JMT Class of 2012 - Who's going?

[Cookerhiker]

Didn't see a thread on this year's prospective JMT thruhikers yet so here goes:

We're starting from Tuolumne Meadows on August 18. Beforehand, we plan to basecamp in a Forest Service CG, do dayhikes to acclimate, and slackpack the JMT's 23 miles between Tuolumne and Yosemite Valley in 2 trips. The long one will be starting on Sunrise Lakes Trail at Tenaya Lake, hiking to Sunrise Camp, and then NOBO down the JMT to Yosemite Valley where we'll spend the night and take the shuttle back to Tuolumne.

Planning resupply stops at Reds Meadow and Muir Ranch.

We have BearVault 500 canisters.

[SouthMark]

CH, I'm planning a 2013 JMT. I like the sound of your plan. I sure would like to know how it works out. Are you keeping an online journal?


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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?yfndro

[Hole-In-The-Hat]

My nephew and I plan to start from Yosemite Valley on 23 July (2012). I'm currently planning a minor resupply at Tuolumne Meadows, Reds Meadow, and Vermillion Valley Ranch. I'm figuring ~5 days to VVR, where we will take a "zero" or partial "zero". Then ~1-1/2 days to Muir Trail Ranch, where we will re-supply for the final ~6-1/2 days...

It should be a really fun trip!!

[Cookerhiker]

CH, I'm planning a 2013 JMT. I like the sound of your plan. I sure would like to know how it works out. Are you keeping an online journal?


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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?yfndro

I'll have a trailjournals.com account but I haven't set it up yet for the JMT hike and I don't expect to post anything until the hike's completion. May also establish a journal on Postholer.com which I just recently joined.

[Berserker]

Beforehand, we plan to basecamp in a Forest Service CG, do dayhikes to acclimate, and slackpack the JMT's 23 miles between Tuolumne and Yosemite Valley in 2 trips. The long one will be starting on Sunrise Lakes Trail at Tenaya Lake, hiking to Sunrise Camp, and then NOBO down the JMT to Yosemite Valley where we'll spend the night and take the shuttle back to Tuolumne.

We have BearVault 500 canisters.
I'm currently planning for the JMT in 2013. I'm really interested in the slack pack portion you have planned. Can you give a little more detail on that? Also, do you have your travel plans set, and what are the details on that? My initial research has produced a travel plan consisting of flying into Reno and taking a combination of buses out to Yosimite, but that appears to be a 2 day affair.

I'll be using a Bearikade Weekender I bought for a Sierra trip I did in '07. Used it on my week long AT hike through NJ a couple of weeks ago to get some "practice" with it.

Good luck on your trip, and I'll be looking forward to hearing about it.

[Cookerhiker]

I'm currently planning for the JMT in 2013. I'm really interested in the slack pack portion you have planned. Can you give a little more detail on that? Also, do you have your travel plans set, and what are the details on that? My initial research has produced a travel plan consisting of flying into Reno and taking a combination of buses out to Yosimite, but that appears to be a 2 day affair.

I'll be using a Bearikade Weekender I bought for a Sierra trip I did in '07. Used it on my week long AT hike through NJ a couple of weeks ago to get some "practice" with it.

Good luck on your trip, and I'll be looking forward to hearing about it.

We’re planning to drive all the way to California, arriving from the East so we don’t have to deal with flights, car rentals, etc. Reno is a good place to fly; in fact, we flew there last year, rented a car (much cheaper than car rentals in CA), and drove to Yosemite from the East side. This wasn’t a backpack trip but a base-camp and day-hike trip which was complicated by last year’s extended winter resulting in Tuolumne’s campground still being closed in early July! That’s not a problem this year.


For your trip, the daily southbound bus from Reno leaves at 1:50 PM. If you can get an early morning flight and considering the time zone changes working in your favor, I would think you could catch this bus which arrives at Lee Vining at 4:50 PM. But remember, the bus from Reno runs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday only so don’t fly in on a Wednesday or weekend. Motels in Lee Vining are rather expensive but I’d take a chance on hitching up to Tuolumne. But the important thing is to make campground reservations at Tuolumne right when you’re eligible. In my case, the day to make the reservations for when I wanted fell on a Sunday when I was on a long-distance bike ride at 7 AM. I phoned for a reservation at 10:30 AM and they were already booked. So we’re planning our base camp at one of the Forest Service campsites east of the Park along Rt. 120. Hitching to one of these is an option for you but they’re first-come, first served and might fill up by late afternoon so your best bet is to plan your dates with precision and make those Toulumne Reservations.


Now the slackpacking: the JMT’s 218.5 miles consist of 195.5 miles after Tuolumne Meadows (the eastern crossing of Rt. 120) and 23 miles before. We’re slackpacking the 23 miles in 3 chunks. The biggest chunk is the 13 miles between Sunrise Camp and Yosemite Valley. We could hike to Sunrise Camp on the JMT from the Cathedral Lakes parking lot in which case our slackpack day is 20.7 miles. We still might do this but we’re leaning towards taking the Sunrise Lakes trail from Tenaya Lake (5 miles) to Sunrise Camp and hiking the JMT down to the Valley for an 18 mile slackpack. We’ll keep our base camp set up, get an early start (remember, we can drive to Tenaya Lake), hike to the Valley where we have a reservation that night in Curry Village ($$), and catch the daily shuttle the next morning back to Tuolumne. Hopefully the shuttle bus will let us out at Tenaya Lake where our car awaits. The 10 miles between Sunrise Camp and the Eastern crossing of Rt. 120 would be covered in 2 smaller out-and-back slackpacks.


Between the JMT slackpacks and other day hikes to help us acclimate, we’re spending about a week in the Tuolumne area before the real backpack begins on August 18. Obviously having our own car helps. Our supply box to Red’s Meadows will be hand-delivered on a day when we’ll hike in the Devil’s Postpile area.


For the return, things will be tricky because we probably can’t finish by Friday August 31 but because of the Labor Day holiday, the first bus from Lone Pine back to Lee Vining isn’t until Tuesday, Sept. 4. Since there’s no bus on Wednesdays, then the Sept. 4 bus is the one we want unless we want to chance hitching on Rt. 395 which is not out of the question. Also, the YARTS bus connecting Mammoth Lakes, Lee Vining, and Yosemite only runs weekends in September so we’ll be thumbing at least from Lee Vining back to Tuolumne.


As I mentioned earlier, I’ll have a tj.com account so I’ll write up the outcome of all this.

Good luck with your own hike planning.

[Cookerhiker]

Sorry about the lack of spacing in the paragraph breaks. I don't know why WB does that some times (but not all the time).

[Stink Bug]

Got my wilderness permit for Happy Isles - Red's Meadow, 9/19 to 9/29. We're driving out (cheaper than flying and there are some hikes in CO and WY we want to do on the return leg) Thursday, September 13. Hopefully arrive in Mammoth Lakes sometime that weekend and get the YARTS to Happy Isles. Plan is to get a walk up permit for Half Dome and do that Monday or Tuesday and start the section hike on Wednesday.

If all goes well, 8 days later we'll be spending the night in Red's Meadow and then walking back to Mammoth Lakes, pick up the car and drive back to PA!

The girlfriend and I both have BV450 which we've somehow managed to squeeze 8 days worth of food in; having a dehydrator at home and make our own trail food helps!

[Cookerhiker]

Sounds like you're aware that in September, YARTS only runs on weekends. Hope you're not delayed a day on your drive en-route.

[Stink Bug]

Sounds like you're aware that in September, YARTS only runs on weekends. Hope you're not delayed a day on your drive en-route.

Yup. If I we miss the YARTS, according the the Yahoo JMT group, hitching from the Mammoth area isn't a problem - it's all part of the adventure, right? :)

[wcgornto]

I am starting on August 19th at Sunrise Lakes trailhead, and joining the JMT via Cloud's rest. My planned completion date is September 2nd at Whitney Portal.

I am only planning resupply at MTR, though I might resupply a bit before that to lighten the load at the start.

I have a Bearikade canister, not the Weekender (10") or the Expedition (14"), but rather a custom 12" length. It will lay horizontally in my pack (the Expedition won't) and it carries a bit more than the weekender.

Depending on relative pacing, I may see you out there.

[Cookerhiker]

I am starting on August 19th at Sunrise Lakes trailhead, and joining the JMT via Cloud's rest. My planned completion date is September 2nd at Whitney Portal.

I am only planning resupply at MTR, though I might resupply a bit before that to lighten the load at the start.

I have a Bearikade canister, not the Weekender (10") or the Expedition (14"), but rather a custom 12" length. It will lay horizontally in my pack (the Expedition won't) and it carries a bit more than the weekender.

Depending on relative pacing, I may see you out there.

Looks like I'll be 2-3 days ahead of you at the start but you'll probably catch up.

[BrianLe]

Walking the JMT SOBO in September with my wife, then will drive down to the aldha-west gathering right after that.

Aldha-west, you know, the one that relates to the whole country. Rather than aldha, which just relates to some of the eastern bits ... :-)

[lvnv1212]

Starting out Aug 21 from Happy Isles. End of trip around Sept 15. Will do a snacks resupply in Tuolumne Meadows, Full Resupply at Reds Meadows, overnight at VVR, full resupply at MVR, and full resupply and overnight in Independence (hiking out over Kersarge pass). Only carrying the small Bearikade canister (Scout) due to the many resupplys. Taking a relaxed, slow hike and I can't wait! Flying in from PA to Fresno where I will be meeting up with my hiking partner from CA who I met on a JMT message board.

[wcgornto]

Looks like I'll be 2-3 days ahead of you at the start but you'll probably catch up.

I have a fixed calendar. Flying into Mammoth on August 17th. Flying out of Mammoth on September 3rd (Labor Day). YARTS to TM on the 18th. A night at the backpackers campground. Yosemite shuttle to Sunrise Lakes trailhead at Tenaya Lake on the 19th. 15 to 17 miles per day on the trail. Arrive at Whitney Portal on September 2nd and hitch into Lone Pine. Hitch back to Mammoth airport on the 3rd, then flight home.

[Two of a Kind]

We are planning to start our JMT hike Aug. 8th starting at the Happy Isles Trailhead. Have plans to finish 1st week in September, taking our time. We don't fly out till Sept. 10th, so there is no hurry for us and we hope to check out the big trees when we are done. We're planning drops at Tuolumne, Reds Meadows, Muir Trail, possibly Independence. We were 2010 AT thru-hikers and are REALLY looking forward to getting out on this trail.

Lisa and John
Two of a Kind
.

[Helmuth.Fishmonger]

in case you're looking to hook up with others, join the johnmuirtrail yahoo group and check out this listing of who is going when - currently 50 southbounder groups entered here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/johnmuirtrail/database?method=reportRows&tbl=10

and 5 northbounds

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/johnmuirtrail/database?method=reportRows&tbl=11

[DaFireMedic]

Starting southbound with my 14 and 11 yr old sons. July 25 with resupply in Tuolomne, Reds Meadow and MTR. Planning zero days in Mammoth and possibly VVR.

[wcgornto]

Cancelled my flight to Mammoth. Cancelled my motel in Mammoth. Cancelled my motel in Lone Pine. Cancelled my permit.

My Mother broke her hip and will need a lot of support for a while from her children. The JMT will always be there. My Mother won't.

No JMT for me in 2012. Perhaps next year.

[Ronnwell]

Just finished up the JMT with my best friend this past Friday. Started on June 22nd and finished on July 6th. We flew into SF and took the YARTS and then caught a ride to Lancaster to take the train to LA. We had a fairly tight schedule b/c my friend could only get a little over two weeks off so definitely put in 20+ mile days after VVR. Overall, everything worked out great.

We re-supplied at VVR and in Independence. We debated on trying to resupply earlier at Red's and then at Muir Trail Ranch, but didn't want to carry 6 or 7 days worth of food on the tail end. Although its definitely more work getting into Independence via Kearsarge Pass, it was the right move for us. Having a day and a half of R&R in Independence really set us up well to close out on the final two days where we needed to get over Forrester and Whitney.

I will say, I haven't hiked a longer 9 miles than the miles from Whitney down to the Portal. At that point, I just wanted to be done and that hike isn't insignificant as it drops somewhere around 5K feet.

Obviously, a really low snow year so no snow on the passes and I think we only really had to ford one creek (Evolution). Also, was pretty much cloud free for 10 days or so with a little cloud build up towards the end. Not one drop of rain. Plenty of water though, never had to carry more than a liter at a time.

An awesome little adventure that was really worth it. Hope everyone has great hikes out there!

[Cookerhiker]

Congratulations on your hike and thanks so much for an excellent trip report. Knowing about the fords (or lack thereof), snow, and water availability is very helpful. And thanks for the heads up on the descent from Mt. Whitney. We're planning a 15 mile day, camping at Arctic Lake the night before we summit.

[Ronnwell]

Congratulations on your hike and thanks so much for an excellent trip report. Knowing about the fords (or lack thereof), snow, and water availability is very helpful. And thanks for the heads up on the descent from Mt. Whitney. We're planning a 15 mile day, camping at Arctic Lake the night before we summit.


No problem Cooker. We camped at Guitar Lake. As an FYI, some of the PCT'ers advised us to try and make it up to Whitney around sunrise so we got on the trail at 2:30am. All-in-all, it was pretty good advice; sunrise over the Owens Valley was a pretty special treat :sun

[wornoutboots]

Just finished up the JMT with my best friend this past Friday. Started on June 22nd and finished on July 6th. We flew into SF and took the YARTS and then caught a ride to Lancaster to take the train to LA. We had a fairly tight schedule b/c my friend could only get a little over two weeks off so definitely put in 20+ mile days after VVR. Overall, everything worked out great.

We re-supplied at VVR and in Independence. We debated on trying to resupply earlier at Red's and then at Muir Trail Ranch, but didn't want to carry 6 or 7 days worth of food on the tail end. Although its definitely more work getting into Independence via Kearsarge Pass, it was the right move for us. Having a day and a half of R&R in Independence really set us up well to close out on the final two days where we needed to get over Forrester and Whitney.

I will say, I haven't hiked a longer 9 miles than the miles from Whitney down to the Portal. At that point, I just wanted to be done and that hike isn't insignificant as it drops somewhere around 5K feet.

Obviously, a really low snow year so no snow on the passes and I think we only really had to ford one creek (Evolution). Also, was pretty much cloud free for 10 days or so with a little cloud build up towards the end. Not one drop of rain. Plenty of water though, never had to carry more than a liter at a time.

An awesome little adventure that was really worth it. Hope everyone has great hikes out there!

So am I reading this correct? you didn't do any food drops? I'm still hoping to go in late August but I don't have any permits & I would like to do it without any food drops & minimal pre planning as possibe? Can I do that? I was hoping to get there, acclimate to the elevation a few days & get hiking. What are the MUST's that are required? Do you have to camp in designated spots fo rthe entire trail?

[fredmugs]

I am also planning on driving out there from Indiana. My hiking partner has flights to/from Reno on Sep 5 and 18 so we will try and get as much done over those 12 days. Our dates are pretty much locked down but the section of trail we hike isn't. We may do Reds Meadow to the Kearsarge Pass trail, re-supply, and then go from there to Kennedy Meadows (or some variation of that). This would allow us to avoid sending buckets to VVR or the JM Ranch.

I'm not opposed to doing some car swapping if anyone is interested.

[Cookerhiker]

I am also planning on driving out there from Indiana. My hiking partner has flights to/from Reno on Sep 5 and 18 so we will try and get as much done over those 12 days. Our dates are pretty much locked down but the section of trail we hike isn't. We may do Reds Meadow to the Kearsarge Pass trail, re-supply, and then go from there to Kennedy Meadows (or some variation of that). This would allow us to avoid sending buckets to VVR or the JM Ranch.

I'm not opposed to doing some car swapping if anyone is interested.

We may pass you on the road on our eastward homeward bound drive as you're driving west.

[Ronnwell]

So am I reading this correct? you didn't do any food drops? I'm still hoping to go in late August but I don't have any permits & I would like to do it without any food drops & minimal pre planning as possibe? Can I do that? I was hoping to get there, acclimate to the elevation a few days & get hiking. What are the MUST's that are required? Do you have to camp in designated spots fo rthe entire trail?

Sorry for the crossed wires on that; We mailed food to VVR and Independence. It is possible to do a food re-supply at VVR w/o mailing food, but I think its a bit of a gamble. The store there only gets stocked once, maybe twice a week. They have a hiker box there, but it will probably be a little bare b/c its later in the hiking season. You never know though, but that means you shouldn't plan on it. As far as Independence, if you try to resupply there, be aware that 1) You hike a total of 15 miles (7.5 out, and then 7.5 miles back in), hike over Kearsarge Pass twice and also need to hitch from Onion Valley CG into town and 2) once you get there, there isn't a grocery store. Only a Subway and some gas stations. You can take a bus up to Bishop and they have a Vons there. Still, Indy worked out for us because after pulling 5 straight 20+ mile days after VVR we were ready to get into town. Yes, if we had to carry two more days worth of food, we could have powered through until the end, but I think it would have tested us. That is said in hindsight though ... at Day 5, we were ready to get off the trail for a zero.

As a quick reference point, my buddy and I are section hikers. We've done about 250 miles together on the AT and I've done 150+ of the CT (plus a ton of other weekend-type trips). Over the years, we've definitely lightened the load and refined our hiking style so we weren't complete noobs out there. We're fairly strong hikers, but doing 5 days of 20+ miles was a new experience for us. At the end of the day, its just walking, but it ain't exactly a leisurely walk in the park either : )

Good idea on acclimating. We definitely took it easy the first few days to acclimate to the altitude (my buddy was coming from sea level) and the bodies (we were both pretty much "off the couch" - not a lot of pre-hike physical activity). The first half of the trail is really suited well for this because you have Tuolome and Red's right off the trail in the first few days. You can even get down to Mammoth from Red's if you need a little R&R. In fact, if I were to do it over, I'd probably send food to both Tuolome and Red's just to lighten the load. All of this of course is to get you ready for the second half of the trail which is a different experience because its isolated and getting to civilization ain't easy.

As far as permits, we didn't get a reservation for Happy Isles so we had to do the walk-up permit thing. I flew out a day earlier than my buddy and got in line at 7am to get the permit for the following day (which meant waiting there until 11am which is when they issued the next day permits). If you don't get the permit for Happy Isles, getting one for Tuolome in my opinion is fine, just means you miss out on Yosemite Valley and Cathedral Lakes and doing the JMT mile-for-mile. No biggie because everyday is pretty much has its jaw-dropping moments.

No, there are no designated camp spots. Although, the terrain will sometimes limit you (i.e. coming out of a steep drainage).

[SwitchbackVT]

I'm starting from Yosemite on July 20th, hoping to finish on Mt. Whitney around August 9th.

Can't wait!

[Scalawag]

Flying out on Tuesday, starting on the trail on Thursday! Can't wait!

[Caveman of Ohio]

Flying out August 6 to Sacremento and staying at Indian Flat Campground that evening. Hope to get a early hitch into the park for a walk up permit. If no hitch than I will wait for the Yarts bus to take me into the park.

[jmink]

Taking Amtrack into Yosemite on August 2nd and starting from North Pines unless we score a walk-up permit for Happy Isles. Planning to resupply at Reds, MTR and Independence 'cause I'm spoiled from the AT. HIking it with my boyfriend and a good friend from highschool. I can't wait!

By the way if anyone's still trying to plan busses this site is great: http://climber.org/data/shuttles.html

[Hammock Hanger]

I will start hiking from Curry towards Whitney on August 18th of this year. Just got notification that the lake is so low the VVR boat has been docked. Looks like I will have to hike in to get my resupply! HH

[DaFireMedic]

Its just after midnight and Im in front of the Wilderness Center waiting for morning to get my permits. Theres no one here and its kind of eerie, but in a cool way and it means I shouldnt have a problem getting the permits. Fun stuff, I start my hike tomorrow (7/28/12). Slow 3g here in the Valley...lol.

[Hammock Hanger]

Enjoy. I leave for Wonderland Trail on Thursday. Once that is complete I will be following you on the JMT @ 8/17.

Enjoy your hike.

[Cookerhiker]

... Just got notification that the lake is so low the VVR boat has been docked. Looks like I will have to hike in to get my resupply! HH

Wanted to bump this for those unaware of the ferry closure. Details on options for accessing VVR are available in the JMT Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/johnmuirtrail/).

We were only planning a one-night R&R at VVR, not a resupply, so we're just skipping it which means we pack an extra meal.

[Hole-In-The-Hat]

Wahoo! - we completed the JMT on August 5, Happy Isles to Mt. Whitney/Whitney Portal. Great scenery, interesting people, many great memories!

We flew into Merced, then took the YARTS bus to Yosemite Valley. On the tail end, we hitched to Lone Pine, then took the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority CREST bus to the Reno airport.

We sent resupply buckets to the Tuolumne Meadows Post Office, Vermillion Valley Resort, and Muir Trail Ranch. Unfortunately, the VVR/Lake Edison ferry wasn't running; we had planned to take a zero there, but packing the ~13 miles to/from VVR would have negated the zero, so we stocked up at Reds Meadow instead, and skipped VVR.

Storms threatened twice - the 1st time we got wind but no rain. At Guitar Lake, we got maybe 0.1" of rain, then it cleared.

Ronnwell is right: the 8.5 miles from Trail Crest to Whitney Portal was tough, especially the 1st ~5 miles. Steep, steps, and rocks - we felt pretty beat up. Forester Pass was also a challenge due to elevation gain and length. But the toughest days for us were days #1 and #3 - ~18 miles from Happy Isles to Cathedral Lakes, then ~16 miles from Lyell Creek to Rosalie Lake. Not sure why Lyell-Rosalie was so tough and slow - maybe we weren't fully conditioned yet.

Water wasn't a problem - there was usually water everywhere expected, though the flow was sometimes pretty low. The only wet crossing was Evolution Creek. Never saw a bear, either (though we'd hoped to see one at a safe distance!); nobody we talked to reported recent bear problems.

Wow - what a trip!

[colorado_rob]

Sounds like you're aware that in September, YARTS only runs on weekends. Hope you're not delayed a day on your drive en-route. You've got me nervous.... the YARTS web site does not say this. Are you sure????? We were counting on a Monday ride from Happy Isles to Merced.

[fredmugs]

http://www.yarts.com/schedule/2012/2012-04-17%20HWY%20120%20Summer%202012.pdf

Sure it does.

[fredmugs]

Ooops. That's a link for the bus I need. Not the one to Merced.

[Cookerhiker]

For many and varied reasons, we decided to end our JMT hike early after 70 miles.

[Cookerhiker]

You've got me nervous.... the YARTS web site does not say this. Are you sure????? We were counting on a Monday ride from Happy Isles to Merced.

You're OK - I was referring to YARTS service on the east slope between Mammoth Lakes & Yosemite. The line from Yosemite to Merced runs every day through Sept. 30.

http://www.yarts.com/schedule/2012/2012-04-17%20HWY%20140%20Summer%202012.pdf

[Caveman of Ohio]

Just got done finishing up the Jmt this past Sunday.Had rain and some hail for about eight days of my hike. Started at Happy Isles on August 8 and finished on August 26. Stopped At Mammoth,Vvr,and Mtr. It was a great hike and met many nice people. Now I am off to do the Long Trail in September.

[BrianLe]

My wife and I had a great time hiking the JMT --- started from Happy Isles on the afternoon of Sept 8th, finished on the 24th, took a zero day at Reds Meadow to relax along the way.
Quite a different, but wonderful experience hiking this trail SOBO in September rather than NOBO in June (the first time I went through there). Kind of nice to see what the trail surface looked like in the upper elevations without snow, and some CCC (California Conservation Corps) volunteers were doing some amazing trail work on some pretty amazing trail.
Speaking of which, I had never been down (nor up) the Whitney Portal side before --- wow. I think I'd rather have dental work done than climb that sucker after driving in from near sea level, but it wasn't (just a bit slow in places) going down that way.

We had super weather, no bugs of course, and yet most of the time still just needed to carry a liter or so of water. We loaded up on food at MTR (Muir Trail Ranch) so we could skip Kearsarge Pass, so packs were a bit heavy going out of there. The spring scale at MTR said my pack was 32# and my wife's was 30# with all that food, but I suspect that scale reads low (?). And MTR was a repeat for me insofar as I found the people there very nice.

Only place we got our feet even wet on the trip was Evolution Creek and it was such an easy crossing there that I went barefoot to keep my shoes dry --- what a difference from crossing there in June (2008). Pretty easy to find camping spots --- we did see and interact with other people, but I'm sure it's more populated in July and August. I just brought a 30F rated bag and was fine (quite comfortable) in that with the addition of some clothing worn inside the bag. I'm sure that in some years that would be on the sketchy side, but it worked great this year.

I'm definitely sold on early September as a great time to start a JMT hike.

[Hole-In-The-Hat]

BrianLe, congratulations on the great trip!

We thruhiked the trail from 23 July until 5 August, and had a great trip. We picked up a resupply bucket at MTR in late July - their scale was definitely reading low, my guess is it was ~4 pounds off.

[colorado_rob]

We just finished the northern ~135 of the JMT this last Monday (10/1), starting at Bishop t/h (south lake), 10 days later ending at Happy Isles. Wow, what a fantastic trail, as was the southern JMT a couple years ago. Hard to say which section was better. I guess climbing Half dome punctuated the northern section nicely. I'll be grinning ear-to-ear for a while.

Couple of issues though, the only "negatives" on the trip, call them lessons learned:

Keep 100% Bear discipline! My wife inadvertently left an OP sac of drink mix in her pack one night at 1000-Island lakes. 2am, big noise, I poked my head out and watched a bear shred the bottom of her pack open. I chased it away (yelling and screaming), but it had done the damage, plus got away with our drink mix. Thankfully, we were able to hold her pack together using straps to complete the hike. But we lost our Starbucks Via's ! Oh, the hardship....

This time of year, plan water stops carefully! Big stretch of no water from upper Cathedral lake to a couple miles below Sunrise camp, and even there was merely a trickle. We knew about this and planned accordingly, but there were clueless and hapless folks along the trail w/o any water in that section. I told them there would be water a couple/few miles below sunrise, hope they found the trickle. I suspect that trickle will dry up soon.

Anyway, outSTANDing ~150 mile trip, including a nice little scamper up Half Dome to top it all off.