John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail sign

Inspiration

I was never really into hiking or backpacking until I hiked to Pachu Picchu in Peru back in 2005. Ever since then, I have been wanting to do it again. I got the guidebook “The John Muir Tail, Through The Californian Sierra Nevada” by Alan Castle as a birthday present later that year. I must admit that originally I wasn’t overly inspired to do it. I felt that it was something I’d do eventually in my life, but didn’t have any concrete plans. I also wasn’t aware of how beautiful the Sierra Nevada in California is. I always thought I had to travel thousands of miles (New Zealand, Nepal) to hike beautiful mountains.

It wasn’t until mid-2008 that I seriously started planning. I made a short post on my blog back then, after purchasing the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 tent during an REI sale.

It takes a lot of time to plan for a trip like this. It was especially time consuming for me because I had to reacquire all my gear. My previous stuff were all stolen in Peru after Machu Picchu. I was lucky to discover the world of ultralight backpacking before I starting buying most of the gear.

When to go? How many days?

A lot of people suggest going later in the season, starting in the second half of August. Most of the snow should be melted by then and crossing the various streams should be much easier. There is also fewer mosquitoes this late into the summer. Based on this suggestion, I decided to start on Monday 8/17/2009.

The number of days to complete the hike depended a a few factors: How many free days can I take off work? I had a whole month, so my initial plan was to do the JMT in 25 days. Another factor is one’s hiking fitness level. Since I was pretty inexperienced with hiking, I didn’t know what would be a comfortable pace for me. 25 days would allow to average about 10 miles a day and include 2-3 off days during the hike.

Itinerary

Originally, I planned to follow an slightly modified version of the itinerary found in Alan Castle’s guidebook. I split the Day 1 into 2 days mainly because I didn’t know how my body would react and didn’t want to push too hard at the beginning. I also added 2 rest days. This totaled 25 days.

I ended up doing it in 23 days by taking only 1 rest day, and combining the last 2 days into 1.

Wilderness Permit

I called the Yosemite Valley Wilderness Center and got my permit exactly 24 weeks before my intended starting day. This is the earliest one can reserve for a particular day.

Once on the JMT, I met a good number of people who got to Yosemite Valley (northern trail head) without a permit. Apparently it’s pretty easy to get a walk-in permit if you just show up and stand in line outside the Wilderness Office really early the previous morning, say around 3-4am.

What to bring?

I have become a big fan of ultralight backpacking. The website BackpackingLight is a great resource. Since I had to buy pretty much everything, I spent a lot of time researching what items I needed to bring, and which was the best option for each item. I read the BackpackingLight’s forums almost everyday. I learned that every ounce saved adds up and makes a huge difference on the trail.

My final packing list was posted in the entry John Muir Trail Packing List. Without food, my pack was a little bit under 14.5 lbs (6.5 kg). Two of the items I rented instead of buying: The SPOT Satellite Messenger (a new version was about to come out) and the Bearikade Expedition Bear Canister (I didn’t think I’d need this big of a canister in the future, unless I did the JMT again). Many people in the forums also advised that rain gear was not necessary on the JMT. The chances of rain is so low that it’s not necessary to bring something I’d only use only once or twice during the entire trip. This made sense to me. It also meant I wouldn’t need to spend more money buying more stuff.

A few months before departure, I posted my tentative packing list on the forums and asked the members there to critique it. They help me a lot to fine tune the list even more. I replaced my heavy and bulky synthetic sleeping bag with the Mont-Bell U.L. Spiral Down Hugger #3. It was my biggest purchase yet. Pretty expensive at $220 but in the end it was worth it for me. I’m a firm believer of spending a little more to get the an item that you’ll be happy for years, instead of buying something cheap that doesn’t fully meet my needs.

I also learned some cool tricks to save space and weight on toiletries on this forum post. Many people on the trail were amazed by the “toothpaste dots” when I showed it to them.

Another thing worth mentioning is footwear. At first I was hesitant about wearing lightweight trail running shoes, but I decided to give it a shot. One of the advantages of having a light pack is that you don’t need super sturdy boots as your ankles don’t need to support so much weight. A year before the hike I bought a pair of New Balance 920. They were comfortable but the sole proved to be too slippery for gravel. I ended up taking a pair of New Balance 875 to the JMT.  It worked perfectly, and I plan to always use trail runners in the future except in extreme situations.

I had never hiked with hiking poles prior to this hike, but having had an ACL surgery before on my right knee, I decided to get an pair of Gossamer Gear Lightrek 4 Trekking Poles with Straps. I tested them on my last training hike and the difference they made on my knees and ankles were enormous. I wasn’t nearly as sore at the end of the day. They also helped a lot going uphill since my arms were able to assist my quads. Some people have complained that these poles can break easily. My experience was the opposite though. I slipped pretty hard a couple of times on the JMT and put my entire body weight on one single pole. They were able to absorb all my weight and prevent me from falling. I also have a very positive opinion of the Gossamer Gear company. The owners really make sure you are 100% satisfied with the product.

Diet

After much deliberation, I decided to go with a no-cook diet. I have never been very particular about food and I could not justify bringing a stove and fuel canisters just to cook one meal per day. I must admit this was risky because of my hiking inexperience. I had never gone on such a long hike and didn’t know if I would go crazy eating cold food for weeks.

Below was my planned daily diet. It doesn’t mean that I ate exactly 4 ounces of dried fruit or 2 ounces of cheese everyday, but it ended up averaging about that.

The table below describes the food I brought to begin the trail, and the food I sent and picked up at each resupply point. The weight for each item is in ounces. The totals at the bottom is in pounds.

It ended up working out fine for me. While talking with others on the trail, many told me they couldn’t have gone for so long without a hot meal. So this really comes down to personal preference. I would go again with a no-cook diet on a long hike like this, but on a weekend hike where I don’t have to carry 10 days of food, I think I’d treat myself with hot meals.

Training

I did 3 hikes to Mount Baldy as training. It is a tough trail with a 4000 feet elevation change in 4 miles each way. I write about these hikes in this post.

Transportation

I’m lucky to live only a few hundred miles away from Yosemite Valley. I took a bus from Fullerton to Bakersfield, and then the San Joaquin Amtrack train to Merced. From there it was the YARTS bus to Yosemite Valley.

On the way back, I took the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority bus from Lone Pine to Lancaster, followed by the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line train to Downtown LA.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

The morning following my summit of Mount Whitney, I took the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority bus from Lone Pine to Lancaster, and then the Metrolink train from Lancaster to Downtown Los Angeles. 23 days away from civilization is not a long time, but it was strange to me to see so many people dressed in business suits commuting home at LA’s Union Station. Things that were common and routine 3 weeks before suddenly seemed so strange and foreign.

Once home, I got to appreciate the smallest things such as having a fridge, being able to use napkins, and being able to eat everything I wanted. I developed a massive sweet tooth during the hike which still persists 8 months later. I have also gained back the 10 pounds I had lost.

The hike wasn’t life changing as some people had described. It was no doubt an epic experience but most aspects of my life went back to the way they were before. If there is one thing that have stayed is the minimalist lightweight philosophy, which is something that can be translated into all aspects of life.

I didn’t feel like hiking at all for months after coming back, but now I’m itching to do it again. I definitely would like to hike the John Muir Trail again. Even though I did it at a moderate pace, I feel that there were so many things to see and not enough time to really enjoy each of them.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 8, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 16.8 miles, 27.0 km.

The last day of an amazing journey. I was expecting a cold night camping at this high altitude but it wasn’t that bad. It got really windy around 1-2am and I thought a storm was coming. I had the the alarm to 5am but woke up a bit before that.

It was still dark outside. I looked around and the views were stunning. I was surrounded by huge peaks with hundreds of stars as backdrop. I packed everything up, filtered 2 liters of water, took out the last of my Snickers and Cliff bars to put them in the backpack’s side pocket and started the hike up to Whitney. It was imperative that I didn’t waste time and make sure I finished the 17 miles for the day around 3-4pm to allow me enough time to find a ride to Lone Pine.

Mount Whitney before dawn

Looking up the trail, I saw a single flashlight followed by two other ones. I later found out they were Peter, Ross and Marty. I caught up to them shortly before Trail Junction. As the sun came up, it revealed dramatic sights everywhere, especially the reflections on Hitchcock Lakes.

Hitchcock Lakes

Hitchcock Lakes and Guitar Lake

At Trail Junction, most people decide to leave their backpacks here instead of taking them up to Mount Whitney. I decided to carry mine since I didn’t have a daypack and had no convenient way to carry water, camera, snacks and the SPOT Satellite Messenger. Also by this point, having consumed almost all of my 10-day food supply, the backpack was feeling pretty light. We saw a good number of people coming up the opposite way, from Whitney Portal. They must have started pretty early to be at Trail Junction by this time.

Trail Junction

Warning sign

After the short break, I started the final ascent to Mount Whitney. The way they carved out the trail on the steep rocky walls on the mountain is really a piece of engineering.

Final stretch up Mount Whitney

Peter in the green jacket

Peter in the green jacket

Dramatic views

I was feeling great physically and the 2 miles to the top felt pretty easy. After weeks being above 10,000 feet, my body was well acclimatized. I made sure to savor the last few hundred feet before the summit.

Last few hundred feet before summit

Only a few more steps to go...

After 23 days and about 220 miles, I had finally reached Mount Whitney (14,505 ft, 4,421 m), which is where the JMT officially ends. There is a registry for hikers to sign and I got the pleasure to start a new page in it. I signed: “9/8/09 – Kevin Yang – Diamond Bar, CA – Just finished the JMT. A trip of a lifetime”. A very emotional moment.

Mount Whitney Hut

Mount Whitney registry

My entry in the registry

Plaque marking the summit

Plaque marking the summit

There were about 15 people already on the summit. There’s a lot to see in all 360 degrees. Lone Pine and the road to it can be seen to the east. Guitar Lake to the west.

Views from Mount Whitney summit

Views from Mount Whitney Summit

Me, Peter, Marty and Ross

After spending a good hour and a half on top, I started making my way down around 10:30am. There was still 12.5 miles to go with a 6,000 foot descent. By now, hordes of people were coming up, most of them doing a brutal 1-day up and down hike from Whitney Portal. It seems torturous to me and I don’t know if I’d want to, or be able to do it. One gentleman going up asked me to relay a message to his girlfriend who was behind, telling her that he was going up to the summit and couldn’t wait for her any longer or else none of them were going to make it to the top. He wanted her to wait for him at Trail Junction. I later found her coming up the “99 Switchbacks”.

Pinnacles south of Mount Whitney

My JMT wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Czechs one last time. We run into each other right before I got down to Trail Junction, as they were going up. Having fallen behind earlier in their hike, they were now more than on schedule to catch their flight back to Europe. We exchanged emails and said goodbye one last time.

Just when I thought there were no more uphill climbs, there was one last short one right after Trail Junction up to Trail Crest (13,650 ft, 4,461 m). It was short but exhausting.

Trail Crest

Unknown Peak

I made my way down the famous (and dreaded) 99 Switchbacks. Going down was easy, but climbing up must be brutal. It was already around 1pm and there were still lots of people going up. Unfortunately, I think most of them were not going to be able to make it to the summit and back to Whitney Portal before dark.

99 Switchbacks

99 Switchbacks

With about 4 miles to go I got really hungry. People kept telling me about the wonderful cheeseburgers at Whitney Portal and I was trying to hurry and make it there as quickly as possible. I decided to stop an eat the last of my food because I wasn’t enjoying the hike anymore, and I really wanted to enjoy the last few miles of this amazing journey.

Mirror Lake. Hiking down to Whitney Portal.

I run into Marty and Ross and hiked the last mile with them. I was experiencing the same mixed feeling I got the previous night. I was happy and satisfied to be finishing the JMT, but at the same time I was sad it was coming to an end.

With Marty and Ross

I arrived at Whitney Portal around 4pm with a big smile on my face. I weighted my backpack at the scale. With 9 days of trash, my backpack weighted 17 lbs (7.7 kg).

Weighting my backpack at Whitney Portal

Once at the store, I got a cheeseburger, fries, and 2 beers and shared a table with Peter, Marty, Ross, Carla and Gavin. Having eaten only 2 hours before, I wasn’t really that hungry. After stuffing myself, it was time to look for a ride to Lone Pine. I went to the parking lot exit and on my first try, a very nice family of four stopped and picked me up. The father had just hiked up to Mt. Whitney and down all in one day. He was impressed by what I did but I really think going up and down 20+ miles, 6000 feet in elevation in one day and all by 4pm is a more impressive feat. They were very pleasant and we had a nice chat on the way to Lone Pine. I feel really bad for not remembering their names.

Once in Lone Pine, I got a room at Trails Motel for $85 the night. I took a shower right away and must have washed off 1 pound of dirt from my body. Looking in the mirror, I realized that I had lost a lot of upper body muscle. I weighted myself at home the following day and found out I had lost 10 lbs.

Peter, Marty, Ross, Carla and Gavin and I met up at the Pizza Factory for one more meal. Again, I wasn’t that hungry but ate anyways. Afterward, I went to the drugstore and got me a bunch of sweets, which is what I was really craving for. Back at the motel, I washed my clothes so that I can at least look (and smell) civilized the following day on my trip home. I stayed up until 1am watching crap on TV.

One would think that I would sleep soundly in a comfortable bed after being in the backcountry for 23 days, but I kept waking up all night. I think my body had gotten used to and was missing the sleeping bag and mat.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 7, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 9.5 miles, 15.3 km.

The sun started hitting the tent hard at around 7am. Before this, it had been a very cold night, with temperature dropping below freezing in the middle of the night. I wanted to keep sleeping but condensation was dripping all over my face. I got up but really didn’t do anything for a while. I was in no hurry. I removed the tent’s rain fly and laid down on the sleeping pad again, enjoying the views of the Great Western Divide to the west while the sun gently hit my back.

After lounging for a good while, I washed my t-shirt so that hopefully I wouldn’t be stinking too much while hitching a ride from Whitney Portal to Lone Pine the following day. I also washed my hair, which took a little work because I wanted to wash with soap and well away from the pond to avoid contaminating the water. I finally left Bighorn Plateau at around 11am.

Great Western Divide

Bighorn Plateau

Feeling clean and fresh after washing hair

I kept looking west to see if I could see Mount Whitney. I really couldn’t tell because there are many mountains similar in elevation around Whitney. The trail was very dusty and full of small rocks that kept getting into my shoes. I stopped many times to empty them. After the High Sierra Trial Junction I run into the Czechs one more time. I found it funny that despite having passed them 4 times, they always ended up ahead of me.

Sandy Meadow

Getting closer and closer to Mount Whitney

I was feeling sluggish and tired even though the trail was not demanding. I was hoping that a good night’s rest would leave me OK for the 17-mile final day. At Crabtree Ranger Station I found a bucket with the famous “Wag Bags” in them. The rule states that one must pack out human waste between this point and all the down to Whitney Portal. I think it is necessary considering the sheer number of people that visit the area every day. Wag Bags are reusable and supposedly deodorizes the “stuff” put in it. I took one and hoped to not have to use it. I stopped eating fiber (dried fruit) 2 days before for this very purpose.

I left Muir Trail Ranch with 10 days of food and now that I was going to finish the last stretch in 9 days, I was able to eat a little more. Consequently, I had a big lunch. Even after 21 days, I still haven’t learned the lesson of taking a little break after eating, before getting back on the trail. I was feeling terrible. Every step was excruciating and I felt like throwing up. I stopped, sat down for 15 minutes, and felt OK again.

I arrived at Timberline Lake and was finally told by a hiker which one was Mount Whitney. It was good to finally know.

Mount Whitney from Timberline Lake

Now that I knew which one Mount Whitney was, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I was getting so close that I felt I could almost touch it with my hands. I arrived at Guitar Lake around 4:30. Right away I saw Marty and Ross, who I had met on the ferry coming out of Vermilion Valley Resort. Also there was Peter from New Zealand, who is 70 years old but looks like he is 50.  He hikes the JMT every year. Very inspirational. Check out his website here. I sat down, had a relaxing conversation with them, and we were later joined by Carla and Gavin, whom they had met earlier. Ever since I left Muir Trail Ranch with Misty, Mark, Mike and Andy and fell behind them, I had been looking for them. Marty told me that they were one day ahead of us. I was good to know they all finished without problems.

I settled down in a nice spot by the lake and snapped a few pictures before it got dark. There were almost no clouds in the sky and it looked like weather was going to be great the next day.

Guitar Lake

Camping by Guitar Lake, with Mount Whitney in the background

Mount Whitney, reflected on Guitar Lake

Mount Whitney during sunset

Mount Whitney at night, 60 second exposure

I had conflicting feelings upon realizing that this was going to be my last night of camping on the JMT. On one hand I was looking forward to a shower and and a real bed after the following day. On the other hand, I didn’t want this experience to end and wanted to enjoy these last few hours as much as possible.

The plan for the next day was to start hiking at 6am, hit the summit before 9am, spend one hour on top, and arrive at Whitney Portal before 5pm.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 6, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 13.2 miles, 21.2 km.

For the first time in the entire hike I woke up feeling fatigued. With Forester Pass coming up, I thought I was in for a long and tough day. I made sure I drank a good amount water since I had not been drinking enough in the previous days. I was having only about 3-4 liters per day, not enough while hiking so much.

Deer around Vidette Meadow

The first hour back on the trail, my pace was slow so I could warm up properly. After this, my energy level went up and I was feeling great. I caught up with 4 hikers with huge packs in front of me, and it wasn’t until I was right behind them that I realize that they were the Czechs I had met after Reds Meadow and at Vermilion Valley Resort. Since they were struggling back then, I really wasn’t expecting them to pass me and be in front of me. Last time I talked to them they were behind schedule and didn’t believe they were going to complete the JMT in time to catch a flight out of Los Angeles. Not only were they now right on schedule, but were also not struggling physically anymore. They even went off the JMT and over Kearsarge Pass to resupply at Onion Valley.

Bubbs Creek

I was now about to tackle Forester Pass. For a long while, I kept thinking that the pass was about one mile earlier than where it actually is. While approaching it, the pass is blocked from view by a large ridge until the last mile or so. The trail goes south, then makes a sudden turn heading north before turning south again for the final approach. All these changes of direction are there to make the ascent as smooth as possible. I found Forester Pass (13,200 ft, 4,023 m) to be the most enjoyable of all the passes on the JMT, as it is long but never too strenuous. The views are great, as expected.

Forester Pass on the left

Final approach to Forester Pass

Forester Pass

Forester Pass

As the days went by, I got better and better at predicting how long it would take me to get to a certain location taking into account elevation changes. Before getting back on the trail in the morning, I predicted I would get to the pass between 2:00 and 2:30pm and I got there at 2:10pm. I chatted briefly with 2 guys from Modesto, CA on the top of the pass. They were nice enough to take a picture for me. I decided to stop and eat lunch. It’s not everyday that I get to eat a meal at 13,000 feet. I then saw a hiker named Jim come up from the south side of the pass. He was doing the Pacific Crest Trail in small sections at a time and hoped to complete the entire hike in his lifetime. I learned from him that Forester Pass is the highest pass of not only the JMT, but the PCT as well. He was carrying an 80+ pound backpack but the most amazing thing of all was that he was hiking in flip-flops. Even without carrying a backpack, going up Forester Pass in flip-flops must be quite a feat.

I mentioned, while talking about the types of food in my canister, that I wished I had packed more sweet stuff. I was craving them non-stop. After taking a few pictures for him, he pulled out a Tiger’s Milk bar from his pocket and said to me “This is your reward”. What a great gesture. So many nice people on the trail. We said good bye and continued in opposite directions.

Brutal switchbacks going down Forester Pass

Going down Forester Pass

On most of the passes on the JMT, I got the feeling that going up in my opposite direction (Northbound instead of Southbound) was much steeper and demanding. Forester Pass was no different. The switchbacks on the other side were relentless. The trail then makes a smooth and gradual descent. I hiked 4.7 miles to Shepherd Pass Junction.

Shepherd Pass Junction

I planned to end the day here but after looking around and seeing another familiar looking campsite surrounded by lodgepole forest, I decided to push for another 2 miles to Bighorn Plateau, hoping for better views. After a long day, this last stretch going up 500 ft in elevation felt demanding.

Fire ravished tree

Ultimately, I was glad I kept going. Bighorn Plateau is like no other place on the JMT. As Ross (who I met on the trail) told me later, it looks like something out of a Salvador Dali painting. It felt like a desert with an oasis in the middle, with almost no vegetation at all. Hundreds of ravens were flying around. I ate dinner (with Jim’s Tiger’s Milk bar as dessert) and got all my chores done quickly because I wanted make sure I had time to take pictures of the amazing sunset.

Camping at Bighorn Plateau

Camping at Bighorn Plateau

Sunset at Bighorn Plateau

The Great Western Divide from Bighorn Plateau

The sun went down and suddenly everything became completely quiet and still. There was nobody else around. No running water. No wind at all. What a great and strange feeling.

Looking back, this was my favorite day of the entire hike, mainly due to Forester Pass and Bighorn Plateau. I had spent 3 weeks on the trail and now had 2 more days to complete the last 27 miles. The next day was going to be an easy 9.5 mile hike to Guitar Lake.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 5, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 14.0 miles, 22.5 km.

For the second night in a row, I woke up a lot during sleep. This was mainly due to feeling a bit cold, strange dreams, condensation dropping on my face from the tent ceiling,  and uncomfortable sleeping positions. When I got out of the tent around 7am, it was still very cold outside, around 35° F (about 2° C). Everything was wet and took a while to dry. From all the campsites I’d used on the JMT, Woods Creek was one of the lowest in elevation and, as a result, surrounded by mountains. It took a while for the sun to rise above them and hit me directly.

I crossed the suspension bridge two more times just for fun before getting back on the trail.

Woods Creek suspension bridge

I wasn’t feeling as energized as I was the day before. I’d been wanting to take a dip in one of the lakes for the last few days but the weather had not been appropriate. This day was perfect though, with not one single cloud in the sky.

A sunny day, finally

The long hike up torwards Glen Pass

I run into the guided tour group with the horse pack right before Dollar Lake. I stopped to chat with them and found out that they were doing a 14-day hike from Florence Lake to Mount Whitney. Nice people, and they all looked like they were enjoying themselves. Once at Dollar Lake, I stopped for the long awaited dip. The last shower I had taken was 8 days ago at Vermillion Valley Resort. The water was a bit cold but didn’t bother me much. While waiting for the sun to dry me, I ate lunch by the lake. Beautiful views.

Dollar Lake with Fin Dome in the background

As I was getting ready to get back on the trail, I met 3 guys from the Los Angeles area doing a weekend hike coming from Baxter Pass, which according to them was a miserable experience. They told me about the huge fire in the Angeles National Forest, which was the worst they’ve ever seen. I also found out from them that it was Labor Day weekend which I wasn’t aware of at all.

Back on the trail and after a couple of miles, I arrived at Rae Lakes. There were a good number of people here since this is a very popular area.

Rae Lakes

Rae Lakes

The final ascent to Glen Pass (11,798 ft, 3,596 m) came right after the lakes. The climb is in two parts. The first one to a plateau before a final one up a series of very steep switchbacks. I struggled a lot and my legs were getting very fatigued. I had to stop many times to catch my breath. I was starting to get a bit frustrated until I convinced myself to enjoy the moment and the views. This was not something one gets to experience everyday. It was the toughest pass I did on the JMT.

Views from Glen Pass

Views from Glen Pass

I saw a lot of hikers coming up from the other side of the pass and I sympathized with them. The descent (ascent for them) was very steep and brutal, much worse than the one I had just finished on the opposite side. My heels and ankles got sore from the pounding. Thinking about Forester Pass the following day, I was hoping that a good night’s rest would fix everything. It was already 3:30pm and I still had about 5.5 miles to go, so I picked up the pace. I run into a friendly park ranger who asked me if I was carrying a bear canister.

Burnt tree

I arrived at Vidette Meadow a little bit before 6pm. I passed by two fairly covered campsites until I found one that was more open. I camped about 50 yards away from 3 other hikers, which ended up being a mistake since they were up chatting and laughing pretty loud well after dark. It was starting to get cold pretty fast, and while my last few attempts had failed, I decided to give it one more go at starting a fire. Surprisingly, I was successful. What difference the fire made. Camp chores were much more fun and less rushed with the fire there to keep me warm.

Camping at Vidette Meadow

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 4, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 14.0 miles, 22.5 km.

It took me 2 and 1/2 hours since the moment I got up to when I hit the trail after 10am. I was on vacation, so I wanted to sleep well and not feel always rushed.

As soon as I started hiking, I heard a horse pack coming up behind me. It was a group of hikers on a guided tour doing the second half of the JMT. I picked up my pace right away, not because I was trying to avoid the hikers, but because I didn’t want to walk on a trail full of fresh horse crap.

Physically, I was feeling great. The blister wasn’t bothering me anymore, the switchbacks felt pretty easy to climb, and I almost didn’t notice the weight of my backpack. The weather wasn’t looking too good however, with lots of dark clouds in the sky. I went to visit the Bench Lake Ranger Station but couldn’t find the ranger for some weather info.

Bench Lake Ranger Station

I saw the friendly ranger 5 minutes after getting back on the trail. He told me that a storm was expected for the afternoon and through the weekend. I started to hike faster, trying to go over Pinchot Pass before the rain.

Nasty clouds on top of Pinchot Pass

About 1/2 a mile before the pass, it started to rain. As I stopped to put on my rain jacket, I heard lightning and saw a thunder hit the top of the pass. I made a U-turn right away. I run into the guided tour group as they were marching on despite the storm. The guy who cared for the horses in the group asked me if I was turning around, I said yes and he told me that that was the smart thing to do. I asked him if he wasn’t afraid and his reply was “No choice”.

Suddenly rain turned into hail. I run around looking for a spot to set up my tent. I couldn’t afford to get my clothes wet. I found a semi adequate spot and waited the storm out in the tent, which lasted only about 30 minutes, while eating lunch. I started to realize that I didn’t plan enough sweet food in my diet. I was constantly craving for it.

Coming out of the tent after the hail storm

I initiated my second attempt for Pinchot Pass (12,050 ft, 3673 m). As soon as I start hiking, it started to rain again, although lightly. I also heard thunder again, but it was from far away. I decided to suck it up and keep going. The climb was easy. Once on top, I took a quick video and got the hell out of there.

Looking back north, right before Pinchot Pass

Looking south from Pinchot Pass

The 3.7 miles from Pinchot Pass to Sawmill Pass Junction was very enjoyable. It never stopped raining but it was never hard enough to damp my pants. I really liked hiking without the usual punishing sun. I did this section in no time and caught up to the horse pack.

John Muir Trail sign

The terrain got tougher after the junction so I had to slow down a bit. The trail runs right next to Woods Creek for 3.5 miles before arriving at Woods Creek Junction, where I was going to end the day.

Woods Creek

Woods Creek

There was an note by one of the sings right before the junction, saying that there was a toilet available close by and urging hikers to use it instead of burying their waste.

Note about availability of toilets

There’s a very cool suspension bridge to cross the actual creek. I had seen a video of the bridge before the trip and was really looking forward to cross it. It was a lot of fun.

Woods Creek suspension bridge

Woods Creek suspension bridge

It waited 15 minutes to take the video of the bridge since there was someone cleaning up on the other end of it and I didn’t want him to be in the video. There were a few campsites right by the bridge. I picked one right before the horse pack arrived. The same guy who cared for the horses I had talk to earlier told me that they were gonna set up nearby, and that if I wanted a little more piece and quiet, I could camp on the a few spots about 30 yards away. I followed his advice. One by one, the ten or so hikers in that group arrived at the site. It was quickly getting dark so I ate dinner and did my chores in a hurry.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 3, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 12.3 miles, 19.8 km.

I woke up to good news. The rain had stopped. Apparently it didn’t rain that much at all. There was also almost no condensation inside the tent, which was strange. I spend a ridiculous half an hour cutting the moleskin for my blister. The knife was pretty much useless.

Deer Meadow campsite

Once I joined the trail, it started to climb up immediately. I saw two deers right away. I guess that’s why they call it Deer Meadow. I then encountered a few switchbacks which at the time made me believe were the famous Golden Staircase. I had been looking forward to it since quite a few hikers had mentioned how impressive it was. These switchbacks were not impressive at all, I thought. I continued on and was getting closer and closer to an extremely tall and steep wall of rock. I was starting to wonder how I was going to go around it since on one side was Palisade Creek and on the other was a huge mountain. I wondered this until I saw the real Golden Staircase, switchbacking up the face of the wall. I was very impressed now. The engineering and the amount of work it must have taken to build it were amazing.

Looking back at Deer Meadow

Golden Staircase

Golden Staircase

One last look back at Deer Meadow

For the first one the JMT, my legs were feeling the climb. Before this point, when I got tired it was mostly from running out air, but not muscle fatigue. The following next 5 miles to Mather Pass seemed very long to me.

Heading toward Mather Pass

I met a older couple doing a 3 day hike. The lady told me that her husband was stopping at every lake to fish. I found a nice spot at Lower Palisade Lake to eat lunch before moving on.

Upper Palisade Lake

Palisade Lakes right before Mather Pass

The final ascent to Mather Pass (12,100 ft, 3,688 m) was very rocky. I had to watch each step very carefully to avoid spraining an ankle. Since I miscalculated and didn’t bring enough water, I had to ration it on the way up. I finally hit the pass around 2pm.

On top of Mather Pass

I stayed on top of the pass for a while, enjoying the view, until I fell a few drops of rain fall. I scrambled and started racing down, but it turned out to be a false alarm. The switchbacks immediately after the pass were very rocky too, but after a while the trail became very smooth and enjoyable. I stopped around 4pm for a snack and when I stood up again, my ankles were pretty sore.

I arrived at Main South Fork Kings crossing, my intended camping site, around 5pm. Lots of streams and rivers in this area. Since it was still early, I did some laundry and washed my socks. It took me a long while to get them somewhat clean, so much dust were collected in them. I spotted 4 other people camping in the area but they were kind of far so I didn’t make an effort to go talk to them. All day this day, I had a numb feeling on both of my big toes. I later found out that it wasn’t an uncommon thing to happen in longer hikes.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 2, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 11.3 miles, 18.2 km.

I was starting to realize how much a good night’s sleep regenerated my body. Usually after a long day’s hike, my ankles and feet would be sore, and my quads would be fatigued. But after a good night’s sleep, which was generally at least 10 hours, I would wake up fresh and with no pains.

Small lake west of Helen Lake in the morning

As usual, I was the last one to break camp. Brian and John left first, followed by Jack and Kathy. The trail continued its descent from Muir Pass. This stretch was beautiful, surrounded by huge beautiful mountains such as Black Giant, and plenty of waterfalls created by Kings River’s Middle Fork.

Kings River's Middle Fork

Black Giant on the left

I saw four people from Forest Service clearing bushes and trimming pine trees around the trail. I then saw 3 guys taking a rest from building new switchbacks. It looked like a lot of hard work.

Forest Service workers taking a break

I was hungry all morning. The Snicker and Cliff Bar I had for breakfast were not enough. It seemed like my appetite was getting progressively bigger as the days went by. I couldn’t eat all I wanted at each meal, but I was managing just fine. I stopped at Big Pete Meadow to eat lunch. My visit to Le Conte Canyon Ranger Station was uneventful since the ranger was out on patrol. I was hoping to get some weather information. Grouse Meadow was beautiful so I stopped there for a while to take it all in.

Kings River's Middle Fork

Grouse Meadow

Back on the trail, I soon arrived at Middle Fork Trail Junction. It was there where I saw Jack and Kathy again. They had set up camp and I took a long break to chat with them. They are my heroes. Married for 30 years and they gave each other a JMT hike as anniversary presents. They give me hope that a long and happy marriage is indeed possible. I said good bye to them knowing that I was probably not going to see them again for the rest of this hike.

With Jack and Kathy

I still had 3.6 miles to go until Deer Meadow. By this time, I was starting to feel the weight of the backpack again. My hope was that it was still the food resupply that was causing this, even though I was then carrying 7 days of food instead of the 10 days when I left Muir Trail Ranch. The blister from the previous day was starting to bother me again, but the worst of all was the chafing in the inner thighs. I was a bit worried that all this would dampen my enjoyment of the rest of the hike.

A couple of raindrops started to fall, making me pick up the pace.

Burnt forest right before Deer Meadow

I found a large and empty campsite at Deer Meadow. The rain had stopped by then. I dipped my feet in the stream but the water was freezing. I tried to start a fire but failed again. It didn’t matter though because rain started to fall again soon after. I hurried through dinner and chores and got in the tent around 7:30pm. Once inside, I accidentally caught my Platypus drinking tube’s valve underneath the sleeping mat and lots of water came out. Took me a while to do the best I could to dry the tent’s floor.

I think this was the first day on this hike that I missed a bit the comforts of home.

John Muir Trail Journal Index

John Muir Trail Journal Index

Journal entry for September 1, 2009.
Approximate distance hiked: 12.2 miles, 19.6 km.

I hit the trail around 8:15am. Jack and Kathy left about 45 minutes earlier than me. It was a cold morning and I started the hike wearing my fleece and the bottom halves of my convertible pants. At the beginning my backpack felt much more tolerable than the previous day, but soon after I went up some switchbacks that made me struggle a bit.

I arrived at Evolution Lake. From this point, the views of the Evolution Range Mountains were up close and very dramatic.

Evolution Lake

Evolution Lake

For a while, I tried to catch up to Jack and Kathy. After a few miles I realized this was pointless. I should just hike my own hike as long as I’m not behind my schedule. It was quite windy and somewhat cold. I run into a guy named Dexter who asked me “Is that you Kevin? From Los Angeles?”. I didn’t recognize him, he told me he knew me from some past web development (my actual job) project but that he couldn’t remember the specifics such as exactly when or where. It struck me as odd since I have pretty good memory and couldn’t remember knowing him from anywhere. He got me for a while and I was very confused. It turns out that he had just met Jack and Kathy and they had told him some info about me, and to look for me. What a character!

Right before Wanda Lake, I felt a hot spot on my left heel. I stopped to check it out and confirmed my first blister of the trip. I applied moleskin around it. The knife I bought at Muir Trail Ranch wasn’t sharp at all, making the task of cutting the moleskin very time consuming. I also had lunch here, enjoying the impressive views of Mount Solomons.

Lots of frogs by Wanda Lake

Approaching Muir Pass

Big fat marmot

Looking back west, right before Muir Pass

Only a few more steps to Muir Pass

The climb to Muir Pass was neither steep nor hard. A few yards before reaching the top I met a group of 2 guys and 2 girls. One of the girls asked me “Are you Kevin? You just missed Jack and Kathy by 15 minutes”. It seemed that everybody on the trail knew my name. I finally reached Muir Pass (11,955 ft, 3,644 m) with pretty Muir Hut on top. Muir Hut was built to offer shelter to hikers caught in bad storms.

Muir Hut

Muir Hut

There were lots of people around the hut. Some checking it out, others waiting for the rest of their group to catch up to them. I stayed there for half an hour before starting my descent. The views to the west of Muir Pass were unreal.

Coming down west from Muir Pass

I planned to hike until a small unnamed lake west of Helen Lake. The 2-mile or so hike to the campsite has extremely rough terrain, which wasn’t helping my blister. I had to pay so much attention to where I landed my feet and hiking poles that I barely looked at the amazing scenery. Arriving at the unnamed lake, I was felling pretty beat. I saw Jack and Kathy waving at me from the distance. We shared the campsite with two very nice guys, Bryan and John. I had seen them the previous day on the trail. They were ending their trip the following day and had a huge bag of extra trail mix. Kathy and I devoured it in no time. A man looking for his daughter dropped by and asked me if we had seen her. We hadn’t. Luckily he was able to find her shortly after and camped closeby.

Looking west from campsite

I was hoping the blister wasn’t going to slow me down for the rest of the trip. I also had terrible chafing in my inner thighs and on the back of my knees. I didn’t have any moisturizer but Kathy let me borrow some of hers, which alleviated the problem a little bit.

John Muir Trail Journal Index