View Full Version : planning to hike jmt
Bear Cables
04-18-2009, 14:30
I am dreaming/planning to hike the JMT in the near future. I would love to hike it in Sept. if I can get a partner and finalize plans. I have a couple of questions to start with and I'm sure more will follow. (I do have the complete guide to hiking the JMT) My questions:
Permits - where and when to get them. How hard is it to get a permit?
Clothing - What would I need in clothing extra than I would take on the AT? Do I need a down jacket for Sept?
I do have a bear canister.
Tarptent Contrail or share a Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 man with my partner.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
04-20-2009, 10:36
I am dreaming/planning to hike the JMT in the near future. I would love to hike it in Sept. if I can get a partner and finalize plans. I have a couple of questions to start with and I'm sure more will follow. (I do have the complete guide to hiking the JMT) My questions:
Permits - where and when to get them. How hard is it to get a permit?
Clothing - What would I need in clothing extra than I would take on the AT? Do I need a down jacket for Sept?
I do have a bear canister.
Tarptent Contrail or share a Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 man with my partner.
permits - I never reserved any. Walk-ins are 50% of the trail quota, so if you don't have to leave on an exact date (who does), just hang at Tuolumne Meadows campground or somewhere else in Yosemite and hit hte Ranger station in the morning for the next day's walk in permit. I never had to wait an extra day for a permit in 8 JMT hikes. In Spetember, you wont have to worry about competition for the walk in permits anyway. Probably get one on the day of your hike for Happy Isles even.
September Clothing - cold nights (20 degree or better sleeping bag), and lots of layers, as the day temps vary a lot. Be prepared for a storm to drop some snow and keep you in camp for a day or two, so extra food recommended. Bugs should be gone by September (best part about that season) and some water sources could be dry, but this year has been near normal snow fall, so you won't really have to worry about water even late in the season.
Bring the better tent.
Bear Cables
04-20-2009, 16:37
September Clothing - cold nights (20 degree or better sleeping bag), and lots of layers, as the day temps vary a lot. Be prepared for a storm to drop some snow and keep you in camp for a day or two, so extra food recommended. Bugs should be gone by September (best part about that season) and some water sources could be dry, but this year has been near normal snow fall, so you won't really have to worry about water even late in the season.
Bring the better tent.[/quote]
Snow in early Sept. or later in the month? Better tent meaning the Big Agnes?
Helmuth.Fishmonger
04-20-2009, 17:27
Snow in early Sept. or later in the month? Better tent meaning the Big Agnes?
well, unlikely, but possible. We had 6" of hail on July 12 near Donohue Pass last year. Anyting is possible at these altitudes.
I use a Big Agnes Copper Spur up there. In summer I leave the fly off whenever hte weather is warm and stable, but at high altitudes even in July, temps can drop below freezing at night.
If you haven't already, I suggest checking out these links:
http://johnmuirtrail.org/
http://www.pcta.org/about_trail/muir/over.asp
Helmuth.Fishmonger
04-21-2009, 15:07
scanning some old slides yesterday, I came across a weather log from our 1988 hike in early July - night temps usually around 35-40F at medium elevation, but the night on Whitney was 17 degrees, clear, no wind. Frost on the tent in the am.
last year, we had ice on the tent twice in late July, once at 9500 feet, the other time at about 9000 feet, but i have no idea what the air temp was. Only zipped up my 10 degree bag twice. Kids in their REI sub Kilo bags were just warm enough in those two nights, in the tent with fly.
The other thing about september that I don't like is the shorter day period - it almost forces you to cook at night in camp if you want to cover decent distance each day, something you generally don't want to do because of the bears.
Bear Cables
04-22-2009, 10:47
[quote=
The other thing about september that I don't like is the shorter day period - it almost forces you to cook at night in camp if you want to cover decent distance each day, something you generally don't want to do because of the bears.[/quote]
I suppose we could do a cooked meal during a lunch break on the trail and eat a "snack" type dinner in camp?
Helmuth.Fishmonger
04-22-2009, 11:51
I suppose we could do a cooked meal during a lunch break on the trail and eat a "snack" type dinner in camp?
that would work better at keeping the food smells down in camp. Not an issue of you're making high altitude camp, since up there the bear encounters are much less likely than down in the woods, especially in September when the food starts disappearing up high.
Make sure your dinner snack has some protein in it though - body needs that to regenerate muscle overnight.
Bear Cables
04-22-2009, 16:15
that would work better at keeping the food smells down in camp. Not an issue of you're making high altitude camp, since up there the bear encounters are much less likely than down in the woods, especially in September when the food starts disappearing up high.
Make sure your dinner snack has some protein in it though - body needs that to regenerate muscle overnight.
Good idea. Your post have been helpful. I printed out the different routes you suggested and when I get my maps I'll check them out. Don't know if I can pull this together for this Sept or not. Trying to. Still need to convince my sister or another hiking friend to go with me.
What would you consider the best time of year to go. I know it's limited because of the snows.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
04-23-2009, 11:02
Good idea. Your post have been helpful. I printed out the different routes you suggested and when I get my maps I'll check them out. Don't know if I can pull this together for this Sept or not. Trying to. Still need to convince my sister or another hiking friend to go with me.
What would you consider the best time of year to go. I know it's limited because of the snows.
I have always been up there between mid June and late August. I like snow, as long as it doesn't get out of hand. Given nowadays you can actually tell online what the snow conditions are, there's no real gamble with that. This year about 90% of normal means you can expect to pass even the highest passes by July 1 without bringing special gear. Hiking poles are enough to get you across the snow at that time, even if it's early morning and frozen, since there will be virtual trails in the remaining snow fields.
I have spent a few days hiking in Yosemite in September and October and both were fantastic. Cold nights, mild days, no bugs, nobody on the trail. I was on Mount Dana October 14 2001, and it was like Yosemite was shut down. The Tuolumne Meadows store was taken down (it is a semi-permanent tent structure - only the frame is up outside of their 3 month season), and I was the only one who parked at Tioga Pass to do a hike that day.
I was totally alone on the trail up and down Mount Dana - something you can only dream of in July. Days are siginficantly shorter, though. In July you have light from 6:30 through 8:30pm on average, while in September we're talking 7:30 to 7pm at best. Bring a good headlight and batteries to make the most out of the time in tent or to extend your hike into the dark hours. Not knowing the trail and what to expect ahead means you're probably not able to extend your hiking hours into the dark. Make a camp fire and enjoy the evenings that way. Plan on 5 miles less per day just because of the lack of daylight.
Mid-summer means thunderstorms are more likely than later in the season, especially in late July to mid August. Most of those storms are only afternoon problems, but they can slow you down as much as a shorter day, plus they mess with the morale. Things can get cowded in some popular areas, especially around the 4th of July weekend. We always plan to be away from the areas that can be reached easily by car doing that weekend.
You have to carry more clothing for September temps, a warmer sleeping bag, possibly a better tent. During July many ultra lighters use nothing but a tarp for shelter. If you can handle the bugs, that's all you'll need unless you run into the once in a decade storm system (like last year around July 12...)
In short, I think early September is probably is the best time of year to be up there for folks who are not in a hurry and are looking for solitude. Early enough not to have to worry about snow too much, late enough to have no bugs left, and most people are back to work or school, so you're going to see less than 5 people a day on a busy day, nobody on a quiet day. Resupply should still work at the primary locations, but you'd have to check with them to make sure you can get your food. In October, resupply logistics are a major problem on the JMT.
Bear Cables
04-23-2009, 17:18
great and helpful information!
I hiked North to South and got my permit for whole hike at Yosemite which was my starting trailhead.
I wore a T, had a long sleeve capilene sleeping shirt, a Montbell synthetic version of the thermawrap which I think is 7oz and I was plenty warm.
And I used a Big Agnes seedhouse 2 and loved it....
Helmuth.Fishmonger
04-27-2009, 18:28
here's a very detailed trip report from a September hike in the Southern Sierras
http://www.sierra-trails.com/kaweah/Kaweah01.htm
check out page 47 of the report:
http://www.sierra-trails.com/kaweah/Kaweah47.htm
good reading and very much what you can expect on the JMT at that time of the year.
Bear Cables
04-28-2009, 22:14
here's a very detailed trip report from a September hike in the Southern Sierras
http://www.sierra-trails.com/kaweah/Kaweah01.htm
check out page 47 of the report:
http://www.sierra-trails.com/kaweah/Kaweah47.htm
good reading and very much what you can expect on the JMT at that time of the year.
Beautiful! Don't think I'd press on in that bilzzard. Think I'd set up the tent and hunker down.:eek: