What to do on Wednesday?

[EricsXJ]

Discussion and coordination on what you plan to do on Wednesday and how you plan to get from the Rubicon Trail to Hermit Valley.
There are many options and some might not even be listed here.

Aug 13 (Wed) - There are several options here depending on tow rig parking and your plan between the Rubicon Trail portion and Hermit Valley portion of the event. Here are some recommended options, and discussion / coordination can happen in the other thread dedicated for this topic. There will be people doing Plan A and some doing Plan B.
Plan A - continue up Cadillac Hill and out to Tahoma staging area
(1) - complete trail to staging area, stay at hotel/motel in South Lake, and then on to HV on Thursday
(2) - complete trail to staging area, travel all the way to HV campground arriving a full day early
(3) - complete trail to staging area, travel to Reno, and then on to HV on Thursday (preferred by some Reno people)
(4) - up Cadillac Hill, camp at Richardson Lake, travel to staging area and then on to HV on Thursday

Plan B - return to Buck Island Lake heading out to Loon trail head
(1) - camp at Buck Island Lake, travel to Loon and then on to HV on Thursday
(2) - travel all the way to Loon, camp at Loon, and then on to HV on Thursday

 

[EricsXJ]

I will give some of my opinions on Plan A as that is what I've always done.

I have done options 1 and 3, and I have camped at Richardson Lake (really nice) on a separate trip, but it could be a cheap (free) camping option close to the end of the trail if anyone is looking for that.
I added option 2, because some people have done that in the past but one extra day at HV with no water or much to do is not appealing to me.

I will likely be doing Plan A (1) because in the past these were the best Sierra Fest trips I remember and it was so nice to get a real shower, do laundry, and eat pizza after the Rubicon. Sleep in a real bed and not have to camp, and then easy to get supplies the next morning and its a relaxing drive to HV. I've done this with the tow rig and just the Jeep, and honestly, I am considering leaving the tow rig home and just driving the Jeep for the entire trip. This helps because it's less miles for me than option 3, and honestly my truck REALLY struggles towing the Jeep up and over Ebbetts Pass (it's the transmission - and I don't want it to fail). Jeep is less stressful by far, just I have to scale back on what I carry.

A cheap hotel like the Travel Inn would be between $125 and $150. I've stayed there before, or could choose one close by. Laundry and Pizza (and other food joints) are a block away.