I have wondered about the "sherpa" thing. Why are there no official "sherpas for hire"? If I were to pay someone to carry food in for me, would that open a can of worms with liablility? I also wonder why there are not more shuttle services. I think the lack of demand and insurance costs probably are prohibitive for anything but "under the table" dealings.

One thing that limtits options in the Wind Rivers is that a lot of trailheads require a 4wd to access, some require special Reservation permits (about $100), most are several hour's drive from a highway which then is several miles from the nearest town and a few even require a boat! Asking anyone to walk a resupply in to me would not be an easy or short trip. Resupplying in the Sierra is SO much easier! But it would not hurt to ask a few people. Nothing gained if I never ask.

I will admit that when I first wrote my Wind River guidebook, the focus was two through-hikes. But after considering that the logistics and costs for these were more than most people are willing to do, I reconfigured the guidebook into several loop hikes. It was simply a matter of needing the wider market in order to make the book viable financially. The Wind River off-trail backpacking market is a pretty small "nitch" and limiting that to those able to through-hike would narrow it to an almost non-existent market. Nevertheless, I have always held an off-trial through-hike on my "to do" list.

Thanks, Old Ranger for the vote for spending whatever it takes! To put it in perspective, it is not much compared to what most people spend on a vacation. Luckily, I personally know several very good outfitters who I totally trust. Nothing worse than being out of food and have your outfitter a "no-show"!

I just thought the decision was an interesting problem and wondered if others had similar experiences.