Day 19 on the John Muir Trail… We awoke early, determined to get a jump on Glen Pass (11, 970ft.). Last night we camped at 10,600ft. just above Upper Rae Lake and were looking forward to reaching the pass early before it got too warm. I need to qualify what I mean by an “early start.” […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Woods Creek to the Rae Lakes
Day 18 on the John Muir Trail… Yesterday we discussed our plans for today’s hike. We had originally planned to hike over Glen Pass to Vidette Meadow, but decided to modify the itinerary to have an easier day and leave us just below Glen Pass. Even with the modification, we would meet our original exit date […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Over Pinchot Pass to Woods Creek
Day 17 on the John Muir Trail… We awoke just before sunrise, with frozen beads of condensation clinging to outside of our tent. It was chilly. Boil water! Make coffee! Stat! Most of this trip, we were spending all day in shorts and short sleeves. I put on my knit cap at night to keep […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: The Golden Staircase and Mather Pass to Kings River
Day 16 on the John Muir Trail… Today we climb the Golden Staircase, past the Palisade Lakes and up over Mather Pass (12,100ft). We will climb 4,682 feet and descend 2,486 feet, logging 12.6 miles in the process. In other words, this will be a big day in every respect. We started up the valley paralleling Palisade […]
Thru-Hiking the JMT: Le Conte Canyon to Palisade Creek
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: Tuolumne to Upper Lyell Canyon
Day Four on the John Muir Trail I was looking forward to this day. The mileage was a little easier, and the first nine miles were up the almost imperceptible incline of Lyell Canyon. Getting in later than expected on Day Three meant hanging around until the Tuolumne Meadows Post Office opened so we could […]
