Hiking the John Muir Trail

On July 21st, 2021, I started my long journey Southbound on the John Muir Trail from Tuolumne Meadows with four friends. We hiked over 200 miles over 15 days with a grand finale of summiting Mt. Whitney.

The following are from my journal entries on the trail:

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021 | Day 1 of the JMT

We walked 11 miles today. Our camp sits at 10,500 feet above sea level. There is so much to take in this complex and beautiful scenery. It’s incredibly epic and I feel very inspired. Note to self: Posca markers do not work at this altitude. They explode!

This first day was amazing. I can’t wait to see what’s over Donohue Pass.

Thursday, July 22nd, 2021 | Day 2 of the JMT

We hiked around 10 miles, hopped over Donohue Pass, sunbathed at Thousand Island Lakes and have the best campsite at Garnet Lake. We have front row seats to Banner Peak and I managed to jump into the lake!! It lasted for 10 seconds but I did two jumps! Progress.

It’s hard work but moments like jumping into a lake, exploring lake islands, and trading food makes it so worth it. 

Friday, July 23rd, 2021 | Day 3 of the JMT

What a day! We got off the JMT to see the Minarets up close. We saw Ediza Lake, Iceburg Lake, Cecile Lake, and Minaret Lake along the way. I skinny dipped into Ediza and Minaret which felt amazing. We ended at Reds Meadow which was kinda cool. The food was a bit mediocre and the place was dusty but I did get into my first hot spring! Long day tomorrow. 

Saturday, July 24th, 2021 | Day 4 of the JMT

Longest day on trail so far! We left Reds at 8AM after a decent breakfast. I had french toast with eggs. The climb out of Reds was rough and I hiked most of the day by myself. We hiked a ridge line that was super dry which was a little nerve wracking. Luckily there was a water source by the Duck Lake junction and shortly after two large alpine lakes, Purple and Virginia. I met up with Kelsey and Amine at Virginia Lake and took a nice long break before the entire group reconvened. We got one last epic view before our camp at Fish Creek. As we were deciding on where to pitch tents, a random thunder snapped and we got hit with rain. We stayed dry as we could and had a casual dinner shortly after. Tomorrow we head to VVR! 

Sunday, July 25th, 2021 | Day 5 of the JMT

Made it to VVR. It was hard today. The trail was not as scenic and ended with a walkthrough of a burnt forrest. The fire was huge and melted the trail to a rocky rubble. VVR is nice though. Got to shower, do laundry, fix my sleeping pad, eat good food and relax. I wish I could socialize more but I'm so tired from my sleeping pad drama. 

Monday, July 26th, 2021 | Day 6 of the JMT

We left VVR at 8 A.M. and were worried about the upcoming hike as we were lifted to the trailhead. The first mile of the Bear Ridge trail was steep. We ended up climbing 2000 feet over 5 miles to get back on the JMT. We took many breaks and did a little rest and relaxation at Bear Creek which was beautiful. The rapids were shallow to walk through which relived my tired feet. The climb up to Marie Lake was muggy and very gradual. Marie itself is surrounded by so many incredible granite peaks. Dinner was lovely and we ended with plenty good laughs about our food for the next 10 days. My tent feels very homey in the cold temperatures and I'm feeling very happy. 

Tuesday, July 27th, 2021 | Day 7 of the JMT

We woke up around 7 and left Marie Lake around 8:30AM. We crossed over Seldon Pass and went down a long way to enter King Canyon National Park. It was super hot so we took many breaks and swam in the river. Piute Canyon was beautiful, even in the heat. Our day ended with a climb into Evolution Meadow where we set up camp. It's pretty chill here but I'm excited to get higher up into the alpine tomorrow. Can't believe tomorrow is the official halfway point of this long journey. 

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021 | Day 8 of the JMT

We're halfway through this trip! And we're over 100 miles. Today was rough thanks to a sudden hail storm with lightning. It was scary as we struggled to find cover in many spots. The worst spot was by a boulder as pea sized hail came down and hit us. Our final santuary was a cave where we saw some closeby lightning strikes. It cooled off by 3PM and we finally got to establish camp in the short window of calm. It remained stormy with a couple of drops but we're set with our tents. Storms in the Sierras are no joke. Hope tomorrow is better. 

Thursday, July 29th, 2021 | Day 9 of the JMT

The morning was cloudy but clear of storms. We left camp by 6:30AM to escape any storms before we crossed the pass. Evolution basin was huge and endless. We reunited with Andre at Wanda Lake as we were separated the day before. We then climbed the final switchbacks to reach the top of Muir Pass. 

Looking back at the basin was wild; it looked like heaven with  spots of light hitting various peaks. It was vast and rocky for miles but the simplicity of it was spectacular. It's no surprise Muir had a hut here. I can imagine it being a cozy place during a heavy, unpredictable Sierra storm. 

Walking past the pass was also amazing. Even in the rain it looked majestic. Granite peaks towered over us and little lakes and streams surrounded us. We did have to take a minor lunch break in a cave due to a flash rain storm but it managed to keep us dry. 

The storm was quick and we continued our hike to make up the miles from yesterday's chaos. We had to do one more shelter during a random thunder storm which again passed quickly. We hiked a littled further until we reached our campsite at Grouse Meadow. The campsite is really nice and we enjoyed swimming in the stream.

Tonight is another cozy tent night. There were some challenges we faced today but overall it was lovely. 

Less than 7 days...

Friday, July 30th, 2021 | Day 10 of the JMT

Another day here and went. We woke up at 6AM to drenched tents. We had a series of thunder storms hit us overnight which was intense. Luckily the sun was out which made out upcoming climb promising. 

Today was only 8.5 miles but most of the elevation climb of 3000 feet were in the last two miles. This particular section was called the "Golden Staircase" and it was pretty grueling. So many steep steps and switchbacks. And to top it off, it was hot and humid. Thank god for Spotify and headphones to power through the climb.

I got to the second Palisades lake and saw an opportunity to dry my wet gear on some hot, sunny slab so I yard-saled all the gear in my pack. It actually worked which gave me so much relief. The whole group reconvened in the sunbathing/dry spot and pushed on to our camp.

Storm clouds were rolling in and weirdly enough we were getting higher from our anticipated camp spot by the lake. We settled for a camp spot by the stream. We were able to make camp before another rains storm which was a success. The rain lasted a while and I ended up taking a almost two hour nap in my tent. 

The rest of the day was relaxing as we joked with our two new hiking friends, had dinner, and enjoyed a wonderful sunset. We might have hiked over 8 miles and climbed 3000+ feet, but it kinda felt like a rest day which was needed. 

Saturday, July 31st, 2021 | Day 11 of the JMT

Everything was covered in dew when we woke up. It was cold and so wet which made packing a pain. We crossed Mather Pass which was a tad bit strenuous. It had a series of switchbacks that felt infinite. The views from the top were spectacular. 

Kelsey and I stopped on the way down to take advantage of drying our gear. There was worry of a storm so we wanted any sun we could get. We reconvened with the group close to the switchbacks to Bench Lake. We got another drying sesh in which was a big success. The first mile climb to Lake Marjorie was a tad bit painful as the steepness was unexpected but we got there by 12:30 which gave us a nice long day to rest.

The best part: We didn't get rained on. There was a bit of wind but the sun stayed around which was nice. We also go another night with our new friends which was great. Tomorrow we head to Rae Lakes!

Sunday, August 1st, 2021 | Day 12 of the JMT

We left camp around 7:30AM, hiked over Pinchot Pass around 8:30AM and then had a hell of a hot hike down a valleyy and up to Rae Lakes. It's beautiful here and I jumped into Middle Rae twice! Me jumping into cold lakes? Who am I?

Last dinner with our trail friends, Kevin and Marty. They are taking a zero day which I'm envious of. They exit two days after us so they got plenty of time. 

Tomorrow we head for Glen Pass and our final resupply. Hopefully we don't have to hike up anything during the heat of the day. Also four more days... WHAT?!

Monday, August 2nd, 2021 | Day 13 of the JMT

We left camp and said our farewell to Kevin and Mart around 8:15AM. Climbing the Glen Pass was excrucuating in the sun, but the views were epic. 

We reached the Charolette Lake junction around 11AM. We waited for almost an hour and a half for our resupply. Amine's resupply package ended up missing so we had a panic moment. Luckily some fellow hikers donated some of their portions so he was able to get enough food for the next 3 days. 

It was hot moving on so we took a quick dip in Bubb's Creek which was so refreshing. We continued past our target goal camp to get closer to Forrester Pass. We're camped around 1800 feet below the pass in a high alpine meadow. It feels like we're sleeping in a grand thrown of an ancient God; so vast and large. 

Hope tomorrow is chiller than Glen Pass because these passes are insane. 3 days left. 

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021 | Day 14 of the JMT

I was the first to leave camp to start the long climb over Forrester, It was relatively mild in comparison to Glen Pass which was nice. Plus the views were better.

We went down the Pass into Sequoia Park territory which felt like a desert. Our planned campsite looked desolate so we pushed forward. It was dry for miles so we ended up at Guitar Lake putting us right under Mt. Whitney. Tonight is our final night of this journey.

Tomorrow we summmit Whitney and exit the trail. I'm excited and amazed by what we accomplished. Today alone we hiked 21 miles with over 4000 feet of elevation gain. We now have 14 miles left of the John Muir Trail. 

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021 | Day 15 of the JMT

Our alarms went off before sunrise. There was a lot of commotion throughout the night with people starting the long walk up Whitney. It was surreal to pack up my bag for one last time. 

The hike up felt like every other morning. I had my headphones on to keep me motivated and I passed many slower parties. We summited right before 9AM and had incredible views all around us. 

This trip was incredible. I feel so lucky to be a part of this journey with my friends. I wish I had more to say but it's hard to describe the feelings I have. I'll never forget this trip. Much love from the John Muir Trail.