No relation Ken (that I know of anyway).
From your earlier post it sounds like I would benefit from a longer acclimatization hike. Thinking of next year, do you think a hike up to Lone Pine lake (maybe from the campground, or more likely from the store) would be an ideal hike, considering the two days at high altitude I have to work with? I don't want to do too much the day before the hike though, and it would be the day before. I would be at Horseshoe on the first day, and a hike there is not attractive given the late hour of arrival (around 3:00 pm) and the necessity of setting up camp beforehand (which alone can wear you out after driving 8-9 hours from sea level). When we got to Horseshoe my wife was wasted after pitching the tent and it was all I could do to coax her out of the tent to take a short walk for a few pics before it got dark.
I actually think you'd be better off hiking the second day from HSM, perhaps up to Trail Pass or Cottonwood Pass, or even Trail Peak...those are probably 1h, 1-1/2h, 2h to ascend. That keeps you at 10k, and gets you up above 11k.
I understand the time limitations on that first day, and the fatigue factor, and can relate!
