Today started with a 6 am wake up call. Technically it looked like we had a big day in front of us – 10+ miles with almost 4000 feet of gain – but having done most of it before I knew that a lot of it was a pretty gentle and shaded climb. I was [...]
We had an easy day ahead of us on Day 3, so we took our time packing up in the morning. Pavla went for a swim, I wandered around with my camera looking for wildflowers, and David fished a bit. I think we hit the trail around 10 am and headed south along the JMT [...]
Donohue Pass is the first pass you have to climb when going the north to south direction along the JMT, so it has the reputation of being a tough one. I’ve gone over it a few times now and I have to say I disagree. It’s one of the most beautiful passes in the Sierra [...]
One of my goals for this summer’s backpacking trips is to get back to some of my favorite stretches of the John Muir Trail. I have two longer trips planned, and the first trip back was a five day stroll last week from Tuolumne Meadows to Agnew Meadows. The purpose wasn’t just to hike the [...]
It’s the last day on the trail, and the biggest one as well. We got up early so we could hit the trail just before sunrise, hiking by headlamp for the first mile or so. As we climbed towards Trail Crest we got to watch the sunrise over the area – first with the light [...]
After yesterday’s big day over Forester Pass, today was a relatively easy day. There were no real steep ups or down – the trail was rolling and gently graded through this stretch. The day’s highlight was Big Horn Plateau, a large, barren, flat area a couple of miles beyond our campsite. Unfortunately the smoke once [...]
What an incredible day! This was the day I had both been looking forward to and also dreading – it was one of my higher mileage days, along with the biggest climb yet. But, since I had been on the trail nearly two weeks I had nothing to worry about – it was much easier [...]
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