Prep Work - John Muir Trail

imported
#1

I am 18 years old, and thinking about hiking the JMT this summer. I plan on hiking it with one other person, with the same expercince and age level. Ive done extensive hiking while working on trail crews in idaho, oregon, and washigton. I was wondering how difficult the JMT really is? My main question is about permits and prep work. Im going on a spring break trip, so im planning on strating getting permits and all the pre-trip work in order afterwads somewhere around April 7. Is this too late?

Luke

#2

get on www.garmin .com and go to the mapsource section you can try out the blue charts the national parks and the U.S. topos I found that the U.S topos covered more areas were the natonal parks are limited to just the parks.

chief

#3

i dont really plan on using gps, or really care for it.
thanks for the info though

luke

#4

Most of the high Sierra is under MUCH snow in April (especially this year with the huge storms that SoCal has been getting). Tuolumne doesn’t open until around the end of May or beginning of June. PCT thru-hikers, in normal years, aim for entering the Sierra at Kennedy Meadows (which is south of the JMT) no earlier than June 15th in a normal year.

In other words, this isn’t a trail (unless you are VERY ADEPT AT EXTREME WINTER TRAVEL, meaning 4-season tents, clothes and bags, ice-axes, crampons, ropes, etc.)for spring break. Best times are July-early October.

Just Sit

#5

I think Chief was responding to a different thread. I don’t think April 7 is too late. It might be too late to reserve a permit if you are planning to start on a weekend day, but if you start during the week and specify “Little Yosemite Valley pass through” you should have no problems reserving a permit. Or you can just show up . . . one of the rangers told me that they really make an effort to accommodate JMT hikers.

As for planning, you should get the Winnett guide to the JMT and maybe the Tom Harrison map pack, although just the book is enough. I’m assuming, based on your post, that you already have your equipment and that you are in good shape. So the other key component of your planning will be to plan out your food based on the number of days you think it will take you to hike the trail. Most people send resupplies to Red’s Meadow and VVR so they don’t have to carry all their food at once. Some also leave food at Tuolumne Meadows so they don’t have to lug it all out of the Valley, and some opt for Muir Trail Ranch (resupply only, you can’t stay there) instead of VVR because it is further down the trail. Good luck with your planning – it is a great trip!

kanga

#6

I am planning on doing the JMT in the Summer, not on spring break. I plan on making the resevations and doing the rest of the planning, AFTER my spring break trip.

luke

#7

It sounds like you’re planning a summer hike, and if you’re 18, perhaps it will be after school gets out. You haven’t said, but that would put you at a mid-to-late June start. At that time of year it should be a pretty easy hike, with snow likely in the high passes. However, everything should be passable, and even the climb of the western face of Mt. Whitney should be mostly clear (except maybe near the top on northern-facing areas of the trail. The JMT is a beautiful hike with well-marked trails…enjoy.

Po Campo

#8

I would start with this useful overview by the PCTA. Tells what permits are needed, some re-supply info, maps, etc:
http://www.pcta.org/about_trail/muir/over.asp

Has links to other useful sites as well.

Mags

#9

Well, the I guess you need to figure out what food you are going to bring, what gear you are going to use, and your itinerary. Early someone metioned the Winnett book. I actually don’t think that is best. Get “The John Muir Trail” by Don and Roberta Lowe. I’ve ready every book I could find on the JMT and that one was the best. Respplying at Reds Meadown and Muir Trail Ranch is a good idea. Consider the food and calories you need. You will have to fit all your food in a bear cansiter. You should consider transportation. How you are going to get to and from the trail. If you are from Cali and can take 2 cars, leave one at Whittney and one at the Valley, then it’s easy. Otherwise you have to plan out how you are going to get there and back to the airport since the buses, shuttles, trains, etc. all have schedules. It’s probably too late to get a permit for the summer. They have a web page that shows what is taken and they go fast. But if you show up the day before you can probably get a permit for the next day. They save 1/2 the permits for walk-ups. You might want to consider getting map software like DeLorme TOPO to help you plan out your itinerary. It allows you to calculate cumluative elevation gain and loss to help you figure out where to camp. Also, with the book I mentioned earlier, they show you the camp sites on the little maps in the book with small triangles. It took me awhile to realize that. Many of the campsites on the camps in the book are not discussed in the text. That’s all I got for now…

Bob

Bob