VIDEO: John Muir Trail - Sept 2015 - North to South Lake loop

[clean]

Did you hike the entire trail in 21 days? Daily milage required? Trying to get a feel for it.

Yep. SOBO from Happy Isles to Whitney Portal. 220 miles. Shorter days at the beginnings, longer days at the end.

[clean]

Most thru hikers go Whitney to Yosemite. It seems the logic is going from highest point to lowest but there are probably as many sets of logic as there are hikers. We did it in sections to accommodate vacation schedules of the adult leaders. If I did it in one long hike I'd want to take closer to a month and have a few zero mileage days to really embrace the beauty of it.

That is not my perception at all. SOBO seems much more popular for JMT thru hikes. You start at lower elevation ~4K' and work up, saving the really big mountains for the end.

[clean]

Interesting. I always thought Yosemite would be the carrot. May need to rethink that. Being a flat lander I certainly understand elevation.

Yosemite was hot (6/15 start) and crowded. We did not enjoy it at all. The views and experience where much better as we proceeded south.

[clean]

Next time we go we will do a few things differently:

1) hammock

2) Avoid Yosemite Valley. We will start at Tuolumne or maybe farther north and join up with the trail at Tuolumne.

3) Avoid Whitney Portal. The ten miles down from Whitney to the Portal is the least enjoyable trail I've ever hiked. I think we will exit farther south. I haven't researched it but maybe Crabtree or somethin else.

4) Summit Whitney. We did not go the last 1.9 miles from the Trail Junction. It was icy, we were out of food and scary looking clouds were forming. I'm totally bummed we didn't summit but it was the right call, particularly since my hiking partner was my 12 year old son.

5) Esbit stove with just a few tablets. We will go 80% stoveless.

6) Invest in a Bearikade rather than a Bearvault. You can turn around and sell them for most of what you paid.

7) Go really light weight. My pack was ~33# filly loaded. 220 miles with 84k' of elevation change is no joke, at least for us it wasn't. Even after acclimating there is not a lot of oxygen when you get up to 12-13,000'. The trail is above 10k' for 70+ miles...

8) Go for longer. Boy thinks four weeks would be ideal. I agree. I'd like to take a zero or two and really slow down from Evolution through LaConte. It's such a beautiful area.

[mountain_man_mike]

Next time we go we will do a few things differently:

1) hammock

2) Avoid Yosemite Valley. We will start at Tuolumne or maybe farther north and join up with the trail at Tuolumne.

3) Avoid Whitney Portal. The ten miles down from Whitney to the Portal is the least enjoyable trail I've ever hiked. I think we will exit farther south. I haven't researched it but maybe Crabtree or somethin else.

4) Summit Whitney. We did not go the last 1.9 miles from the Trail Junction. It was icy, we were out of food and scary looking clouds were forming. I'm totally bummed we didn't summit but it was the right call, particularly since my hiking partner was my 12 year old son.

5) Esbit stove with just a few tablets. We will go 80% stoveless.

6) Invest in a Bearikade rather than a Bearvault. You can turn around and sell them for most of what you paid.

7) Go really light weight. My pack was ~33# filly loaded. 220 miles with 84k' of elevation change is no joke, at least for us it wasn't. Even after acclimating there is not a lot of oxygen when you get up to 12-13,000'. The trail is above 10k' for 70+ miles...

8) Go for longer. Boy thinks four weeks would be ideal. I agree. I'd like to take a zero or two and really slow down from Evolution through LaConte. It's such a beautiful area.

The trail starts in Yosemite Valley, but I get your point in terms of congestion. Exiting via Crabtree will increase mileage by a significant amount. Great call to not summit and live to hike another day. That section is tough because if you start late, the ice melts but you are prone to get the afternoon thunderstorms and if you start early you get an icy trail. Don't you just love the disclaimer about lightening storms at Trail Junction? I hope you and your son come out again to hike it your way.

[clean]

I meant Horseshoe, not Crabtree. My bad!

[hikingboots]

Thanks for sharing. Nice video!

[Bald Eagle]

Thanks for sharing your trip. This is a trip I am looking to do in the next few years.

Mountnman, let me know in advance. Maybe we could hit it together.

[Oms]

Clean, thanks for the input. It is not the way I thought it should be. I had a grand thought of ending in Yosemite with the best vistas to be found. Anymore I find the more freedom, less restriction and no crowds to compete with is the best way to go.

[clean]

Subjective, but I thought the vistas where much more dramatic at the southern end. That said, the trail is stunning for probably 90% of its length.