Rain Man's John Muir Trail 2018 Thru-hike

[Rain Man]

Well, we got a "golden ticket" (for 3) to hike the John Muir Trail, starting August 28 at Happy Isles in Yosemite and scheduled to finish Sept 20 at Whitney Portal. I have a hundred questions, but will start with this one:

How hot/cold do I need to plan on? Am I going to have to take winter gear (extra pack weight) for bitter cold nights? I have a 20-degree sleeping bag and a 20-degree down top quilt (though I assume I can't hammock along the JMT?). Is 20 degrees sufficient?

It appears to me that,-- similar to the AT,-- the JMT is a series of shorter hikes strung together, with places to resupply/ZERO along the way.

I'll have more questions, but if any of you get inspired to share any hints, suggestions, warnings, or whatever, feel more than free to jump in. I've never hiked out west nor at those elevations.

With a daughter and grandkids in Las Vegas now, I suspect my travel plans will go through there and probably involve being driven to Yosemite at start and picked up in Lone Pine at end. I've never been to Yosemite, but did spend a night in Lone Pine this January and drove up to Whitney Portal just to see it.

[blue indian]

I will be following this thread closely as I am starting in mid August

From what Ive heard day time temps are between 60-70 and night time temps 30-40

I plan on using a 20 degree quilt. I wish I could use my hammock setup as Ive been dialing that in over the years. I do not have a good ground setup-up yet.

For me, a concern is adjusting to the altitude and travel logistics

[imscotty]

I will be following this thread closely as I am starting in mid August
From what Ive heard day time temps are between 60-70 and night time temps 30-40
I plan on using a 20 degree quilt. I wish I could use my hammock setup as Ive been dialing that in over the years. I do not have a good ground setup-up yet.
For me, a concern is adjusting to the altitude and travel logistics

Blue Indian, why not take your hammock. I did and it was fine. I maybe went to the ground a couple of nights, but that was because I chose to camp high, not because I absolutely had to.

[blue indian]

Blue Indian, why not take your hammock. I did and it was fine. I maybe went to the ground a couple of nights, but that was because I chose to camp high, not because I absolutely had to.

All accounts I have read and pictures I have seen make it appear that hanging options are far and few in between.

Im nervous that I would have to plan my daily mileage just to be able to use the hammock and would therefore limit myself to where I can and cannot camp comfortably.

I carry a torso length piece of CCF for pack structure. So if I needed to, I could go to the ground but the CCF is minimal and wouldnt be very comfy

What was your experience??

[imscotty]

All accounts I have read and pictures I have seen make it appear that hanging options are far and few in between.
Im nervous that I would have to plan my daily mileage just to be able to use the hammock and would therefore limit myself to where I can and cannot camp comfortably.
I carry a torso length piece of CCF for pack structure. So if I needed to, I could go to the ground but the CCF is minimal and wouldnt be very comfy
What was your experience??

I was glad I had my hammock. Sometimes I would have to get creative, one night I hung between two boulders. If I went to the ground I did not find it particularly inconvenient. I did have a neoair for comfort. I would do it the same way again, hammock most nights, neoair cowboy camping for a few.

[Rain Man]

Most of you know I finished the AT in October. On the AT, I rarely found myself more than a couple of days from being able to charge up my smartphone, digital camera, and a battery pack (I have a variety of Ankers). I used Guthook's app a lot, but otherwise generally kept my phone in airplane mode or turned off entirely. I carried whatever battery pack sized depending on length of trip, etc. It/they would charge both my phone and my camera. Also, usually I could text my wife daily.

1. On the JMT, I'm assuming I may have to go a week without access to electrical outlets to charge my devices? But unlike the AT, I won't be in a "green tunnel" of trees with little sunlight. So, should I get a solar charger of some sort? Or, should I carry a big or multiple battery packs? What sayest thou(s)?

2. Where can I expect to be able to charge my devices along the JMT?

3. Also, any reliable cell service or other ways along the JMT to let my wife know I haven't been eaten by bears yet (and perhaps whether I'm on schedule)?

Thanks in advance!

[imscotty]

My JMT hiking experience was the end of August. At that time a 20 degree bag seemed about right. The only night I was cold was the last night where I slept on the top of Whitney. Normally I hammock but that night I was on the rocks which were cold. I'm pretty sure that night dipped below 20, my water battle froze solid. Of course three weeks later could be much colder, but you can always control the elevation you sleep at.

Beware the climb out of Yosemite Valley, it will be a long one. I would pace myself those first few days till you acclimate to the altitude.

Muir Trail Ranch will be closed by the time you get there, I really enjoyed my stay there. Most hikers go to VVR anyway.

You are going to love this hike.

Did you get a permit for HalfDome? I did it, and I was scared, glad I did it, but never again

[HooKooDooKu]

Muir Trail Ranch will be closed by the time you get there

I don't see where MTR has their 2018 schedule posted yet, but I seem to recall the closing date was somewhere around September 15th in the past.
If I'm correct, that would still make MTR a resupply option.

[Rain Man]

Thanks so much to everyone for all the great info, hints, warnings, etc. I've been eating this elephant one bite at a time, reading books and guides, studying various maps, and of course researching on the WWW. Plus, I walk and/or hike most days of each week, not to mention my normal monthly backpacking trips. Half the time I'm excited and half the time I'm scared of what I've gotten myself into. LOL I'm at that point that Horace Kephart wrote about:

Horace Kephart from my 1933 edition of "Camping" from his 1917 magazine articles and book:

"Yet all of us who spend much time in the woods are keen to learn about the other fellow's 'kinks.' And field equipment is a most excellent hobby to amuse one during the shut-in season. I know nothing else that so restores the buoyant optimism of youth as overhauling one's kit and planning trips for the next vacation. Solomon himself knew the heart of man no better than that fine old sportsman who said to me 'It isn't the fellow who's catching lots of fish and shooting plenty of game that's having the good time: it's the chap who's getting ready to do it."

That's me for the next few months!

[FreshStart]

Congrats rain man!! Should be an awesome hike. We were looking into the JMT and ended up going for the 2019 thru of the AT!!!!

[Shrewd]

Congrats rain man!! Should be an awesome hike. We were looking into the JMT and ended up going for the 2019 thru of the AT!!!!

Yes!

I thrued (making that a verb) the AT last year, hit me up with any questions you have

[HooKooDooKu]

I had the golden ticket in 2016.

1. The online places with the most JMT information are the JMT group on Facebook and the JMT group on Yahoo. There's also a few people here on WB that have done the JMT, and you know they will be happy to answer your questions.

2. Since you're traveling from the East, there are no good plans to get you to Yosemite Valley in one day.
What I did was to fly into Sacramento two days before the start of my hike. I had booked a room at the Vagabond Inn. The hotel has a shuttle that will pick you up from the airport saving you the cost of a taxi.
The hotel is located directly across the street from the Amtrak Station. 2 years, a prepurchased Amtrak Ticket (for around $45) paid my way from Sacramento to Yosemite Valley. I caught the 6:00am train that took me to a train station where I transferred to a YARTS bus, and arrived in the valley a little after lunch time.
Because I didn't know what it was like staying in the hiker camp ground, I sprung for the cost of a camp site (something like $22). That way I knew I would have me a reserved spot to setup my tent the night before my hike without being crowded. However, you have to check the rules for getting a campsite as they suddenly open all the sites on an online 1st come 1st serve basis at some designated time... and there will be lots of people trying to get camp sites (I snagged the campsite that was about 2nd or 3rd closest to Happy Isle).

3. Getting home was pretty easy. Once I arrived at the Whitney Portal, I was able to hitch a ride to Lone Pine within an hour. Typically, the only people at WP are other hikers, and the only place to go leaving WP is Lone Pine. So it's a pretty simple hitch (though it might be a bit more difficult for a group of 3). When I went, there were shuttles services you could book, but the cost was astronomical for the 10 mile ride to Lone Pine. There are hotel and hostel options in Lone Pine... and for a small town otherwise in the middle of no-where, the rates are likely higher than what you would expect (but not outrageous). Not sure of the current schedule, but when I went, Eastern Sierra Transit has a bus that would take you from Lone Pine to Reno Airport. The shuttle picks you up at the McDonalds in Lone Pine around 6:00am and you get to Reno about 12:30pm.
I unfortunately made the mistake of finishing my hike several days early. That meant I had to add $300 to the $225 perpurchased ticket I had to get home early, and the day I arrived at the airport, the afternoon flight home was booked. So I had to find a nearby hotel room in Reno for the night as well.

4. You have to prepare for the altitude... medically speaking. If you have the time, you could try to spend a few days at Toulumne Meadows as a way of trying to acclimate to the altitude. But if you're like me, the trip was long enough as it was and I didn't have time to add extra days. So I got a prescription for Diamox from a "travel clinic". You can find some online groups devoted to the subject.

5. Your resupply options are limited.
a. Tuolumne Post Office - You should reach this on your 3rd day. A resupply from TPO means you don't have to carry those supplies on your climb from the Valley. I decided to forgo taking the time to make the brief detour on my trip... but if I did it again, I might add TPO to my resupply points.
b. Red's Meadows - located about 1/4 the length of the JMT. There's a small store, and you can ship yourself a resupply bucket to the local post office, where for a reasonable fee, Red's picks it up holds it at there store for you until you arrive.
This was my 1st resupply point.
c. VVR (Vermillion Valley Resort) - located about 1/3 the length of the JMT. It's a bit of a detour as it requires a boat ride across a lake (if there is enough water) and about a 5 mile hike (one way) if not.
I didn't use VVR, but I seem to hear a lot of good things about it on line.
d. Muir Trail Ranch - located about 1/2 the length of the JMT. It's a very short detour reach with almost nothing for a store (except, if still in stock that time of year, you can buy canister fuel). Similar to Red's, you ship yourself a resupply bucket to the local post office, and MTR picks it up and brings it to their ranch for you. But because of the steps required to get the supplies to the ranch, it's not cheap (~$75 the year I used them). They seem to have a bad reputation on the trail... but that is because they have to keep moving those getting resupplies along to make room for all the hikers that use them, and you are kicked out by 5:00pm so that their employees can take care of the guests staying at the ranch. They seem to have a great reputation from those that have stayed at the ranch. {By the way, the cost to mail myself a 25# resupply bucket was an additional ~$75 I had to pay the post office to ship from Birmingham... a similar distance for you from Nashville}
e. Packers - There are two areas where packers will bring a resupply bucket to you on the trail. However, packer costs about $600 (but for that $600, I think they can haul up to 150#... so some people try to get together online to share the cost of a packer).
e1 - LeConte Canyon - located about 2/3 the length of the JMT, this is the 1st place packers can meet you with supplies.
e2 - After Glen Pass - located near the end of the JMT, this is the 2nd place packers can meet you with supplies from Onion Valley via Kearsarge Pass. Given that you're likely only going to spend a few more nights on the JMT from this point, seems like a VERY expensive option for so little resupply.
There are other ways besides packers to get supplies via Bishop Pass and Kearsarge Pass. For example, you can meet packers at the tops of these passes to reduce the cost (but it will cost you an extra day of hiking). There is also at least one hotel that will meet you at the trailhead beyond one of these passes, drive you to town where you can get supplies, and then spend a night in their hotel where they take you back to the trail head the next morning. But this type of option will add at least two days to your hike.

6. Bear Canisters. Required. I recommend the Bearikade available at http://www.wild-ideas.net/. One of the lightest canisters available, the 'Expedition' model is big enough for 9 to 10 days of food for one person to get from MTR to WP without any further resupply. In addition to being light weight, they are also very easy to access your food compared to what it takes using the Bear Vaults that seem to be the 2nd most popular canister for a JMT thru hike. You can purchase one of these bad boys for $$$, but they also have JMT rentals that cost about as much as you would spend on a Bear Vault or similar canister. What I loved about the Berikade was that I was able to situate it vertically in the top of my pack (Osprey Volt), and access the contents of the canister during the day without having to remove it from my pack.

[HooKooDooKu]

All the major passes along the JMT are above tree-line, and even when you're below tree-line, the trees are more spartan compared to what I'm used to seeing in GSMNP. So unless doing some occasional cowboy camping appeals to you, I would suggest bringing a tent and leaving the hammock at home.

For those thinking of hammock camping along the JMT, from what I understand, the mosquitoes and biting flies are not a problem in late summer. But I don't know how true that is. I was hiking from mid to late July where these bugs were a persistent issue. They were almost never an issue so long as you were hiking... but any time you stopped, you needed either a tent, bug repellent, or bug repellent clothing to get away from them. Having said that, I can say that I seemed to have been hiking during the worst part of they year as far as mosquitoes and biting flies are concerned... and while I did carry a small amount of deet along with me, I managed to avoid ever using it with the aid of my "bugs-away" long pants, long sleeve shirt, and head net. I learned to simply keep these cloths handy (like in the mesh pocket of my pack) and when ever I stopped for lunch or to setup camp, I would slip the long pants and shirt over my shorts and t-shirt.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

So......where are the road crossings?

[HooKooDooKu]

So......where are the road crossings?

The only place you "might" say the JMT ever crosses a road is in Toulumne... and I say "might" because it depends upon where you define the JMT going thru that area.

Some sources (such as the Nat Geo Map) indicates that the JMT crosses 120 (Tioga Road) and joins with the Pacific Crest Trail just after the trail crosses the Tuolumne River.
Other sources, such as various Topo maps, indicate that the JMT remains on the South Side of 120 (Tioga Road) following a trail that marks the edge of the "Wilderness Boundary" and joins with the Pacific Creat Trail just before entering Lyell Canyon.

Otherwise, the only other places the JMT ever even comes near a road (but doesn't cross it) is at Happy Isle, and Red's Meadow.

The only other place I think you can even see a road from the JMT is from the Crest of Mount Whitney.

[blue indian]

Also, as always, thanks hookoo for the detailed info.

You have helped me plan many a trip into the Smokies and it looks like you will be very helpful for the JMT too!

[Teacher & Snacktime]

The only place you "might" say the JMT ever crosses a road is in Toulumne... and I say "might" because it depends upon where you define the JMT going thru that area.

Some sources (such as the Nat Geo Map) indicates that the JMT crosses 120 (Tioga Road) and joins with the Pacific Crest Trail just after the trail crosses the Tuolumne River.
Other sources, such as various Topo maps, indicate that the JMT remains on the South Side of 120 (Tioga Road) following a trail that marks the edge of the "Wilderness Boundary" and joins with the Pacific Creat Trail just before entering Lyell Canyon.

Otherwise, the only other places the JMT ever even comes near a road (but doesn't cross it) is at Happy Isle, and Red's Meadow.

The only other place I think you can even see a road from the JMT is from the Crest of Mount Whitney.

So, Rain Man, your slackpacking options aren't looking too good!

[Rain Man]

If you were any good and a half-way decent friend, you'd be working on your stealth drone license fer me!!! LOL

So......where are the road crossings?

So, Rain Man, your slackpacking options aren't looking too good!

[Teacher & Snacktime]

If you were any good and a half-way decent friend, you'd be working on your stealth drone license fer me!!! LOL

What would the drone do? Alert me that your sorry self is in need of rescue, food, or a hot shower? Careful, chum....I might just find a way to show up!

Hi Teacher !!

Hi Speedbump! I missed you in Shenandoah!

[speedbump]

Hi Teacher !!

So......where are the road crossings?