I've never flown or taken a train to hike a trail before so I'm looking for any advice I can get. I'm hiking it Sobo starting the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th week in August. I plan on it taking @ 15 or so days.
1)Should I put in for permits now? What or how many permits do I need? I'm doing it solo & I hear it's easier to get a permit/s that way?
2)Also I have conflicting info on the bears out there, are there or are there not Grizzley's on the JMT? Does eveyone carry bear spray?
3)Where should I stay the night or 2 before starting my hike so I can get acclimated to the elevations?
4)I want to hike up Half Dome while on the trail, what's the best way to do this? I hear there is a camp site a few miles away that I can stash my pack?
5) are there any MUST SEE other sites?
So as yo ucan see, I have a ton of thoughts going thru my head.
Thanks for the Help!