The Range of Light. Just saying it out loud makes my pulse quicken and my eyes look to the horizon. The term was coined by John Muir himself, and is a wonderfully visceral description of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains that he roamed and loved. "After 10 years spent in the heart of it, rejoicing and wondering, bathing in its glorious floods of light, seeing the sunburst of morning among the icy peaks, the noonday radiance on the trees and rocks and snow, the flush of alpenglow, and a thousand dashing waterfalls with their marvelous abundance of irised spray, it still seems to me above all others the Range of Light". So well said, and so true. Verdant valleys, towering passes, barren moonscapes…dizzying in its contrasts and enormity. I have walked trails all over the planet and there is something unique about the Sierras that make me feel connected to and yet exquisitely dwarfed by the landscape surrounding me.
The John Muir Trail is the best the Sierras have to offer. Shadowing Muir's footsteps, the trail runs 212 breathtaking and treacherous miles, from the depths of Yosemite Valley to the top of 14,505' Mount Whitney (the highest point in the Continental United States). A through-hike voyage of the JMT will change you deep down in your nooks and crannies, as if each pass gained or spring guzzled rounds your edges a bit more. Afterward you might stand taller, be quicker to smile, or worry a little less because you've seen and done things that most people only read about. But you will earn it. Boy howdy will you earn it. Something I learned the hard way. Twice.
I first discovered the joys of the backcountry when I was seven. I spent two weeks with my dad in Cascade Valley (Mammoth, CA) waking up at sunrise, eating freshly caught trout with garlic and wild onions, and telling ghost stories in the dancing shadows of the fire until my eyes grew heavy. After that the wild was in my blood. Countless backpacking trips and hiking adventures later I decided it was time to brave the entire John Muir Trail.
I was in my early 20's and threw myself at the idea with naïve exuberance. I trained for a few weeks by loading up a pack with rocks and walking up and down the American River Trail in Sacramento. I had no clear idea about how long the trip would take or realistically how many miles I could cover in a day, but I brought enough food for roughly two weeks. I decided to hike the alternate route that starts below Mount Whitney and hike the trail south to north - which in hindsight should have been a red flag. I was determined to hike 212 miles but wanted to skip the top of Whitney because it would be too hard? I was excited to challenge myself and enjoyed the attention I got for attempting something bold, but I clearly wasn't invested in doing whatever it would take to be successful. Which is why I failed the first time. And the second time. Well that, and the ridiculous amount of weight I was carrying.
Like the good Eagle Scout that he is, my dad taught me to venture into the backcountry with anything I might possibly need, including the kitchen sink just to be safe. This is inarguably the most luxurious way to backpack - once you are in camp. But moving with that much weight on your back is a grueling death march that compresses your vertebrae and your spirits alike. When I began that first JMT attempt all those years ago, I distinctly remember the first few steps and the crushing realization that I would have to carry that behemoth of a pack for at least two weeks and crest 11 passes. I trudged toward my first pass and when pain and loneliness stealthily crept over me (which was inevitable), I grabbed onto a low-hanging excuse and quit. A year later the wandering spirit struck me again and I returned to the JMT once more. Except this time I was even less prepared, took even more weight, and sulked off the trail in defeat even sooner. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.
Fast forward a decade to 2013. I was a different man in a completely different place. I'd spent time in the forge of endurance sport, and had transformed by body and brain into tools capable of completing Ironman triathlons… or perhaps even more audacious endeavors. My life was exactly where I wanted it to be, but the John Muir Trail was still whispering softly to me:
"Do you have what it takes?"
I honestly didn't know. I had pushed back the boundaries on my capabilities, and strongly believed in my mental strength and athletic ability. But the John Muir Trail scared me. Which is ultimately why I decided I had to make one last attempt. And I wanted to put an exclamation point on the experience, so I planned to run it.
In looking back on my past attempts, it was clear why I failed and what I would have to do to finally stand on top of Mount Whitney with my hands held high. What I've outlined below is exactly how this moment became a reality, how I conquered the external and internal demons standing in my way - and how you can too.
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An endeavor such as this must be properly planned and prepared for. I know that may grate against your adventurous spirit, but it is the only way to hold success in your grasp. I hate detailed planning more than most, and how I finally got over this was by focusing on and getting excited about the end result, rather than the minutiae in between. I gave myself slightly more than a year to plan and train for this third JMT attempt, and I focused on three key factors:
- Brain Training
- Body Training
- Going Light
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Brain Training
- Cultivating gratitude
- Visualization
- Positive Self Talk
- Body Training
- Going Light
- Main Gear
- Clothing
- Misc
- Backpack
- Tent
- Sleeping "bag"
- Bear Canister
- Water Purifier
- Footwear
- Other considerations
- Direction
- Timing
- Permit
- Maps
- Trip Length
- Food
- Water
- Resupply
- Strategy
- Author Bio
# WORDS: 4660
# PHOTOS: 20
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I've found that hiking up to 20-25 miles and throwing in 3-5k of elevation gain/loss a day can be done by most people just on time management alone. That's about where I'm at (not quite 25) and I'm certainly no Skurka. Maybe Skurka's fat cousin.
For me to get to 30 mile days that includes some decent elevation gains and losses, I'd have to train like the author did or spend a few weeks on a long trail.
I watched a lecture given by an ultra marathoner who said that he can and does run back to back 50 mile days and as long as he allows himself 10 hours of sleep and rest in between, he figures he can sustain this indefinitely. I scheduled 10 hours per day of rest on the Wonderland this year (not all of that was sleep) and felt wonderful every morning, even after our longest day which was over 20 miles and many thousands of feet of climbing. Someone somewhere mentioned that 500' of climbing was about a mile of hiking worth of effort and energy so in theory, those days were about as punishing as a 30 miler.
Advil PM every night and a single Ibu in the morning kept the swelling and inflammation down to a minimum.
Again, I'm Skurka's fat cousin so if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Mike, your packs are also still well used here in Japan by UL/fast packing/trail running people here in Japan. Also a lot of other OMM gear like the different rain gear etc.
Congrats on creating some amazing product / OMM.
"I so don't understand why this discussion gets people so upset….."
Me neither, Jen. Of all the potential topics to get wanky about, I can't figure out why this is a perennial favorite.
"I've found that hiking up to 20-25 miles and throwing in 3-5k of elevation gain/loss a day can be done by most people just on time management alone. "
Ian, I'm in the same boat, except I'm Skurka's fat, short cousin. ;)
+1 getting my routine and packing down was 80% of my shake down hikes before my Long trail thru hike. And it only improved as I went along. I was doing 18-20mi/day in 10-12hr hiking 2mph avg including breaks.. 2.5-3mph hiking. yes i'm in good shape, yes my "home field" is the White mtns which makes other places feel easier but it was still very attainable. (hiked a lot of it with a 65yr old AT thru hiker)
i'm not sure what motivates people to throw the fake HYOH sly remarks into everything that involves going faster than "average" seems like a lot of jealousy or inferiority complex going on.
i ran similar track events as Skurka and I talked to him at his slideshow about our track times… he has the ability to be a LOT faster than me haha.
"It just makes no sense to me"
It will if you remember that we're over half way into November, and the sun is low on the horizon. ;0)
"i ran similar track events as Skurka"
What track events did you run that you found useful when training for long distance hikes? Serious question, Jake. I would be interested, from the perspective of another former runner who also ran to condition for the mountains, but not on the track. I'm always interested in new approaches, just for information at this point in my life.
I think there can be a great link between strenuous physical activity and mental and spiritual experiences.
It is not slow vs fast. You can have both. Both can be "good", or "badly" done (though who would be the judge of that?). People who move fast can also slow down on other trips. Choosing to do one trip where you push yourself and zone in and out of flow can be a great other way of finding things out about yourself, nature. Great way to do moving meditation. On another trip you can focus on other things.
In Japan we have the Kaihougyou, perhaps better known as the "The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei", that do extreme distances as part of their ascetic training. There are other monks doing other hard physical activities in the mountains as part of their training as well, but they are not as well known.
Besides their regular work and chores in the temple, their calligraphy training, the normal meditation training, they do 30Km/day for 100 days. Year 2, 3, 4 and 5 they do the same. Year 6 they do 60Km/day for 100 days. And finally year 7 they do 84Km/day for 100 days, followed by 30Km/day for another 100 days. It is not just the walking/running, they practice rituals along the mountain (giving respect to certain stones and trees, there is a Shintoist influence). They run mostly in the night, in traditional clothing, on straw sandals. Then in the morning they enter the normal temple routine.
Who am I to criticise their way of finding, their way?
For me personally, I do a lot of fast long days, and find it a great way of doing moving meditation. Forgetting about time, my goal. Even when pushing myself.
I ran mile and 2 mile in HS and played soccer in the fall. Currently I ride my road bike between 2500-4000mi per year. That does a lot more for me now than what I did do then. (4:52mi PR… Andrews is like 4:10ish lol I think he also did cross country)
For me, riding builds my legs and cardio threshold. I hike faster uphill than I do downhill. on flat ground I walk around 4mph, i walk fast naturally anyway so i'm not "rushing" i'm just walking. the last few years I completed the NH 4000 footers which are generally steep and rocky. what they lack in relative size to CO,CA they make up for in gradient. Doing these mountains regularly gets you in shape. i did 200mi leading up to the LT trip and did it in 17 hiking days (2 zeros) about half of what "they" suggest.
I "train" to hike just the way I train and have trained for anything else. Start at your current level, increase difficulty, mileage, speed as you progress. I knew i was ready for the LT when I did the 25mi Presi traverse in a day (8-9k elevation gain). Last year I did the 32mi Pemi loop in a day (10k elevation gain) btw FKT of these are absurd in the single digit hr's haha
Now I am working on a list of difficult/scary trails that involve slabs, boulders, ladders etc
""I can appreciate both Josh's views and perspectives and Billy's. I don't view Billy being so much as rude, as bluntly giving a contrary perspective on something he views as important."
I think your comments might resonate, more widely than they are likely to at this point in the thread, if Billy had taken the trouble Josh went to and started a thread of his own on the subject. But, no. Instead, he took the edge off a beautiful, from the heart, account of one person's experience by making comments that he had to know would degenerate into exactly the kind of nasty exchanges we have seen. Sad, but predictable.
"Jake, can you tell me how you teleport? Could come in handy with bears…."
Perhaps a little more deference would be in order when addressing a demi god.
"Oh, those passive continental margins."
It'sa small world back there, Dave. Some would call it Truman's World. ;0)
So we're related Spelt! (now the exclamation point makes sense but you've since changed your moniker)
I was going to propose that you and I could join forces and create team Skurka's Fat Cousins for the Bob Open but I suspect my Orca pool toy isn't up for the challenge in comparison to your packraft.
Now THATS a trip report I would like to read.
"Now THATS a trip report I would like to read."
But please, no pictures of Ian in the orca dinghy.
"But please, no pictures of Ian in the orca dinghy."
So you object to the the image of me riding a majestic killer whale through some sick rapids and narrowly escaping strainers but you're fine with me in a tutu?
I understand and somewhat agree Tom, which is why i later wrote this, "I do kind of agree with Ralph that the context was probably not the best for that, and it would be belong better in a thread of it's own."
Good points Ito Jakuchu.
awesome report. thanks so much. Hiked it in 2010 in 15 days, compromising between a friends and mine different goals. Can't wait to do it again in 7-10 days!
Dana
"I ran mile and 2 mile in HS and played soccer in the fall. Currently I ride my road bike between 2500-4000mi per year. That does a lot more for me now than what I did do then. (4:52mi PR… Andrews is like 4:10ish lol I think he also did cross country)"
Thanks, Jake. I would agree that your current biking will give more benefit, but anything that increases your AT has to be good, and the mile sure does that. 4:10??
WOW, I had no idea he ran in high school. That is a smokin' fast time for a high schooler. Come to think of it, though, he definitely has a miler's build. And a cross country runner's as well. That explains a lot. In my 40's I ran mostly middle distance road runs(5K-20K) with a few marathons thrown in, and did a lot of hill training. It all seemed to transfer well to backpacking and climbing. Lots of ways to skin a cat, as the saying goes.
"For me, riding builds my legs and cardio threshold. I hike faster uphill than I do downhill. on flat ground I walk around 4mph, i walk fast naturally anyway so i'm not "rushing" i'm just walking. the last few years I completed the NH 4000 footers which are generally steep and rocky. what they lack in relative size to CO,CA they make up for in gradient."
Steep gradients are a great way to build cardio, increase your AT, and increase leg strength, especially on a rough track. We have a lot of those out here, too, with 3000-4000' of elevation gain in anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 miles, and they are among my favorite training venues. The only variable you can't factor in out East is altitude, and that is a problem here in the Cascades as well. But my hypothesis is that if you have a high AT, you will have an easier time ascending rapidly in places like the Rockies and the Sierra, so train accordingly.
thanks for the well written article and wonderful photos! very neat that you had attempted it in the past and were able to complete it this time
it's definitely on my bucket list (along w/ the SHR)
hopefully I won't offend too many folks if I also do it under a week :)
"hopefully I won't offend too many folks if I also do it under a week :) "
Oooh, you make me so mad and i feel so offended just thinking about it! ;)
Nah, really, best of luck. Very much sincerely hope you can accomplish your goal.
Let us know, if it changes your happiness/contentment/at peaceness quotient or average long term, because if it does, then i too will aspire to do it as fast or even faster. At least so far in this relatively short life, i've found the only true and lasting happiness i experience comes from helping/being of positive service to others in some way, but it's possible that i've just overlooked fastpacking as a means to same.
It could be that i'm just myopic and need glasses so to speak? Alas, what am i to do, if not chasing after illusionary means of happiness? Become a slightly introverted, improv comedian on BPL? (the worst kind, because they don't need or require any feedback, and just keep going, and going, and going). A sad existence if there ever was one.
Yea, I have done an 8 day hike in Kings Canyon and a few day hike in Tahoe in HS and was ok with the altitude. Obviously a bit of a break in period but nothing horrible. i'm also built for it.. 5'7 125lb and have been doing a physical activity with lots of cardio since age 5. Either way I can hike at a decent rate for a while but no where near the FKT mutants and other trail runners.
There is a 50mi Hut traverse through the Whites that would be my next goal. I'd need to practice some of the sections and sew my Bivy to have in case of fails. The usual goal is 24hrs. which means i'd have to do another 18mi in 10hours over what i did the Pemi in. Which brings my interest in stuff like the OP to get strategical ideas. going back to school is stealing my time and gas $ to do as much hiking as i would like so we'll see what next summer holds.
don't quote me on his mile time, i know it was low 4s cuz he would have smoked me.
"i'm also built for it.. 5'7 125lb".
Yup. The Sherpas are, by and large, although not always, fairly small and wiry. But they're born into cardio country up in the Khumbu. Us lowlanders have to work at it.
"Which brings my interest in stuff like the OP to get strategical ideas."
Josh has a lot of good ideas, which is one of the things about his write up that I enjoyed most. I'm guessing there is a lot there for you to learn from, given your stated goals.
""i'm also built for it.. 5'7 125lb".
Yup. The Sherpas are, by and large, although not always, fairly small and wiry. But they're born into cardio country up in the Khumbu. Us lowlanders have to work at it."
Somewhere on here or his site, Roman Dial wrote about the ideal size for hiking. I don't remember the exact numbers but it was something like 5'10", 160 lbs and a size 9 or 10 foot. I think it might be in his How Far? How Fast? article.
"Somewhere on here or his site, Roman Dial wrote about the ideal size for hiking. I don't remember the exact numbers but it was something like 5'10", 160 lbs and a size 9 or 10 foot."
Thanks to my Scandinavian ancestry, I'm more of an ideal size for pillaging monasteries.
"The Sherpas are, by and large, although not always, fairly small and wiry."
When I did my first trek with the Sherpas, I was about 5'7" tall and about 140 pounds. I was exactly the same size as the biggest Sherpa guide in our crew. The Sherpas pace themselves very evenly, and the only time that you will see one run is when a yak gets loose on the trail.
–B.G.–
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