The John Muir Trail is a 214-mile-long trail that runs from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney in California’s Sierra Nevada. The trail coincides with the much longer Pacific Crest Trail for most of its length. The trail passes through some of the most stunning, breathtaking scenery in the country, including 3 national parks, 1 national monument, and 2 wilderness areas. The JMT is known for its numerous waterfalls and alpine lakes, sweeping mountain vistas, and slick granite slabs and domes that make the Sierra Nevada a world-famous hiking destination. Along the way, it traverses 8 mountain passes above 10,000 feet in elevation and ascends Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous 48 states. It is arguably the most scenic maintained trail mile-for-mile in the United States.

The John Muir Trail is named for American naturalist and conservationist John Muir, who was one of the foremost figures in early 20^th century environmentalism and a relentless advocate for the protection of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is largely due to the work of him and his colleagues that the national park system was established and Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks exist. I have talked in my PCT posts about how John Muir is one of my personal heroes, and despite some of the racism towards indigenous Californians in his books, I still think he embodies the spirit of American wilderness and stewardship to the land.

From July 17^th – July 31^st  2024, I thru-hiked the entirety of the JMT from north to south, starting at Happy Isles in Yosemite National Park and ending at Whitney Portal below Mt. Whitney. Along the way, I made a few side trips from the standard JMT. What follows is an in-depth trip report of my JMT solo adventure.

Trip Statistics

• Starting Location: Happy Isles, Yosemite National Park
• Ending Location: Whitney Portal Trailhead
• Length: 234.0 miles
• Duration: 15 days
• Average Mileage per Day: 15.4
• Longest Day: 21.7 miles
• Elevation Gain: 51,340’
• Elevation Loss: 47,032’
• Resupply Stops: 1 (Vermillion Valley Resort)
• Side Adventures & Alternates: Clouds Rest, Ediza Lake to Minaret Lake, Piute Pass to Alpine Col

Pre-Hike Training

After suffering over-use injuries on my PCT attempt in 2022, I wanted to make sure I was in as fit shape as possible for the JMT to reduce the risk of injury. To this end, I did consistent day hikes over the weekends and watched my calorie intake for the 3 months before my JMT start date. Over this time, I lost about 15 pounds, getting down to a weight less than 165 lbs. This really helped on the constant uphill and downhill on the JMT.

I began strength training prior to this trip. I was specifically targeting areas of my body that were prone to injury, as well as my core and lower body. This training was intended to strengthen my joints and improve my balance and overall fitness.

I also spent a fair amount of money on new gear for this trip to reduce my base weight. I purchased a new backpack (Dusrton Gear Kawa 55), a new quilt (Katabatic Flex 22), and a new tent (Slingfin Splitwing). I also purchased the newest model of Garmin’s InReach Mini 2. This new gear reduced my base weight from ~16 lbs to ~13 lbs without a bear canister.

Finally, a week and a half before my JMT thru-hike, I did a 2-night backpacking practice trip in the San Bernardino Mountains. On this trip, I summited San Bernardino (10,649’) and San Gorgonio (11,503’) over the course of 31 miles. San Gorgonio is the tallest peak in Southern California and was a worthwhile trip in its own right. I even camped on top of San Gorgonio, as the summit is very broad and has several established campsites near the peak. The sunset from San Gorgonio was one of my favorite SoCal hiking moments ever.

Resupply

Like most thru-hikes over 100 miles, prospective hikers do not carry all of their food for the entire trip from the beginning. For one, this would add a lot of weight to the hiker’s pack. More importantly, the Sierra Nevada are bear country and many areas require bear canisters, which can only carry a limited amount of food. I can usually fit up to 8-9 days of food in my BV500. Any more than that would have to be stored outside of the bear canister, which is bad for the bears.

There are 5 major options for resupply along the JMT. From north to south, these are:

1. Red’s Meadow Resort / Mammoth
2. Vermillion Valley Resort
3. Muir Trail Ranch
4. Bishop via Piute Pass and/or Bishop Pass
5. Independence / Lone Pine via Kearsarge Pass

I chose to send a resupply package to Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR). VVR is close to the middle of the trail, whereas Mammoth is a bit too close to the start and Kearsarge Pass is very close to the end, making those options less useful. VVR is conveniently close to the trail, with a ferry across Lake Edison located only 1.5 miles from the JMT. VVR is also very hiker friendly, with a very laid-back atmosphere and accommodating staff. I would recommend VVR to any JMT hikers, as it is a very special place where you can meet a lot of kind people and hang out with fellow hikers. Just beware of the high prices in the store.

Transportation

The northern terminus of the JMT is in Yosemite Valley, while the southern terminus is at Whitney Portal near Lone Pine, CA. The two trailheads are about 200 miles apart and on different sides of the Sierra Nevada. As a solo hiker, I did not have the option of leaving a car at both trailheads, so I had to make a plan to shuttle between them.

I drove up to Lone Pine from Orange County on the night of July 15^th. I scheduled ahead of time to park my car long-term at the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, which cost $30 per week but ensured my car wasn’t towed during my trip. I had to hitchhike from Whitney Portal down to Lone Pine at the end of my trip to get back to my car – this was not too difficult as most cars at Whitney Portal were fellow hikers and campers.

I took two shuttles on the morning of July 16^th to reach Yosemite Valley. The first shuttle was on an Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (ESTA) bus from Lone Pine to Lee Vining. ESTA operates several shuttles along the Eastern Sierra and highway 395, going from Lone Pine all the way to Reno, NV with stops at major towns like Bishop, Mammoth, and Bridgeport. The bus was on time and the drivers were nice, however we did have to transfer busses once in Bishop. The transfer was handled efficiently and didn’t delay the arrival time of this leg of my shuttle.

The second shuttle was on a Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) bus from Lee Vining to Yosemite Valley. YARTS operates buses from Yosemite Valley to major towns and cities such as Mammoth, Fresno, and Sonora. The YARTS bus was also on time and professional. It was pleasant to have someone else drive through scenic Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite Valley, allowing time to take in the familiar views. Upon arriving in Yosemite Valley, I got my wilderness permit and set up camp in the backpacker’s campground in preparation for starting my trip early the next morning.

Day 1 – Yosemite Valley to Sunrise Lakes

Mile 0.0 -14.4

The first day of my JMT trek was also one of the hardest days of the trip. Starting from the valley floor at ~4000′, the trail ascends over 6000 vertical feet to Cathedral Pass. I also made the decision to climb Clouds Rest (9,930′), a thin arete much like Half Dome which is accessible from the JMT via a side path that adds about 3 miles to the already long ascent from Yosemite Valley. Clouds Rest has been on my list of anticipated Yosemite hikes for years, but I have been unable to do the hike in previous trips due to poor conditions or heavy smoke from fires. The JMT passes so close to Clouds Rest that this seemed like an obvious choice for a side trip.

I got an early start, waking up at 5:15 and getting on the trail around 5:45. The goal was to beat the heat and crowds ascending the Mist Trail and Half Dome. Goal mostly successful, as I saw only a few dozen people on the Mist Trail, a trail that can regularly see hundreds of people during peak hours. The Mist Trail famously passes very close to Vernal and Nevada Falls, two massive waterfalls on the Merced River that, during spring and early summer, are so swift and high in volume that they create plumes of mist that cover the steep trail next to them. This is especially prevalent with Vernal Fall, where the rock path can become drenched and hikers need to wear rain gear to stay dry. I had done the Mist Trail on a previous 2018 trip on the way up Half Dome, but it was a great opportunity to see Vernal Fall up close again. Since Vernal Fall is my favorite waterfall I’ve ever visited, I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to see it again in all its glory!

After making it to the top of Vernal Fall, I deviated from the Mist Trail and ascended the more gentle JMT to the top of Nevada Falls. The Mist Trail alongside Nevada Falls is much less interesting than the Vernal Fall section, and the JMT affords some very unique and grandiose views of Nevada Falls with Liberty Cap next to it.

Once at the top of the Mist Trail, the JMT has a flat section through Little Yosemite Valley before ascending to the Half Dome junction. As I had already done Half Dome before with my good friend Nick, I felt no need to do it again this time with a heavy pack. Soon after, however, I left the JMT to start the climb to Clouds Rest. The climb to Clouds Rest is fairly well graded, though the extensive climb and steep final section felt difficult with the full load of my pack. Near the top of the climb, great views opened up of the backside of Half Dome (with the cables visible), the features of Yosemite Valley, and the Clark Range in the distance. On the way up Clouds Rest, I also ran into a family of 5 deer who crossed the trail very close to me, apparently undisturbed by the human nearby.

At the top of Clouds Rest, the panoramic view was breathtaking and expansive. Half Dome dominated the view to the west. Other notable features were the Cathedral Range to the north, jagged Mt. Clark with its serpentine knife ridge and glaciated basin to the east, the Merced River canyon, Tenaya canyon and Tenaya Lake, Mt. Hoffman, Mts. Lyell, Maclure, and Florence, along with dozens of other peaks of the Yosemite high country. Mt. Lyell was a peak I would be going nearby in two days’ time while climbing Donahue Pass, so the view afforded a glance of what was to come.

The descent of Clouds Rest was fairly easy. Near the top there were a few moves along the rocks where hand movements were necessary, but no scrambling was required. The trail meandered down the mountain, crossed a few creeks and passed a few tranquil lakes, and ascended briefly to Sunrise Lakes at the base of Sunrise Mountain. Sunrise Lakes are a very popular camping location; I found a somewhat secluded spot on a granite bluff above the lower lake as my first camping spot of the trip. 

Day 2 – Sunrise Lakes to Upper Lyell Canyon

Mile 14.4 – 33.1

The 2nd day of the JMT started with a cloudy morning over Lower Sunrise Lake. There were on and off sprinkles throughout the day, but  overall the rain was not an issue and the cloudy weather cooled the temperatures in the middle of the day.

This day was supposed to be much easier than the first day due to low elevation gain and mellow strolls through meadows. The day started off with a short climb up and over a shoulder of Sunrise Mountain to Sunrise High Sierra Camp. There are six High Sierra Camps in Yosemite connected by the High Sierra Loop, and they basically serve as bed and breakfasts for backpackers with tent cabins and meals provided. These camps are an easy way for beginner backpackers to get out and experience some of the best mountain scenery out there.

A nice stroll north through Long Meadow showcased views of the steep pinnacle of Tresidder Peak, part of the Cathedral Range. As the trail ascended from the meadow to broad Cathedral Pass, more of the Cathedral Range became visible, including Echo Peak and, of course, Cathedral Peak with its two jagged spires. The view of Cathedral Peak rising above Cathedral Pass with a meadow of blue wildflowers in the foreground was a highlight of the day.

The descent from Cathedral Pass to Tuolumne Meadows was pretty gentle and straightforward, except for the fact that about halfway down I realized I had forgotten my water filter near Upper Cathedral Lake! Cursing my negligence, I made the decision to backtrack 1.5 miles to the spot I left my filter, which extended the daily mileage by 3 miles and added about 600 additional feet of elevation gain. Oof! I did leave my backpack and canister at Cathedral Creek, so I only had to carry a bit of water on the way back up the mountain.

Filter back in its rightful place, I continued on to Tuolumne Meadows, where normally a general store and the option to camp in the campground are open to hikers. This year, the store and campground were closed due to a multi-year long renovation of the facilities, however it still was a good opportunity to use an actual restroom!

Continuing past Tuolumne Meadows a bit behind schedule due to my filter mishap, I made decent pace on the very easy Lyell Canyon trail, which only ascends about 500′ in 8 miles. Soon the JMT met up with the Pacific Crest Trail, which it would coincide with for most of the rest of its duration. Along this stretch there were many views of the Tuolumne River, at times framed by the slick granite slabs that Yosemite is famous for. After hiking over 21 miles in total today, I set up camp near the river in Upper Lyell Canyon, ready to tackle Donahue Pass, the first major mountain pass of the trip, the following day.

Day 3 – Upper Lyell Canyon to Shadow Creek

Mile 33.1 – 50.6

Last night was a bit cold – I had to snuggle up in my sleeping bag to stay warm. In the morning, the cold air created a mist over the Tuolumne River through Lyell Canyon, which gave the early morning a mystical vibe.

The first 5 miles of the day involved ascending Donahue Pass (11,066’). The climb alternated between very steep switchbacks and calmer parts near the river and creeks. The upper canyon was especially beautiful, with expansive views of Mt. Lyell and the Lyell Glacier rising above green meadows surrounding the many creeks and small waterfalls. It was a very tranquil place, and as always, great views make the climb easier.

Around 10am I reached the top of Donahue Pass. If the views on the north side were tranquil, the views on the south side were breathtaking. Mt. Ritter, Banner Peak, and the Minarets were on one side, and Donahue Peak and the jagged Kolp Crest were on the other.

After taking a well-earned break at the top of the pass, I started the mellow descent down the pass. The south side of the pass was strewn with ponds, tarns, and cascading streams. 5 miles further, the trail briefly ascended to Island Pass, a minor pass named after the views of Thousand Island Lake below. From the top of the pass the views of the lake were obscured by trees, but the massive face of Banner Peak was front and center for the entire descent to Thousand Island Lake. Nearing the lake, the views opened up and the entire lake was visible with its countless granite islets, while Banner Peak, covered in snow fields, stood above the lake much like a banner announcing the allegiance of the surrounding Minarets. While the weather was generally overcast this day, the sun opened up for a few hours just as I got to Island Pass! This view was one of the moments I was looking forward to the most from this JMT adventure, and indeed images of Thousand Island Lake and Banner Peak were some of the strongest impetuses for me attempting the PCT in 2022. I am happy to state the view blew away any picture that I found online, and it was so good that I stayed at Thousand Island Lake for at least 30 minutes soaking it all in.

After passing Thousand Island Lake, the trail continued past the three “gem” lakes – Emerald Lake, Ruby Lake, and Garnet Lake. Emerald Lake was middling in comparison to Thousand Island Lake just before. Ruby Lake was quite pretty and had a nice granite cliff backdrop. Garnet Lake was the winner of the bunch, since it is a large lake with a massive backdrop of both Banner Peak and Mt. Ritter, making it very similar to Thousand Island Lake. In fact, due to the backdrop containing two massive mountains, looking similar to the spines of a Spinosaurus sticking up from the surrounding mountainside, dare I say the view from Garnet Lake may be even better than that from Thousand Island Lake. Regardless, today contained some unforgettable memories. 

Day 4 – Shadow Creek to Crater Creek

Mile 50.6 – 66.0

Difficult but stunning. Day 4 had the most technical challenges on the trip so far, but it also arguably had the best views.

Instead of continuing on the standard JMT route, I had made the plan to take a side trail up to Ediza Lake, and from there to Iceberg Lake, Cecile Lake, and Minaret Lake, then take the Minaret Lake trail down to meet back up with the JMT. The idea was to get up close and personal with the Minarets, a collection of spires and jagged peaks that are an extension of the Ritter Range. The problem lay that between Iceberg Lake and Minaret Lake, there was only a trace use trail, and the route from Iceberg to Cecile Lake was very steep and had snow fields crossing the path up. Thankfully, I had seen the possibility of ice crossings ahead of the trip using online satellite imagery, and at the last minute decided to pack microspikes for traction.

The trail to Ediza Lake was quite easy with a mellow climb along Shadow Creek. Ediza Lake itself was beautiful, with long waterfalls running down green meadows from snowfields under the Minarets. The Minarets were striking, and the lake also featured a view of Banner and Ritter from a different angle than afforded from Thousand Island and Garnet Lakes yesterday.

The climb to Iceberg Lake was steep but on a well-maintained trail. Iceberg Lake, as the name implies, was half covered in ice even in the middle of July! It is heavily shadowed by the surrounding Minarets, so it likely gets little direct sunlight. I tested the water, and it was definitely ice cold.

The “trail” from Iceberg Lake to Cecile Lake involved a steep incline on a 20-30 degree talus slope with two 400-500 foot long snow crossings. The microspikes made the snow crossings doable, but it was still a bit scary. The challenging terrain made the half mile climb from Iceberg to Cecile take nearly 45 minutes.

Cecile Lake, like those before it, was breathtaking, with even more intimate views of the massive Minarets. Unfortunately, the talus still wasn’t over as I needed to navigate around Cecile Lake to get down to Minaret Lake. One more snow crossing and a rather steep but well-marked descent later, and I was at Minaret Lake. After the long, partially off-trail circuit of the four lakes, I decided to rest a bit and take a swim in Minaret Lake. It was very cold, but not as cold as Iceberg Lake. The swim was refreshing and allowed me to appreciate the Minarets a bit longer before heading off.

The trail descended from Minaret Lake along Minaret Creek for about 5 miles. At one point, Minaret Creek fell down a large 300-foot cascade that I was surprised to find was unnamed, and through a network of chasms and ravines. At the bottom of Minaret Creek, the trail entered Devils Postpile National Monument. Devils Postpile is a columnar basalt feature where the basalt has cracked in hexagon patterns, very similar to Devils Tower in Wyoming or Giants Causeway in North Ireland. It was a very interesting feature, and it is hard to imagine another place where in the same day you can be at an alpine lake in the morning and looking at perfect basalt columns in the afternoon.

Near Devils Postpile lies Reds Meadow Resort, a cabin resort and stop for hikers with a store and full-service restaurant. There is also a shuttle from here back to Mammoth that operates on the weekend. I stopped at Reds Meadow for a bit of rest, some snacks, and to call my mom who I know appreciates any updates on my hike and to know I’m doing well. After the rest, I walked a final 3 miles to my camp for tonight near Crater Creek. 

Day 5 – Crater Creek to Squaw Lake

Mile 66.0 – 83.6

Yesterday I started the climb out of Reds Meadow on the way to Sliver Pass, and today the climb continued. However, the way to Silver Pass was not a direct ascent. Instead, the trail climbed up hills and dropped into gulches and valleys along the way.

The first few miles consisted of a pleasant stroll through the forest with many creeks and meadows. The gradual climb then began as the trail ascended along the mountainside above Fish Valley, occasionally dropping a bit into a small gully. The morning was hot and the climb was exposed and sandy, making it somewhat tedious. However, as the trail reached 10000′, views of the Silver Divide started to open up.  The Silver Divide is a line of high peaks through which Silver Pass crosses.

Eventually, the trail dropped down to Purple Lake, a large, nice lake, though not as spectacular as some of the lakes the last two days. Again, another ascent and descent over a hill to Lake Virginia, which was prettier than its neighbor with views out of the lake basin towards the Silver Divide. However, Lake Virginia required a long knee-deep wade to ford its outlet, which resulted in my shoes and socks getting wet.

Next was a steep descent down to upper Fish Creek. Fish Creek was lovely with many cascades and small waterfalls among granite slabs. While I did not see any fish in Fish Creek, some fisherman at Purple Lake were catching large trout, and since Purple Lake feeds into Fish Creek, I have to assume there are some great fishing opportunities along the creek. The trail followed Fish Creek to a large bridge over a small gorge.

After leaving Fish Creek, the next order of business was climbing nearly 2000 vertical feet to Silver Pass. I was not planning to make it all the way to Silver Pass today since the weather was looking fowl. Lo and behold, about half of a mile up the climb, it began raining heavily and lightning started to strike too close for comfort. Rather than risk ascending further during a lightning storm, I hunkered down in the forest and waited out the worst of the storm. About 40 minutes later, the lightning had passed and the rain has lightened.

I only had 2 miles to go to my planned camping spot, so in the fresh air that follows a rain storm, I quickly climbed the final 800′ up to Squaw Lake. Squaw Lake lies above a large granite shelf, in a small basin below Silver Pass with many other alpine lakes. It was definitely the most gorgeous campsite thus far. To top off the day, in the distance under the setting sun, Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak were easily visible on the horizon looking out of the basin. It’s crazy to think that those two peaks dominated the scenery for the previous two days, and yet they still are managing to dominate the horizon even from 30 or more miles away. 

Day 6 – Squaw Lake to Vermillion Valley Resort

Mile 83.6 – 91.4 + 1.5 mile walk to VVR ferry

Today was a shorter day of hiking and was the easiest day of the trip. The reason being that this was the day I was arriving at Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR) for my resupply! While not quite at the halfway point for the JMT, VVR is the most convenient place to send a resupply package since it is only 6 miles off the trail, and most of that can be cut off by taking a ferry across Lake Edison. The other main resupply options later down the trail require exiting the east side of the Sierra over a high pass and hitching into town, which takes a lot of time and a lot more effort. VVR is also very hiker friendly.

To get to VVR, though, I still had to hike about 9 miles. The VVR ferry picks up at 9:45am and 4:45pm. Knowing I would likely not be able to hike 9 miles before 9:45, I decided to take the day slow. I set my alarm way later than usual (7am instead of 5:45am), took my time packing up, and relaxed several times on the way to the ferry. And I still arrived 2 hours early!

The first 1.5 miles from camp involved climbing the final 700′ up to Silver Pass (10,740’). The pass is quite pretty, with views of lakes in the basins on both sides. Ritter and Banner were still visible to the north. To the south, peaks such as Seven Gables, Mt. Gabbs, and Mt. Abbott dominated the skyline. At the top of the pass, I chatted with a friendly Slovakian fellow named Jakub who I had been leapfrogging with the last few days. He said he and his two friends had started at Tuolumne Meadows and were headed over Piute Pass to resupply in Bishop.

The descent from Silver Pass was long, passing by green meadows and Silver Pass Lake in the upper basin before following Silver Creek for a few miles. Silver Creek gradually got steeper and steeper before cascading off a huge granite slab into the spectacular North Fork Mono Creek gorge. Like many valleys and gorges in the Sierra, North Fork gorge was composed of massive granite slabs sculpted smooth from glacial activity, leaving behind huge, slanted cliffs for creeks and rivers to cascade down. The trail steeply descended around the granite cliff bands, crossing the Silver Creek cascade at one point, eventually making it down to Mono Creek. Mono Creek feeds Lake Edison, so it was only a couple mile walk from the bottom of the descent to reach the ferry point. 

The ferry across the lake was a great change of pace to hiking everywhere. The breeze on our faces reinvigorated everyone on the ferry. Once at the resort, VVR is very accommodating to hikers with a large open area for hikers to set up their tents. I planned to stay here the night, get my resupply package, and head out around noon the next day.

Day 7 – Vermilion Valley Resort to North Fork Bear Creek

Mile 95.6 – 102.2 + 5.5 miles walk out of VVR via Bear Ridge Trail

Staying at Vermillion Valley Resort overnight was a great choice. The place has great vibes, friendly staff, and excellent food. The resort is extremely accommodating to hikers, allowing them to stay for free at their small tent campground for as long as they like. Upon arrival on the ferry, hikers also receive a free beer (or other drink) from their wide selection. During my visit to VVR, I met several hikers that were also doing the JMT or PCT, including Mikah and Pat, who were also going SOBO on the JMT, and Luke and Meadow, who were doing the Sierra section of the PCT.

Like most resupply locations, they have charging stations for topping off electronics, showers, and laundry. Many of the staff are also hikers and have done sections of the PCT, and talking with them was always a pleasure as they had great stories to tell. The only questionable thing about VVR was the price of some items and services. Meals were $20+ and many of the store goods were overpriced. On the other hand, the resort is very remote and the service is exemplary, so the inflated prices make sense. The skirt steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli served for dinner came in huge serving sizes and tasted amazing after eating freeze-dried food for 6 days. The mashed potatoes were some of the best potatoes I had in a long time. So the price for meals feels fairly reasonable given the quality.

After getting a shower, charging my battery and phone, and cramming my 8.5-day resupply into my bear canister, I decided to hit the trail around noon. Rather than waiting for the ferry across the lake, I hiked out south towards the Bear Ridge Trail, which climbs five miles up the south slope of the lake and meets back up with the JMT. The trailhead is a 2-mile road walk from VVR, so the total distance back to the JMT is 7 miles. About 1/2 of a mile into the road walk, one of the owners, Meg, drove up the road and offered me a ride to the trailhead as she was picking up another group of hikers there. So, conveniently, the walk back was decreased by about 1.5 miles due to Meg’s kind gesture.

The climb up the Bear Ridge Trail was a steep slog, gaining over 2000 vertical feet before meeting the JMT with very limited views of the lake down below. Upon reaching the JMT, the trail then descended to Bear Creek. The Bear Creek valley is very pretty, filled with aspens and many small streams trickling down to Bear Creek. Bear Creek itself is a massive creek, as big as some rivers the trail has thus far passed. Like most major creeks in the Sierra, it intermittently plunges down cascades, over granite slabs, and through sculpted gorges. I think it is physically impossible to find a creek or river in the Sierra that is not beautiful.

The JMT gently climbed alongside Bear Creek toward the next pass, Selden Pass. At various points, some of the nearby mountains, most notably Seven Gables, could be seen through the trees. Eventually, after 3 miles of following Bear Creek, the trail finally crosses the creek, but with no bridge to assist it required a wade across. Bear Creek, due to its massive watershed and therefore very strong flow, is usually considered one of the most dangerous fords along the JMT/PCT, especially earlier in the season. There are even strategies online for how to circumnavigate the crossing should it be too dangerous. Thankfully, this late in the season in a more or less average snow year, the creek was easily crossable even in the late afternoon, only rising up to just below my knees. With the ford completed, I found a place to set up camp in preparation for tackling Selden Pass the next day.

Day 8 – North Fork Bear Creek to Lower Golden Trout Lake

Mile 102.2 – 123.6

Day 8 was a very long day, and this was for a specific reason. I needed to get as close to Piute Pass as possible to set up the following day. Tomorrow I will be tackling the cross-country pass called Alpine Col, which is one of many off-trail passes that bridges the Glacier Divide and separates Humphries Basin from Evolution Basin.

Piute Pass and Alpine Col are not part of the JMT, so why am I doing them? 3 miles down the JMT from the Piute Pass junction, a bridge that would normally cross the South Fork San Joaquin River has been out since the 2022-2023 winter due to extensive snow damage and has not yet been replaced. Reports say that the river can be forced by waiting until morning when snowmelt is down and potentially walking up or downstream about half a mile, though even then the crossing is very deep and sketchy. The official reroute for JMT/PCT hikers is to go over Piute Pass to North Lake, hitch or leak the road to South Lake, take the Bishop Pass trail over Bishop Pass, and rejoin the JMT in LeConte Canyon. While both Piute Pass and Bishop Pass are supposedly beautiful in their own right, the reroute skips over 30 miles of the official JMT, including Muir Pass, one of the highlights. By going over Alpine Col from Piute Pass, I only skip 11 miles of JMT and get to see Muir Pass. The downside is it is an off-trail route over lots of tedious Class 2 talus. Therefore, I want to give myself as much time in the morning and early afternoon tomorrow to tackle Alpine Col, meaning I had to do big miles today.

The day started out with the remainder of the climb up to Selden Pass (10,910’). This was only about 2.5 miles and 1000′ of elevation gain. Below the pass, I went by Marie Lake, a large and impressive lake nestled into the small basin below Selden Pass. The view of the lake from the last climb to the top was really jaw-dropping. Marie Lake is up there with Thousand Island Lake and Minaret Lake as one of my favorite lakes of the trail thus far.

The south side of Selden Pass held Heart Lake (so named because of its shape) and Sallie Keyes Lakes. The tiny hanging valley that Heart Lake was in was very green and tranquil. From these lakes, the prominent Mt. Henry was clearly visible in the distance.

From Sallie Keyes Lakes, a very long downhill section, nearly 3000′ of elevation drop, lied between me and the South Fork valley below. The sun was intense on the climb down, and I felt a bit bad for those hikers coming up this tedious climb in the middle of the day. Upon reaching the valley floor, only a couple miles laid between me and Piute Creek.

Piute Creek was huge, definitely one of the largest creeks encountered thus far. At this point, I broke off from the JMT and started hiking up Piute Canyon towards Piute Pass. The first 2 miles up the canyon were somewhat steep as the trail circumnavigated the cliffs of the lower canyon. This part of the canyon was quite awesome, with Piute Creek steeply cascading through the tall canyon walls. The rest of the climb was easier in terms of grade, however it started to rain and hail intermittently for the rest of the day. Not only did this make the trail wetter and harder to climb up, but it also swelled the side creeks, causing many of the small creek crossings to become necessary wades. Oh great, wet shoes and socks once again!

After about 9 miles up the Piute Canyon trail, I finally made it to Lower Golden Trout Lake, the lowest lake of Humphreys Basin. Humphreys Basin is named for Mt. Humphreys (13,900’), an absolutely gigantic, isolated peak that dominates the skyline to the north of the basin. Lower Golden Trout Lake is where I set up camp for the night after over 21 miles of up and down hiking. To my great relief, the rain finally stopped around when I got to camp. 

Day 9 – Lower Golden Trout Lake to Evolution Lake

Mile 123.6 – 134.3

If you looked at only the mileage I had done today, you might believe this was one of my easiest days thus far. On the contrary, it was the hardest by far. The climb over Alpine Col, along with the 6 or so miles of off-trail hiking that accompanied it, were so far past a normal backpacking experience on a trail that it felt like a completely different trip. During the off-trail section, I was lucky to be doing a mile an hour due to all the talus and route-finding challenges. On the other hand, Humphreys Basin, Goethe Cirque, and especially Darwin Bench were all spectacular places to be in, making this one of the most scenic days yet.

I am really glad I went as far up Piute Canyon as possible the previous day, because it meant I only had 2.5 miles to Piute Pass and another 2 miles or so until the start of the climb up Alpine Col. Humphreys Basin in the early morning was gorgeous, with many small lakes and ponds dotted around a relatively flat area, with the surrounding peaks, particularly Mt. Humphreys, towering in all directions.

After reaching Piute Pass (11,417’), I followed a small use trail about a mile to the picturesque Muriel Lake. Muriel Lake especially looked impressive when viewed from above with Mt. Humphreys in the background. After Muriel Lake, the use trail became very faint as I climbed a couple hundred vertical feet up to Lower Goethe Lake. At Lower Goethe Lake, the use trail faded out and the talus hopping began. I stayed to the west side of the lower lake and as close to the shoreline as possible, since the talus was more even near the shore. It still took a long time to get to Upper Goethe Lake.

At about 9:45am, I reached the outlet stream between Upper and Lower Goethe Lakes. From here, I started my ascent of Alpine Col (12,380’). The trip reports I looked at in advance recommended to go around the entire west side of the upper lake before starting the climb, and perhaps that would have made it easier, but I thought I spotted a good line up from the outlet of the lake. I started up the terrible talus towards the first of several snowfields. Upon getting to the snowfield, I thanked myself again for bringing microspikes, as they made it possible to ascend this snowfield and several others on the way up the pass, skipping some of the talus and speeding up the ascent.

The talus on the north side of the pass was really annoying to deal with. It was huge. Some boulders were as large as cars, some as large as small houses. The one lucky thing is that the angle of the slope wasn’t too steep, so most of the talus was pretty stable if I chose my path wisely.

My path up the north side involved ascending a small gully on the east side of the slope, traversing west to be more underneath the pass, climbing a very steep section of scree and talus to avoid a cliff band, using my microspikes to climb about 200 vertical feet up a snowfield, and finally ascending the final slabs of rock to the top. There were some short Class 3 moves getting around some of the talus. In total, it was 800′ of elevation gain from the lake and took me about 2 hours.

After a well-earned snack break at the top of the pass, it was time to head down the south side. Still plenty of talus ahead of me! Thankfully, the south side descent to the unnamed lake below is both shorter and better indicated. There was a clearer path down through the rubble and through the major cliff band, and a lot of the route down was in dirt and granite slabs rather than talus. On the way down to the lake, I met a group of three hikers going up the pass. It is always a relief to see other people on a remote route, as it usually means you’re going through correct way.

I reached the south side lake at about 12:30pm, but the fun still wasn’t over yet, as there were still about 3 miles of cross-country travel left. First, I had to traverse around the lake, which was not so fun and very slow as it was all the same massive talus. However, upon reaching the south side of the lake, the terrain improved, and I was able to follow a series of gullies and slabs down to the next set of unnamed lakes. To get around these lakes, my map suggested the east side of the lakes was better, however I observed a nasty looking cliff band with a steep snow patch next to it that looked impassable, so I went around the west side instead, which was slightly longer.

Next, I dropped down next to the waterfall created by the lake outlet. This gorge led into Darwin Bench, a truly outstanding oasis of lakes, waterfalls, meadows, wildflowers, and soaring granite peaks, all sitting above the epic Evolution Valley below. Seriously, it is hard to put into words how beautiful this basin is – the pictures don’t do it justice. Darwin Bench is also where a use trail re-emerged, so I was finally back on an actual trail. I spent about an hour laying around in Darwin Bench, taking in the sights and allowing my gear to dry after the rain yesterday and condensation last night.

The use trail through Darwin Bench eventually drops down to the JMT in upper Evolution Valley, where it climbs gradually up the final pitch to gorgeous Evolution Lake, the first lake of Evolution Basin and about 5 miles from Muir Pass, the next major hurdle. 

Day 10 – Evolution Lake to Palisade Creek

Mile 134.3 – 153.2

Today was a long and tough day with over 4000′ of elevation drop, which really hurt my feet. But on the bright side, the scenery was really beautiful, and at least I was now on well-maintained trail for the rest of the trip. No more off-trail talus! Woohoo!

The 5 mile climb up to Muir Pass (11,955’) was definitely the highlight of the day. Evolution Basin leading up to the north side of Muir Pass is quite epic, going past 4 named lakes and a whole bunch of unnamed ones as Evolution Creek cascades and creates waterslides between the lakes. Starting from Evolution Lake, which was quite pretty in the evening light yesterday but more subdued in the early morning, the trail climbed up to Sapphire Lake. Sapphire Lake was gorgeous in the morning light, with the 13ers Mt. Huxley and Mt. Fiske creating a perfect backdrop. Then there was a stretch of climbing up to Wanda Lake, which is very expansive and surrounded by a treeless scape of granite and snow. Finally, Lake McDermand lay directly below the final climb to Muir Pass.

From Lake McDermand, the cone-shaped roof of the Muir Hut at the top of the pass was visible against the dark massiff of Black Giant behind Muir Pass. After a short but steep final climb to the top of the pass, I finally stood in front of Muir Hut. The Muir Hut is a European-style mountain shelter commemorated to John Muir. When I went inside the hut and saw the commemoration plaque, I got quite emotional and started tearing up. It may have something to do with the fact that I have been thinking of some of the highlights of the PCT and, by extension, the JMT, for over 6 years. To finally be at one of the key places that is in everyone’s online posts and videos about the trail and actually experience these things myself – well it was a bit too much for me at the moment.

Anyway, the hut was cool and all, but the views from the top were spectacular. Wanda Lake and Lake McDermand sat to the north, while the south side was dominated by the jagged Black Giant. It’s also worth noting that Muir Pass is one of the few places on the trail where no trees are visible. Not a single one. The basins on both sides curved around enough that the lower basins were out of sight, and there were about 6 trail miles in the upper basins near the pass where no trees were encountered.

I prepared myself for the long, rocky descent of Muir Pass. The south side dropped through the upper basin, past a few small lakes including Helen Lake, and followed the Middle Fork Kings River for over 10 miles down LeConte Canyon. Since Alpine Col, I have officially been in Kings Canyon National Park. The reason this area is part of the park is because Muir Pass is the headwaters for the middle fork of the Kings River which eventually creates Kings Canyon and flows out to the Central Valley. So the water up here at Muir Pass was very important to the lives of many people and animals downstream.

The upper portion of LeConte Canyon and the Middle Fork were extremely scenic. The canyon is rugged and deep even so far up, and the river went down endless waterfalls from one lake to another as the trail followed along. Occasionally, the trail got so close to the river that the river flooded the trail. For the first 3 or so miles of the descent, the views of the river and the canyon were amazing and unobstructed. As I got lower and lower, though, the forest grew thicker and started to block some of the views. It was about halfway down the canyon when my feet really started to hurt from the rocky path that switchbacked down relentlessly, and some of the beauty of the meadows and forest were a bit lost on me. This was definitely my lowest point mentally of the trip. The parts of the trail where the Kings River was visible were still great though, as this is truly a wild and scenic river.

Finally, at the end of the 4000’+ downclimb of LeConte Canyon, the JMT turned east and started to climb again towards the next pass, Mather Pass, along the pretty Palisade Creek. I did a few miles of uphill along Palisade Creek before calling it a night. Unfortunately, the path along Palisade Creek is horribly choked with blowdown trees, which likely toppled down in avalanches during the rough 2022-2023 winter. The blowdowns made the going a bit slower and tougher than it would have been, but there was always a path around each blowdown that was easy to find.

Tomorrow I tackle the long climb up to Mather Pass. 

Day 11 – Palisade Creek to Marjorie Lake

Mile 153.6 – 169.1

Another day, another high mountain pass to scale. The pass of the day this time around was Mather Pass (12,068’). The north side of Mather Pass requires over 4000′ of elevation gain up from LeConte Canyon over 11 miles. Thankfully, I had cut the climb by about 800 vertical feet and 3 miles by camping a bit up the Palisade Creek drainage last night. Still, there was a lot of effort left to get to the pass.

The trail first follows Palisade Creek up to Palisade Lakes via a very steep but very well engineered set of switchbacks. Despite my moaning about switchbacks yesterday, that was going downhill and this was going uphill, and for me going downhill hurts worse. Besides, these were much better switchbacks. In fact, they are so well engineered and uniform that they have a name, the Golden Staircase. Not sure where the “golden” part came from as the rock was as white here as anywhere else in the Sierra, but they certainly made the climb up feel a lot gentler.

Nearing Palisade Lakes, the trail rounded a corner and all of a sudden the Palisade Crest was visible. The Palisade Crest contains 7 of California’s 15 fourteeners spread out over about 10 miles. One of the mountains that was visible now rising above the valley floor was the fourteener Middle Palisade (14,018’). Middle Palisade is a rugged craggy monster that has no easy route, requiring at least a Class 4 climb to summit. The other peaks near Middle Palisade, like Disappointment Peak and Mt. Norman Clyde, were equally as steep and jagged.

Palisade Lakes were beautiful, especially with the backdrop of the peaks near Mather Pass. Large and blue, they filled out the upper basin below Mather Pass and the Palisades nicely. As the trail climbed closer to the pass, the basin became closer to a moonscape with no vegetation and only small tarns and massive granite cliffs. Another set of very steep switchbacks led up the final 800 vertical feet to Mather Pass, where the awaiting vista took my breath away (and not just because I was above 12,000′).

If Palisade Basin was incredible, Upper Basin viewed from the top of Mather Pass was on another level. Easily my favorite basin and view from a pass thus far, Upper Basin is a huge, sprawling, almost flat plain of granite and tundra, scattered with numerous small, unnamed lakes with tendrils of streams running between them, all surrounded by some of the most epic mountains I’ve yet seen. One of the most prominent mountains rising from Upper Basin was Split Mountain (14,064’), another fourteener and technically part of the Palisade Crest, so named because it has two peaks above 14,000′ and from the east side there is a prominent gully running between the two peaks, making it look split in two. Other visible mountains included Cardinal Peak and Vennacher Needle.

After spending about 30 minutes at the top of Mather Pass taking in the panorama, I started down the south side. The south side descent is not as long as the north side, but it may be even steeper. Viewing the south side from a distance, the cliff below Mather Pass looks impassable. Thankfully, another very impressive set of switchbacks helps hikers navigate down the pass without much trouble. I can see how this side of the pass would be imposing when the trail is covered in snow, though.

Hiking down through Upper Basin was very enjoyable. The path was easy and not too rocky, descending at a gentle pace. The landscape was surreal and the views in all directions were gorgeous. On top of that, the weather today was idyllic, with not a single cloud in the sky the entire day.

The drop between Mather Pass and the next pass, Pinchot Pass, is the shallowest drop between any two passes on the JMT, only dropping about 2000′ down to the South Fork Kings River (remember yesterday when I was following the Middle Fork Kings River? Well now here’s the South Fork!) Soon enough, I was down to the river and starting the climb up to Pinchot Pass. I made it up to Marjorie Lake below Pinchot Pass at 5pm, well ahead of schedule and the earliest I’ve arrived at camp all trip. I had time to wash my shirt off and remove some of the dirt and sweat residue, and some time to read my book. Unfortunately, it was quite windy at Marjorie Lake, since it was above 11,000′ and exposed, so finding a tent spot sheltered enough so my tent wouldn’t fly away was a bit time consuming. Still, this was one of the most scenic and epic days of the JMT so far. 

Day 12 – Lake Marjorie to Rae Lakes

Mile 169.1 – 184.8

Lake Marjorie was a neat place to camp despite the wind – while the lake itself was a pretty standard alpine lake, nothing too special, the surrounding mountains were a deep hue of red. In fact, most of the mountains around Pinchot Pass were composed of red rock, visually contrasting them against the typical white and grey granite seen throughout much of the Sierra.

The climb up Pinchot Pass (12,090’) was short and relatively easy from Marjorie Lake, ascending about 1000 feet in about 2 miles. I was at the top by 8am, where I met a couple of other hikers, Justin and Sadie, who were also doing the JMT SOBO and were planning on exiting Whitney on the same day as me. They are a nice couple, so hopefully I will see them again in the next few days.

The view from Pinchot Pass was great. The view back over the lakes to the north including Marjorie Lake was unique due to the red peaks surrounding the pass. However, the view into the basin to the south was amazing. Like Upper Basin as seen from Mather Pass, this basin contained a splattering of small unnamed lakes in a scape of granite and green tundra. The peaks in the distance were interesting too – most notable was Mt. Clarence King, one of the main peaks overlooking Kings Canyon to the southwest.

The trail descended Pinchot Pass on some nice switchbacks and gradually descended through the basin. After a few miles, it started following Woods Creek down towards Kings Canyon. Woods Creek has to be one of the most beautiful creeks I have ever seen. During the 3 or so miles I followed it, the creek was constantly racing down a cascade or waterfall. The creek descended so steeply in places that the trail seemed to have trouble keeping up. Unlike the lower parts of LeConte Canyon where the trail was far from the river and the forest blocked the views, here the trail seemed to be built to get the most views of the creek possible. It was also a very exposed section with few large trees, which made the descent hot but made the views easier to catch.

Near the bottom of the downclimb alongside Woods Creek, the creek entered a particularly smooth area of granite called the Woods Creek Waterslide, so named because the granite had been eroded into a funnel where all the water rushed down into a waterfall and plunge pool at the bottom. Along the funnel track, various little potholes caused the water to fling upwards in what looks a bit like a waterwheel. The same phenomenon can be seen more prominently on some of the falls along the Tuolumne River downstream of Glen Aulin, including Waterwheel and LeConte Falls. While this water feature was very impressive to look at from a safe distance, trying to slide down it would be a very poor and probably deadly decision. Be careful near that slick granite!

Upon reaching the bottom of the waterslide, a good 3700′ below Pinchot Pass, the JMT crosses Woods Creek on the Woods Creek Suspension Bridge. Quite likely the most impressive foot bridge in the Sierra, this thing looks a bit like a miniature version of the Golden Gate Bridge. While very sturdy from a structural point of view, the bridge does swing a bit in the middle, so it is recommended for only one hiker to go across at a time. Even then, it can trigger a fear of heights if it wobbles too much during your crossing!

Next was the inevitable uphill section towards the next pass. The next pass was Glen Pass, requiring over 3500′ of elevation gain back up from Woods Creek. As usual, I was cutting the climb into two days by camping part way up at the famous Rae Lakes. Rae Lakes is a very popular backpacking destination, as it is the cornerstone of the Rae Lakes Loop, a 40ish mile loop including Glen Pass that is easily accessible from Kings Canyon.

The climb up to Rae Lakes along the South Fork Woods Creek was very hot, very exposed, and had a lot of blowdowns. About a mile into the climb up, I encountered one of the worst blowdowns I have ever seen. I think close to 100 downed trees were blocking the trail, and many more to the side made finding a path around challenging. Or at least it would have been challenging if not for the well-marked side paths that hikers before me had already created. Thanks, past hikers!

Though the climb was difficult, upon reaching the first lake of the valley, Dollar Lake, the uphill subsided. After Dollar Lake came Arrowhead Lake (presumably named because it’s shaped like an arrowhead), and then the first of three Rae Lakes. The first lake is cool because just above it is the very striking Fin Dome. Fin Dome can be seen from the 2nd Rae Lake as well, but it frames the first lake perfectly. The 2nd and 3rd Rae Lakes are larger and feature an impressive backdrop dominated by Mt. Rixford, a huge spire of a mountain rising above the shore of the uppermost Rae Lake. I found a perfect campsite on top of the bluff between the 2nd and 3rd Rae Lakes, with views of Fin Dome, Mt. Rixford and the other surrounding peaks, and the next obstacle, Glen Pass. 

Day 13 – Rae Lakes to Tyndall Creek

Mile 184.8 – 199.6

Today, I crossed TWO major passes. That’s right, I did both Glen Pass (11,926’) and Forester Pass (13,153’) in the same day. This wasn’t a difficult feat in terms of mileage, as Glen and Forester are only separated by about 13 trail miles. However, the vertical gain for the day was over 5000′, making this one of the steepest days of the trip. To be honest, though, the trails up and down both passes were not that bad, making good use of switchbacks. Or maybe I’m just getting used to the massive elevation drops and climbs.

Rae Lakes was just as stunning in the morning as it was in the evening. I’m glad I camped here. From Rae Lakes, it is a 2 mile and 1400′ climb to Glen Pass. The trail switchbacks up to the cirque above Rae Lakes, where a handful of unnamed tarns lie with streams lined with green meadows flowing between them. It was a fairly limited cirque compared to some others on the trail so far, but it was still very pretty, especially from above. The steep headwall on either side of Glen Pass is circumnavigated by expertly placed switchbacks, making the climb and descent pretty easy. The top of Glen Pass is a very narrow rock saddle with few places to rest. However, the views all around were great. Back to the north, Rae Lakes were visible way below, and the opposite side of Mt. Clarence King, visible from Pinchot Pass yesterday, was close at hand. To the south, a small lake was peeking out from the small cirque below, and Mt. Brewer and its family of peaks, including Mt. Farquhar, North Guard, and South Guard, were visible in the distance.

From Glen Pass, the trail descends steeply over 4 miles to Vidette Meadows, where the other side of the Rae Lakes Loop connects back to Roads End in Kings Canyon. During the descent, views of Charlotte Lake and Charlotte Dome were viewable to the west towards Kings Canyon. Unfortunately, a lot of smoke from nearby forest fires was building in the canyon and wafting up the valleys. Most of the high country I was traversing was free of the smoke as it was above the inversion layer, but occasionally a whiff of smoke could be smelt on the air.

On the final descent to Vidette Meadows, a massive panorama of peaks opened up. East Vidette Peak with its polished granite sides rose up steeply from the valley floor directly to the south. Kearsarge Pinnacles rose sharply to the southeast. Between East Vidette Peak and Kearsarge Pinnacles lay the Bubbs Creek valley, which I would be ascending shortly on the way to Forester Pass.

From Vidette Meadow, there was about 3600′ of elevation gain to reach Forester Pass. At 13,153′, Forester Pass is the highest pass on the JMT and the highest point on the entire PCT (it’s not the highest point on the JMT as that honor goes to Mt. Whitney). So the pass has a lot of credentials to its name. The ascent started out fairly mellow, following the lovely Bubbs Creek as more magnificent mountains became visible above. However, the trail really increased in steepness in the final 3 miles to the pass. Still, the well graded trail made it a fairly easy climb, and overall I crushed the pass, doing the 3600′ and 8 miles of climbing in only 4.5 hours.

The top of Forester Pass is another very narrow and very steep area with limited space to relax. Surprisingly, it was not very windy at the top of the pass. The view to the south can be viewed through a notch at the top of the pass, or by climbing a rock pile to get a more direct view. Either way, the view to the south was grand, another massive basin filled with pretty lakes. Far to the south, the Kaweah Crest was visible with its long, jagged formation. I had actually seen Kaweah Crest from the other side during a previous backpacking trip to Sequoia National Park in 2021, so it was cool to see these peaks from the other side. Whitney and the other surrounding fourteeners were not visible from Forester Pass, as they were hidden by a couple ridges and mountains.

The south side of Forester Pass is STEEP and cliffed out, so care was taken while traversing the very well-engineered switchbacks through the cliff bands. Having done more than enough mileage and elevation gain for the day, I found a nice campsite near one of the small lakes in the basin below upon completing the steep descent. Only two more days left of this magnificent journey! 

Day 14 – Tyndall Creek to Guitar Lake

Mile 199.6 – 215.0

Penultimate day of the JMT! Forester Pass, which I crossed yesterday afternoon, was the last pass on the route, so today was a fairly easy day. No passes, no major ups and downs. I just needed to hike about 15 miles to Guitar Lake below Mt. Whitney to set me up for the summit the next day. Oh, today was also my birthday (Happy Birthday Me!), so it was kind of nice to have an easier day after yesterday’s brutal two pass effort.

The basin below Forester Pass I camped in last night was gorgeous. I could see the Milky Way pretty clearly at night due to the open skybox and practically no light pollution. In the morning, the Kaweah Crest was soaking up the first of the sun’s rays, making for a nice view while walking down the basin.

About halfway down the basin, Mt. Tyndall (14,025’), another fourteener, came into view around the corner to the east. It was quite close and very imposing. At a certain point during the descent, Mt. Williamson (14,379’) poked its summit out from behind Mt. Tyndall, and Mt. Whitney (14,505’) and Mt. Russell (14,094’) poked out behind the saddle on Tyndall’s east shoulder. This meant that from this vantage point, 4 fourteeners were visible at once! Even though Russell and Whitney were mostly obscured by smaller hills, it was still a cool moment.

The trail soon entered the trees and crossed Tyndall Creek before ascending a short slope up to Bighorn Plateau. Bighorn Plateau is one of the most surprisingly beautiful locations on the trail so far. The plateau itself is mostly sandy gravel but has a really pretty small lake and surrounding green meadow that contrast harshly with the white gravel everywhere else. From the plateau, three major massiffs were visible in different directions. To the southwest, the Kaweah Crest was still as striking as ever, especially now that it was much closer. To the northwest, the white peaks of the Kern Divide rose up from the Kern River valley below. To the southeast, the Whitney massiff was finally visible in all its glory. Whitney itself towered above the surrounding valleys, with nearby Mt. Russell and the many pinnacles and spires of the Whitney crest also visible. It was really cool to get a nice view of where I would hopefully be in 24 hours’ time.

The rest of the walk to the Whitney trail junction was a bunch of short ups and downs between creeks and hills. Once I got on the Mt. Whitney trail, it was only 3.5 miles to Guitar Lake and just over 8 miles to the summit of Whitney. So close! The climb up to Guitar Lake was nice, as it followed Whitney Creek up the valley past small Timberline Lake all the way to Guitar Lake. Above the valley, the slopes of Whitney stood imposingly over the creek and meadows. Looking out the valley to the west, the Kaweah Crest still dominated the landscape.

During the climb to Guitar Lake, I passed a mule train going downhill. Interestingly, this is the first time I’ve encountered stock on the JMT, despite seeing their droppings on the trail almost constantly.

I arrived at Guitar Lake very early in the day, around 4pm, giving me ample time to setup camp for the final time and prepare myself for the big final climb tomorrow! 

Day 15 – Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal

Mile 215.0 – 231.0

I woke up very early today, around 3:30am, in order to get an early start on climbing Mt. Whitney, as there was a lot of climbing and descending to do today. A common goal of PCTers is to get to the top of Whitney early enough (around 5:30am) to view the snrise from the summit. While this did sound intriguing, this would require getting up even earlier and would also require hiking in the dark for several hours. I decided to only get up a couple hours earlier than normal to beat the heat during the ascent.

The ascent of Whitney from Guitar Lake can be roughly broken down into two segments. The first segment is the ~2000’ of vertical to get to the trail junction near Trail Crest. After the trail junction, it is only about 1000’ more vertical gain over 2 miles along the Whitney ridge to summit the peak. The first segment was consistently steep, with about 10 very long switchbacks climbing the west slope of the Whitney ridge. These switchbacks, like most on the JMT, were well-constructed and made the slope feel easily doable, especially after climbing 8 major mountain passes in the last 2 weeks. Starting the hike in the early morning meant that the slope was in the shade and very cool in temperature, making the climb comfortable.

Once I reached the trail junction, I left my bear canister along with most of my filtered water and any gear I didn’t need for the summit at the junction. This lightened my load by around half, making the final push to the summit much less exhausting. At trail junction, I also met Meadow, one of the hikers I had spent time with at VVR, coming down from the summit. It was really cool to meet someone you knew from before at this junction on the trail. After a brief conversation, we went our separate ways, me up to the summit and Meadow down the west slope.

The trail from the junction to the summit was significantly easier than the section before the junction. The slope was milder and the views grander. Along the ridge, many pinnacles and minor peaks stuck out prominently along the trail. The trail passed near many of these pinnacles, occasionally looking out a window between two pinnacles to the east down to Lone Pine.

After several hours of climbing, I finally reached the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the lower 48 states, at around 9am. Overall, the ascent of Whitney was the easiest of any 14er I had done, probably in large part because I was way more fit than I was when attempting the Colorado 14ers as a kid. While I had missed the summit sunrise, the view from the top of Whitney was still breathtaking. The scenery in every direction was surreal. To the east, the desert-like Owens Valley stretched over 10,000’ below. To the south, the Whitney ridge stretched along to Mt. Langley, another 14er. To the north, many 14ers were visible, including Mt. Russell, Mt. Tyndall, and Mt. Williamson in the close distance, and the Palisade Crest (including Thunderbolt Peak, Starlight Peak, North Palisade, Polemonium Peak, Mt. Sill, Middle Palisade, and Split Mountain). Overall, 14 of California’s 15 14ers could be seen from this one point!

The shelter on top of Mt. Whitney is also pretty interesting. Called the Smithsonian Institution Shelter, it used to be the location of an observatory, but now serves as an emergency shelter. Though I imagine it gets very cold on top of Mt. Whitney at night, so I wouldn’t want to stay in the shelter myself unless absolutely necessary.

After spending about 45 minutes on the summit taking in the magnificent vistas and taking some pictures, I started to head back down. Along the way, I attempted to climb the Class 3 Mt. Muir, also a 14er. Mt. Muir is actually just the largest of the spires along Mt. Whitney’s ridge, though it just barely has enough prominence to classify as a ranked 14er. The route to Mt. Muir is a simple climb up the steep gravel slope from the Whitney Trail, followed by a Class 3 section up the summit block to the top. I climbed the gravel slope easily enough, however upon seeing the summit block I decided that the route was too exposed and technical for me to feel comfortable attempting by myself, so I headed back down to the Whitney Trail. Maybe next time I will bring a friend along and we will try this side adventure again!

After getting back to the trail junction, I packed my bear can back in my backpack and prepared for the long 9-mile, 6000’ descent back to Whitney Portal. The descent from Trail Crest was not that steep at any place, but it was very long and tedious. Lots of rocky section ended up causing my feet to hurt a lot by the end. However, the views down the Lone Pine Creek valley were stunning, with some of the best examples of granite gorges and waterfalls on the entire trip. By the time I got to the bottom, though, I was exhausted and ready to get back to Lone Pine for a nice hot meal and a shower.

Despite my exhaustion and pain in my feet, during the drive back to Lone Pine, I couldn’t help but smile about how amazing the entire JMT was and how grateful I was to be able to get away from the city and experience this vast wilderness in an intimate way. As with all my trips, I came away from the JMT rejuvenated, awe-inspired, and ready for my next sojourn into the backcountry!