At about 7:20 a.m., on Thursday, September 12th, 2013, I walked the last few feet of the John Muir Trail and reached the summit of Mount Whitney. It was the end of a trip that began at Happy Isles.
It was cold & cloudy the morning I arrived at the summit of Mount Whitney, completing my thru-hike of the John Muir Trail.
Reaching the summit was a different experience than the first time. On that day, in September of 2009, it was sunny, clear and crowded. This year it was cloudy, cold (there was snow and ice on the trail), and at no time (while I was there) were there more than four people loitering about.
But it wasn’t just the last day that was different; the entire hike was. Over the next few months, interspersed with our normal John Muir Trail news and information, I’ll try to describe the lessons learned this time around.
It’s not hard to decide where to begin. This second thru-hike was tough—very tough—and I attribute my difficulty almost solely to one factor: pack weight.
Prior to this hike I was more than a little skeptical of the significance of pack weight. My skepticism had several sources.
First was my personal experience that the backpack, no matter how heavy it is, tends to “disappear” after a few days. It’s still heavy to lift, but modern backpacks are terrific at distributing the weight as you walk, whether they weigh twenty pounds, or forty.
Second, I was influenced by a number of other hikers who downplayed the value of low pack weight. I found many of their arguments persuasive.
I also did a poor job of planning and preparing for this hike. In the eight weeks before I began the hike a number of unscheduled and unforeseen distractions popped up, including a to-good-to-pass opportunity to buy a home near the Sierra Nevada, and an unexpected, week-long, business trip. I wasn’t as thorough and thoughtful as I should have been and I ended up paying the price.
The best evidence of that? The FIRST time I weighed my pack was when I exited the wilderness at Whitney Portal. I had no water in the pack, and for reasons I’ll explain later, I had no food, either. The pack weight: forty-three pounds, not including my boots and the clothes I wore.
So, how did an extra eighteen pounds make this hike different? Two ways.
First, I was slow—really slow, particularly uphill. I’m already a slow hiker, but with more than fifty pounds on my back (with food and water) my pace was glacial. The last stretch up my old nemesis, Glen Pass, was excruciating. Not only was my cadence like that of a funeral march, my stride was so short that my heel barely cleared the toe of my opposing foot.
It was occasionally even worse going downhill, especially where there were steps or rocks that made watching one’s step a must.
The other big difference was the effect on my legs. Two-and-a-half weeks after I’ve left the trail I can still feel the fatigue, wear, and tear during my morning walks. On the trail it meant less energy at campsites to explore.
So, what are the lessons I’ve learned? Next week I’ll discuss some of my poorer gear choices and offer some better alternatives.
Good hiking, Ray
Thanks for the update Ray! I just bought and read your book last week about the first JMT trip because I’m really hoping to make my own journey in 2015 (I wish I could do it next year but it won’t be possible). I’m taking the opposite tack and trying to go ultralight (or as ultralight as I can get on a budget). I’m hoping to be around 15 pounds of base weight or as close as possible. Looking forward to reading about your tribulations so that maybe I can learn more. Cheers!
Thanks, Jill, for the comment. Much more to come regarding the light stuff!
I’m glad you completed your hike. A coincidence here. I did my first JMT through in 2009 also, finishing on Sept 9. I was back this year for another thru and finished Sept 8. I don’t remember weighing my pack in 2009 at the end but this year it weighed 15lbs with a bit of food and about .5 liters of water. I had no issues with my pack weight but a few mental ones as a result of my hiking partners having to bail at Virginia Lake.
I look forward to analysis and do hope you can get your pack weight down. I know from my own experience a light pack increases the joy of being on the trail immensely.
That is quite a coincidence, Don. I made it to the summit in 2009 on September 16th. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Ray, my daughter & I met you at Red’s meadows. Great to hear you made it and stayed away from the smoke! Someday my daughter & I will make the commitment and do the entire JMT. Reading your book now. We took 7 days just to go from Tuolumne Meadows to Reds but spent a lot of time fishing, taking pics and napping along the trail. At this rate it will take us 10 yrs but who cares!
My take on light stuff = Ray Jardine + Andrew Skurka.
Darryl & Jenika
I remember our discussion, well, Darryl. Thanks for making contact! I think taking it slow and really enjoying where you are is a great approach–one I may take in the future.
Congratulations “Burro” Ray — 43 lbs without water or food is one HECK of a load!! I think it was John Ladd that claimed you had a 10 lb camera (grin). My equivalent pack weight was 12.75 lbs and that included the 2.25 lb Expedition bearikade. I found I scrimped a little too much and next year I will be adding a total of 1.5 lbs for a better shelter and more comfortable sleeping pad. fred
Fred, your pack was so light you didn’t even notice the 25 pound granite rock I snuck in just before I woke you up at Guitar Lake! Then, while I was taking your photo, I snuck it back out at the summit of Mount Whitney. 🙂
Thanks for the honesty….We all learn more from the bad than from the good, and I really appreciate when someone looks at the mistakes they have made with an honest eye.
I too, am a slow hiker, and have suffered by packing too much. As I develop my list of what to take on multi-day trips in The Sierra, it helps to be reminded that I need to really pay attention to the pack weight!
Thanks for the comment, Kathy. There’s an old saying: wise people learn from others’ mistakes, average ones learn from their own, and fools just never learn. My readers tend to fall in the first category, thus my willingness to describe my mistakes.
Hey Ray!
43lbs?? ouch! I just had my first trip with a MLD Exodus after being very hesitant to get away from a traditional full suspension pack..I’m never going back! I’m excited to follow your journey through lightening your load.
I’ve been following your blog since I picked up your book (IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE IT, BUY IT!), and after reading this post I thought I would drop a note to have you take a look at a website I put together to help find used lightweight gear. It’s a search engine that covers a bunch of the lightweight backpacking and climbing communities, thought you might get some use out it!
http://www.lwhiker.com/used-gear-search/
Wow…very neat website. I note that there is everything from very high-end stuff down to raw fabric for MYOG folks. With your permission, I may want to do a blog post describing the site. Thanks for the kind words on the book!
Ray, feel free to do a blog post, I’d love to get the word out and get some feedback from the community! You should have my email if you have any questions.
Hi, Ray. Yes, congrats on completing another JMT! Want to echo your comments about quality of gear and weight. I did mine last year at the age of 70 with a pack that weighed 50 pounds at the beginning and after each resupply. What’s more, the pack was cheap and savaged my shoulders—pounding my shoulder blades like twin ball-peen hammers with each step. It slowed me, as yours did you, and sapped energy. The magnificent hike was still well worth the aggravation, but my first purchase afterward was a quality pack. Quality and weight of (1) boots and (2) pack are key—right after a positive attitude—to an enjoyable hike. Thanks for your thoughtful blogs and your great book. I look forward to more installments.
Thanks for the comment, Steve. Who says you can’t teach old dogs (like us) new tricks?
Hi Ray, Congratulations on the hike! I finished on September 14 and also had interesting weather on the top of Mt. Whitney … lots of clouds and what seemed like a fog that turned into an icy coating on most of the rocks! Hiking up Mt. Whitney in the dark and descending after sunrise was quite an experience.
I’m leaning toward the Colorado Trail in 2014 but I have to say that it is tempting to return to the JMT again instead. Maybe northbound to gain a different perspective.
I’ll be looking forward to reading more about your hike.
Thanks for your post Ray. I’ve been missing them. I always get at least one nugget of wisdom from your writing. Nice photo too!
Looking forward to more stories about your trip Ray. My son and I hiked the High Sierra Trail this summer starting at Cottonwood Pass out of Horseshoe Meadow and ending at Crescent Meadow in Sequoia. 5 days/70 miles. I’ve learned a lot since my JMT hike int 2011 and was able to hike out with a fully loaded pack (6 days of food and 2 liters of water) at under 35 lbs. The issue for me isn’t the pack weight anymore, it’s the 10 extra pounds around my waist!
If you want me to send you my gear list with weight I am happy to do that. You don’t have to purchase extremely expensive ultralight gear to save weight, but there are a few basic things that I have learned that help me keep weight down, stay comfortable and be prepared for varying temperatures and conditions. I admire the ultralighter’s that can go out with very low base weights, but sometimes I think they are pushing the envelope of safety (and comfort). I have an ultralight gear set that I am testing on short overnight trips, but I’m not sure that I would jump on the JMT or into a long trip in the Sierras with it yet.
Congrats, Ray!
My dad (Doug) and I met on the trail: first during a lunch break at Squaw Lake…then again, camping at the Mono Creek footbridge…and again on the switchbacks ascending Bear Ridge. You astutely identified the sooty grouse for us!
We finished on September 7th–a little under 11 days after we left Happy Isles. We had a great time.
On the topic of your post: my base weight for this trip was about 13.5 lbs, including the bear can, and several communal items that were shared with my dad. If I were alone, I would have left about 1 lb of that at home. Perhaps a future post for your blog might be an A/B comparison of my JMT gear list with yours–we were both out on the same trail, at the same time, but with (apparently) vastly different gear.
Of course, I know about 2 lbs of your base weight is accounted for by your John Muir Laws naturalist guide–mucho respect to you for carrying that. Let me know if you ever find a copy printed on Cuben ;).
Thanks for the comment, Adam, and congratulations on your successful hike. You and your dad were the two fastest hikers I met on the entire trip.
Let me give your A/B idea some thought. There certainly would be plenty of contrast.
Once again, congratulations!
Congrats Ray…
I’m planning to do the JMT for the first time in August ’14. I stumbled onto your website and plan on getting your book too. Much to the disagreement of my wife I am planning on going solo unless, I can find someone to go with. I told her your never really alone. I look forward to reading your blog and book.
One of the things I’m considering is at the end instead of exiting at the portal is to take the High Sierra Trail and exit at Crescent Meadows since i also love in Visalia……Not sure how realistic it is given I would need a re-supply but would be awesome to do.
Thanks for the comment, Chad. I’m a big believer in August and September, although I was almost foiled by the Rimfire.
Yeah we got a lot of smoke down here in the valley…..glad it didn’t ruin your trip. P.S. I did get your book today….very good source of info….
Thanks, Chad, for the kind words regarding the book!
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