The John Muir Trail (JMT) is an adventure, a life changing experience and really just a whole lot of fun. Wikipedia does a very good job of explaining the technical details of the trail, so go there if you need a refresher.
Molly and I started our trip from Glacier Point in Yosemite on 27 July 2009 and finished at Whitney Portal on 15 August 2009. Our planned route would take us through three National Parks, a National Forest, a National Monument and across 233 trail miles. You might wonder what led us to decide to hike the trail; it seems like a long and exhausting trip, ill suited for a relaxing vacation.
To understand why, you have to go back to 2005. No, actually, you need to go back about 18 years to when I was a Boyscout hiking in the Sierras. When I was traipsing up and down the southern Sierra passes with my fellow Boyscouts, I would often wonder what was on the other side. At some point or other I learned about the JMT. For the next 18 years, I would think about finding out what was on the other side of the mountain.
Fast forward to 2005 when I was in Baghdad, working as a Psychological Operations Specialist in the US Army Reserve. When you are a soldier stranded far from home, you start to plan what you will do when you do get home. Keeping the mind distracted from the reality of your situation is key to maintaining sanity–at least for me it was. While I was in Iraq, the JMT popped into my mind one day. Suddenly I was spending all of my free time learning about the trail and the best way to hike it. I really wanted to hike the trail in 2007, but my honey-do list was much longer than I had planned on when I returned. 2007 was out. Then, in January 2008, I learned that I would soon be returning to Iraq for yet another tour. (So much for one weekend a month!) While on this tour, I learned as much as I could about lightweight backpacking, an online education that would play a significant part in our happiness during the hike…
To Be Continued.
Matthew Parker's photography is captivated by the challenge of catching
the beauty of creation, undestroyed by humans. Whether in distant
National Parks, urban parks or in his hometown of San Diego, Matt enjoys using the camera lens to
frame the incredible beauty around him. He seeks to capture both the
easily-overlooked beauty of subtle patterns in rocks and water
reflections, as well as the magnificent grandeur of mountain peaks and
grand vistas.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for posting about the JMT–I hiked it back in the 90s and hope to take my journal and blog about it in the near future, but have been trying to work though post on my AT hikes from the 80s…
I am intrigued at your lightweight hiking–I think my pack on the JMT was around 50 pounds–but that did include 2 liters of water and a liter of gas and a MSR stove and food for a week.
It has been my pleasure to write about my adventure. I’m really glad to know that other people enjoy reading about it. My most recent post talks about equipment and there is a link to my packing list.