The John Muir Trail runs from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney. Winding through the famed California Sierra Nevada mountains for 211 miles, it passes through what many backpackers say is the finest mountain scenery in the United States.
This is a land of 14,000 foot peaks, lakes in the thousands, steep canyons and huge granite walls. It’s also blessed with the mildest and sunniest climate of any major mountain range in the world. The trail crosses eleven mountain passes, seven over 11,000 feet and has a total altitude gain of approximately 46,000 feet. Although very popular, it is still a major undertaking and requires planning, preparation, and training.
I have hiked the John Muir Trail many times over the last twenty-five years and I look forward to hiking it again next August with a friend. Feel free to ask a question, share a comment, or just say hi!
Hike On!
"Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition, they are cathedrals grand and pure and I approach them as a man going to worship. On their altars I strive to perfect myself physically and spiritually. In their presence I attempt to understand my life and to exorcise vanity, greed and fear. From the vantage of their lofty summits I view my past, dream of the future, and with unusual clarity, experience the present. The struggle to climb renews my strength and clears my vision. In the mountains I celebrate creation and on each journey I am reborn." Anatoli Boukreev
