John Muir Trail, Class of 2010

Hey, been planning this too with a resupply at Onion Valley. Apparently there's a pack station there which will hold a resupply. Hoping to just stick to VVR and then Onion Valley, so two resupplies for the entire trip, which probably take 20 days or so (taking it slow, I know!).

SOBO July 27 from Tuolumne…10 days to Whitney Portal. Love that trail!

couch

So glad to hear that others are doing this same trip. When I started planning it I figured it must be a popular option, but so far have heard of no one else doing it and no one else that had done it. I plan on resupplying at MTR only. I know I'll have a pretty heavy pack at the beginning and again after MTR, but I think it will be doable. I'd be very interested in hearing your plans…campspots, resupply plans etc.
More info on mine at trailjournals.com Trailname Chickenfoot
I'll very interested to hear how your trips went when your done (I won't start until after you finish) and hear about any challenges.
Bryan

You might want to consider if you are SOBO (north to south)….Happy Isles to Toulumne (no bear can—just eat what you bring and use the bear boxes at Sunrise), resupply for two or three days from Tuolumne store to get you to Reds Meadow Resort (use one canister for two people). Resupply at RMR (Reds) and pick up your second canister there (have it shipped pre-packed) with enough food to get you to MTR. Resupply at Muir Trail Ranch (having sent your bucket ahead of you) and out in say 5 days to Portal for pancakes!

Saves a BUNCH of weight/ carrying all that food when you can shop smart and move faster…..just my thoughts.

couch

Hey Couch…
I'm actually starting my trip in T Meadows, so should have about 10 days on food at the start and then 10 again at MTR. I guess I'm a bit of a masochist for not planning a resupply at other areas, but once I'm "out" I hate to go back "in" for anything other than an emergency. Course I'll probably be kicking myself half way up one of the passes for that strategy.

Hey All,
I'm planning a southbound hike, leaving sometime mid-july to early august. As of now it's a solo trip, but for anyone planning for a similar timeframe and looking for a hiking buddy, I'd like to hear from you.

A note on time: I originally wanted to do the thru in 2 weeks, but after talking to a Yosemite ranger who did the trail a few years ago, I'm convinced to take more like 3 weeks. Seems like anyone who's done it will agree that a 2 week pace or faster cuts out seeing much of anything besides the boy scouts, whereas an extra week or so allows for checking out side peaks and enjoying a couple of rest days. Still figuring out resupply logistics and other details; have yet to get a permit but I'm planning to do the walk-up route anyway…

Best of luck to everyone in planning, packing, and waiting out the weeks or months that are left until you get on the trail.

Oh, and I LOVE the idea of doing the first leg backwards: TM to HI; downhill. As someone who's done that beginning section out of the valley a number of times as a day hike, I can say I will not in any way feel like I'm "cheating" when I follow this BRILLIANT advice. I'm even thinking camp in the valley 2 nights, with that backwards day hike section in the middle; leave the pack and gear stashed at the site that day, and take the bus to TM the next morning.

This also means not starting the thru hike battling for trail space with the huge number of people doing the mist trail day hike: a portion where families with elderly members and small children, as well as school classes and tour groups are abundant.

Ok, apologies for the lengthy post, but I just spent last nght up in Yosemite and I'm more excited than ever for the trip!

Greg,

I am taking on the JMT May 28th. Doing a Half Dome night trip with 70 people and then plan to be on Whitney by June 18th where I have some buds meeting me there.
Let me know if these dates work with you as I am looking for someone to go with. The guy who is leading the Half Dome trip will join me for the first 4 days.

Jack

Jack, I just got back from Yosemite. While temps got up to the mid 70s there were several inches of snow still on the ground on the trail to Lower Yosemite Falls.

This, along with two other valley trails, the one to Vernal Falls, and Mirror Lake were the only ones open, and Half Dome was literally covered with snow. We just beat another winter storm Tuesday morning that was to dump additional snow above 4600 ft., don't know if it ever materialized, but it was raining on the way out.

Not sure about counting on a May 28 start date, especially including Half Dome.

But if you're prepared for winter conditions, it'll probably be spectacular, best of luck on your trip!

Jack, you should bring snowshoes….May 28th will not work. Sorry for the bummer tone…there is a ton of snow up there right now

I'm just hoping my July 27th start date will be okay! I'm not much of a trail covered by snow person. I expect the creek / river crossings will still be high and cold. In 2008 I never had to take off my boots for any crossing.

David, I'm also starting on the 27th! Looks like Dave S. above as well. Did either of you get a permit?

Steven,
Yes I did get a permit but it sure took me a long time to get it. Unfortunately I got my third choice which is to leave from Glacier Point trailhead. In some respects I don't care because I've already done the HI part. It's all good to me. How about you?

Hey All,

My husband and I are going southbound mid-July to early August. We are arriving at the San Francisco airport on Sunday, July 18 late morning, and hoping to hit the trail soon after. Any ideas about how to get there in the same day?

Have fun!

September

I have a permit starting from Tuolumne Meadows on August 23rd. Plan on 12 days to the portal with a re-supply at MTR.

Hello Samantha

I have a permit for 15July from HI. I am hiking alone but my wife would feel better if I hiked with someone else.
I plan on resupplying at TM, Red's Meadow, MTR and Onion Valley. I am 58 years old so I plan on taking it slow,
approximately three weeks with a couple of zero days.
I have a tent cabin res at MTR and the resupply at Onion valley is actually at Charlotte Lake via pack train.
Im am going to spend two days at Curry Village prior to starting from HI. This is my first attempt at the JMT but
I have hiked sections of the HSR and the back country of SEKI. I used to be one of those that would drag 40 to 50 lbs of gear up and down mountains. I finally saw the light and have reduced my pack weight to 18 lbs. That doesn't include food and water. If I take a small digital camera
instead of my Sony Digital SLR, my base weight will be about 15 1/2 lbs.

Philip

Hi All,

We are also planning a JMT hike for this summer, but we were not able to get a permit. We are flying into San Francisco, and public transportation doesn't get us in until 1:25 pm. That would be ok, but once in the park, the campgrounds are full, so we wouldn't be allowed to stay that night. The people at the wilderness permit center transferred us to campground reservations. They tried to send us back to wilderness permits. Essentially, we have to get there early for a permit, but can't stay overnight without a permit. We are not sure what to do at this point.

We do have a kind of crazy idea that just might work:
(1)Rent a car in S.F.,
(2)drive to Merced and sleep until 3 a.m.,
(3)drive to permit office to stand around until they open,
(4)if we get a permit, drive the car back to Merced to return it,
(5)take public transportation back into the park,
(6)stay in backpacker campground now that we have permit and get an early start the next morning.

It doesn't seem very John Muir-ish, but we don't know what else to do without a car. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

September

The backpacker campgrounds are never "full". If you are a traveler doing the JMT they will let you stay there. I wouldn't worry about it. If you need a permit, I have one for Lyell Canyon (starting at Tuolomne) on August 12th I'm not using.

Today I am one step closer to make this trip a reality after getting two and a half weeks off from work. I now have my dates nailed down to hit the trail on Monday August 23, assuming I am successful at getting a walk up permit. I plan to meet my family at VVR for a resupply and weekend of relaxation on the 27th. I would like to make it to the Portal by Sunday Sept. 5th.

I was hoping someone here with Yosemite permit experience can help me with a question: With respect to securing a walk up permit for Happy Isles, is there any advantage to getting in line at the Yosemite Valley Station vs the Wawona Station?

I hope to see many of your friendly faces on the trail.

David

I'm planning a start date on July 28 but did not get a lottery permit.

Below is an email answer to my question about getting a Happy Isles permit at Tuolumne Meadows from a Yosemite ranger.

"You can't realistically get a Happy Isles permit at Tuolumne Meadows (until after everyone waiting for that permit at the Valley Wilderness Center has gotten one, and not everyone there will get one, so no one anywhere else will get one, either). You might think about trying for a Lyell Canyon permit at Tuolumne Meadows, since those are (a little) easier to get.
There will probably be a line at the wilderness center and it could take a few hours to get your permit, depending on how busy it is."

I'm going solo, southbound, starting July 14. I'm a little uneasy about some of the creek crossings (I guess Silver Pass Cr and Mono Creek are most likely to be problems?), given what I'm hearing about snow levels and the cool weather. Hopefully they will get safer in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you for the assistance Steven. Permits are a pain but at least there are options. Have a great hike!

Is it possible to get permits for next year right now? I'm stuck doing part of the CT this summer because of the whole permit thing.

Benjamin –

I just spoke to a friend hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (and thus, the John Muir Trail) and he said the stream crossings were manageable (he got out around Red's Meadow for resupply). He did say that a ton of snow remains at high elevations and warned that situation can change if everything heats up fast.

For what it's worth (and if this comes across as obvious or worse still, patronizing, my apologies as it is not my intention), last year along the JMT we were advised to head upstream/downstream by rangers to look for better crossings. I generally do this anyways, as I don't have cat-like reflexes (unless by cat your think of Garfield). I had already learned from one especially harrowing river crossing attempt years ago that discretion is truly the better part of valor.
The advice from the rangers was very sound, as we learned from a gentleman who had participated in the rescue of one young woman who was nearly swept away(due to gap in the stream bed) in fast-moving water. He seemed pretty shaken up by the experience and it was a good reminder to remain vigilant.
Have fun on your trip and post a trip report!

Dirk

Hi, Dirk — Thanks very much for the helpful info and suggestions!! –Ben

Rich: you can reserve permits up to 24 weeks in advance and the wilderness permit office opens in mid-January. It helps to have a few days in mind when you want to start the JMT and work back 24 weeks from there. For the dates I wanted, I faxed (yes, I said faxed!) forms in the morning for 3 or 4 consecutive days to get a permit for the last week in July. Didn't work though.

The office holds all the permits it receives up to a certain time of day, with no preference to time received and then randomly picks from those permits that got in before the deadline.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm