Day 15 on the John Muir Trail… It gets cold at high elevations. We were camped just below Muir Pass, and well above 11,000 feet. We lingered in the warmth of our tent, emerging when sunlight illuminated the tops of the peaks to our west. Our campsite was entirely exposed, and yet completely private. We […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Over Muir Pass to Helen Lake
Day 14 on the John Muir Trail… This morning we warmed ourselves by a campfire as our new friend Brian defrosted his pants, still wet from his creek crossing yesterday. Today we would hike over Muir Pass (11,955′) — our highest pass to date and home to the iconic stone Muir Hut. Our distance was […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Muir Trail Ranch to McClure Meadow
Day 13 on the John Muir Trail… We slept not too far away from Muir Trail Ranch, with the headwaters of the San Joaquin providing our soundtrack for the night. Fortunately, our bear bag was unmolested. We broke camp and hiked about a quarter mile back to MTR to enjoy the promised breakfast (it was […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Rosemarie Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch
Day 12 on the John Muir Trail… Today was a relatively easy day. We started just below 10,000 feet, so our climb up Seldon Pass (10,900′) wasn’t too difficult. From here, we headed down, down, down to Muir Trail Ranch for our final resupply. Yes, you read correctly. Muir Trail Ranch would be our final resupply […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Mono Creek to Rosemarie Meadow
Day 11 on the John Muir Trail… With our packs on our backs, our bear canisters filled and our bodies rested from our zero day, we settled up at VVR and took the ferry back to the east end of Lake Edison. From the ferry landing on the northeast shore, we hike about 2 miles […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: A Zero Day at Vermilion Valley Resort
Day 10 on the John Muir Trail… Today was a special day. Today was a zero day — hiker-speak for a rest day or “zero-mileage” day. And Vermilion Valley Resort was the perfect place for it. VVR caters to thru-hikers and fisherman, and is a popular resupply stop on both the JMT and the Pacific Crest Trail […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Tully Hole to Vermilion Valley Resort
Day 9 on the John Muir Trail… Today, we climb 10,900 ft Silver Pass. Our total ascent is 2,272 ft, but we will also be descending 4,121 ft. to Lake Thomas Edison, where we will ferry to the far end of the lake to rest and resupply at Vermilion Valley Resort. VVR takes us several miles […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Deer Creek to Tully Hole
Day 8 on the John Muir Trail… After a “half day” of hiking yesterday, we looked forward to getting back on the trail today. We planned to head from Deer Creek to Tully Hole — about 12 miles. The elevation gain would be mainly slow and steady, and we would be hiking right at the […]
