The John Muir Trail
In his book Sierra High Route, Steve Roper writes
Although the popular John Muir Trail (shortened herein to Muir Trail) traverses this fascinating timberline country on occasion, it frequently descends west into heavily forested regions in order to circumvent the great ridges that jut out from the main Sierra crest. These diversions from what I regard as the range’s finest terrain become especially annoying in the northern half of the High Sierra, for here the famed path traverses relatively lackluster country for many miles.
I mostly agree with Roper here. The JMT passes through some gorgeous scenery: Rae Lakes, Muir Pass, Forester Pass, the Bighorn Plateau, but it also has some sections of 10, even 20 miles with fairly “lackluster” scenery.
That’s not intended as a criticism of this trail nor an endorsement of Roper’s Route (Alan Dixon, for example, would argue that Roper didn’t get it quite right either). Rather, I’m trying to acknowledge what the JMT is: a long-distance trail through the Sierra offering a mix of terrain from Sierra forest to alpine basins and high alpine passes, alternating between these with increasing frequency as one moves south. And that’s exactly the experience many are seeking, as was I for this particular trip. If you think you might not enjoy some of those sections, consider modifying the route.
To make concrete suggestions for someone interested in the JMT, if you don’t mind skipping the nice area near Thousand Island and Garnet Lakes (I live not too far away, so this is negotiable), you might consider starting over Duck Lake to avoid the dull scenery south of Red’s Meadow. Or, if you’re interested in a shorter or slower trip, start from Muir Trail Ranch or Piute Pass, which will drop you off at the north end of gorgeous Muir Pass. You could also extend the trail south to Cottonwood Meadows by following the PCT or traversing the Miter Basin, about which I’ve heard great things.
This hike provided some more context for me supporting the popular north-lake-south-lake loop. This loop includes the Muir Pass section of the JMT punctuated on both ends by the beautiful Little Lakes Valley and the Humphrey’s Basin. In the past, I have viewed this as missing some of the beautiful High Sierra just south of here, but now I believe this loop would make an excellent backpacking trip.
Speed
I came into this trip thinking I could manage 20-25 miles a day for an 8-9 day finish. That was about as much as I could manage for a regular weekend trip at lower elevation, so I figured with a 35 pound pack in the High Sierra, I would have trouble putting back more than 25 miles.
But, I managed to execute a 7 day finish by piling on the miles in the middle 5 days. My pace was equivalent to an 8 day finish of the full JMT. How did I manage that, and why was my initial estimate so conservative? I think it was a combination of good physical fitness, a fair amount of backpacking and high altitude experience, the long hours of daylight in July, and the speed of a single person.
The End
This is my first time writing a big saga like this, so if you have any feedback, or enjoyed the pictures or words, or hated it, or if you have any questions, let me know!
That’s it, here’s bigger and better things!