This year I hiked the JMT North to South in 11 days in early September.
I started out in Yosemite Valley on September 3rd after receiving a walk up permit that morning and spent the first day climbing out of the crowds to my first nights camp at Sunrise Meadows.
Day two began with an early morning hike Past Cathedral Peak, through some more crowds around Toulomne Meadows and then up and over Donohue Pass in the afternoon to a high camp under the stars.
I spent the next few days making my way south through fields of wildflowers, still at peak thanks to the late snow year, and enjoying perfectly temperate weather. I never pitched my tarp at night, just lay out under the stars.
At almost exactly the halfway point on the hike I pulled into the Muir Trail Ranch for my resupply. This marked my entry into the higher passes of the southern Sierra as well as a turning point in the weather. As I climbed the hill out of the ranch the first big raindrops began to fall.
The next morning I hustled up Muir Pass in a mix of drizzle and sleet after finding out from the backcountry ranger that there was an extreme lightening warning out and then made my way down and through LeConte Canyon in steady rain which slowly tapered off in time for me to make camp before sundown. This pattern repeated itself for the rest of the trip – but the clouds always cleared away.
My last nights campsite in Crabtree Meadows. A perfect crisp clear mornings hike up Mt Whitney. A few fleeting minutes of view from the summit as the fog rolled over and the last snow flakes of the trip wafted down.
My only regret is that I don't live closer so as to be able to explore all the side trails passed, basins unvisited and passes yet to be crossed, but Sierra High Route I will be back for you soon.
