I can only get a week off to hike the trail this year. My wife will be hiking it in its entirety. Is there a half of the trail that tends to be people’s favorite? Also, if anyone has recommendations for a meeting point half way on the trail or any other logistical considerations that would make it easier to decide which half to hike, your input would be appreciated.
Thanks for your replies.
Presto 2002 GA>ME
Presto
I would opt for the southern half – it is incredibly beautiful and much more remote than the northern half is. If your wife is hiking north to south, you could join her at Vermillion Valley Resort or Muir Trail Ranch. If she is hiking south to north, you could just start the trail with her and get off at either Vermillion or Muir Trail Ranch. Unfortunately, neither place is particularly easy to get to. Depending on your pace and the logistics (it might take some time to get to Vermillion or Muir Trail Ranch), you might find a shorter section more manageable with your time constraints.
If logistics prove too difficult, you might consider a middle section. There are a number of places where you could join your wife by hiking in to the trail from the east side. Mammoth/Red’s Meadow provides several options. Further down the trail you have Bishop Pass (which drops you into LeConte canyon, in between Muir and Mather passes), Taboose Pass (drops you a few miles below Pinchot Pass), and Kearsarge Pass (drops you in between Glen and Forrester passes).
Hope this helps. Whichever section you decide to do, I’m sure it will be a wonderful trip!
Kanga
The best half, will be the half in which you hike with your wife, it doesn’t matter what section. I would hike whatever section she starts with. Not everone has the opportunity to finish a thru-hike, so I would start when and where she does. That way when you get off the trail you can follow her journal and know what she is feeling. I would imagine the hardest part of the trail will be when you get off it. OR, perhaps by then she will be ready for you to leave. Good Luck both of you.:cheers
Bilko
I liked the left half most. I’m more of a sunset person, not a sunrise person.:lol
Tabasco