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JMT reasonable time needed
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Feb 12, 2012 at 5:10 pm #1285594
My buddy and I are planning our first through hike of the JMT. We plan to start a Tuolumne and hike toward Yosemite Valley, bus back to Tuolumne and head south. We really only have 18 days to hike, not including our travel days to and from Reno airport. We would like 2 or 3 days to chill at a few spots. Could we reasonably cover the distance in 15 or 16 days? We are both in pretty decent shape, but more importantly we have the will to keep going when we need to do so. I look forward to responses.
Feb 12, 2012 at 5:17 pm #1838550Based on what you say, absolutely. Anybody in "pretty decent" shape can easily do the JMT at that speed. But your "pretty decent" shape will vary completely with everybody else's so you have basically given no helpful information to allow anyone to make anything other than a wild a%$ guess.
1) How much hiking have you done?
2) How much at 10k+?
3) What is your longest day?
4) What is your longest trip, days?
5) When are you planning to go, June is much different than August?
6) What is pack weight?
7) Do you like to sleep in?etc etc
Feb 12, 2012 at 5:27 pm #1838552Unless you or your partner is really out of shape, I don't think it will be a problem at all. It took my friend and I 16 days last summer. We were both in decent shape but it was our first time hiking at 10,000+. We were in no rush, even taking a few half days and still finished easily in 16 days. We also had to deal with some pretty extensive snowfields which might not be an issue this year.
Feb 12, 2012 at 5:32 pm #1838558I know it's all subjective.
1. We both have done a bit of hiking, around 250 miles in the last two years.
2. Most of this has been in Sequoia and Grand Canyon.
3. Our longest day was 17.5 hours in the Grand Canyon, to the river and back in a day. 4. Our longest trip has been 5 days.
5. We plan to go sometime around the last week in August or first week in Sept.
6. My pack weight will be around 25, but J's is usually heavier, as he likes to bring extra stuff.
7. We both get up with or a little before the sun.We also tend to move at a slower pace, but taking few breaks. Breaking every other hour for 10 to 15 minutes. I feel like we could speed our pace as we become more conditioned to trail, but the trail also increases in it's intensity.
I feel confident that we can cover the entire distance with 15 long travel days, just looking for confirmation from someone who has been on this trail.
Feb 12, 2012 at 5:34 pm #1838559Good to hear Alan!!
Feb 12, 2012 at 5:40 pm #1838561You should have no problem. Just watch the blisters, the dust of the JMT can shred your feet especially the area around Red's Meadow. My son and I did the identical trip that you are planning in under ten days and he was recovering from pnuemonia. The altitude kicked his butt but our pack weight averaged about 15lbs.
Feb 12, 2012 at 5:44 pm #1838564I was planning to send a resupply bucket to Muir Ranch. Also thinking about a night stay at the ranch, mainly for a shower and hot meal. I am thinking VVR might cause us to lose too much time on this trip. Red's Meadow serve hot food?
Feb 12, 2012 at 5:48 pm #1838566My experience was similar to Alan's and I agree that you should have no problem. When we did it, it also took 16 days and we also weren't in any rush. For reference, a typical day was on the trail at 8am, in camp at around 5 or 6pm, with a 45 minute break mid morning for coffee and such, then a few short breaks throughout the rest of the day. We also took 2 short days where we were done by 3pm and 1 virtually zero day when we caught the morning ferry over to VVR.
Edit: To answer your next question, Reds does serve hot food. We had breakfast there. It was good.
Feb 12, 2012 at 6:05 pm #1838577So hot meal at Red's, free night in backpacker's tent cabin and hot meal at VVR and a $200 night stay and hot meals at the ranch. Sounds like a good plan.
Feb 12, 2012 at 7:35 pm #1838634Why do the whole hike downhill from Tuolomne to the Valley then take the bus back to Tuolomne and continue? That might feel like cheating. If you are going to do the whole thing, then really do the whole thing including the first day steep climb. If you are worried that you won't be able to do the trail in a comfortable and enjoyable pace in the time you have allotted, then just do the Tuolomne to Whitney portion.
Besides if you do it in two segments you will need two permits, one for Tuolomne to the Valley and a separate one for Tuolomne to Whitney.
Feb 12, 2012 at 7:40 pm #1838638Logistically hiking from TM to the valley and riding the bus back around works out better for us. Plus we are more likely to get a permit to start the JMT from TM. We won't need two permits cause the permit will be for the JMT starting at TM and ending at the Whitney Portal. There is no rule saying we have to head south on our first day, we will be permitted to hike the JMT from TM. It just works for us to plan this way.
Feb 12, 2012 at 7:46 pm #1838641If you are dayhiking from Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Valley, no permit is needed.
So, as far as the authorities are concerned, your actual backpacking trip will start at Tuolumne Meadows headed south.
–B.G.–
Feb 12, 2012 at 7:50 pm #1838645What free tent cabin?
Feb 12, 2012 at 8:40 pm #1838667I wanted to do the whole trail in one continuous trip. I had done a bunch of pieces before. I also remembered seeing the "Mt. Whitney 211 Miles" sign when I was about 8. I had been amazed that a trail could be so long. This time I wanted to walk past that sign and keep going to the end.
For that reason I hiked up the hill. I did send a Large USPS Flat Rate Box to Tuolumne with food to carry me to MTR so I had about 8 pounds less to carry my first two days.
I was 43 and hadn't done any backpacking or regular exercise in 8 years. I trained by walking about 3 miles and cycling 5 miles per day. No physical problem other than sore feet doing the hike in 15 days.
Feb 12, 2012 at 8:51 pm #1838674It seems like a reasonable schedule. Are you doing the split for easier permit access or vehicle logistics? If you can pull it off, just day hike from HI to TM, or vice-versa. It isn't too bad, if you get an early start. We pulled it off last summer leaving HI at 6:15AM, and were munching on cheeseburgers at TM at 3:15PM. We could have hiked more, but we had family and friends that camped with us in the campground at TM, which leads me to another question…what free cabins at TM are you thinking of?
I have often thought of doing a split-hike as well, only from Reds Meadow. I live on the East side of the Sierras and vehicle logistics are a pain.
Feb 12, 2012 at 9:32 pm #1838688I think he's referring to VVR, not TM. From the VVR website:
"We offer the first night in the Hiker Tent Cabin for free."
Feb 12, 2012 at 10:07 pm #1838704I wonder if they had that last year. It seemed to me that all the hikers were in the tent area.
Feb 13, 2012 at 6:12 am #1838774VVR or TM, he'll be disappointed with the "free cabin" at each. One doesn't have them, the other your piled in with several other people in bunkbeds, and listen to snoring and/or talking late into the night.
Overall it still sounds like a reasonable time-frame. Permits are much easier to get from TM, but there are ways of around getting your permit from Happy Isles. Get your permit listed starting point from Glacier Point or Camp in Illiouette falls area to start.
Feb 13, 2012 at 6:49 am #1838791I was reffering to the VVR tent cabin.
Thanks for the good info Robert. I had never thought about from Glacier. Can you get a permit from Glacier…. hike down to the valley and start the JMT to Whitney?
Feb 13, 2012 at 2:14 pm #1838987I have just had my first three start dates for the JMT refused by Yosemite, and I offered three options for each. I had intended to climb Half Dome and Clouds Rest on the way, but if all else fails I will day hike HI to Tuol and start properly there. However, is it any easier to get a Tuolumne start permit? How about starting somewhere like Olmstead, going down to the valley, and then up again from HI ? Would an HI permit still be required? I particularly want to go N – S.
Feb 13, 2012 at 3:20 pm #1839012You can get a permit from Glacier Point or a permit from Happy Isles to Illiouette Falls for your first night, then back-track a mile and a half or so and do the JMT. You have to be specific when you request it, and the permit issuing folks can be a little 'snippy' when doing this option, but it is legal to do. They are not usually very helpful in offering options for the JMT folks, but be persistant.
Feb 13, 2012 at 4:22 pm #1839039Wow, Robert, thanks for your local knowledge and lateral thinking there! I've just rung the permit office with your idea of Illilouette first night, and I'm ON! Start at Glacier, exit WP. She didn't raise any objections at all.
Actually, Illilouette isn't even on my Harrison map, so I'll be starting in best tradition with a sketch on the back of map 13!
Feb 13, 2012 at 5:48 pm #1839073No problem at all. I got shot down multiple times last summer for a HI start after faxing in my request at the first second I could, and decided to do some research around their archaic permit system. One resource that helped was JMT Yahoo groups. They have a pretty good data-base with different options for starting the JMT. I don't know how fast of a hiker you are, or what time in the morning you plan to start, but it isn't too hard making it to Tuolumne Meadows as a day hike if you are in good shape and motivated to do so. It does help avoiding getting your permit from HI. I do wish Yosemite would wake-up, and offer more reservable JMT thru-hike permits so people could plan ahead.
The trail from Glacier Point is a lot less crowded as well, and the views are pretty nice along the Panorama Trail to the intersection with the JMT.
Feb 13, 2012 at 6:21 pm #1839085I too had my permit request denied, HI pass thru and HI to LYV, I will try all this week and hope I get one.
Feb 13, 2012 at 6:26 pm #1839091Good luck! Let us know how it works out!!
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