Time for another break in our gear discussions; I don’t want this blog to become all-gear-all-the-time.
In the early morning the light is golden, and the critters are up and around.
One of the John Muir Trail resources that I follow, religiously, is the JMT Yahoo Group. The breadth and depth of knowledge available there is really quite remarkable.
A month or so before departing for the Sierra Nevada, one of the group’s moderators (who hikes solo) mentioned that he rose early most mornings and walked for an hour or two before breakfast. He listed several reasons: it meant more hiking in cool weather, more frequent wildlife sightings, and was generally a great way to start the day.
A few days into my thru-hike (mostly because of the weight I was carrying and its effect on my pace) it became clear that if I was going to meet my daily mileage goals, I was going to need to find a couple of extra hours to hike. I’ve always been an early riser, so I thought, “Why not try the early morning thing?”
I loved it!
In fact, I loved it so much that during the second half of the hike I was usually on the trail by 4:30 a.m., which meant that typically I would hike about ninety minutes in the dark.
Hiking in the dark is really pretty neat. In fact, I can think of only one disadvantage: you can’t see the scenery. Here’s how my mornings would work.
I’d rise about 4:00 a.m. That might sound needlessly tortuous, but remember this: due to the way the land cools through heat radiation, it’s normally warmer at 4:00 a.m. than it is at 6:00 a.m. (Unless there is something unusual happening weather-wise, it’s coldest about an hour after sunrise.) I found it much easier to climb out of the sleeping bag.
I’d also prepare myself the night before so that I could make a quick getaway. I’d have sufficient water to get to the next planned resupply. My stove, rain gear, spare clothes, etc., would be packed. On more than half the nights, even my tent would stay in my backpack.
Once up and dressed, I could be on the trail in about twenty minutes.
My one-ounce, Doug Ritter eQ Hands-Free Multilight was a champ. I have no idea how long the two CR2032 lithium coin batteries last. I put new ones in, even though I didn’t need to, at Guitar Lake, because I didn’t want them to die on my way up to the summit. (I was on the trail that morning at 1:00 a.m., so I hiked nearly five hours in the dark.)
Each night I would also try to position myself so that I began the day with a climb. Ascending early meant I had fresh legs, cool temperatures, and, psychologically, it was easier to climb in the dark (because you could only see a few yards ahead).
Eventually, my headlamp would become unnecessary. About forty-five minutes after I turned it off the sun would rise, and I would start looking for a place for breakfast.
This isn’t a great solution for everyone, especially if you are the type who likes to lounge around the campsite and get a later start, but it’s worth a try. If you are hiking in August or September, look for the constellation Orion. On most mornings it was right in front of me as a moved southbound.
Good hiking, Ray
I have been hearing more and more about early starts. It sounds particularly helpful when it comes to the big passes. Getting an early start would allow you to do the biggest work in the coolest part of the day. Appreciated your article on this.
That one ounce multi-light looks like just what I need, but when I tried to order I received a “page not found” error. 🙁
Oh no, Kathy, you’re right! I poked around the web some and couldn’t find a good link that sells it. That’s too bad; it’s a great light!
I should try this because it makes perfect sense. My only obstacle would be that I enjoy sleeping between 4 am and 6 am so much. This “hike early” regiment would also blend well with the “no fires” rule in the Sierra which has been in effect the last couple of years. No reason to stay up past 8 pm without a fire so you might as well go to bed early and get up early too!
Good point, Larry. And if you are hiking at the end of August or early September, the nights are loooooooong as it is. One can go to sleep after sunset, get eight hours of sleep, and still be on the trail early.
I only hiked at night on the last day in order to ascend Whitney before sunrise. I made it to the summit about an hour before sunrise. I have to say that the experience was surreal especially the parts of the trail where I knew there was a large dropoff but I couldn’t see anything below! And it was quite an experience to then descend and see what I had missed on the way up! I’ll have to give early starts a try on a few more days next time.
I didn’t make it to the summit by sunrise, but I did make it to trail junction. If you walk all the way from Guitar Lake to the summit to Whitney Portal in one day, is makes for a long one. Getting a bunch of it behind you before the sun rises is really great. Thanks for the comment, Ravi.
Early starts rock! I also like hiking later as well. Nothing beats putting in multiple miles before most people wake up for a nature call, and then several more while they’re setting up camp at 3-5 PM. It also allows more time to lounge by a nice lake or creek mid-day after a cold swim!
Nice site Ray, and I like how you changed it up a bit from gear.
This was going to be the hike, Robert, where I manned up and took the plunge into one of those cold lakes. Except what seemed like a good idea at noon while I was hiking, never seems all that great in the late afternoon when I pulled into camp. Maybe next time!
It looks like Doug Ritter may be designing lamps/lights for the eGear brand now. I’ve found some evidence that eGear seems to be associated with another of his designs (a tiny flashlight called the Pico).
Aeromedix shows that Doug has discontinued the eQ Multi Light, but it’s “been replaced by the EQ2
Ultralight Headlamp. The same great performance at lower price!”
The new light is for sale here:
http://www.aeromedix.com/Flashlights-c-29/
http://www.aeromedix.com/eGear-EQ2-Ultralight-Headlamp.html
It’s still not explicit if Doug is involved, but the “EQ” part of the name seems to suggest it. Either way, the EQ2 Ultralight at $8.50, less than an ounce and a lifetime warranty seems like a good lamp to check out.
Thanks, Rich. I can’t say enough good things about the Ritter light I have. It works great!
Those links didn’t work for me but it looks like this is the same headlamp http://www.amazon.com/eGear-Dual-Function-Headlamp-Black/dp/B000Z4AVCI/ref=sr_1_9?s=outdoor-recreation&srs=3027395011&ie=UTF8&qid=1445960831&sr=1-9
Thanks, Sharon!
I’m a newbie to backpacking, but with plans to do the JMT in a few years. Your blog and book are very helpful! So thanks for writing.
Does anyone here know much about these “cuban hybrid” packs and gear? The ultra light stuff? Sounds great but comfort and durability aren’t things I want to skimp on.
http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks/arc_blast.shtml
Thanks for the comment, Deb, and congratulations for making the commitment to hike the JMT. A couple of great places to learn more about ultralight gear is at BackpackingLight.com and at the Yahoo John Muir Trail Group. I recommend both!
The earliest we made it on the trail was 7:30 and that was the day we spent the night at Lake 12500 prior to Forester Pass. The wind was so bad we didn’t get much sleep and just broke down camp as soon as we could and broke for breakfast on the other side of the Pass. We were known on the trail for getting VERY late starts–9-9:30-10am…we had oatmeal in camp and a couple of cups of coffee each day. We hike fast though and were still able to take a lunch break and get in camp by 5-6pm.
One couple that we met would get up, hike for an hour or so and then break for breakfast. They loved it! I just could never get my butt out of camp like that!
Great post, Ray.
I’m in the “hike five miles before stopping for breakfast” camp, although I eat a quick snack before climbing out of my bag.
I also like getting a start before dawn–but I prefer to clear passes and peaks by noon.
I’m intrigued by the Doug Ritter light. I’ve used the Photon Freedom Micro lights for a couple of years now, and they work great. I take one red and one white, and use the red for camp chores. If the white failed, in an emergency, I could hike by the light of the red one, so I get some redundancy by having two. The weight is only 0.25 oz each, and I don’t use a headband–just clip to my visor. Doug Ritter has a special edition version of those, too, although I haven’t tried it.
I could totally see myself doing this. I’m a sunrise hiker in general, an early morning person. I’ll take these comments to heart.
I hiked the JMT this summer, and hiking in the light of a full moon was one of the highlights (I planned the hike to coincide with a full moon). I hiked until midnight 3 nights in a row without a headlamp, and I found that the scenery is incredible… I could see all the surrounding mountains, lakes, rocks, etc. Only the color of the flowers and grass is muted. If I were more of a morning person, I’d still hike at night, but do it in the AM hours instead of the PM hours.
Chris.
Hey Ray, this sounds like a conversation I came in on at the MTR this summer with Dave and Mark with his dog Pam. That wasn’t you was it?
It probably was! Mark is quite the guy. His website, by the way, is here: http://www.blinddogcoffee.com/.
He certainly is, we stayed an extra night as we hadn’t had a down day in 17 due to the weather, three in total and made a point of catching up with Mark every afternoon, I think topics that day were also taxation in CA & NV and Mammoth, but he has great stories to tell. I been swapping emails with him since we returned to the UK and his coffee is great, I miss it as it’s something we don’t do well over here. Fancy Starbucks type stuff but just great coffee out of the jug, nope.
[…] Yes, I know you have your miles to walk each day, but hurrying past everything is no way to get the most out of your hike. (One way get your miles-per-day, by the way, and still have time for leisurely breaks, is to start early.) […]
[…] written about my preference for early starts before. I like getting up before the coldest part of the day (which, all things being equal, […]
Ray –
The link for the flashlight goes to a site with lots of things but NOT the flashlight! Any ideas of where to buy it?
Sorry, Byron, I don’t think it is sold anymore. Too bad; it’s a great piece of gear. Glad I bought two!
[…] Seeing the dawn in the Sierra Nevada. I like to start walking early, so I’m usually on the trail as the light gradually reveals the stretch of JMT I happen to be […]
[…] I’ve written about my preference for early starts before. I like getting up before the coldest part of the day (which, all things being equal, […]
[…] Yes, I know you have your miles to walk each day, but hurrying past everything is no way to get the most out of your hike. (One way get your miles-per-day, by the way, and still have time for leisurely breaks, is to start early.) […]
[…] I start early. Getting a couple of miles behind me before breakfast really sets me up for success. Second, I take […]