
Ava

We did San J. few months ago. Loved it.. Didn't go up the MM Trial but want to next time. We passed a scout troop that had older boys and 4 dads. The dads looked pretty beat.. They finally made it to camp around 8:30pm and had to set up in the dark. Poor kids had to wait for the out of shape dads. Maybe they should have had SoCal with them instead.
So is anyone up for doing the MM Trail any time soon?
Ava

I'd love to do the MM Trail... I have intentions of doing C2C in the next year or so (still need to work a little bit more to get myself to that point lol)...

My Scouts love to tease me about slowing them down because my legs are only 3 inches long so I can't keep pace with them on the uphills... put me on a nice flat with them and I'm right there in the upper eschelon though!!!

We did a backpack training up by Lake Cuyamaca a couple weeks ago and the other dads that were with us were wiped when we got to camp... it was only 6.5 miles LOL...

Oh... just for interest sake.. I'm the only "girl" who does any of this outside stuff with them... and am the Troops Outdoor Activities Coordinator.

Last year we were making our plans for the year and BoyChild said the Troop should go to Whitney... the rest of the boys (and leaders) balked... BoyChild looked around the room and said "If my Grandma can do it...." hehehe...

I'm thinking maybe July 26 or Aug 2. I don't know all the terms so what is C2C? Rocky on the course..
I wish my boys would have done the whole Scout thing. My Neighbors boys just got their Eagle. They went all over the place and had a lot of fun. I would have loved to do that.

It is cool that you are the only girl and you can still kick the guys butts.

I'm getting my husband and oldest boy to do Whitney with me this year and neither one seems too happy about it. They are more into off roading. I like the hiking but can never get them to go!! Guys are bunch of whiners.
Ava

This does start at a young age. I take my two kids hiking as often as possible, 6 yr girl & 4 yr boy, the boy is the whiner and age has nothing to do with it, when my daughter was 4 she did not whine like he does, and I had to use the kid carrier with him till he was 3, never used it with her. The only issue with the girl is she hates seeing snakes and bears or any other animal perceived as dangerous, saw each on a hiking trip once and she was ready to turn around after less then a mile.

Patty

Patty,

My oldest is pretty good, now 18. He will as long as it doesn't take time away from the girlfriend. My youngest 14, has always been a whiner.. My family is all city boys except me. I grew up in Wyoming so I love being outside.

My husband has a bear phobia. He doesn't want to go anywhere if there is a change of meeting up with a bear. When we went to Yellowstone is was a joke. I love him to death but where in the hell are his balls! Ok that was mean..(Sorry honey..)
Ava

Ava... C2C is Cactus to Clouds... its the hike that starts on the desert floor and goes to the summit of San J... fairly gruelling from what I understand...

*LMAO* I am so lucky with my babies... my boy is 12 and my girl is 13... My boy is whiney but will get out there and get it done (sometimes only to make his sister stop teasing him LOL). I was raised as an outdoor girl by my Momma... and I try to carry that through to my kids. They love the outdoors (almost) as much as I do and will hike almost anything (so long as snowshoes aren't involved apparently). I've had them on the Whitney Trail (just to LPL), Death Valley, Red Rock (Vegas), Valley of Fire, Grand Canyon (first couple miles of Bright Angel Trail, they were 5 and 6), Sunset Craters Volcanic Monument...

Next July we're doing Onion Valley to Whitney...

Zion

Onion Valley

Crud, I leave for NC on the 18th. Any earlier adventures?

We could alway plan one.