itinerary

Easy Permit and Long-Weekend Friendly, This JMT Alternative Might be Perfect – Part 3

Published by Ray Rippel on September 16, 2018 4 Permalink

Profile courtesy CalTopo

In part 1 of this series I described what I believe is the perfect alternative to a full John Muir Trail hike for those who cannot get the time off necessary for a full JMT thru-hike. The permitting is easy, the trail well marked and easy to navigate, and the 43-miles distance is over terrain just strenuous enough to provide a reasonable challenge and a sense of accomplishment when you exit the wilderness.

In part 2 I tried to do justice to the beauty of the route with a photo-heavy trip report.

In this last part I’ll recommend a three-day and four-day itinerary complete with campsite recommendations.

Three Days

I originally intended to hike this trip in three-and-a-half days, but ended up exiting the wilderness at Highway 50 by 4 p.m. on day three. That made for three 14-mile-plus days. I’m a 63-year-old hiker who is in good, but by no means great, shape. I carried about 22 pounds of base-weight, with another few pounds of food & water.

Since my wife was driving me from our home in Reno to the trailhead, I didn’t get on the trail to 9 a.m. That is a late start for me. My first day’s hike took me from Ebbetts Pass to just pass Lower Sunset Lake. It was my intention to camp near that lake, and that was a mistake.

When I arrived at the two Sunset Lakes I found – for the first time ever in the Sierra Nevada – water that I did not want to drink. My purification strategy is to use a SteriPen, and while I have confidence that the water I would have treated would not have gotten me sick, it was full of small larvae and suspended vegetation of some kind. Oh…and it smelled. Both lakes are also difficult to get to because of the steep banks of the lakes. Once I reached the shore, I had to walk through several feet of mud.

There is a campground adjacent to Upper and Lower Sunset Lakes, but it is dusty and unpleasant. There were a few car campers, and even an RV parked in the area.

I ended up doing the best I could with water (had some left over from the day) and dry camped a little ways west of the upper lake. It was not a great site.

The next morning, after less than ten minutes of hiking, I came across a lovely campsite on the east side of Lily Pad Lake. When I hike this stretch again, this is where I will camp the first night.

Day two is a climbing day (see profile, above), but even with a 6:00 a.m. start, and a long lunch break near Lost Lakes, I still managed to reach my campsite, at Frog Lake, before 4 p.m. It wasn’t until the next day, when I visited the Wilderness Center at Carson Pass, that I found out that camping at Frog Lake is prohibited. (At least I think it is; the person at the Wilderness Center wasn’t sure, and there were no signs at the lake.) Instead, I would recommend you shorten day two just a bit, and camp before the climb over Elephant’s Back, north of Forestdale Creek.

Day three will be a bit longer, but with a reasonable early start you should get to Highway 50 well before sunset. A terrific place to stop for lunch is Showers Lake.

Four Days

If you would like to liner a bit along the trail, or if days with less mileage is more your cup of tea, I would suggest camping near the small stream here on day 1. That should make for about a ten-mile first day. On day two, an easy 8 mile hike will get you to Lost Lakes. Day three will take you to Showers Lake, after about ten miles (see link, above), and day four will be your longest day, but with lots of descending at the end.

As I mentioned in part 1, water was fairly plentiful along the trail in late August. Water was also available at each of these campsites, though – obviously – your experience may be different.

I hope you have enjoyed this series and will consider this hike. It’s a good one!

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: campsites, itinerary, JMT-alternatives

Hiking the JMT in 2018? Here is what you should be doing now.

Published by Ray Rippel on December 11, 2017 2 Permalink

The new year is fast approaching and many of you are thinking about a John Muir Trail hike in 2018. Depending on how much snow we get (more on that later), there are at least six or seven months before you take that first step on the trail. Is there anything you should be doing now to prepare? I think so; here is my list:

» Make some assumptions. The most significant assumption you will need to make is also the hardest to predict: how much snow are we going to get in the Sierra Nevada this winter, and how late will it linger. The experts refuse to commit themselves, but the consensus seems to be that we will get less than last year (2016/2017) but more than the year before. If I were forced to guess when the trail would first be clear enough to hike without special gear for snow and ice, I would say mid-to-late July. Other assumptions you may have to adopt are how much time you can get off for your hike and how many miles per day you are likely to be able to walk (which is more than you can, now, since you will have completed your training).

» Make some decisions. In my planning guide I discuss five critical decisions you need to make to start your planning: will you hike alone or as part of a group, what route will you take (southbound, northbound, or JMT alternative), what time of year will you hike, what will you eat on the trail, and where will you rest and resupply. I suggest you decide early the second, third, and last item on this list. Settling on a route (and perhaps an alternate, if you are unable to get the wilderness permit you want) and developing an itinerary will make decisions on where to rest and resupply much easier.

» Make a list of reservations you need. Unless you live close to the Sierra, you will probably need reservations for accommodations before your begin and after you finish. You may need airline reservations as well, though they can be more problematic since it usually costs money to change them. I like to take a rest day at Red’s Meadow and Muir Trail Ranch. In the past I have even stopped at the Lodge in Tuolumne for a good night’s sleep and a couple of good meals. All of those places require reservations. (Reservations at Red’s and MTR usually become available in January; reservations at Tuolumne can be made one year and one day in advance.) If you are going to have a resupply brought in via packer, that will need to be arranged. Having a comprehensive list to work down means you can start early and secure the reservations you need.

» Develop a permit strategy. To quote from my planning guide, “With the possible exception of actually walking 211 miles, securing a wilderness permit to hike the John Muir Trail is the most difficult part of a thru-hike.” Although there are lots of way to approach this (I devote a whole chapter to it, including several pages of alternatives), most strategies boil down to one of two: either focus on a particular trailhead (e.g., Happy Isles) and be flexible as to when you begin your hike (and when I say flexible, I mean be willing to start anytime from early July to late September), or focus on a particular time and be flexible in regards to your route. If you are like most hikers, the second alternative is probably superior. If you are retired and have no other commitments for the summer, the first might be just the thing.

Planning your hike is part of the fun; starting early not only increases the odds of success, it increases the enjoyment.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: itinerary, permits

Four Ways to Shake Up Your John Muir Trail Hike

Published by Ray Rippel on November 13, 2017 5 Permalink

Most backpackers who complete a thru-hike of the John Muir Trail eventually come to the decision that they want to do it again. Some come back year after year, racking up thousands of miles between Happy Isles and the summit of Mount Whitney. I can’t imagine ever being bored with the hike, but I can imagine – after a few trips – wanting to do something different that still included much of the JMT. Here are four ways you can tweak your 2018 JMT hike to make it seem new.

Switch directions. Most first-time JMT hikers go southbound, and there are lots of good reasons to do so. Several years ago, almost all JMT thru-hikers started in Yosemite. But, as permits to enter the wilderness from Happy Isles get harder and harder to obtain, more people are starting at Whitney Portal, or south of Mount Whitney, and heading north. The trip reports I’ve read all have encouraging things to say about hiking in this direction. Many mention that some of the passes are easier to negotiate and that the scenery looks much different. Also, if you start at the portal, you will be exiting the trail 4,000 feet below where you started. In many ways, your hike will get easier each day.

Start someplace else. Have you hiked in Yosemite extensively? Do you know the trail between Happy Isles and Tuolumne Meadows like the back of your hand? Why not avoid the crowds, make permitting easier, and see some new sights? I am a big fan of the Isberg Alternative. You can even start at Red’s Meadow, hike north, take the bus back to Red’s Meadow from Yosemite Valley, and then hike south. Looking for more of a challenge? How about starting at Ebbetts Pass and heading south? Starting there would add between three and six nights to your standard JMT hike, but it would also be uncrowded and beautiful.

Take some side trips. The very best way to plan some side trips off the JMT is to consult Elizabeth Wenk’s fifth edition of her book: John Muir Trail: The essential guide to hiking America’s most famous trail. Starting on page 209, there are thirteen pages devoted to peaks you can bag, spots with amazing views, and – best of all as far as I’m concerned – uncrowded lake basins where you are likely to camp alone.

Do it faster – or slower. Just hiking the 211 miles and climbing the eight major passes is sufficient challenge for this little guy, but if you are of a mind to really push yourself, why not step it out a bit? I believe the unsupported fastest known time is about three-and-a-half days. If you are going to bring a team along to support you, and you are looking for a record, you will need to finish the entire trail in less than two days, nineteen hours, and twenty-six minutes. There is no need to try for a record, though. My unscientific opinion is that anything less than a week would put you in the top 1% of JMT thru-hikers.

A more intriguing option, at least to me, is to take a little more time (instead of a lot less). Why not spend a whole day exploring the upper end of Lyell Canyon, or the shores of Thousand Island or Garnet Lakes? Other places where I could easily spend a day are: Lake Virginia, Bear Creek, Marie Lake (maybe two days there!), Evolution Meadow, Lake Majorie, and Rae Lakes. As I get older, the idea of walking less and spending more time in my camp chair, with some good food (thanks, Inga!), and a great view appeals to me. Perhaps it would to you as well.

For those of you who have hiked the trail more than once or twice, I challenge you to recall how amazing the John Muir Trail was the first time. Trying one of these suggestions might give you a chance to relive that experience and add to your Sierra Nevada repertoire.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: itinerary

Your Hiking Pace & the John Muir Trail

Published by Ray Rippel on May 22, 2017 4 Permalink

One of the most vexing problems confronting new thru-hikers is trying to estimate how far you are going to be able to hike each day. Whether you are young, slim, and fit – and as speedy as those attributes might suggest – or walk at a more serene pace, it’s good to know during your planning how much distance you can reasonably expect to put between projected campsites. This is not an exact science, but here are three tips and techniques that will increase your likelihood for success.

First, if you are asking the question (How far can I expect to hike each day?), then you are already doing something very right. Too many hikers instead ask this question: how many days can I get off? They then take that number, divide it into the 222 miles (which includes the trek down to Whitney Portal), and set the result of that division problem as their daily goal. As I say in the book: One of the keys to success on the hike will be to walk at your own pace. This is no time to try to force the large, square peg of your hiking speed into the small, round hole of the time you can spare.

Second, start collecting some data on your training hikes – particularly the ones you do with the same pack weight as you will likely have at the beginning of the hike. Purposely include some flat hikes so that you can get a feel for your average miles-per-hour over flat terrain. On your hikes that include hills, use a fitness tracker, smartphone app, or map application on your desktop computer to track how much you ascend during the training hike.

Last, try to lean a bit conservative when you make your calculations. It is much better to pull into a campsite early, or to have the time and energy to walk a mile or two farther (particularly if a mountain pass ascent is planned for the next day), than to be dragging into your projected campsite after dark, or to add a mile or two to the next day’s mileage.

I am not fast. For every 100 JMT hikers, I would estimate that 70 are probably walking faster than I do. Based on my data-collection over the years, I use this formula: 27 minutes per mile plus 32 minutes per 1,000 feet of elevation climb. For example, on day 7 of a recent JMT hike, on a day that began at Purple Lake and ended near the Mono Creek Bridge, I estimated that I would be hiking 14.4 miles and gaining 2,682 feet (on that day I would go over Silver Pass). Using the formula I described earlier in this paragraph, my hiking-time estimate was 7.9 hours. My actual time was closer to 7.2 hours, but that is close enough – and is a reflection of my tendency to estimate things conservatively.

A couple of last things. I don’t have an estimate for downhill hiking. That is just a level of complexity that isn’t worth the trouble, and comports with my conservative approach. Also, if you are handy with Excel or Numbers, calculating hiking time with the kind of formula I describe above is easy.

Now that you know that you will need to hike X amount of hours on a particular day, how do you plan to get those hours in? Everyone’s approach is different, but here is what I always do on a long day of hiking. (Anything in excess of 12 miles, for me, is a long day.)

First, I start early. Getting a couple of miles behind me before breakfast really sets me up for success. Second, I take a long lunch break. With lots of water, a good meal, and perhaps even a nap, a fourteen-mile day can become two, short, seven-miles hikes. Last, I purposely avoid pulling into the campsite too early. For me, arriving about two hours before sunset is just about perfect. That gives me time to set-up camp, eat, do some visiting with other hikers, write, and read. By that time I am ready for some sleep, and falling asleep as the sky darkens is always easier.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: itinerary, pace

Hiking the JMT 2017? Here is what you should be doing, now.

Published by Ray Rippel on August 15, 2016 27 Permalink

My next major John Muir Trail hike won’t occur until next year. Wrapping up a fifteen-year effort to write, publish and release a book; wrapping up my “day job” here on Oahu, and moving to our new home just north of Lake Tahoe and west of Reno is keeping this year quite busy enough. I’ve spent a lifetime dreaming of living near the Sierra Nevada. Skipping a major hike this year seems like a small price to pay to finally make it happen.

My wife and I are planning a complete thru-hike in 2017 – fourteen months from now. Since we’ll be a short drive to Yosemite, there can’t be much to do this far out, right? Wrong! Here is what is on our list for the next few months:

We have about a week to pencil out an itinerary. We need to decide how much of the hike we want to do after Labor Day. If we decide to wait later in the summer we’ll see fewer hikers and mosquitos, but will have to contend with colder nights and potential transportation and accommodations issues along the way. Labor Day comes a little early in 2017: September 4. The JMT population falls precipitously after the holiday. I suspect we’ll settle on a start date around the last day of August or the first couple of days in September. That means the Tuolumne Meadows Grill and Tuolumne Meadows Lodge will still be open, and transportation to and from Red’s Meadow to Mammoth Lakes will still be in full swing, when we arrive at each.
Although we can’t be assured of getting a permit on the day we want, at this point we are going to assume we will be stepping onto the trail at Happy Isles on day 1. We will need someplace to stay the night (perhaps two) before, so we must decide if we are going with the convenience of Curry Village, the comfort of the Yosemite Lodge, or the opulence of the Ahwahnee. Why? Because reservations there fill up quickly in all of them, and they can be made a year and a day in advance.
We are planning a half rest day on day 3 in Tuolumne Meadows. If we want to spend a night in the Lodge (which is really a tent cabin), we’ll need to make that reservation a year and a day out, too.
We are going to start discussing our permit strategy. There are two ways to approach this: try repeatedly for the date and place you want and then re-arrange everything else around the date you ultimately get, or make your reservations along the way and figure out a day and place to start your hiking so that you can arrive when planned. We will go with the second option. That means we need to carefully assess what permits are available, when, and we need to be prepared to request them on the first day available. Since one of our back-up plans is to leave from either Chiquito Pass Trailhead or Quartz Mountain Trailhead, we need to be ready a year ahead to request the permit.
The last step isn’t absolutely necessary, but has the potential to help us avoid some unpleasant situations: we will start publicizing to our friends and family that we are going to be in the woods for three weeks in September next year. That way no one will depend on us being somewhere else!

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: itinerary, permits, zero day

Don’t Forget Your Data

Published by Ray Rippel on August 8, 2016 8 Permalink

Along with your sleeping pad and bear canister, don’t forget to haul some data with you on your John Muir Trail hike. Here are some recommendations:

~ Probably most important is the sunrise and sunset times. If you don’t carry a smartphone, there are a number of websites (e.g., this one) that will provide the times for the dates you are out there. Remember, it will get dark a little earlier in the evening and stay dark a little longer in the morning because of the high ground that will typically be to your east and west.

~ The same website will give you some idea of what the moon will be doing during your hike. I really enjoy walking for an hour or so before sunrise, and if the moon is up and relatively bright I can forgo the headlamp necessary if the trail is pitch black. (One advantage of the headlamp, however, is that you get to see the light reflected in the eyes of the critters on the left and right of the trail, watching you as you pass. Well, it’s an advantage once you grow accustomed to it; at first it’s a little creepy, because there are more critters than you might expect!)

~ On one of my thru-hikes I carried a few sheets of paper like the one depicted above. Each of the four rows represents a hiking day, and since I was able to print this on both sides of waterproof paper, I got eight days on each sheet. On the left you see the sunrise and sunset data, as well as the total distance for the day, the elevation gain and loss, and the first and last waypoint I had entered into my GPS. The main portion of the chart is the profile of the day’s hike, with waypoints and a distance scale at the bottom. Although I have since replaced this paper technique with a smartphone, it worked very well.

~ The last list of data worth keeping isn’t numerical, but is even more important. As you work through your planning you are going to come across areas or landmarks that interest you. You will be surprised how easy it is to walk past them without even noticing (e.g., the Red Cones, the Muir Rock, or the Donald Downs monument). Write notes about these places on your map or guidebook, jot a list on a separate piece of paper, or keep notes on your smartphone. Then, be sure to review the list the night before or the morning of each day’s hike. It can be quite disappointing, when reviewing your hike a few days after it concludes, that you forgot to look for something that grabbed your interest during planning.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: guide, itinerary

A Good Itinerary – Part 2

Published by Ray Rippel on June 20, 2016 9 Permalink

The Rae Lakes area is my second favorite camping area on the John Muir Trail. Beautiful!

Last week I took you through the first half of what I consider to be a great itinerary for a thru-hiker who wants to successfully finish the hike with a minimum of pain and suffering, spend nights in scenic and interesting places, average around twelve miles a day (except for the last day), and work in some rest days and half days. Let’s continue.

Day 13: Muir Trail Ranch to Colby Meadow, ~12 miles. Make sure you fix yourself two sandwiches at breakfast on the morning you leave MTR! They are going to taste awfully good in a few hours. Today is an uphill stretch, but, like the walk out of Red’s Meadow, it just doesn’t seem that tough. Perhaps it’s the incredible scenery. Many thru-hikers like to spend their first night out of MTR at McClure Meadow, and it is quite beautiful (and a few miles shorter for the day). But, on the second half of this adventure we are going to need to start to think a day or two ahead. By pressing on to Colby Meadow, we will be over Muir Pass earlier the next day.

Day 14: Colby Meadow to [Someplace between Helen Lake and LeConte Canyon], ~14 miles. I love the John Muir Trail. There are few things in life I’d rather do than walk it. That said, from the Muir Hut to LeConte Canyon is the stretch I find least interesting. Walk as far as you comfortably can, find a nice spot, and spend the night. In fact, this would be a good night to try waterless camping, a few hundred yards off the trail, in a completely deserted area. Up to this point you will have probably have not camped alone. Why not give it a try?

Day 15: [Someplace between Helen Lake and LeConte Canyon] to Lower Palisade Lake, ~14 miles. Mere mortals might tremble at the thought of ending the day with a climb of the Golden Staircase, but after two weeks on the trail you will NOT be mistaken for a mere mortal. Lean forward and push those legs of steel up to the first Palisade Lake. You have four passes in the next four days. To successfully negotiate them you want to be ready to attack the first, Mather Pass, early. By camping at Lower Palisade Lake you are setting yourself up for victory.

Day 16: Lower Palisade Lake to Lake Majorie, ~12 miles. You popped over Mather before second breakfast, feeling like a champ. Today is another day that will end with a climb, but it is nothing like the Golden Staircase, and Lake Majorie is a gem. Plus, you are continuing to hike strategically. That is going to pay off in a couple of days.

Day 17: Lake Majorie to Rae Lakes, ~15 miles. Pinchot Pass is only a little more than 1,000 feet above Lake Majorie. Get an early start and you will be over it before you put your sunglasses on. That’s a good thing, because today is the day you really want to make some progress. The Rae Lakes area is my choice for the second most beautiful spot to camp on the entire JMT (right behind Marie Lake), and it makes for a perfect launching point to attack tomorrow’s pass.

Day 18: Rae Lakes to along Bubbs Creek, ~10 miles. Glen Pass is a tough one, but by camping at Rae Lakes you are up and over it before it can mess with your mind. Congratulations. You can now spend the rest of your life commenting on how easy Glen Pass was – that you really don’t understand why people think it is so tough. Your welcome. Before you get too cocky, though, remember the highest pass on the trail is still ahead, tomorrow: Forester Pass. This is a good place to spend tonight.

Day 19: Along Bubbs Creek to Wallace Creek, ~14 miles. The last of the final four passes is behind you. Forester Pass is high, and the hike up is long, but the trail is so well made (and you are such a hiking machine by now) that it’s no big deal. The hike down to Wallace Creek will probably be the fastest you have ever walked. The trail is soft and forgiving, the grade consistently downhill but not that steep, and Mount Whitney is getting closer by the minute. Why not move out smartly!

Day 20: Wallace Creek to Guitar Lake, ~8 miles. Your penultimate day is a short one, but that is okay. Tomorrow is the longest of the trip. Pull into Guitar Lake early so that you can claim a decent campsite. Spend some time during the afternoon off your feet and get to bed early. Make sure you have a good dinner and hydrate!

Day 21: Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal, ~17 miles. It’s almost impossible to get on the trail too early on the last day. The last time I camped at Guitar Lake I was up at 1 a.m. and on the trail by 1:45. That allowed me an hour at the top of Mount Whitney and got me at the portal before 4 p.m. Two hours later I was clean, in street clothes, and sitting at Seasons in Lone Pine eating a steak. Some folks suggest splitting this distance over two days, but I find once I get within six miles of the portal, I’m not stopping.

If your itinerary looks a lot different than this, then your goals are probably different as well. But, if you are looking to spend about three weeks on this trip, this is a great start to your plan.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: itinerary

A Good Itinerary – Part 1

Published by Ray Rippel on June 13, 2016 8 Permalink

Marie Lake, your destination on day 10.

I’m often asked to comment on itineraries. I’ll usually make a recommendation or two – I’ll suggest going a little further here or not quite as far there – but I’m reluctant to completely redo the trip. After all, the hiker presumably put some thought into the legs he or she chose. Who am I to judge?

That’s not to say I’m not tempted. The problem with the itineraries for first time thru-hikers is that they are making decisions strictly based on mileage and elevation. They haven’t walked the terrain. They don’t know what they don’t know.

What if I tore up “plan A” completely? What itinerary would I suggest for an average hiker wanted to successfully finish the hike with a minimum of pain and suffering, spend nights in scenic and interesting places, average around twelve miles a day (except for the last day), and work in some rest days and half days? If these objectives sound about right for you, consider this as a good start for your plan.

I’ll do from Happy Isles to Muir Trail Ranch today, and Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney Portal next week.

Day 1: Happy Isles to Sunrise Creek, ~9 miles. If you are intending to hike Half Dome (see last week’s post for more on that), then you are going to want to stop at Little Yosemite Valley. Otherwise, take advantage of your fresh legs, first day enthusiasm, and good breakfast to walk a little farther. Once you pass the Clouds Rest trail intersection, look for a small rivulet flowing across the trail, right-to-left. Its source is a spring less than 75 yards to the right of the trail, and there are some nice campsites near the spring. Plus, there are a dozen or so fewer bears waiting to visit you in the middle of the night than there will be in Little Yosemite Valley.

Day 2: Sunrise Creek to Upper Cathedral Lake, ~ 9 miles. Is day 2 too early for a spectacular campsite? I don’t think so. Pitch your tent here, or, if weather permits, sleep under the stars. The alpenglow on Cathedral Peak as the sun sets will be amazing. Get on the trail early this day, so that you get to camp early and have plenty of time to explore, or just to sit and take it all in.

Day 3: Upper Cathedral Lake to Tuolumne Meadows, ~6 miles. Are you looking to challenge yourself with as many miles and as much sleeping on the ground as possible? Then this itinerary isn’t for you. On day 3 you get a half rest day, lunch at the Tuolumne Meadows snack bar, dinner at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, and a good night’s sleep on a mattress inside one of the lodge’s tent cabins. Oh, and you get a good breakfast in the morning. (You will need to make reservations, possibly as much as a year out, to stay at the Lodge, and while you can walk-up and be served lunch at the snack bar and breakfast at the Lodge, you need to make reservations to have dinner there.)

Day 4: Tuolumne Meadows to Tarn below Donohue Pass, ~ 8 miles. Tonight is your first taste of life above the treeline. The hike up Lyell Canyon is a joy, and this campsite has great views, water – and even a little shelter from the wind. Best of all, you will be over Donohue Pass the next day before second breakfast.

Day 5: Tarn below Donohue Pass to Near Garnet Lake, ~11 miles. It’s tempting to see the amazing photos of Thousand Island Lake and Garnet Lake and plop a mark on a map, intending to camp there. The problem is that legal campsites that are easy to get to are few and far between, especially near the lakes. If you walk past the outlet stream at Garnet Lake, however, you can find some smallish sites with amazing views – to the east of the trail.

Day 6: Near Garnet Lake to Red’s Meadow, ~ 11 miles. After two nights in the woods, why not a break? Most of this eleven mile stretch is downhill, and it will culminate at Red’s Meadow. My recommendation is that you spend two nights here (or in the town of Mammoth Lakes), recharging, picking up your resupply box, and making gear changes based on your experience so far.

Day 7: Rest Day. Stay off you feet, stay hydrated, eat well, and limit the celebration to a beer or two.

Day 8: Red’s Meadow to Lake Virginia, ~16 miles. Yep…this is the longest day yet, but you are well rested and well fed, so why not? You will be climbing almost the entire day, but I’ve never found the climb to be all that tough. Lake Virginia is doable, even if you get a bit of a late start because you indulged in breakfast at the Mulehouse Cafe. (They don’t start serving until 7 a.m.) Lake Virginia has lots of nice campsites, and is gorgeous in the morning.

Day 9: Lake Virginia to Mono Creek Bridge, ~14 miles. By camping at Lake Virginia, you will be up and over Silver Pass fairly early – probably before lunch. Then you will descend through some nice terrain to Mono Creek. I’ve heard that the camping rules around the bridge have changed, so be prepared to react accordingly. Stopping near the bridge will put you in a great position to tackle the 52 switchbacks up bear ridge first thing in the morning.

Day 10: Mono Creek Bridge to Marie Lake, ~11 miles. Bear Ridge is, well, a bear, but your legs are fresh and you have some terrific scenery to look forward to. Tonight you will camp at what I consider to be the prettiest campsite on the John Muir Trail – Marie Lake. As you did on day 2, get on the trail early so that you can enjoy the late afternoon and evening at the lake. The next day is an easy one, so go ahead and push it!

Day 11: Marie Lake to Muir Trail Ranch, ~8 miles. Even if you sleep in a bit, you should be to MTR by noonish. Since you have made reservations for two nights here, you will be able to take full advantage of the place during your half rest day (the day you arrive). Congratulations; you have made it half way.

Day 12: Rest Day. Stay off your feet, eat well, take at least two baths in the opulent hot springs available to MTR guests only, and enjoy the books and great company in the library.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: itinerary