• My notes on Shepherd Pass and Mt Williamson (directions to Independence and to the trailhead, the trail's milestones, maps)
• My notes on Mt Tyndall

• Trail up to Shepherd Pass
• From Shepherd Pass to Mt Tyndall (includes pictures of the Williamson Bowl and Mt Williamson from Mt Tyndall)
• Topomaps and other maps

• Jamie can leave 6am from Brisbane
• Virginia can leave anytime from San Francisco

• Anne can leave 4pm from Milpitas
• Shashi can leave 4pm from Santa Clara
• Bianca can leave 4pm from South San Francisco
• Sindy can leave 4pm from San Francisco
• piero can leave anytime from Redwood City
• Emily can leave anytime from Palo Alto

• Jamie has a light tent for two
• Emily has a light tent for three
• Bianca has a light tent for two
• Shashi has a light tent for two

• piero has three
• Shashi has two
• Jamie and Virginia have two

• Emily
• Jamie
• piero
• Shashi

• I discourage you from using your own car.
• We want to rent a COMPACT car. The road at the end is very narrow and bad. A medium size car may not make it, which would imply an extra 2km of hiking in terrifying heat.
• Jamie and Virginia are independent. The other six rent two compact cars.
• We want all insurance coverage. If unsure about your own coverage, get all. This is probably the only case in which i get their coverage.
• I'd use Enterprise because they have a location in Bishop (if something happens, we can just exchange car) but let me know if you have discounts with AVIS/Hertz/.
• I have made a reservation with Enterprise in Redwood City for a compact car #FR7V5Z: $61.02 for three days (friday 14-monday 17) + $9 per day for insurance, so about $100 with taxes and all.
• Shashi made a similar reservation in Santa Clara.

• Jamie and Virginia travel separately.
• 4:30pm piero and Emily rent a car in Redwood City
• 4:30pm Shashi rents a car in Santa Clara (Anne is with Shashi)
• 4:30pm Bianca and Sindy start driving towards Pleasanton in Bianca's car
• We all meet BEFORE 6pm at 4275-26 ROSEWOOD DR, PLEASANTON, CA 94588-3060 Tel.: (925) 847-7470. Business Hours Friday 7:30 am - 6:00 pm. We put Bianca on the contract for both cars, and piero and Shashi and Emily on the contract for the other car. So we have four drivers who can drive either car. We leave Bianca's car there. Bianca and Sindy move into the two cars.
• Dinner along the road. Drive to Yosemite to Tioga Pass. Camp around 10pm at high altitude (totally illegal). This is important for acclimatizing.

• At 6-7am we wake up and drive to Bishop. We get permits from the ranger station: 798 N. Main Breakfast at Inyo Country Store (177 Academy St). Then drive to Independence and to the trailhead (directions).
• 12pm till 8pm: hike to Anvil Camp (below Shepherd pass)

• 5am-6:30am Hike to Shepherd Pass
• 6:30-8am Hike to Williamson Bowl or Tyndall
• 8am-9:30am Hike to foot of Mt Williamson or Tyndall
• 9:30am-11:30am Hike to summit of Mt Williamson or rest on Tyndall
• 12pm-4pm Back to Shepherd Pass
• 4pm-7pm Back to Saddle
• 7pm-8:30pm Back to car
• 8:30pm-2am: Drive to Pleasanton or midnight: stay in Tracy at my friend Hassan's

• Once you reach Shepherd Pass, you have already achieved what most hikers do not achieve. If you are very tired, this is your destinations. Congratulations. You can hang out in the plateau, maybe take a 2km walk to the John Muir trail to check out the crazy hikers coming down from Yosemite on a 3-week trek to Mt Whitney.
• The moment you emerge on Shepherd Pass after some of the most grueling switchbacks of your life, you will not see Mt Williamson yet, but you will see Mt Tyndall right in front of you (this one). Tyndall is just slightly lower than Williamson but a lot easier to climb (see my notes on Mt Tyndall). So, if you are tired but not too tired, one option is that you climb Tyndall instead of Williamson. At the top of Tyndall you have the best view of the Williamson Bowl and Mt Williamson, not to mention a 360-degree view of the sierras, from Whitney to the Palisades.
• If you are not dead, and are totally demented and insane, then turn left after the lake and you'll see Williamson. When it finally emerges from behind the saddle, it is one of the most intimidating views in the world. You are still in time to change your mind and head right for Tyndall...

• Trailhead in Independence
• High altitude (note: Farenheit degrees!)
• The moon is going to be very bright
• Disclaimer: i do not make the weather forecast, i only read it. Conditions on a mountain are always unpredictable.

Again, try to minimize the weight of each item:

• Headlight/flashlight (we'll be walking in the dark for a few hours)
• Ski pole or stick (faster to cross creeks and nice if there is snow)
• Sunscreen and chapstick
• Hat
• Toilet paper
• Band aid
• If you have it, mosquito repellent
• Extra pair of socks (chances your feet get wet in one of the creek crossings are high)
• Emergency blanket ($2 at most stores, very light, worth the investment)
• Windbreaker/sweater depending how cold you get at high altitude (given the latest weather forecast, i will only take a very light windbreaker)
• Gloves if your hands freeze in the morning
• Thunderstorms in this season are rare, but an emergency poncho is always a good idea (again $3-4 and very light) (a cheap substitute for a poncho is a trash bag: make two holes in it and you're ready to go)
• Four AAA batteries for walkie talkie (you'll get a walkie talkie but its batteries have been used before so they may die during the hike)
• Drinks for two days or tablets + Cytomax/Gatorate, but definitely at least drinks for a 5 hour hike on a very hot day (the first five hours)
• Food for two days. The less smelly the food is, the less paranoid you will be about bears. Do NOT ask me where to hike your food if it is really smelly (such as sausages or fruit). Wrap it well in tinfoil/plastic/whatever. Word of mouth is that there are no bears in the Shepherd Pass area, so if you have non-smelly food i would not worry too much. Jamie says she WILL bring her bear canister anyway, not so much for bears but because of small furrying animals.
• If you do not have a chance to study the trail with me and memorize it, it is not a bad idea to carry your own copy of the map (the topozone above)
• Sleeping bag
• CASH. We always have trouble splitting the bill for rental, gasoline, etc. Bring cash, and small bills please.
• Change of clothes and towel (we will take a shower at the end)