John Muir Trail TR - Part I

“This is the first in a series of three parts of our recent John Muir Trail trip report. The original group started out with gforce, wannabp, prosecutor, and sunshine1 (not to be confused with sunshine)signed up for the entire trip, and landscaper joined us for the Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows portion of the trip.

The link for the photos that go along with Part I is:
http://community.webshots.com/album/474298680oksVmX

Day 0 - 8/01:
After meeting at the backpacker’s campsite in Yosemite National Park, Wannabp, Landscaper, Sunshine1, Prosecutor and I went to the Curry Village to eat one last “real” meal at the restaurant buffet. It was nearly dark by the time we returned to the campsite and after arranging some gear we were off to bed. The last thing I did before going to bed was to take one last look at our bear box. I didn’t physically check the latch, but, looking at it in the light from my headlamp, it seemed to be properly shut.

It was a very warm night, and at 4:00 am I woke up and heard someone/something at one of the bear boxes in our area. At this time I assumed it was someone who needed something out of one of the boxes, and I went back to sleep. At 4:30 am, again I woke up to someone/something at one of the bear boxes, but this time there was a loud bang too. Almost immediately I began to hear voices. Wannabp yelled out of her tent to Sunshine1, who was cowboy camping next to her and Landscaper’s tent, to see if there was a bear out there. Sunshine1 sat up in her sleeping bag and replied back that, indeed there was a bear. After this, Landscaper dashed out of his tent (in his birthday suit) in an attempt to scare the bear away. The bear, which was now in our food locker munching on brownies and trail mix, would have nothing of this, so Landscaper retreated back to his tent. Then Prosecutor emerged from his tent, snuck up behind the bear, gave it a quick burst of bear spray, and then retreated rather quickly in case the bear spray proved to be ineffective. The bear stayed in the cloud of spray for two seconds at most then hightailed it out of the area. Prosecutor then decided to resecure our bear box but didn’t wait quite long enough for the spray to dissipate. After recovering somewhat from the after effects of the lingering spray, he did manage to close and latch the bear box again. I was the only one in our group to completely escape some latent effect from the bear spray . . . and that was only because I had set up my tent the farthest away from the bear box. After all the excitement I couldn’t help but think what the days ahead would bring.

Day 1 - 8/02 (6.9 mi.):
After an early breakfast we packed up and officially began our trip at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. From there the trail began the very scenic and long uphill climb going past Vernal Falls and then Nevada Falls. It was a very warm day filled with bright sunshine, and we were glad to reach our destination for the night early in the day, which was an area just east of the JMT/Half Dome Trail Junction. The trail leading up to Half Dome was closed until 4:30 pm each weekday for the trail maintenance/construction taking place during the summer months. After relaxing around camp to wait for the trail to reopen, Prosecutor and I decided to make the climb to the top of Half Dome. The trail to the top was steady uphill at first, followed by a long section of stone steps, and then a final segment having steel cables to help make the climb up the steep bare rock to the summit. When we arrived at the base of the cables, we debated if we would have time to make it to the top and then back to camp before dark. It was decided to push on anyway, and we were rewarded with outstanding views in all directions from the summit. Although reluctant to leave the summit, we did make our way back to camp for the night just as the last bit of daylight disappeared behind the mountains.

Day 2 - 8/03 (7.6 mi.):
Sunsine1 had seen another bear while filtering water the previous day, so it was good to see that our food had survived the night without any further incidents. We had a magnificent view of Half Dome from our campsite, and, knowing that we were on top just the day before, it was gratifying to look back at it early in the morning.

It was welcome break to find the trail was relatively flat for the first 3 miles of the day. After that it was back to reality as we began a long series of switchbacks, eventually topping out at 9,700’, before going back downhill again to our destination for the night at Sunrise High Sierra Camp. It was a gorgeous location situated next to a huge green meadow, and a very popular spot to stay for the night. Again, we had arrived fairly early in the day so we spent the afternoon relaxing in the bright sunshine, and allowing our bodies time to adjust to the ever increasing altitude. Later in the afternoon I decided to climb to the top of one of the nearby mountains where I got a good view of some smoldering forest fires that we had passed earlier in the day. We hoped the fires would do nothing more than smolder.

Day 3 - 8/04 (11.4 mi.):
The temperatures dipped during the night, but, as the sun cleared the mountains and reached our campsite in the morning, it warmed up very quickly. Today was to be a relatively easy day, as far as elevation gain was concerned, with the trail topping out at Cathedral Pass for the day. When we reached the pass the view of Cathedral Peak, Upper Cathedral Lake, and the meadows below was spectacular. From the pass we began a long downhill section of the trail, and just beyond the lake we passed through fields of beautiful wildflowers. Eventually, the trail returned us to civilization and our destination for the night at the backpacker’s camping area in the Tuolumne Meadows Campground. After setting up camp we took the shuttle bus over to get a shower at the lodge. We had only been out for three days, but it sure felt good to be clean again! On the way back we picked up the first of our resupply packages from the post office and bid Landscaper farewell, as this was to be the last day he would hike with us.

There is some confusion over what path the current JMT follows through the Tuolumne Meadows area. So after eating dinner Wannabp, Sunshine1, and I decided to hike the portion of trail that goes through the meadow we had missed earlier in the day. It was nearly dark after returning to our campsite, and, after listening to the ranger’s presentation of “Sierra Bears 101,” we were off to our tents for the night.

Day 4 - 8/05 (9.5 mi.):
We decided to eat one last “real” meal before leaving Tuolumne Meadows in the morning, and we were in line early waiting for the restaurant to open. It was nice to have the food and showers available while staying at Tuolumne, but after eating and making some final adjustments, to our now full packs, it was great to get back on the trail once again.

The trail was nearly flat for the first 8 miles of the day, following the Lyell Fork through the very scenic Lyell Canyon. The bright sunshine of the early morning slowly gave way to the thickening clouds early in the afternoon. Eventually, we had to pull out our rain gear as a light rain began to fall, but it lasted only a short time. After it quit we took a long lunch break before making the final uphill push to our campsite for the night, near a footbridge over the Lyell Fork. When we arrived it was a race to put up our tents as it began to rain again, and, of course, it quit shortly after everyone had their tents up for the night. This was a very popular place to camp, and we spoke with a group from England hiking the JMT and two men from Germany section hiking. It was a very cool evening, and I was glad to crawl into my warm sleeping bag for the night just shortly after dark.

Day 5 - 8/06 (9.7 mi.):
Before the trip began there was much talk about dangerous river crossings and snow covered passes resulting from the near record snowfall of the previous winter. I even went as far as buying an ice axe and crampons to have ready to go if reports just before we began the trip were still not good but decided not to bring either on the trip. Donohue was to be our first high pass to cross on the trip, and I was definitely a little anxious about what conditions we might encounter.

After beginning the day going uphill, we soon came to a meadow where we encountered our first real stream crossing of the trip. There was a series of rocks leading across the stream, but some were spaced far apart and all were wet from the high water. The thought of slipping on the slippery rocks and falling into the cold stream did not appeal to me so I put on my sandals and waded through the bone chilling water to the other side. After crossing the stream the trail continued uphill before finally reaching Donohue Pass (11,056'). It was a relief to see we had to cross only a very small snowfield before reaching the pass.

We stopped for a lunch break at the pass and started the long downhill run to Rush Creek before climbing back uphill again to Island Pass. We had a short rain shower after crossing Rush Creek, and the skies were threatening again as we approached the pass. This time we could hear the thunder in the distance too, so we hurried across the pass to get to the less exposed terrain below. The rain held off long enough for us to reach Thousand Island Lake, but it poured down as we traveled along the lakeshore looking for a place to camp for the night. Wannabp caught up to us while we were waiting for the rain to subside and took us to a beautiful hidden spot where she had stayed on a previous trip.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time we reached the campsite, and we set up our tents. This was one of those picturesque locations you see in the magazines and dream about . . . Thousand Island Lake with Banner Mountain draped across its distant shoreline. Later in the evening there was brilliant display of color as the sun slowly set behind the mountains and shed its last rays of light on the remaining clouds. It just doesn’t get much better than this, or, at least, so we thought at the time.

Day 6 - 8/07 (8.5 mi.):
There was nothing but clear blue skies in the morning, and, as I looked from our campsite out over Thousand Island Lake, I knew it would be difficult to leave such a beautiful place. Wannabp and I didn’t make it out of camp until nearly 11:00 am, and, as we crossed the bridge over the inlet, we heard gun shots in the distance behind us. During the previous evening a group with pack mules passed by our camp site. Shortly after this an injured mule wandered by, and many of the people camping in the area were petting and feeding the animal. We concluded the mule had injured its leg, which was skinned and bleeding, on the rocks, and the outfitters had released it from their group. Obviously, someone from the group shot the mule as they returned from their camp for the night.

From the inlet stream, the trail took us uphill before going back downhill to Garnet Lake. The view looking over the lake was spectacular, with not only Banner Peak but also its twin, Mt. Ritter, in full view. Unfortunately, it was just too early in the day to stop for the night and enjoy this gorgeous site. After skirting part way around Garnet we began to head steeply uphill to the ridge above, where we stopped to talk to two men who were preparing to summit Banner the next day. From the ridge the trail went downhill to Shadow Lake, and we stopped there to take a late lunch break. The bright sunshine we had enjoyed earlier in the day had given way to thickening clouds, and it began to rain just as we were leaving. Now heading up a long series of what seemed like endless switchbacks, we were being pelted with pea-sized hail. When we approached the top of the ridge the sound of thunder echoed in the distance, and we wondered if it would be safe to cross the exposed pass. Thinking we still had time before the storm would hit, we quickly pushed ahead, passing Rosalie Lake beyond the pass, and finally reaching our campsite for the night at Gladys Lake. Once again we were racing to set up our tents before the rain began in earnest, and, as a bonus, the mosquitoes were doing their best to make the job a little more difficult. Even though it sounded like the skies would come crashing in on us at any moment, it rained only very lightly for about an hour. Then the clouds slowly dissipated just in time for us to watch the sun set from a nearby high point.

Day 7 - 8/08 (9.6 mi.):
We woke up to a clear and cool morning with a long downhill run ahead of us to Reds Meadow for our second food resupply. The day on the trail was uneventful as we made our way through dense forest most of the way . . . or at least that’s the way it seems when you have nothing but real food and hot showers on your mind. One thing can be said about Sunshine1 for sure . . . when there is a shower at the end of the day’s hike there is no one faster on the trail than she is. By the time Wannabp and I had finished the day’s hike and met up with Sunshine1 at Reds Meadow Resort, she had already been to the Reds Meadow Campsite, showered, and came back to the resort to pick up her food resupply. Rumor has it she took four showers in the hot thermal baths at Reds Meadow Campsite before leaving the next day.

After picking up our food resupply at the resort we took the shuttle bus to the Reds Meadow Campground and set up our tents. Surprisingly, there were few other backpackers there at the time, and, after taking a shower and hanging some things out to dry, Sunshine1, Prosecutor and I decided to hike over to check out the unique geological features of Devil’s Postpile. It wasn’t long after coming back that we were back on the shuttle bus heading back to the resort for dinner. After we stuffed ourselves we took the last bus of the day back to the campground, where we found ourselves surrounded by other backpackers setting their tents up on any little piece of ground available. It really was a zoo, and it made me anxious to get back on the trail.
last edited: 10/24/05 4:26:31 PM”

“Good start...well except for the bear!

Great photos!
last edited: 10/24/05 4:34:19 PM”

“The climb to the top of Half Dome is up very steep smooth rock with rickety cables and boards. I told G-force that if I found one missing bolt, or one loose board, I would turn around no matter how close to the top we got. Fortunately, I found none, and the view was great.

Thousand Island Lake is extremely beautiful, and quite crowded, Just before sunrise the next morning, it was dead calm and extremely quiet. I am sure none of the campers there will ever forget their trip there.”

“Good start....except for the nekkid Landscaper.

Seriously, I'm reliving my JMT hike reading this.”

“Great pic, too!”

“I would love to do a long trip like this some day...”

“Great report and pictures - I'm looking forward to more.”

“T Mac quit thinking about it and just do it. I'd highly recommend the JMT, and going from north to south the JMT just keeps getting better and better as you go.

wingding - you should see your old tent in the pictures. It worked out great on the trip, but prosecutor didn't like the color . . . especially when I set it up in front of his tent . . . and "his view" :) I'm surprised that tent didn't work out for you.”

“Gforce: It does look like a good tent now that I see it in the pictures. It took me a long time to set it up the when I played with it at home and that frustrated me, so I guess I gave up on it without giving it a chance.

Did you have enough room inside? Did the tent stay up good? Any condensation problems?”

“G-Force's tent looked like a giant florescent green fishing lure.”

“wingding - I had enough room in the tent for both me and my gear. Of course, my sleeping bag touched the walls of the tent at the head and foot. I expected that to be the case because I'm tall anyway.

Most nights there was very little condensation inside the tent, and I didn't see that tent as having any more of a problem with condensation than anyone else. There were some nights I was totally dry and some nights it was wet (after setting up in the rain the previous evening). It's been my past experience that if the conditions are right you will get condensation regardless of what tent you use. You can even get very heavy condensation sleeping under a tarp.

The tent stayed up very well, but I did add guy lines/cord tensioners to the stakeout points on the fly. If you want to keep your tent from drooping during the night it's best to tighten up the fly again just before going to bed. The fly of any tent always seems to slacken after it has been up for a little while. Once you set the tent up a couple of times, it sets up very quickly for a hooped tent. We didn't have any high winds on the trip, but, as solidly as it set up, it seemed like it would easily withstand some very high winds.

This is the "giant floresent green fishing lure": :)
https://www2.montbell.com/america/asp/products/Spg_shosai.asp?cat=1204&hinban=2322276”

“great pictures.”