The water level at Lake Edison is low…really low. Photo by Alan Parenti.
Although we are experiencing a bit of a “May miracle”(at least as of the writing of this post), this year is going to be a dry one within the Sierra Nevada. One of the unfortunate consequences of the drought is that Lake Edison will probably NOT have enough water to run the ferry. (Given the late surge of rain that could change, at least at the beginning of the hiking season, so reach out to Vermilion Valley Resort for the current status of the ferry.)
The great people at VVR are going to offer an alternative for those who do not want to walk the extra miles, but still need a resupply. They will be using their fleet of all-terrain vehicles to move resupply boxes or buckets to the back of the lake. You will need to contact VVR to get the exact location.
The terrain between the resort and the drop-off point is rugged and it will take more than an hour to work their way to the rally point, so there are a coupe of other rules:
1. The boxes or buckets may not weigh more than 25 pounds.
2. If you are using a box it needs to be one that can take the abuse of the trip. That means thick, corrugated cardboard and lots of tape.
The $65 cost will also cover carrying the trash you have accumulated during the first part of your trip out, as well as adding a fuel canister (provided at the store price) to your package.
For more information (like how to mark your bucket or box) check their website or send an email to info@edisonlake.com.
Good hiking, Ray