Don't do it!!!! The AT will never be the same! Can't wait til next summer!
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IMO too Eric has the best condensed overall JMT Guidebook in one small size(and wt!) which includes some POSSIBLE useful info but minus the nicely done in town info and oodles of way pts in Eric's JMT Atlas you'll find about comparable the National Geographic JMT Map Guide #1001 sufficient. If you just want a JMT Data Book Elizabeth Wenk puts one out suitable for on trail minimalists. Easy enough to include only as much of any JMT guidebook as you want for sections stashing remainder(s) in resupply boxes if mailing some resupply boxes for a JMT thru-hike. If you like a book for pre hike planning which has more detail about the trail other than JUST LOGISTICS there are several. If you're a map person wanting a much bigger picture the Tom Harrison maps are GREAT! All this info is out there already.
As said the JMT is rather easy to follow during typical JMT hiking season so MANY MIGHT not need an abundance of way pts anyhow.
After more than 20 times hiking over Trail Crest down to Whitney Portal I still feel awestruck by the GREAT framed view on the descent.
If one has never summitted HD I would try to fit it into a JMT thru-hike. It is a great experience IMHO NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS. *HOWEVER, with some logistical considerations a JMTer can avoid some or even almost entirely the massive hoards of tourists that seek this "MUST THING TO DO IN Y NP." Ascend well before sunrise especially in July and Aug preferably timing it NOT for a fri-sun. Catch sunrise and start heading back down before 7:30 a.m.
HD was uncrowded on a Monday late afternoon in late August when I hiked it as part of a JMT thru. But early morning would probably be more spectacular. It is definitely worth doing!
The view from Trail Crest is otherworldly. It's like an alien landscape. But the rest of the trail to the portal really sucks. Just enough rocks that you can never take a natural stride and it meanders back and forth haphazardly. It was one of my favorite views. I also like seeing the lights of Lone Pine in the dark 11000 feet below at 4 o'clock in the morning through one of the needles. Not even visible in the daytime reallyOriginally Posted by Dogwood
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 12-02-2015 at 20:34.
Here's another possible crowd decreasing HD agenda. Ascend in the late afternoon with no lightning in the forecast when most have already ascended and descended as the typical HD summitting agenda is a done in a day deal. And, MOST are in no way prepared for summitting and descending at night. Or, HD summitters are utilizing a Little Yosemite Valley CS to break up the summitting of HD from the HI TH hence they are more in the mindset to camp(get back to camp) than be hikers. Stay for sunset and then carefully head down. Some of the most scenic hiking experiences I've enjoyed at Y NP have been under a full moon.
Here's what MANY don't get. Typical negative associations, such as crowding on HD summits, occurs when we uncreatively get stuck in a box behaving as the masses with consequently mass like results. HYOH is also about responsibly THINKING about YOUR HIKE to AVOID negative experiences. One of the greatest aspects of hiking is that some adventure could and should be experienced. But when we assume all the answers have to be unveiled by others who went before much of the adventure, imagination, wonder, and responsibility FOR YOUR HIKE IS IGNORED.
20X....holy ship!!! DW you must enjoy punishment! I cursed the entire time after the switch backs off Whitney!! Stopping to pick up crap tourists dropped didn't help! I collected so much random junk from shoes to jackets! I drew the line at someone's Waag bag!!! I've never passed so many tourists who looked fresh out of the local REI!! HUGE brand new packs with stuff clipped everywhere. I had a fat lady face plant at my feet, her Garcia bear can was in its own pack strapped to her huge pack. When she fell the Garcia nearly knocked her out. Pack was so heavy I had to lift both off the ground. She couldn't get up on her own....it was a mess similar to Happy isles!! All I could think about was a cold IPA and a burger.....
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A good strategy for hd is also to camp at the hd trail/jmt intersection, and head up for sunrise. You wont see the valley hordes until ur on way down. Ranger wont even show till 730
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 12-02-2015 at 21:10.
Do not be intimidated by the permitting - not that big of deal if you are ok with one of the alternate plans other than starting at Yosemite/Happy Isle or Whitney Portal. Plenty of other entry points all along the trail that are easy to get permits for. This trail and area is definitely worth the small hassle of permitting.
When it comes to JMT thru-hike permits NP Rangers and authorities aren't overly rigid in exact timing of Mt Whitney summit day on a JMT SOBO, and on a JMT NOBO, to some extent, on summitting HD. Do your best to be accurate as to those summit dates depending on your JMT direction of travel but don't sweat it. The authorities aren't a holes rigidly demanding adhering to exact itinerary on a 10 + day JMT hike. They know shart happens.
If you are already settled on a pot, then I would recommend the SnowPeak LiteMax. Conceptually its the same thing as the MSR Pocket Rocket. It cost a little bit more, but it folds down a lot smaller, and because the pot supports lay flat, it seems to hold the pot a little more steady than the Pocket Rocket. The Pocket Rocket leaves the pot on three tiny little points. (And the LiteMax is also a tiny bit lighter than the Pocket Rocket).
If you haven't decided on a pot or even cooking style, the other thing to consider would be a JetBoil just because of how fuel efficient it can be. I like what I've read about the Minimo burner... it's supposed to work at colder temperatures than previous models, and it can simmer. (All of the older style JetBoil burners are either full on or off... there is less than a 1/4 turn on the knob to go from one to the other).
I own the JetBoil Sol, one of the lightest systems they ever made. I'd like to pair it with the Minimo burner (because the minimo as a whole system is one of the heavier systems JetBoil has produced... the Minimo seems to be made with performance and functionality in mind... not so much on weight).
But that is exactly the problem. There is so much information out there that it has become a problem to wade through it all.
That's what I like about this forum format... it is a bit more like a conversation where you can learn specifically what you're looking for.
It's the reason I use forums like this and the reason I freely answer the same questions I see over and over because I understand the difficulty of wade through all the information.
www.pcta.org recommends the Elizabeth Wenk book and the Tom Harrison map set.
I purchased the Wenk book... the full book in electronic form and the data book in physical form (the 'data book' is just the tables and charts that exist in the full book). I still consider that to have been the right thing to do because I enjoyed reading the book, and yet appreciate having a physical copy of the data.
I purchased the Harrison Map set and the National Geographic JMT Map. I don't understand why the Harrison Map is listed as a "Long time favorite". The National Geographic map has much more usable data on it. So if I had the purchase to do over, I'd only get the NG map.
Actually, the maps in Wenk's data book are pretty good. But since it is a paper back book, I want something more rugged to carry on the trail, so I plan to take along the NG map.
It didn't take much work to track the trail in Wenk's book and label the camp sites in the NG map to match (I think there were only two or three Wenk listed that were not marked on the NG map). Based on other's recommendation here in White Blazes, I ordered a set of Staedtler fine tip pens to write on the water proof map.
ETB's JMT atlas was perfect! Cheap,small and light. Only gripe it wouldn't fit in my waist pockets on my circuit.
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If you are going to spend money on a synthetic bag, look at the Mountain Hardware UltraLamina or HyperLamina series.
I own and have enjoyed my 32º and 20º UltraLamina bags (you just have to be careful with the zippers as they tend to snag if you don't watch it).
CampSaver has the 20º HyperLamina on sale for as little as $180. It has a EN rating of 25º compared to the Cloudbreak's 32º, and weights about 2oz less.
You're right but consider that many questions are not that specific rather they are general in nature. The answers to these generalized questions have been extensively opined upon on many sites already. In essence, when we continue to repeatedly offer info on these generalities we can add to the very problem that some have as you mention - wading through mounds of info.
What many folks really desire is to have a personalized audience having questions answered as they personally arise rather than seeking the answers that already have been amply and effectively provided to their inquiries.
What I see occurring is the wealth of info, such as about the AT, PCT, and JMT, reaches such a critical mass that is what people only know. That is what they only choose to know. Folks flock to the familiar, the known, to these trails. While this is awesome in many regards this has consequences not always desirable too, such as crowding, competition for permits, hike by the way pts/known campsites/shelters/etc mindset, etc. Many many times they wind up not doing their own hike but what other hikers have done. When such a critical mass of info is reached folks tend to turn off their brains because the most detailed and abundance of answers have already been provided. IMHO, this can take away from hiking, growth of a hiker and as a person, and an awareness of the enormous amount of hiking opportunities in the U.S.
When we are willing to embrace just a bit more adventure by not NEEDING to know every minute detail about a hike the vast Sierra start really opening up to us. As Malto said, "there are hundreds of miles of cool trail and off trail routes that are much better than the Yosemite section of the JMT." I hope others are willing to hold Malto to that assertion!
IMO, this overload of info, by insinuating "THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE", is what factors into some AT hikers completing LD hikes coming away with only a narrow superficial connection, or perhaps none at all, with the AT, AT community, AND NATURE. They don't have to ENGAGE as deeply and mindfully.
I'm intending my comments NOT to offend anyone but just as food for thought.
Thanks for the reminder about HYOH. Easy to get too caught up in the details to remember that even if things go horribly wrong along the way and all your careful planning goes out the window, you're still going to have a memorable time
Excellent idea. I'll see if I can work it into my trip (so many things, so little time... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ); I've never been to Yosemite so I think watching the sunrise from Half-Dome would be fantastic! All the pictures of it are gorgeous so I have to imagine that the real thing is even more beautiful.
Thank you so much! You've been fantastically helpful along the way. I think the problem is that for many of you (who already know this stuff) know where to look for the information, so you assume that it's easy to find. But for those of us who don't even have a toehold on a subject, we don't know where to start looking, so we need someone to point us in the right direction.
Looking at the JetBoil website to check out the MiniMo, turns out they're coming out with an even lighter-weight version of it next February (called "MicroMo"-- 800mL rather than 1L pot, 2.6oz lighter). I'll definitely consider the LiteMax, though, it's much less expensive... I suppose I'll just have to find a balance of performance, weight, cost, and efficiency.
For once, I don't have any follow-up questions!
Once I've had time to properly research all these topics, I'm sure I'll have plenty more, though, so I'll be back!
Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.- Thomas Jefferson
Lite max has served me well for quite awhile.
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