by Phil » Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:34 pm
I believe that Celo626 is planning it as a day hike, but you do make a good point. Glen Aulin or Glen Aulin pass-thru makes a big difference in permitting and where you camp. I wonder if they're going to just shut out all the Glen Aulin only permits this year because of the bridge or open up Glen Aulin Proper to legal camping to offset the loss until the bridge is back up. It's such a popular trail, and then you have all the PCT thru-hikers that are counting on it, not to mention plenty of the pass-thrus that wash out on the way back from down canyon and the GCT that can't pull off that last 6 miles to TM and rely on the backpacker's camp being available. If they don't control it and come up with an alternate plan, it's going to be Bedlam and a free-for-all. You either have to say no to everyone, fix the bridge quickly, or you need to find a place on one side or the other of the HSC to temporarily put them, and GA Proper just makes the most sense if you cut the quota back and restrict fires to limit the damage. If not, they could probably write a lot more citations for illegal camping, but they'll also undoubtedly have a lot more medical emergencies to deal with.
And Celo626- if you and your wife can take the hike as an overnighter, you're ahead of the game and would enjoy Waterwheel that much more by being able to camp there. A little extra gear to carry, but it beats the hell out of spending the next two days at an organized campground anywhere in the park over the 4th of July weekend...especially in the zoo we call the Valley.