Even amongst lengthy trails, the John Muir Path, colloquially referred to as the JMT, is exclusive. It hovers round 8,000 ft for many of its 211 miles, crossing six main mountain passes in California’s Sierra Nevada vary. Whereas it’s named for early twentieth century naturalist John Muir, who based the Sierra Membership, the JMT itself parallels the commerce route as soon as utilized by the indigenous Paiute folks. At present, what most captivates folks about this path is the drama of the towering mountains coupled with the remoteness of the terrain, together with a 150-mile stretch with no single highway crossing.
For backpackers, the John Muir Path is seen as a type of pilgrimage. A lot of the path’s infrastructure dates again to the flip of the 20th century, and the seemingly immutable nature of the granite peaks that make up the Sierra Nevada can provide the impression that you simply’ve stepped totally out of the trendy period. You might be crossing the identical streams of snowmelt, passing the identical ice-cold alpine lakes, traversing the identical notches within the mountain passes as folks did 100 years in the past and even 1000’s of years in the past — at instances you’ll really feel as if you’re the one one who has ever been right here. The wilderness is at all times quiet, however generally the silence of the Sierra Nevadas echoes off the cliff faces, swallowing your footsteps till you’re one with the panorama. Even for the non-religious, mountain climbing that top into the mountains for weeks on finish can turn out to be a religious expertise.
I hiked the vast majority of the John Muir Path myself in 2014, as a part of my hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. Even with 700 miles of thru-hiking already below my belt, and a deliberate 20 % discount in mileage by the Excessive Sierra, I completed every single day utterly wiped, throwing down my sleeping bag because the solar turned the vary golden with the final mild of the day. It’s one of many few sections of path that I dream of repeating — and I will surely plan to take extra time by it.
All this may sound intimidating, however mountain climbing the John Muir Path is eminently doable. It’s a well-signed, superbly maintained path. In contrast to main hikes just like the Pacific Crest Path or the Appalachian Path, you will get this one achieved with out quitting your job. But it surely’s additionally a logistical problem to hike, and also you’ll possible have to be in the very best form of your life to finish it. Right here’s what you might want to know to get began.
Step 1: Get Your Allow
The John Muir Path could be very widespread and, as a result of it is vitally widespread, the park service strictly limits the variety of folks on it at any given time. You may anticipate to have your allow checked by rangers a number of instances alongside the JMT, so don’t skip this step. As a result of it’s so aggressive to get a slot on this path, I like to recommend you apply for each a northbound and southbound allow. In case you are so fortunate as to win multiple lottery, you possibly can then select the one that almost all appeals to you.
The very best time to hike the John Muir Path is from early July by late September. Many of the snow can have melted out by early July (besides in exceptionally heavy snow years) and gained’t begin up once more till October. Whilst you can hike the John Muir Path in June (and lots of PCT hikers do it annually), it tends to be a extra arduous expertise because of the deep snow masking the passes.
In contrast to different permitted trails, the JMT allow is an entry allow, so that you aren’t anticipated to know precisely how lengthy you’ll take or the place you’ll camp every evening at the moment.
Allow Possibility 1: Hike Southbound from Yosemite Valley
These permits are dealt with by lottery by the recreation.gov website for Yosemite Nationwide Park Wilderness Permits: Click on here to get began. The lottery for every week of the summer season opens up 24 weeks upfront. So when you wished to hike in mid July, you’d be making use of on the finish of January. (That is why getting your allow is Step 1.) Here’s a full checklist of the dates.
On the web site, click on on the large blue button that claims “Register for Open Lottery.” You’ll be prompted to create a recreation.gov account when you don’t have already got one. After you enter your private info, scroll right down to the blue button that claims “Enter Selections” and enhance the variety of dates you’re making use of for to eight. (Once more, we’re attempting to maximise the percentages you get a allow.) Choose “Completely satisfied Isle -> Previous LYV (Donahue Cross Eligible)” and a date for every of the listings. Cough up the $10 and ship up a silent prayer.
Allow Possibility 2: Hike Northbound from Whitney Portal
The John Muir Path begins in Yosemite Valley and ends at Whitney Portal, so the second approach to hike the path is north from Whitney Portal. As a result of these permits are additionally utilized by hikers summiting the best peak within the Decrease 48 (Mount Whitney), it’s also run by a lottery by Recreation.gov: Click on here to get began. The lottery for the whole season’s permits opens on the identical date, February 1. You may submit as much as 10 totally different dates at a time.
Different Choices
If what you’re searching for is an entire end-to-end hike of the John Muir Path, a southbound hike ranging from Completely satisfied Isles or a northbound hike ranging from Whitney Portal are your solely choices. In case you are extra versatile, nonetheless, there are dozens of the way to entry giant parts of the John Muir Path from Yosemite Nationwide Park and Kings Canyon Sequoia Nationwide Parks, in addition to Inyo Nationwide Forest and Sierra Nationwide Forest. Think about what’s most essential to you, an entire thru-hike of the JMT versus a selected yr or timeframe to your hike. If it’s the latter, take a while to familiarize your self with different choices for accessing the path which might be much less aggressive.
Step 2: Begin Coaching
So that you scored your allow. Congratulations! Time to get began in your coaching.
The extra you prepare earlier than your hike, the higher. Whereas widespread knowledge has it that one of the best ways to coach for a thru-hike is to load up your pack and hit the paths, the truth is that most individuals can’t match that into their frontcountry lives. The very best they’ll do is load up their pack and hit the paths on the weekend, which isn’t going to chop it on an journey as lengthy and arduous because the John Muir Path. I like to recommend as an alternative your every day and weekly routines and determining the place you possibly can substitute a visit by automobile for a visit on foot — getting in a variety of 5 to 10 miles a day is a superb objective (extra is healthier).
Are you able to stroll to the grocery retailer as an alternative of driving? To work? Might you allow your automobile at your little one’s faculty for drop off and stroll residence? Constant excessive every day mileage is essential, as it’s going to each strengthen your muscle mass to your thru-hike and acclimate your ft and joints to pounding out the miles, which can cut back your odds of a stress-related harm. And sure, by all means, hit the path on the weekend to get some vertical miles in with a totally loaded pack.
It’s additionally essential that you simply prepare to your thru-hike utilizing the footwear you’ll really be carrying in your thru-hike. That is the primary, and most essential, gear determination you’ll make earlier than getting began. Discovering a pair of footwear you could comfortably put on all day — no blisters, no stress accidents, no pointless soreness — is without doubt one of the most crucial issues you are able to do to make your hike successful. Do that now.
You could already know precisely what pair of footwear you wish to use. But when you don’t like your present mountain climbing footwear or path runners and are fascinated with switching, please learn OL’s story on the best thru-hiking shoes. Right here, thru-hiker and bodily therapist Morgan Brosnihan shares what she’s discovered over time from treating PCT thru-hikers. Seems, totally different footwear work for various people, and pinpointing the pair that can gel finest together with your specific ergonomics is the important thing. Think about this important studying for any aspiring thru-hiker.
Step 3: Get Your Gear Collectively
Whereas not required, a lot of folks use a chance like a thru-hike of the JMT to rethink their backpacking package. Like with any arduous lengthy path, a lighter backpack is usually extra fulfilling to hold than a heavier backpack. Nonetheless, you might want to be comfy and skilled with the gear you’re carrying, so don’t decide to a single-trekking pole tent when you aren’t certain you’ll wish to set it up in heavy winds.
Learn Subsequent: Backpacking Checklist
The Large Three
The largest weight financial savings you may make in your package is with the Large Three: your backpack, sleeping system (sleeping bag or quilt and sleeping pad), and your tent. Outside Life has achieved in depth assessments on merchandise on this class, with an emphasis on what ultralight gear works properly for these which might be new to ultralight gear. I’d encourage you to start out together with your tent, as you possibly can simply shave a few kilos off your package by switching to a best-in-class ultralight mannequin.
Learn Subsequent: The Best Ultralight Tents
You’ll wish to take a look at your sleep system fastidiously as properly, since in a single day temps can drop significantly on the JMT, particularly within the valleys. Be ready for temps as chilly as freezing (colder when you plan on mountain climbing close to the top of September). If you might want to improve your sleep system to account for these decrease temps, think about upgrading to a quilt and insulated sleeping pad mixture, which is a extra environment friendly approach to maximize heat to weight.
Learn Subsequent: The Best Backpacking Quilts
Whilst you can probably minimize a big quantity of weight by switching to among the best ultralight backpacks, it’s finest to solely do that when you plan to get your total base weight beneath 20 kilos. Most ultralight backpacks are usually uncomfortable when filled with hundreds in extra of 35 kilos, and also you’re going to have a number of substantial meals carries on this hike.
JMT Necessities
There are a number of objects that you simply’ll have to deliver in your JMT hike that will not already be in your backpacking package:
- Bear Canister: Whereas OL has examined the best bear canisters, what’s essential for you is the checklist of bear canisters that the land businesses have permitted for the JMT. From this list of approved canisters, I like to recommend you go together with both the BearVault or the Bearikade, relying on the dimensions you assume you want. The bears of Yosemite are very artful with regards to snatching thru-hikers meals, so don’t skimp on this required step.
- Map: Whilst you can obtain some glorious apps with mapping and path notes (FarOut is usually probably the most used possibility for this objective), in distant stretches of wilderness just like the JMT, having a bodily map is a should. I like to recommend the National Geographic model.
- Satellite tv for pc Messenger: That is distant wilderness. You’ll not have cellular phone reception. Bringing a satellite tv for pc messenger can present anxious family members again residence with peace of thoughts, and provide the instruments you might want to attain out to native SAR for assist in the occasion of calamity.
Learn Subsequent: Best Personal Locator Beacons and Satellite Messengers
- Microspikes or Ice Cleats: If there’s nonetheless snow on the passes, you’ll wish to carry a pair of light-weight microspikes or ice cleats. In tandem together with your trekking poles, these will enhance your traction and stability, permitting you to hike sooner and extra safely. Within the runup to your begin date, verify your FarOut app and group boards on Fb and Reddit to get a way of what sort of snow you’ll possible be encountering. If there’s nonetheless deep snow alongside the mountain passes (there was after I hiked it), keep in mind that it’s typically simpler to journey throughout snow within the early morning, when the snow continues to be agency. Later within the day you’ll be extra in danger for postholing (punching by the snow with every step), which could be very tiring and can gradual your progress.
Learn Subsequent: Best Microspikes or Ice Cleats
- Bug Spray: On the peak of summer season, when the bottom continues to be damp from melted snow, the mosquitoes may be an absolute nightmare. The worst mosquitoes I’ve ever skilled have been in Yosemite Nationwide Park — tons of of them plastered the mesh of our tent in any respect hours, simply ready for us to emerge. As a result of it’s troublesome to foretell precisely when the worst of the skeeters will happen, you’re going to wish to come totally ready. I like to recommend spraying down all of your clothes in permethrin earlier than you allow, and carrying each a head internet and the best proportion DEET you possibly can stand. Be aware: In the event you use DEET in your pores and skin, you shouldn’t try to clean your self off in any of the pristine mountain lakes you encounter. Attempt spraying it in your clothes as an alternative.
Learn Subsequent: The Best Mosquito Repellents
- Excessive SPF sunscreen. The JMT could be very excessive — typically properly above 10,000 ft — and most of it is vitally uncovered. Even for people who’re already tan or who’ve extra melatonin naturally, sunburning may be a problem (my nostril peeled for weeks after mountain climbing the JMT). I like to recommend upping your present go-to SPF by about 20 and bringing alongside a small tube to use to extra delicate areas like your nostril and the tops of your ears at a minimal. If you already know you’re vulnerable to burning even at decrease elevations then it is best to plan to reapply each few hours.
For nearly all aspiring JMT hikers, the elevation may also be a big hurdle. If you already know that you simply wrestle with altitude illness at elevation, think about talking together with your physician about whether or not or not you’re a candidate for drugs that may assist to alleviate this, resembling Diamox. Everybody ought to familiarize themselves with the signs of altitude illness and know what to do within the occasion they begin to really feel light-headed.
What To not Convey
One of many best methods to lighten your load in your thru-hike of the John Muir Path is by eliminating all the non-essentials out of your pack. Quite a few these shall be straightforward to establish: hammock, tenting chair, mirror, flask. However there are different objects that may add up too when you aren’t cautious. A full tube of toothpaste, when a miniature model would do advantageous. A plate and a bowl to your meals. A miniature lantern to your tent along with a flashlight. A couple of months earlier than your hike, experiment with eradicating all the pieces out of your pack that isn’t important to your well being and security: clothes stuff sacks, hairbrush, french press plunger. See the way it feels to put on your now much-lighter pack out in your subsequent coaching hike. Now you possibly can add again within the gear that you simply nonetheless assume you’ll need.
Step 4: Logistics and Resupply Containers
When you’ve been coaching for some time, knocking off 10 miles in a number of hours in your thru-hiking footwear, you could begin to really feel slightly formidable. Possibly you’ll have the ability to hike extra miles a day than you assume.
That is flawed. The John Muir Path could be very bodily demanding, particularly if there’s any lingering snow. No matter your objective every day mileage is, plan to knock it again by about 25 %. Most individuals will want about three weeks. In the event you’re very bodily match, you may have the ability to get it achieved in two. However you gained’t remorse having extra time and feeling much less rushed in your hike.
Whilst you can, and a few folks do, plan out the place they will spend each evening on path, most individuals discover that it’s simpler to estimate the variety of miles they’re comfy mountain climbing in a day, and plan their provides and meals primarily based on that. The JMT has loads of lovely campsites which might be clearly marked, so that you’ll usually have the ability to discover camp for the evening with out too many difficulties. The most well-liked choices shall be marked on the paper map you’re carrying, however the FarOut app can have notes on the precise location of each patch of dust that might conceivably match a one-person tent. Like all trails, there shall be climate (such because the potential for afternoon lightning storms on the peak of summer season) and terrain situations (resembling lingering snowfields and excessive rivers) that may also have an effect on how rapidly you’ll be able to hike.
A word on the elevation profile. Whereas the path could be very excessive, particularly when you’re coming from sea degree, the best elevations are within the southern portion of the path. Due to that, most individuals will favor to start out in Yosemite Valley (round 4,000 ft), and make their manner as much as Cathedral Cross (10,000 ft) over the primary couple of days. In the event you begin at Whitney Portal (8,000 ft), you’ll climb up 5,000 ft throughout the first couple of days (larger when you plan to take the 2-mile detour to the highest of Mount Whitney). Your physique can and can alter to the elevation so long as you’re taking it gradual, however anticipate to really feel sluggish whilst you’re adjusting to the low oxygen situations. Your first 4 or 5 days on path may very well be very gradual, so account for that in your anticipated mileage.
Resupply Containers
Three weeks is a very long time to be within the wilderness, and also you gained’t have the ability to carry all of the meals you want for the whole stretch in a single go. As an alternative, you’ll have to plan to “resupply” — selecting up extra provides alongside the way in which. However, it’s unlawful to cache meals immediately on path. Beneath you’ll discover resupply choices with related mileage for southbound hikers. Think about what number of days of meals you’re comfy carrying at a time, and plan to ship resupply packing containers (or buckets, relying) accordingly.
Mile 24: Tuolumne Meadows
As you cross by Tuolumne Meadows en path to Donahue Cross, you’ll be inside spitting distance of the Tuolumne Meadows Normal Retailer and the Tuolumne Meadows Publish Workplace, conveniently situated in the identical constructing. You may both ship a resupply field to them with the meals you’ll wish to carry for the subsequent part, or buy what you wish to carry with you. I like to recommend planning on a mixture of each, as the choice on the Normal Retailer, whereas catering to hikers and thru-hikers is considerably restricted and costly.
The one catch right here is that they’re solely open three months of the yr, so make sure you double verify that the submit workplace is open earlier than sending your field. I like to recommend calling Yosemite Nationwide Park and confirming with a park ranger there each the opening date of the shop and the submit workplace in addition to the precise deal with to make use of.
Mile 57: Crimson’s Meadows
Privately owned resort Crimson’s Meadows is only a quarter mile off path, making it one other apparent spot to cease alongside the John Muir Path. Comply with the instructions on their website when sending a resupply field.
Mile 90: Vermilion Valley Resort
Vermilion Valley Resort, typically shortened to VVR, is one other privately owned resort that caters to thru-hikers. Whereas they do promote some resupply items out of their normal retailer, the choices are considerably restricted. Comply with the instructions on their web site when sending a resupply box. VVR is a number of miles off path, though throughout excessive water years they’re generally in a position to run a ferry throughout Edison Lake. Though slightly tougher to entry than different resupply choices, getting a beer, a sizzling meal, and a bathe at VVR is a superb refresh for the spirits earlier than getting into the hardest portion of the path.
Mile 112: Muir Path Ranch
One other resort that can maintain packages for thru-hikers; nonetheless, this one is nearer to the path than VVR is. Be aware that there’s restricted to no extra providers for hikers. Comply with their directions when spending a bundle.
Mile 178: Kearsarge Cross
Most hikers might want to resupply between Muir Path Ranch and Whitney Portal, and one of the best ways to do that is by leaving the path and mountain climbing 6.5 miles over Kearsarge Cross and right down to the Onion Valley Trailhead. There aren’t any providers on the trailhead, so until you could have somebody assembly you there, you’ll have to hitchhike right down to Independence (which has a submit workplace however few different providers) or additional alongside to Bishop, which has most facilities that hikers will need, together with accommodations, gear outlets, and grocery shops. Hitchhiking can sound intimidating when you’ve by no means achieved it earlier than, however the locals who frequent the Onion Valley Trailhead are sometimes fairly beneficiant about selecting up and dropping off hikers. In my expertise, you possibly can anticipate it to take about an hour every manner.
Remaining Ideas
The John Muir Path is without doubt one of the hardest lengthy trails within the nation. Additionally it is one of the lovely. In the event you’ve been fascinated with trying a thru-hike, this path is a totally achievable objective, and certain to deliver recollections that you’ll cherish for years to return. However be warned: Many individuals who hike the John Muir Path are impressed to try even longer trails, just like the Pacific Crest Path or Continental Divide Path.
