The southern side of Forester Pass is the only place where there is significant exposure, and the trail there is especially wide and flat.
Whenever I am talking to a small group, or even a single hiker, about a potential John Muir Trail hike, I know some of the same questions are going to come up. The bears are often the first concern. Those who are unfamiliar with the Sierra Nevada often are under the impression that they are lurking behind every tree and boulder, and that a substantial part of their diet is backpackers. After that, it’s not unusual to be asked if I carry a gun. Once we have those two out of the way, it’s not long until I start getting questions about exposure to heights – and, more specifically, falls. Just how bad is it out there on the trail? How often do hikers lose their balance, slip, windmill their arms, and tumble into an abyss, never to be seen again?
Relax. There is almost nothing to worry about.
The only place where you might find yourself getting a little uncomfortable, if heights tend to make you that way, is for about five to ten minutes coming down from Forester Pass (if you are hiking southbound). The trail there is wide and flat, and perhaps more importantly, never crowded. If you suffer from a bit of acrophobia, you can hug the inside of the trail and walk as slowly as you like, without fear of embarrassment. It will be over before the taste of that chocolate bar you ate at the top of the pass has left your mouth.
I said there is almost nothing to worry about. Should your plans to thru-hike the JMT include a side trip to the top of Half Dome, all bets are off. If you are even the slightest bit nervous around heights – and who isn’t – getting to the top of Half Dome is going to require that you get well out of your comfort zone. I have never seen a photograph of the climb up the cables that faithfully conveys the feeling one gets looking up that ascent. Furthermore, although fatalities are very rare, they are not unheard of.
The good news is that you can arrive at the bottom of Half Dome, decide it isn’t your cup of tea, and still hike 100% of the John Muir Trail. Unlike Forester Pass, Half Dome is optional.
Good hiking, Ray
Very good point. But I would include the Golden Staircase and the Whitney Windows section, both of which actually have been the sites of serous falls.
Thanks, Peter. My understanding is that the fall on the Golden Staircase did not involve a fall from height, but was more of a tripping situation (which can still be serious). The Whitney Windows are surely dangerous if you get too close to the edge, but they are at least a few steps from the trail and in some cases quite a ways from the trail. Still, it sure wouldn’t hurt to be careful at both spots. Thanks, again.
Agree with PH on the Whitney windows especially. Looked to me that there wasn’t much maintenance done on that section. Boulders had to be climbed over, lots of loose talus, & some very shifty drop-offs on the west side of the trail. On Half Dome, I remember when the surface was not slippery from the tread of millions of rubber soles, all the ties were fastened down tight, the cable poles weren’t loose in their sockets, back when there were no traffic jams going up and down. I probably won’t do that one again, although it is one of the great experiences of life to be up there. First went up with some great friends right after graduation from Cal in 1965, just before flying off to Hawaii to train for Peace Corps Thailand. What a heady time that was.
Thanks, Peter. I haven’t been up there in a while…it sounds like trail maintenance has suffered since!
+1 on what Peter said (both of them) on Whitney Windows. I’ve seen it after a rain, when it was really, really sketchy. Much depends on what time of year you go up, and what the previous weather was. On Half Dome, the one and only time I did that, (no thank you!) I used a harness and clipped in. I wasn’t worried so much about myself, but had talked to a friend, who by sheer luck, did not die when another hiker had slipped and fell into her. There are so many people (of varying degrees of preparedness and common sense) that I just felt better having a tether.
Thanks, Kathy!
Agree with everything said! The first time I went over forester pass it really shook me. I’d taken a break at the top and when I saw what I was up against I thought about turning around and go north bound to find a different pass to exit the sierras. But I did it! After I got past the first switch back I was ok. I will be there again in about 3 weeks. Start JMT August 27th, this will 3rd time.
Thanks for the comment, Steven, and good luck!