I did this trip a couple of years ago, and am planning to do it again Summer 2014.
A few comments:
If you can hike 10 miles/day w/30lb pack @ 10K’, you are already “there,” in terms of fitness. If you will do a little cardio (jogging) beforehand, you’ll be MUCH happier with the level of effort you can put out. I was.
Mammoth Lakes is a very nice tourist town featuring free busses. Get off the trail at Devils Postpile Natl. Monument and take advantage of Mammoth’s hospitality. Hot baths, grocery store, and a well earned beer.
Resupply @ Muir Trail Ranch is a VERY good idea. The 60$ they charge to transport and guard your resupply bucket is cheap! No, really. Further, desperate hikers or cheapskates w/ iron stomaches can root around in the discarded hiker food-package pile for free. Don’t forget this, since if an enterprising bear devastates your food, you absolutely could continue the trip w/ weird odds and ends of food parcels.
I thought that August was the nicest month, in terms of bugs and weather.
I used a modern butane stove and was very happy with it(SnowPeak Gigapower).
This high altitude trail is very rocky in many places. Will your boots walk on sharp granite shards for miles OK?
The sun is relentless. Use long sleeves & hats and fresh SPF 50.
I didn’t bother filtering drinking water, and was fine. Outside of cattle country, filters may be overrated for this trip. I actually saw lots of repeat JMT veterans NOT filtering, who also reported good results!
This is not a good trip to drag lots of heavy luxuries on. There’s too many high passes to climb and descend, in thin air. An extremely nice digital camera is not a luxury, this would be a necessity. When you see these once in a lifetime vistas, you’ll suddenly understand. “Pics, or it didn’t happen…”
If you are rash enough to overnight on top of Mt. Whitney (lightning!), get up WAY before dawn and watch the high altitude sunrise. Very strange, but at this point, you earned it. So have it.:eek:
Whitney Portal Store has the Cheeseburgers, Beer and JMT Tee shirts you need. They may still offer hot showers.
Dave in California