I'm looking to be heading up on Thursday. Haven't picked a particular time yet, I suppose if others are interested in joining, we can come up with something. It's about two hours to Shaver for us, so midmorning or later would be good.

As for food, if we're doing a group thing, there are two of us, plus my friend Phil, who will likely be rolling solo. We were kinda waiting to see what fire restrictions were going to be like, since normally we only cook over the fire. If fires aren't allowed, we'll have to alter our plans.

Casper, I'm not opposed to calling you, but I don't think I have your number. As far as communication once up there, FRS radios are great. We have taken to using a sub-channel to cut down on interference, but not everyone's radios have the ability, so we may have to forgo that option. Cellphone reception in the area should not be counted on.

I did speak with Dean last night to tell him of our scouting trip from last weekend. It was mostly good news for our upcoming trip, no matter how bad of a trip it was for us... Remind me around the (hopefully permitted) campfire and I'll share all of my newfound knowledge regarding closed trails, Shaver Lake battery purchases, and Fresno county/Forest Service search and rescue. Otherwise, the trail was great, hopefully the new changes weren't just for last weekend's Poker Run, and will still be there for us. The main thing I can say about the trail and the surrounding area is "dry". Streams and rivers are low and slow, and the trail is very dry, making traction difficult. Loose dirt/sand on rock makes the going tough at times.

And yeah, gas in Shaver was $4.99 for 87 octane. I paid $5.19 for 91 just because I wanted to. It was my first gas over $5. Now maybe the next won't hurt as bad.

Ok, I'll try to keep you all posted as the date nears. And if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask away.

MV