Every day of a JMT thru-hike brings surprises, mostly in regards to fauna. You’ll turn a corner and discover a gang of deer (often right on the trail), a coyote (prowling for lunch) or a friendly marmot (hoping to trade the perfect pose on a rock for a hunk of human food). Sometimes the animals are quite a bit bigger.
The scenery may surprise you, simply because you can’t imagine it getting any better, and then it does. And does again. And again.
I remember more subtle surprises as well. Here are some of my more memorable ones.
A different sense of what a mile is (or a kilometer, if you prefer). There are places on the trail where I could look back and see a spot several miles behind me—a spot where I was standing just a few hours before. Sure, I knew mathematically and geographically what a mile was, but seeing just how far a person can travel, on foot, always amazed me. Then I started transposing the distances I’d travel in a day or two on the trail to my home geography (in my case the island of Oahu). The distance I would travel in one trail day would equate to walking from my home on the southeast side of the island all the way to downtown Honolulu, with substantially less elevation gain. I would never consider walking that!
How little I wanted to eat. What’s your favorite snack? Chocolate? Cookies? Nuts? On a good day I can probably pass on the chocolate and cookies, but there’s no resisting almonds and walnuts. Now, imagine looking at a single walnut half and thinking to yourself that there is no way you can eat the whole thing. Such was my experience on the trail. I have no idea where my appetite went, but it was nowhere to be found. Interestingly enough, when I got to the snack bar in Tuolumne Meadows, the Mule House Café in Red’s Meadow, and the dining room at Muir Trail Ranch, I ate like a horse. Not so on the trail. Judging by the wealth of goodies at the hiker’s barrels at Muir Trail Ranch, I wasn’t the only one who experienced this phenomenon.
How quickly the days went, or, to put it another way, how I never got bored. I’ve loved the Sierra Nevada since I was a pre-teen, but it occurred to me that I might get a little bored on day ten, or fifteen, of the hike. Never happened. On days when I walked until dusk I never wearied of the experience (although I was plenty weary). Days when I reached my campsite by 3:30 p.m. and then explored—were even better. I can remember thinking, as I left Muir Trail Ranch, that nine uninterrupted days in the woods would be a very long time. It went by in a flash. You may be tempted to bring an iPod to listen to music or books while you’re walking. You, too, may fear the boredom. My recommendation: leave it at home.
Part of the joy of the trail is the change in perspective. “Normal” out there is a little different than “normal” at home. These were some of my surprises; yours may be different. All will be worth experiencing.
Good hiking, Ray
Beautifully written, Ray, as always, and in tune with my own experience. I liked your presentation of the ‘wealth of goodies’ available in the hiker’s barrels. My first thought when seeing the amazing site of overflowing barrels (I’m a first-time JMT through-hiker) was folks who overpacked and were shedding what they could never use – pragmatic, business-like. Your description adds colorful, emotional dimension of each hiker’s decision-making.
I had an encounter at the Cloud’s Rest junction with a borderline aggressive bear. I later learned that the bear was fed by prior backpackers. Sad for the bear and quite frightening for me. 7 bears sighted on the trail but none worse than the crazy bear at Cloud’s Rest.
Thanks for the comment, Cindy. Agree completely that feeding the wildlife is a really bad idea.
Very nicely written, Ray. It always amazes me too how I can cover such long distances, crossing mountains and valleys, all in one day without ever being in a hurry.
And the feeling when looking from the top of the pass into a long distant valley below, and thinking, “Wow, I was there just a few hours ago”… it’s awesome!
Thanks for the comment, Denis. Have a great holiday!
I recently purchased your e-book. Since it is on my iPad, I am able to take your story to the gym each day and read while on the treadmill. I have also purchased Tom Harrison’s maps and Elizabeth Wenk’s trail guide. They are they perfect combination of the technical and personal account of the JMT journey. They are the base of my research to prepare for the hike and will keep me busy during our Michigan winter! One thing I am having a little trouble locating information about is fishing along the trail. Most of what I have read assumes you know “something” about fishing. I need the Fishing 101 version. I was hoping you may have a suggestion for additional reading.
Enjoy the holiday and thanks for sharing your story!
Thanks for the kind words, Pat. In regards to fishing, start here: http://thru-hiker.com/articles/thru-fishing.php. As far as further reading is concerned, check this out.
I love reading your blog Ray. I would like to speak to you when you get a chance. If you can e-mail me I would like to ask you a few questions. I looked through your site and haven’t been able to find your contact page.
I am on vacation until Sunday, Gary. Can we talk next week, perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday? (I’m expecting work to be pretty crazy on Monday.) Shoot me an email at ray.rippel at gmail dot com. Happy New Year!
I too was never bored on my hike. Every minute, every day, brought something new. I had music on my smart phone, but didn’t listen to anything until Day 16. I had failed to eat all my food the night before, and the lack of calories made me sluggish on the next day’s climb. The music helped me get up the hill, and I learned my lesson to force myself to eat, even if I didn’t want it.
HikerPat, another source of info for fishing on the JMT is the High Sierra Topix forum.
http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=f66683465de3474419b6c3b0fd98b7f2#sthash.3OvPcjXH.dpbs
Thanks for the comment and the link, Russell. Happy New Year!