Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hiking the entire John Muir Trail

My wife and I are thinking about hiking the entire JMT next August. I have started my research (maps, books, etc.) already, but are there any other tips and suggestions for the hike?

We have hiked for years, including a four day hike between Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead and the Whitney Portal this July. (We caught a bug for long distance hiking) However, none quite as long in miles.

i saw your post and thought i'd ring in. we did the jmt a few years back in august and had a great time. we saw a little rain, a little snow, a little lightning, a few bugs, and NO bears. we went moderately light weight with packs around 25# (35# after picking up drops). we used 25 degree bags and a light weight tent. we used trail runner shoes (no boots) and trekking poles. we used garcia bear cans and never stayed in an established campground, which is probably why we saw no bears over 3 weeks. another reason we saw no bears was we never had campfires anywhere near our camp. another reason was we never cooked anywhere near our camp. we would cook at a lake or stream, then hike up to the next pass or saddle to camp. passes and saddles have fewer bugs, fewer bears, and better views of the satellites when they come out just after dark!

that's my 2 cents. have a wonderfull trip.
-greg

We are hiking it next July. We are heading out July 8 and plan to be on the trail for 24 days. We attempted this last July, 2003 and ran into some snags. Just the few days on the trail has made us re-think things we thought we had mastered with our previous hikes in the Sierra's. The biggie is weight. What to bring and what not to bring. We had a major problem with mosquitoes too. It was the worse we had seen there in all of our hiking in the Sierra's. Awful. Next summer we are going to use the lighter weight canisters instead of Garcias, re-supply more often and more deet! I do have a question though. We still can't decide if we want to use cannister fuel of liquid. Any comments on that? What is the best way to judge how much fuel to take? We too can't get out too often and hike, only a few times a year so it's hard to gauge how much fuel and which is the best. We both are in great physical shape and look forward to this challange. We're counting the days.
The previoius post had a lot of good suggestions, regarding cooking and eating. It does make a difference. We have yet to see a bear anywhere there during our trips.

I hiked 8 days on the PCT north of Tuolumne Meadows to just beyond Sonora Pass three years ago. We started late in June. We used close to two ounces of deet per day in some area, and carried mosquito nets to wear over our heads. If you go later in the year, there are fewer mosquitos.

The lightest weight for fuel is those little tablets. Just use a small tin-can or something similar to support the pot, and you can add twigs to supplement the fuel. (Carry pots in a nylon bag so the soot doesn't get on anything else.) Alcohol fuel on a long trip becomes heavier because it puts out less heat for its weight than coleman fuel. Weight of cannister stoves starts adding up due to the weight of the cannister. We used an MSR firefly (or whisperlite) on our trip, and had left over fuel -- three of us used less than 8 oz per day (I think).

You can see a bear just north of Forrester Pass -- spend the night at the Center Basin junction. (Read my post about chasin bears) <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif">

And there is a web site for people doing long trail hikes: <a href="http://www.trailjournals.com/simple_search.cfm" target=_new> http://www.trailjournals.com/simple_search.cfm </a>
Use their "Google Search" to search for JMT and Fuel.

The more I read about the JMT, the more I want to go. However, my wife is a different story. We are planning to go the last two weeks in August and I have maps already and some ideas regarding re-supplying and making my pack lighter.

My wife can survive five or six days, but maybe not the two weeks or so needed to hike the entire trai.

The research is critical. The trail is not the place to make discoveries.

I have trouble fathoming carrying 35#. Although, I will say that I spent about two weeks on the trail, doing trail maintenence, and I doubt that I saw many people going lightweight. I guess suffering is good.

I'd suggest strongly getting Ray Jardine's book on ultralightweight backpacking. I wouldn't advocate everything that he does, but it opens one's eyes as to the possibilities.

I would make a major effort to take a layover day at Vermillion Valley Resort, about 1/2 way. The new owner, Jim Clement, is a mountaineer and backpacker, and the store now has stuff appropriate for our needs, instead of just car camping stuff. First nite free in the backpacker tent-cabin, and first beer (or beverage) free, for thru-hikers. Jim is an expert in long distance hiking (ask him about the Sierra High Route....the "hard" version of the JMT), and can really help people having trouble. A real blister expert.

As for fuel, I'm a canister fan. I've always thought of gas stoves as semi-controlled explosions, and I always seem to spill gas on things. If you are only boiling water (which I strongly advocate), as opposed to cooking, you can quickly figure out how many cups of hot water you need a day, and how much fuel it takes to heat them, and figure a reserve. They are cheap ($20 versions), light (3 oz versions), and you can get replacement cans at Vermillion, Tuolumne store, and Red's meadows.

If you are only heating water, you can get by with a two-cup capacity steel or titanium cup. Heat all the water in it, eat out of it.

A neat trick is to pour boiling water into a zip-lock bag containing the food needing hydration. It stands up fine to the heat, and you can eat right out of it. No dish to wash. If you are making pasta or rice, put into a bag an hour before dinner, with water. It rehydrates, and then only needs to be heated for a short time to cook. Saves at least 50% on fuel.

I'm continually amazed at how many clothes people bring. Try ONE set of clothes. Two sets of socks/underwear.
Shoot for 15#, short of food/water. very do-able, without sacrificing safety/comfort. I think 10# is very hard, unless you are very experienced with lightweight approaches.

It's a great trip... you'll love it! I did the JMT last summer, and I look forward to doing it again.

My trip was a solo hike in August. I didn't have much trouble with mosquitoes, really only when coming into a meadow (Tulley Hole down from Silver Pass was THE WORST!) Any time we've hiked in July the mosquitoes were bad, but usually they start to die down in August, but it just depends on the rainfall.

My pack was heavy, but going solo you don't have the luxury of "sharing" the weight of tents, filters, etc. I only bring one set of clothing, other than underwear and socks; I bring a bathing suit to wear when I'm doing laundry.

I've tried to invest in really good light-weight equipment: I use a "Bearikade" canister, a Marmot "helium" down bag that weights about 2 lbs., same as my solo tent. My pack is the heaviest piece of equipment - a Dana Design Teraplane which weights about 7 lbs, but I've not found any that fit as well and as comfortable.

The stove I use is a titanium Sierra Zip Stove. It burns chunks of wood, pinecones, etc.; I can cook my whole meal on just a couple handfuls of twigs and chunks of wood I find around my camp. The down-side to it is that it gets soot on my pots, but I don't ever have to carry fuel :-)

I re-supplied a few times: at Red's Meadow, Muir Trail Ranch, and at Charlotte Lake (a horse packer brought in re-supply package). I didn't resupply at Vermillion on this last trip (I have in the past), but I ended up stopping there anyway just for a break in the rain... it's GREAT!!!

I took about 4 weeks, that was just right for me.
Have a wonderful time!!

Thanks for the tips. The only outstanding issues for the trip are getting to Yosemite National Park and obtaining the permit needed.

As for the research, I totally agree. The more that is done, the better prepared we will be for the trip and anything that comes along our way.

Oh, forgot to mention about mosquitos....this year on my ten backpacking trips, I had a good chance to try the new combination usage of DEET and Permethrin....unbelievable difference. While people slathered with DEET were being eaten, I had a large hole of clear space around me. Really a huge difference.

My wife and I did the JMT in July and it is hard, but is stunningly beautiful. We put up with more mosquitos (bring a headnet) in exchange for amazing wildflowers by going in mid to late July.

In regards to Vermillion Valley Resort, it is very convenient but our experience there wasn't great. I understand that they are off the grid and need to make their money in a short season, so I am not too bothered by the $175 we spent during our one night there. However, lots of little things didn't feel quite right. For example, we mailed our camera charger back home and were charged Priority Mail rates, but it was sent Parcel Post. It was only a buck or so, but it was the principle of the thing. That said, real food and a shower do feel nice at the point.

As for your wife (and yourself too) don't think of it as a hike from Yosemite to Whitney. We had two weeks and we told ourselves that we were going to spend two weeks in some of the prettiest parts of the US. If we made it to Whitney, that was icing on the cake. You are never more than two days from a trailhead and a quick hitch to your car. As others have said, just get out there and have a fantastic trip.

Wayne and Maria,
For a great 5 - 6 day hike check out the High Sierra Trail. Starts at Creasant Meadow in the West and ends in Whitney Portal in the East. There is even a hot spring, Kern Hot Spring, mid way. An amazing trip.

Theloneys

Wayne and Maria,

I hiked a portion of the JMT this past summer stopping at VVR for one night. I had read about people spending a small fortune there so I was prepared for the worst. However, my bill on departure was reasonable. I spent $16 on the ferry, $10 for shower and laundry, $10 for my resupply package and $32 on food and drink for a total of $68. Not too bad considering the location and availability elsewhere.

I have actually driven into VVR by road and understand why they charge premium prices and I personally find them acceptable.

It is just like dieting, moderation is the key, just watch what services you use and you'll be fine.

One things for sure you better bring alot of weed If you need some I can get it to you.

One thing about cannister vs. fule stoves....

First, I am assuming that by cannister you mean propane/butane. If it gets cold, cannister stoves do not perform well. They also do not perform as well at alititude as a gasoline stove. The third downside is that most of the weight is in the metal cannister itself. So as you use fuel, you still need to cary the cannister to the next place that you can jettision your trash. Bottom line is they are not as economical on weight...

Fuel (gasoline) stoves on the other hand are a bit more dangerous (I would never even dream of lighting one inside a tent...). But they perform well at altitude, and in cold. Also, since they are little more than blow torches, they tend to boil water much faster than a butane stove.

Just my three cents.....

Glenn - Thanks. We took canisters(butane)last year and they are so bulky but soooo easy to use. Still have some time and a few test runs to see what we will do next year. We appreciate the input. It guess it comes down to personal preference. The canisters are easy to ship to our re-supply destinations too. We have heard about the higher elevations and them not working as well. Maybe we will be eating cold meals some nights.