JMT itinerary submitted for your approval

imported
#1

Ok, i know that any itinerary is foolish, since plans change. Mine change almost daily…now i’m looking at August being free. Still i’ve come up with a rough sketch for a schedule and i want to see what the trail vets think of it.

Day 0, show up at Yosemite for a walk-in permit to leave the next day. Stay in backpackers camp.

Day 1, hike as far as the Cloud’s Rest Jct, drop camp, carrying only headlamp, food and water, head back up Half Dome for the sunset. Back to camp.

Day 2, hike to Tuolumne Meadows.
Day 3, pick up resupply at the post office, hike out as far as Donohue Pass.

Days 4-5, hike to Red’s Meadow. Arrive early enough to hitch or shuttle into town and post office for 2nd resupply.

Days 6-7, hike major miles to get to the Vermillion afternoon ferry and 3rd resupply.

Day 8, leave on the afternoon ferry. Hike up Bear Ridge in the cooler early evening. For these next few nights for the first time, we’ll be attempting the stealth camp thing, since there are 2 of us, and we don’t want to carry 2 bear canisters.

Day 9, hike to Muir Trail Ranch, but don’t bother resupplying or anything. (Do they have a bear box or anything near the Blayney Springs campsites???)

Days 10-12, 3 days to hike the 40 miles to Mather Pass. various stealth camps along the way… (recommendations on bear areas to avoid???)

Day 13, break off trail to drop camp at Lake 11,598 and then climb Split Mtn.

Day 14 set aside as a zero day, catch up day, or weather day.

Day 15 back to the trail to around Pinchot Pass.

Day 16, cache our tents and sleeping bags, hike over Kearsarge Pass, and hitch out to Independence for a meal and hotel.

Day 17 pick up resupply 4 at post office, head back to trail, reunite with tent, camp at Kearsarge Lakes.

Days 18-19 hike to Guitar Lake or higher.

Day 20, summit Whitney very early, drop camp, and make a go at crossing the north face and climbing Mt. Russell and back. Camp at Whitney summit, or further downtrail if weather dictates.

Day 21, climb Mt. Muir and hike to portal.

What do you think? I know the extra mountains are kind of an if, in terms of the body and spirit being willing. But both me and the person i’m going with are at least as much peak baggers as we are hikers. We’re in decent shape, and hike a average pace. I’ve done a few 20 mile days, and she has done at least one.

Any comments on resupplies, pacing, camping, etc is welcome. Thanks!

markv

#2

I’ve hiked twice, on 14-16 day itineraries. No extra mountains for me, but then again, I was carrying my 12 month old the second time around, so not a lot of extra energy:girl Your itinerary looks great – just a few comments:

Day 2 – unless you need the bear box at the hiker’s camp in Tuolumne Meadows, I would try to pick up your resupply in the afternoon and head up Lyell Canyon to get in a few more miles.

Days 4-5 – I would have your resupply sent to Red’s Meadow, unless you really want to go to Mammoth. I know Red’s charges a fee to pick up/hold your package, but it will probably be cheaper than buying shuttle bus tickets for the two of you to go to Mammoth and back, and you’ll save a lot of time and get back on the trail sooner. On the other hand, Mammoth is a great town with good food, etc., so you can’t lose either way.

Days 6-7 – Camp at least as far as Virigina Lake (farther is better) if you want to make that afternoon ferry.

Day 8 – This is a highly travelled area, so it might be difficult to stealth camp in August. I would be inclined to leave Vermillion earlier, and hike Bear Ridge in the cooler morning, which would allow you enough time to find a stealth spot at higher elevation, maybe up by Marie Lake (not right by the lake, which probably sees some heavy camping use).

Day 9 – Not sure if there is a bear box at Muir Trail Ranch or the hotsprings, but there aren’t any in the surrounding area, and there are definitely bears in the area. Great trees there though, so you might be able to hang your excess food, just be prepared to defend it. I resupplied here when I was hiking with my daughter to try to break up the resupplies in more manageable loads. Expensive, but worked well. For me, under the circumstances, it was worth it.

Days 10-12 – Unless you find a bear box, I would try to get through the heavily used Colby Meadows and Evolution valley area (beautiful area, but well used, so likely has many bears) and would find a stealth site between Evolution Lake and Muir Pass. Rocky, rugged country, sees less camping (and probably fewer bears) than the valley below. The next day, do not stop until you at or beyond lower Palisades Lake. LeConte Canyon (and beyond) is full of bears. We actually saw a mama bear and cub at lunchtime and the bottom of LeConte Canyon on our last trip, and another bear as we hiked up toward Palisades. The little unnamed lakes on the South side of Mather also make great, seldom used camps.

Day 16 – hiking from Pinchot Pass to Kearsarge Pass and out to Onion Valley in one day would be a really tough day. I would try to get to Rae Lakes or just over Glen Pass the night before heading out over Kearsarge Pass, to make it more manageable. Not sure where you are planning to cache your tent and food, but there is a bear locker at Kearsarge Lakes.

Looks like a great trip – I’m sure you’ll both have a great time!

Kanga

#3

I’m hoping to finally hike the JMT this summer so was interested in your Itinerary.

My first thought: Expecting a spot in the Backpackers camp and a permit as well may be a little optomistic. Make sure you either show up early or make reservations.

Two summers ago, I barely got into the backpackers site as there was only space for one more person. The couple ahead of me was turned away.

I agree with previous post concerning Tuolumne meadows. Hiking from Tuolumne to Donahue pass in one day is doable if you start early in the morning. I believe that camping isnt allowed within 4 miles of the highway just before Lyell canyon so picking up the package and grabbing some grub before hiking onward sounds like a good idea. If I recall correctly, there arent any great camp sites for a ways beyond Donahue so either stop just before the last litle lake before the big climb or leave earlier in the day and hike longer.

On my two previous hikes of this area, I went into Mammoth.
I agree that it is a little time consuming but I beleive that the shuttle is only $5 one way and you can resupply, grab a shower and a good meal before heading out again.

How are you planning on doing your shuttles?:boy

jalan

#4

We did our hike in 15 days and carried a canister. We resupplied at T. Meadows and VVR.

Out of Yosemite - leave EARLY - I mean a the butt crack. It really heats up in the early afternoon.

We did Tuolomne Meadows to Island Pass in one day just fine and didn’t leave T. Meadows until 11am after sorting thru our box. There is a meadow below Donahue Pass and then I am pretty sure the trail heads back up up up fairly soon to Island Pass. That was a great place to camp - lots of obsidian if you like that kind of thing. If you get there when it’s dark, don’t veer too far off trail unless you can see well. There are a few lakes up there that are difficult to distinguish from the blackness of the night.

Red’s: We went to Red’s and grubbed. We didn’t go to Mammoth Lks and didn’t resupply at Red’s. The hot spring showers were awesome!

I agree - Virginia Lake was a great place to stop.

As far as Whitney, there really isn’t any place to camp at Whintey other than the summit. If Mt. Muir is where I think it is, you will be climbing from somewhere near Trail Crest, no? I don’t remember any good palces to camp between Mt. Whitney summit and Trail Crest. Have you thought about doing that in one day and then making it to trail camp or something?

Have a blast!

jackalope

#5

I haven’t hiked the whole JMT, but I’ll give opinions/advice anyway.

Permit:
If you’re willing to risk a day or two delay I think getting a first-come permit won’t be a big problem.

Resupply:
Unless your diet is very particular, mailing resupplys to Tuolumne and Mammoth seems like unneeded hassle and expense. You can easily get a few days trail food at Tuolumne and Mammoth- even Red’s Meadow. I’ve done three days of backcountry travel by resupply at a Tom’s vending machine.

Independence:
I used to live there and until last year my folks owned the motels there. I don’t know about the new owners but you might ask if you can mail your resupply right to the motel- even with a flexible itenerary they might be willing. That eliminates concern over waiting till the post office opens in the morning (if you arrive after closing) to get your clean clothes, etc. The restaurant situation in Independence is still iffy with Subway the only place open 7 days. The grocery is better stocked than ever though.

Jim

Jim

#6

Markv you don’t need anybodies approval. Everyone hikes his or her own hike. I wish I had three weeks off. I hiked the JMT last summer in ten days. I resupplied at Red’s and MTR. Resupplying at both TM and Reds seems like overkill and they have a reasonable variety of food at TM but again, it’s your hike. I had no interest in leaving the wilderness any more than necessary (TM, Red’s) to complete the trail so did not go to VVR or Independence.

Bear ridge is mostly in trees and with adequate water it is doable during the heat of the day. There aren’t many campsites beyond Guitar lake besides it is only about 2.5-3 hours from Guitar lake to the summit.

While I never had a ranger check my permit, they did check to insure I had the bear canister. I would not recommend carrying any food outside of a canister other than what you plan to eat before turning in for the night. Not so much because of the bears, but the regulations and enforcement.

Enjoy yourself and go light.

Idahomtman

#7

Alot depends on what kind of pace you want to set. The reason I was less optimistic about making it over Donahue was becasue I was hiking with someone who was not in hiking shape so we ended up taking lots of breaks.

Lyell Canyon is a beutiful section and I would recommend taking some extra time to take at some beauty spots for lunch etc…

At the end of our trip, my hiking partner had pretty much had enough of hiking from dawn to dusk and didnt seem to be having as much fun as I was having.

I personally would recommend taking your time and getting used to the elevation before putting in the big mileage days. BUT…as they ay…HYOH

Have fun, its a great trail!
:cheers

jalan

#8

I’ll comment on more of your suggestions later, but until then I just wanted to say that the best camping on the entire JMT for me was just north of Donahue Pass with Mt. Donahue towering to the east, Koip Crest in the distance and just in sight of Banner and Ritter. Dotted with tiny lakes surrounded by Indian Paintbrush, I dream of campsites like these. Just remember LNT!

Cap’n

#9

Er, that is the basin SOUTH of Donahue Pass. Sorry 'bout that.

Cap’n

#10

I had been warned about Bear Ridge being very difficult. I actually didn’t think it was so bad. It doesn’t stand out in my mind as being a difficult section of the trail.

Bob

#11

But does anyone have an estimate on just how long it takes to get from the VVR ferry to the top of Bear Ridge? Well-fed and well-rested in cool temps, can it be done in 3 hours?

markv

#12

If you’re willing to forgo the purist mantle, you can skip the ferry, keep your money and hike out from the edge of the damn which is a short walk from VVR well before the ferry even leaves. It’s still a good climb, but after 5.7 miles, about the same as from the ferry, you intersect with the JMT. And there’s no exposed switchbacks.

Other suggestions:

Day 15: near Pinchot Pass, consider camping at Lake Marjorie OR there’s good camping at a small unnamed lake just north of Twin Lakes.

Day 13: I wish I had climbed Split Mtn. We considered it.

Day 17: beware of a reputed marauder bear near Kearsarge Lakes.

Days 18-19: we stayed at Tyndall creek two nights we enjoyed it so much. Lots of good camping with bear boxes. Then Crabtree meadows followed up by a night on Whitney, windy but worth it!

Days 20-21: Consider bagging Muir on your way up to Whitney, summit Whitney and camp, then bag Russel the next day coming down the Mountaineer’s Route thereby avoiding the masses.

Good luck and happy hiking!

Cap’n

#13

Of course…going up the ridge from the other side makes perfect sense. Then we can have a leisurely morning and lunch at VVR but still make it up the ridge before dark… I think if i skipped the ferry going TOWARDS VVR, walking to VVR and thus not really short-cutting, i think i could sleep at night feeling relatively pure. (Not as pure as those who when peeing off the trail, make sure they walk back to the exact same trail spot afterwards.)

For your night on Whitney, did you stay IN the hut?

markv

#14

Yes, we made sure to leave early from Crabtree Meadows, made it to trail crest for lunch, and still found the hut empty by early afternoon. It’s large enough for three adults, maybe four in a pinch. Just make sure there’s no weather anywhere in sight and none predicted for the night. The hut will NOT protect you from lightning.

The door had blown off that season so we threw up a tarp to help block the wind which flapped like made for hours until all three of us discovered we were all still awake because of it, so we took it down and slept on and off until sunrise.

There are cleared spaces large enough for tents and protected by stacked rocks. In hindsight, I’d probably have cowboy camped behind one of these. The downside to that are the local rodents who as we heard from some other JMT thru-hikers who shared the summit with us that night were not pretty brazen when looking for food.

It’s pretty neat to think you’re sleeping higher than anyone else in America.

Cap’n