The bad news of the day is that it is still raining when I wake up. The good news is that my tent seems to be pretty unimpressed by the elements, even though it was advertised as well-ventilated.
I am not really keen on hiking in the pouring rain, so I decide to wait for a while. At 7 am the rain stops and we get up quickly.Continue Reading
Being lulled into a deep sleep by the noise of the nearby stream I slept very well last night. It was not a cold night, but in the morning there is a lot of condensation on the fly of my tent.
We start at 8 am, the path remains almost flat for a few miles. This is followed by a rather steep 600 ft climb to gorgeous Evolution Lake.Continue Reading
After a windy night at Heart Lake we wake up to a clear sky! The view and the panorama is sooooo much nicer without the smoke!
Today is a special day on our JMT hike: Half way! We will pick up our resupplies at Muir Trail Ranch which is about the same distance from the trailheads in Yosemite Valley and Mount Whitney! The John Muir Trail is now officially the longest hike I’ve ever done!Continue Reading
After enjoying the amenities of civilisation (a shower, beer, real food…) at Vermillion Valley Resort for a night we take the first shuttle boat back through a half-dry Edison lake.
There is still some smoke from the nearby fire hovering over the lake, but it seems to be less in the direction we will be heading today.Continue Reading
On another cloudy morning about 800 ft remain to climb to the top of Silver Pass.
The rest of the day should be downhill to Lake Edison. From there we will take the ferry to Vermillion Valley resort where we will spend the night. That is, if the ferry operates…
We are way ahead of schedule so we can easily afford making the detour.Continue Reading
My trail guidebook promises that now follows what most JMT hikers consider the most monotonous part of the entire trail. Unfortunately it does not go into details about the reasons.
After crossing Deer Creek the trail continues to ascend slowly until it reaches the 10000 ft mark and then stays at about this elevation for a while. The area is forested, hence the views are rare.Continue Reading
Today a short and uneventful nothing-but-down day is ahead of us. We want to hike just a few miles down to Red’s Meadow resort and spend the night at the campground – and the restaurant.
After skipping dinner yesterday I cook my first warm breakfast on the trail, oatmeal and some granola with blueberries.Continue Reading
Waking up to a nice sunrise in a barren landscape below Donohue Pass a decision is waiting to be made: Shall I stick with Kevin’s “slower” pace or should I carry on alone?
I usually hike faster than he does, but also enjoy the resulting longer breaks. And of course he’s nice company! When we set out in the morning, I say Good Bye to him – just in case – we might not meet again.Continue Reading
For the first four days on the John Muir Trail we have been hiking from one backpackers campground to another. Today will be the first day we’ll be camping in the “wilderness”, most likely also away from other people. Good!
So there will be no handy tap water or bear boxes in the coming nights…Continue Reading