spending 1,500 on a vacation before starting med school

[The White Coat Investor]

Strider_91 wrote:

Would I need to be bringing crampons and an ice axe for this in July? I have never ski’d a day in my life thanks to living on the east coast and playing a winter sport. Something I def need to change.

@vagabondmd that comment had me cracking up. Just bring a laptop with 4g and read images while drive from place to place!

Click to expand...

No, you don't need an axe or crampons between Paradise and Muir. I won't do it again without skis though. Who would want to walk down when you could ski? In July, you might not be able to ski all the way to the lodge at Paradise though. Lots of people up there just doing it in boots though. I'm sure you'll be fine. But it's a fairly strenuous hike- 5000 vertical from 5000 feet to 10,000, mostly in snow.

[The White Coat Investor]

Here's some pics:

This one is taken at Muir on Memorial Day weekend, just before heading down.



 

This one is taken at Camp Muir in the afternoon:



This one is one of my teammates climbing nearing Camp Muir, just hiking in boots



This one is taken from Paradise, looking up:

[DMFA]

BTW how do we directly embed images?  Just wondering

[The White Coat Investor]

I just post the URL of the images whereever they're uploaded on the internet, which happens to be on my website. But you can attach images using that little "choose file" button below the post.

[DMFA]

Nope. Oh well. Must be a browser thing. I tried html etc as well, but no luck. Whatever

[hightower]

Strider_91 wrote:

Would I need to be bringing crampons and an ice axe for this in July? I have never ski’d a day in my life thanks to living on the east coast and playing a winter sport. Something I def need to change.

@vagabondmd that comment had me cracking up. Just bring a laptop with 4g and read images while drive from place to place!

Click to expand...

No you wouldn't need anything other than good hiking boots and maybe some hiking poles to make it to the base camp.  The trail below base camp doesn't require any prior mountaineering skills (as long as you don't wander off the trail).  It's pretty popular for that reason.  It's usually completely covered in snow, even in July.  And I'm sure with the crazy snow fall the west had this year, it's going to be very snow packed still.  We did it with just hiking poles and good water resistant boots.  Of course you want to wear some warm, water resistant pants, and a good jacket.  It's quite chilly the higher you go.  We used our emergency heat blanket as a sled on the way down.  It actually worked pretty well and we had a blast.  But, I also saw people bring a rolled up sled or ski's to go back down on.

WCI is right that it's a great trail for backcountry ski's, but I've never done that before.  We definitely saw a lot of people doing that though.

[hightower]

The White Coat Investor wrote:

Here’s some pics:

This one is taken at Muir on Memorial Day weekend, just before heading down.



 

This one is taken at Camp Muir in the afternoon:



This one is one of my teammates climbing nearing Camp Muir, just hiking in boots



This one is taken from Paradise, looking up:

Click to expand...

Cool pics!  That brings back memories!  We went about 5 years ago.  I've been dying to go back since.  I'd love to bring ski's next time

[wideopenspaces]

Sounds like a really fun trip! If you do end up in bend, Oregon: watch out for snakes! They are effing everywhere there and I nearly got attacked twice in a two hour period. I was so traumatized I may never go to Oregon again.

[The White Coat Investor]

hightower wrote:

Strider_91 wrote:

Would I need to be bringing crampons and an ice axe for this in July? I have never ski’d a day in my life thanks to living on the east coast and playing a winter sport. Something I def need to change.

@vagabondmd that comment had me cracking up. Just bring a laptop with 4g and read images while drive from place to place!

Click to expand…

No you wouldn’t need anything other than good hiking boots and maybe some hiking poles to make it to the base camp.  The trail below base camp doesn’t require any prior mountaineering skills (as long as you don’t wander off the trail).  It’s pretty popular for that reason.  It’s usually completely covered in snow, even in July.  And I’m sure with the crazy snow fall the west had this year, it’s going to be very snow packed still.  We did it with just hiking poles and good water resistant boots.  Of course you want to wear some warm, water resistant pants, and a good jacket.  It’s quite chilly the higher you go.  We used our emergency heat blanket as a sled on the way down.  It actually worked pretty well and we had a blast.  But, I also saw people bring a rolled up sled or ski’s to go back down on.

WCI is right that it’s a great trail for backcountry ski’s, but I’ve never done that before.  We definitely saw a lot of people doing that though.

Click to expand...

It's a good idea to take good shells- pants and jackets, but look what I'm wearing in the picture- thermal bottoms and a T shirt and I was sweating the whole way up on a sunny morning in May. Stay on the snowfield, there are glaciers covered in crevasses on both sides of it. Easy to avoid unless you get caught in a whiteout.

[The White Coat Investor]

DMFA wrote:

Nope. Oh well. Must be a browser thing. I tried html etc as well, but no luck. Whatever

Click to expand...

Did you try just using the attachment?

[G]

The summer before med school, I drove out with a friend from the east coast to San Fran via Rt66/I40.  Then back home via the train up the west coast and then along the northern tier, stopping all along the way mostly hiking/backpacking/camping.  An irreplaceable memory worth every penny.

As others have said, of course you should do it.  What a great primer/sampler of the American west!

Do pay attention to the distances though...I know most of these areas pretty well and you're looking at huge driving.  For example, Rialto Beach to Rainier will be 5-6 hours of driving assuming nobody in your way and no stopping to see the sights.  No big deal--I as well enjoy driving.  But consider that you're starting a few hours walk up the coast from the car, add in breaking camp/timing tides/stopping to watch the sea otter/etc, you're getting to Paradise at 3pm assuming a 6am start on the coast.  Not much time to "check it out" for a day; and it's unlikely getting there that late you'll find a spot to camp or get a BC permit.  I've had little success in stealth camping in the NPS.  I suspect you'll find more success and less hassle from The Man in the surrounding USFS.

Crater Lake is beautiful, I highly recommend taking the boat over to do the Wizard Island hike.  But like all of the places on your list, I would recommend doing more than a drive-by.  You are not insane for skipping it this trip.

I bet you can do it on your budget.  Can you get a costco card?  You can save some dough on gas.  I think you only need one park pass per car.  Have fun, take lots of pix!

[Complete_newbie]

OPs trip sounds awesome! Take me bro!

[Strider_91]

That looks SICK!! Just got me even more excited for this trip. I'll definitely be spending time in the cascades, just not sure if I'll be doing it at ranier or up in the north cascades. A lot to consider right now. What a great dilemma to have though, choosing which national parks to spend my days in.


@g thank you for the input. That pearl of advice about Costco for gas is a great idea I wouldn't have thought of on my own. My dad is a member and I can definitely borrow his card. Great advice about the difficulty in finding camping. I have always preferred national forests to parks for this exact reason. I will definitely pivot and plan to stay in the national forest the day following Olympic and then wake up at the crack of dawn and go to Ranier.

[Strider_91]

Also with everyone else talking about wanting to come it seems like MANY member of the WCI can use a vacation.

We should have a WCI retreat or CME event in a sweet location out west. for example, the first lecture can take place on a hike up to half dome in Yosemite....

Now that's how I envision obtaining my CME's in the future lol nice little tax writeoff too if I'm self employed.

[Kamban]

wideopenspaces wrote:

watch out for snakes! They are effing everywhere there and I nearly got attacked twice in a two hour period. I was so traumatized I may never go to Oregon again.

Click to expand...

How does one get attacked by snakes, unless you step on them. Are they rattlesnakes? Poisonous? Or did you not hang long enough to differentiate the  poisonous from the non poisonous ones  :lol: