John Muir Trail - August 7-21, 2010

A bit old by now, but here it is anyway

Yosemite Valley to Little Yosemite Valley - 4.4 mi
I got up at 5:30 and enjoyed my last shower for 2 weeks. I packed my pack while eating some mini donuts and headed for the park and ride to catch the shuttle to Yosemite. I ended up sitting in front of a guy who wouldn't stop talking for the whole ride. I called the Wilderness Office to have them hold my permit for me from Tuolumne Meadows. Once I got to the park I went to pick up my permit and then fought the crowds in the shuttle to get to the trailhead. I parked myself on a bench to eat lunch and make my final preparations. I started the climb out of the valley and was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of people hiking up to the falls. Once the JMT split from the Mist Trail the crowds subsided a bit. I took a short break at Clark Point to enjoy the view and take some photos. The top of Nevada Falls was hot and crowded so I just kept on going to the campground at Little Yosemite Valley. I picked out a campsite, filled up my water, and then cooked dinner. After eating I checked my watch and realized it was only 3:30. I just kicked back for a couple hours until it started to thunder. I scrambled to set up my tarp and secure my gear. It rained for about 2 hours. After it stopped I adjusted the pitch of my tarp to give me more room, then went to sleep.


Little Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows - 18 mi
I got up just before 6:00 and started packing up my wet gear. I hit the trail after eating some breakfast and began the climb up to the junction with he trail to Half Dome. After the junction the crowd thinned out and the trail had a nice wilderness feel to it. I refilled my water bottle at Sunrise Creek and kept going. A quick break at the Forsyth Junction??? and then onward. the climb got tough as it got closer to its high point at about 9900 ft. I recovered on the descent and stopped for lunch beside a stream just before the ??? Junction. It was a nice relaxing walk through Long Meadow, then a short climb and descent to Cathedral Pass. I saw a very tame deer in the meadow just below the pass. It was sort of hottish out and I was feeling the fatigue from the elevation so even the smallest climbs became a pain but I eventually made it to the Tuolumne Meadows campground as it was starting to thunder. I raced through the campground to find the Backpackers Campground and set up my tarp before the storm hit. I picked a spot and it started sprinkling so I rushed to set up and through my pack into a bear box and jumped under the tarp to ride out the storm. The inside of the tarp was still wet from the night before so I got misted each time a rain drop by the tarp. It rained and hailed for about 30 minutes, I then got up to properly pitch the tarp and cook dinner. I ate and chatted with Glacier about the Sierras and the PCT. After eating I took a walk down to the store to use the payphone to make some calls. I went to bed early but woke up cold about midnight so I added some clothes and went back to sleep.


Tuolumne Meadows to Lyell Forks Bridge - 10.7 mi
I knew I had to wait for the post office to open so I could get my resupply package so I slept in and finally got up a little after 8:00. I packed up, dried my tarp of as good as I could and headed for the post office. I got my box, emptied it into my bear can, and then sat down to eat breakfast. After eating and drinking some OJ given to me I set off for the trail. There were lots of people in Lyell Canyon enjoying this nice day. The scenery was nice, but long flat stretches of trail wear me out. I took a long break under a tree by Ireland Creek and relaxed until the bugs drove me crazy. I knocked off the last 3 miles of flat and started the climb out of the canyon. I felt good as I started the climb but got more and more winded. At the GOP of the first section of the climb I started looking for a campsite and found a nice one between the trail and the river just before the bridge. I took the opportunity to stop early, relax, wash up in the river, and get another night of acclimating in. It was a nice night so I took the opportunity to not set up my tarp, and use my bivy by itself to keep the mosquitos at bay. I wore extra clothes to bed, anticipating a chilly night, but still woke up cold a one point. I put my down jacket on and went back to sleep.


Lyell Forks Bridge to Rosalie Lake - 16.5 mi
I woke up and was cold after getting out of my bivy so I left my tights and long sleeve shirt on to start the climb up to Donohue Pass. I was afraid this climb was going to kill me seeing that the pass is at 11,060ft and I was sucking wind at 9,700 yesterday. I felt great on the climb. I paced myself and didn't feel any effect from be elevation. The view from the top was awesome so I took a break up there. I left Yosemite behind and continued my trek in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. On the descent I saw tons of people on their way up and stopped to chat with most of them for a few minutes. A very high percentage of people commented on my gaiters and how they like them so much, as they should. I stopped for lunch at Rush Creek and tended to a hot spot on my right pinkie toe that formed on the descent. After eating came the climb to Island Pass, on which I felt terrible for a reason I don't know. At the top I stopped for water and a snack and felt much better on the way down. Thousand Island Lake was impressive, as were Emrald, Ruby, and Garnet. Each lake had a climb after it, with a steep one away from Garnet. I was feeling good on those, if not hot due to wearing my long sleeve shirt all day to keep my arms from frying in he strong sun. The descend to Shadow Lake seemed to take forever and it was followed by a 700ft climb, one of the steepest yet. I felt good on the climb and it was shaded and switchbacked very well so it didn't seem so steep. After that it was a short descent to Rosalie Lake where I looked around a while for the best campsite and picked one above the lake, behind a big rock to block the breeze.


Rosalie Lake to Upper Crater Meadow - 12.6 mi
I woke up after my best night of sleep yet and after eating and packing, took off for Red's Meadow to get my resupply box and get some sunscreen. The day started with a short climb to Gladys Lake, then an even shorter one over the ridge, then it was mostly all downhill to Red's. I made great time down to the junction to go past Devil's Postpile, which I chose to skip. I had passed a hiker going the other way who said all the trail junctions were confusing, and hat he got lost both times he has come through. I found the junctions signed well and had no problems. However, getting to Red's became an adventure. I started the climb and made it to a junction with a sign indicating the direction of the resort so I headed that way. About 100 yards up that trail I remembered that the guidebook said that there were 3 entrances, and that he third was the best so I turned around thinking that there was a better way. I got always downhill to a sign with a map that showed that I needed to take that turn I turned around on so I went all the way back up the hill and eventually got to he store after almost having another miscue along the way. The store didn't sell sunscreen so I waited to take the bus to Mammoth to get some. When the bus arrived a lady asked me how many days I had been out and if I was going to a different trailhead. I told her that I just needed to go into town to get sunscreen and she offered to give me hers. I went back to the store, picked up my package, packed it's contents into my bear can, set my solar charger in the sun, made some phone calls, and went to he cafe to get a burger. It took forever to get it, but it was good. I then grabbed my gear and headed back to the trail. It went through a burn area so there was little to no shade and the sun was blistering. I was very glad to have the sunscreen. I made it to the top of the first climb and saw a nice campsite, but I needed to keep going. I then got to a junction with a sign that lead me to believe that I came up the PCT instead of the JMT, which confused me but I kept going thinking I was on the rig track now. It turns out I wasn't. I should have crossed the creek at that nice campsite and I didn't leading me on a big loop adding multiple miles. I figure I did about 3 extra miles between both wrong turns. I finally got back to the JMT, found a campsite, and set up camp. Firewood had already been gathered so I used it and made a fire to dry out he shirt I spilt my ramen water on. The ground was really sandy so I had trouble getting my pole that I attach my bivys bug netting to to stay standing. I made it to sleep only to wake up freezing and to find my quilt soaked from condensation in the bivy. I decided to ditch the bivy since I was only using it to keep the mosquitos away. I didn't sleep that well the rest of the night because I was cold.


Upper Crater Meadow to Tully Hole - 13.9 mi
I woke up to find the reason I was so cold last night was because the temp dropped below freezing. My water bottle had big ice chinks in it and my quilt was covered in frost from the condensation freezing. I made the decision to make it a lazy morning and sit out in the sun to dry all my stuff. I finally started hiking just before 10:00 and made the short climb and even shorter descent to Deer Creek where I filled up my water for the long gradual climb that was about to start. The guidebook describes this section as monotonous, and its right. I stopped for lunch at the start of the short descent to Duck Creek. The climb was steep and exposed, as was the descent to Purple Lake so I was getting hot from all the sun. Leaving Purple was a good little climb and then a quick drop to beautiful Virginia Lake. I wish I could have camped there but it was too early to stop. I made another steep, exposed descent to Tully Hole, where I found a nice campsite right by the creek. I stuck my feet in the cold water and washed my feet, legs, arms, and face. I felt great after, however the mosquitos are insane. My orange bottle of Ben's 100 takes care of that problem though.


Tully Hole to Bear Ridge - 16.6 mi
Today I awoke up to swarming mosquitos like I have never seen before. They were completely out of control so I packed up as fast as I could and hit the trail, eating breakfast as I walked. The trail crossed Fish Creek then began the 3.5 mile climb to Silver Pass. The climb started steepish, but eased off near the top. I stopped partway up at Squaw Lake to lather up with sunscreen because I could feel the sun getting strong. After the pass came a long descent to Mono Creek which was hot and exposed for a good part of it. I stopped for lunch near the bottom and prepped myself for the grind up Bear Ridge. It turned out to not be that bad. It was switchbacked efficiently and never too steep. I'm camping about a mile past the junction with the Bear Ridge Trail at a nice campsite with a great view.

Bear Ridge to Southern JMT cutoff - 15.3 mi
I hit the trail just before 9 today and made the quick descent to Bear Creek and began the long gradual ascent to Selden Pass. I ended up with wet feet after intentionally fording one of the forks of Hilgard Creek to get some moisture into my dry feet. The climb was pretty gental most of the way, but kicked near the top of the pass. The mosquitoes were ridiculous down low near the streams. As I vote to the top a group of 4 arrived from the other side. I took their picture, and they took mine. The descent started pretty steep, but quickly eased off at Heart Lake. The flys around Senger Creek were unbelievable, I couldn't hike fast enough to get away from them. The rest of the descent down to the Northern JMT Cutoff was exposed and very hot, but it went by quickly. I got to Muir Trail Ranch to pickup my resupply bucket early enough to hang out for a bit. I had heard nothing but bad things about this place, but I had a great experience there and everyone else seemed to also. After loading my pack with 8 days of food I weighed it at 26 pounds, better than I expected it to be. I hiked out a bit more then a mile down the Southern Cutoff and stopped at a nice big site along the river. I was preparing to spend the night alone when a group of 3 rolled in and invited me over to enjoy their campfire with them. It turns out one of them was from New Hampshire and another from Mass. A father and son also showed up and we had a great night around the fire. The bugs were not an issue so I didn't bother with my bivy and just slept on my pad.


Southern JMT cutoff to Evolution Lake - 14.2 mi
I got up and got an earlyish start knowing I had nothing but uphill all day today and was on the trail for 8:00. The grade was nice up to and along Goddard Canyon which was pretty nice to look at. The was a short steep climb to Evolution Valley. I took my socks off to ford Evolution Creek and stopped on the far side for lunch and to dry my shoes. The hike through the valley had sole nice views but seemed a bit monotonous to me. I stopped at the start of the climb to Evolution Basin to put sunscreen on as I has been in the trees most of the day not needing it. I got to Evolution Lake and picked a nice campsite with a great view and a small tree for shade and to block the wind. This is a beautiful place to camp but at 10,800 ft could get cold tonight.

Evolution Lake to Middle Fork Junction - 16.4 mi
I wanted to get an early start today, but that didn't happen. It was a chilly night which produced a lot of condensation. The wind picked up at some point for about an hour which dried things out a bit but when I woke up my quilt was still damp. I set it out to dry while slowly Ewing and packing waiting for the sun to come over the ridge. I hit he trail just before 9:00 and followed the shore of Evolution Lake, climbing gradually. The rest of the climb to Muir Pass was never steep but seemed to drag on. I was spent when I got to he top so I took a long break before beading down the other side. The descent was exposed and very hot, like a lot have been and it was taking its toll on me. I stopped for another long break to set lunch as soon as I got to a good shady spot. The descent then got steeper dropping into Le Conte Canyon. I started picking up my pace at this point and was flying through the canyon to get to be bottom of the hill to camp for the night. I have a decent spot for the night, mosquitos aren't too bad, but are present.


Middle Fork Junction to S Fork Kings River - 15.7 mi
I knew I had long haul up to Mather Pass today so I was up and out of camp a little after 7:30. It wasn't as early as I wanted, but close enough. The climb started right away with a gradual stretch up to Deer Meadow. i have been hearing about the next section of trail, the Golden Staircase, from a few people and was anxious to see what all the hype was about. I found it to be a lot less than people were making it out to be. Sure it was a steep headwall, but I found it berry similar to Tuckerman Ravine on Mt Washington, but with nice switchbacks to make it easier. At the top of that section i stopped for a water and snack break before pushing up the last 3.6 miles to the pass. The slope started out gentle, but slowly increased as it got closer to the top. Just below he top a mule train came through giving me an excuse to rest for the final push. Mather Pass has a great view and I enjoyed it while taking another break. I had smelt smoke on my way up and now I could see the valley where I was headed had a little smoke in it. The descent was on nicely graded switchbacks and I was able to make good time down to the flat Upper Basin which had numerous small ponds in it. The valley was filling with an ever increasing amount of smoke and it was obscuring mountains that I had been able to see earlier. I continued dropping down into the smoke and am camping along side the South Fork of the Kings River, where the trail crosses it.


S Fork Kings River to Arrowhead Lake - 16 mi
Another day I wanted an early start in the morning, another day I couldn't get out of bed. i woke up at 6:14 and thought about how I should just get up, but didn't. I lied there drifting in and out of sleep until I finally bot up about 7:10. I ate and packed slowly and hit the trail at 7:57, still not a bad time. I made great time up the curst set of switchbacks and on to Lake Marjorie, where I was slowed by the final push to Pinchot Pass. He view was great and I took it in while resting a bit. Just as I was about to take off an guy came up and asked me to take his picture. After that he decided to shout the Cal fight song down to two ladies coming up who were Stanford people. When they arrived on the pass it was decided that both fight songs needed to be sung simultaneously and the whole ordeal recorded on video. After 3 takes and a shirt change everyone was happy with the outcome. I enjoyed the show and then took off downhill for Woods Creek. I stopped for lunch a bit over halfway down, then pushed in for the bottom and the Golden Gate of the Sierra, a very wobbly suspension bridge over the creek. Once the crossing was done it was uphill about 4 miles to Arrowhead Lake where I'm spending the night. The climb started out good, but I bonked and the last mile or so was painfully slow. I got to camp around 4:30, got water, and set my pad against a tree to kick back and relax. It looks like tomorrow might be a short day to set me up for Forrester Pass and Whitney.


Arrowhead Lake to Center Basin Creek - 11.9 mi
I awoke to tons of condensation on my quilt, but it didn't really bother me knowing I had no need to get moving today. I decided to take a short day, sleep in, and rest my feet a bit, then go huge tomorrow to set me up for Whitney the next day. This gives me a bunch of options. I can push hard tomorrow and then do 15 over Whitney and be out a day early, or stop on the way down splitting up the long descent and getting out before lunch on Sunday. Another option would to be split my big day tomorrow into 2 small days if I'm felling like the miles aren't going to happen. I got up at 8:30 when the sun came over the ridge and out my stuff out to dry. It was a very leisurely morning and I didn't start hiking until 10:40. The walk through the Rae Lakes area was nice, but the climb up to Glen Pass was killer. It started steep, eased a bit for a while, then cranked up at the end. There were a lot roof people on top so I didn't stay too long, about 20 mins. After the first set of switchbacks I encountered a mule train, but all the mules were loose, not roped together like usual. The driver asked me to stand off to the side of the trail with my poles out acting like a fence to get the mules onto the switchbacks. The rest of the down went by pretty quick. I had lunch near the bottom and then finished the last of the drop and began the climb to camp. The climb wasn't bad at all. there was one steep section up to Upper Vidette Meadow, but the rest wasn't bad. I rolled into camp at 4:15 an relaxed in preparation for the big day tomorrow.


Center Basin Creek to Guitar Lake - 20.5 mi
I woke up to my alarm going off at 4:45 and was not ready to get up. I laid in bed for about 10 minutes before finally getting up. I packed quickly while eating and was on the trail hiking around 5:30. I had to stop about a mile in to take off some clothes, then continued the climb to Forester Pass. The climb went a lot better than I was expecting, it wasn’t all that steep. I took a god break on the top, eating and attempting to make some phone calls. The descent started steep, but soon leveled off into a long gradual descent to Tyndall Creek. I saw a nice looking rock ot sit on, so I took some time to eat a bit more and put sunscreen on in preparation for Bighorn Plateau. The climb up to the plateau went smoothly and I got my first good view of Mt. Whitney. I crossed the desert like expanse of the plateau before descending to Wright Creek in time for lunch. I got comfortable and stayed longer than I had wanted to, but it worked out in the end as I got some good rest and fueled up for the last push of the day over some smaller climbs. After a small, quick decsent the climbing began, steeply at times. I was feeling great and got into a smooth rhythm that kept me moving. After thinking I was near the top a few times, I finally started to go down the other side, which lead to another, smaller climb. I kept my rhythm going and cruised up that one and got to the junction where the JMT and PCT split one final time. I looked at my watch to see how I was doing on time and was surprised to see that I had covered 4.2 miles in just over an hour. I continued on to Crabtree Meadows where I got some water, ate some M&Ms, and picked up my wag bag. I climbed the last 2.7 miles to Guitar Lake, spent a while looking for the best possible campsite, and spent my last night on trail relaxing.

Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal - 15.3 mi
I had decided to leave my bear can within easy reaching distance from my sleeping spot, so I could have breakfast in bed. After eating I packed my gear up for the last time and started the long climb up to Mt. Whitney. It started fairly gentle for a short while and then the switchbacks started. It was graded very well and it never was steep, just long. I made it to the junction with the Mt. Whitney Trail in about an hour and a half, which felt like it was longer, and dropped my pack. I grabbed a snack, my jacket, and camera and took off for the summit. It was great to be hiking without a pack. There were people everywhere, mostly going up, but some were also coming down. I made it to the summit and went to take some pictures when my camera told me that I needed to change the battery. I popped it out and held it in my hands for a while to try to warm it up and squeeze some more life out of it while looking around for someone with the same camera to see if I could borrow their battery for a shot or two. I finally got it working, took my pics, signed the register, and started the 10 mile descent to civilization. I picke up my pack at the junction, and instantly felt its weight. I feel bad for the many people I met with packs close to double the weight of mine. The short climb to Trail Crest was not fun, but then it was down the 97 switchbacks to Trail Camp. The sun was baking me and I just wanted to get to town, get a room, and crash. The middle part of the descent seemed to go on forever. I took a short break for some food and then put my head down and pounded out the last few miles. I was relieved to see the cars in the parking lot and grabbed a seat on a stump on the side of the road. After relaxing for a bit I headed to the end of the parking lot to hitch into Lone Pine to get a room. The first car stopped for me and I was moving more than 4 mph for the first time in over two weeks. The driver brought me to the motel he was staying at, but they were all full. He offered to let me sleep on his couch, but I went down the street to another place and got a room. I called home, showered, ate, and relaxed. It was an amazing trip, but I was glad to be back in civilization.

Pictures here

great trip. what did you do for water purification? what did you think of Lone Pine - cool little town.

I enjoyed Lone Pine, it's a nice little town. I planned on staying one night then hitching up to Bishop the next day, but I ended up just staying in Lone Pine.

For water I just drank it straight. I carried Aqua Mira drops, but only used them once. A water source has to be pretty sketchy for me to treat it.

I've always been told to treat water in the Sierras due to lots of stuff growing in it. I know that's was the case when I hiked Lassen. really nice trip.

Angus said:

I've always been told to treat water in the Sierras due to lots of stuff growing in it. I know that's was the case when I hiked Lassen. really nice trip.

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Yeah there were a lot of horses around, but I try to be selective about where I take my water from.