JMT Blog

Soon I will be weighing all my gear courtesy of the digital scale in the mail room at work. When I am done, I’ll post the the individual weights and totals by category. I am making a conscious effort this year to minimize my pack weight without giving up too much camp comfort. The older I get, the more serious I get about minimizing the weight, simplifying my meals, and enjoying the trail more. I don’t plan on spending lots of money this year on new gear, but I do have a birthday in June...

When I started backpacking, the only technology I took with me was a camera. It was a Pentax MX manual SLR camera with a few rolls of Kodak slide film. My inspiration was Galen Rowell and I studied his amazing photos of the high sierra with great admiration. Every year I take a camera with plans to take amazing pictures of the high sierra. I have yet to come home with pictures that match my memory of the mountains.

Last year I took a camera, video camera, GPS, a notepad, mp3 player, voice rec...

When I first started hiking the John Muir Trail 25 years ago, no one used trekking poles. Now it seems like everyone has them. Last year people I met on the trail seemed surprised when they saw me hiking without poles.I have resisted the trend, but this year, I plan to use poles. I have found them to be helpful, especially on the steep downhill sections. I have a pair I bought many years ago for mountaineering, but I am looking for the lightest pair I can find that still collapse or fold up. ...

After hiking the JMT the first time about twenty five years ago, I quit my job the first week I returned to work. My wife was pleasantly surprised, and said, “I was ready for a change months ago, what took you so long?” While nothing that dramatic has happened after my subsequent hikes on the JMT, I still think I return a changed and hopefully better man each time I spend time in the mountains. It is the place where I feel closest to God, hear His voice clearest, and recognize things in m...

No long distance backpacking trip plan would be complete without a “cost per mile” estimate. Based on experience from previous trips, I estimate my cost for hiking the JMT at $536 ($33.50 per day) or $2.54 per mile. This includes transportation, lodging (one night before and after), food (on and off the trail), supplies, and resupply expenses. (It does not include the cost for gear or clothing.) I will keep track of my actual expenses and update this post after the trip. Approximately ha...

I have hiked the JMT solo, with a friend, with someone I met on the internet and with someone I met on the trail after starting solo. All of them have been good experiences. I have hitchhiked from several trailheads, and enjoyed the generosity of strangers. I have met the most interesting people on the trail and only once did I ever feel uncomfortable when meeting another hiker. Most of the people I meet while hiking are intelligent, educated, friendly, and adventurous. Like me, most have a ...

Below is the confirmation I received for a Yosemite wilderness permit. (Personal information removed.) We will pick up the actual permit on Sunday, August 4th. Awesome!

This confirms your reservation for a wilderness permit for the following trip.

Permit ID: XXXXX

Entry Date: 08/05/2013

Entry Trailhead: Happy Isles->Sunrise/Merced Lake (pass through)

Exit Date: 08/22/2013

Exit Trailhead: Whitney Portal

Number in Party: 2

Number hiking Half Dome: 0

Number of Stock: 0

You must camp beyond Little Yosemi...

With no plans to hike the John Muir Trail ever again, I put away my gear and the “how to” books and decided that if I couldn’t hike the JMT, I would experience it vicariously. I searched the library and bookstores for books about other people’s experience on the trail. I found a biography by Gene Rose entitled “High Odyssey.” It tells the story of Orland Bartholomew, who in 1928, was the first person to travel from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite in the winter. His journey closely follow...