Blogs, second stage: from Timberline to JMT

Well, okay… I kind of failed at my first attempt at blogging about a multi-day hike. When I first signed up for The Trek last year, I had aspirations of blogging about my solo hike on the Timberline Trail every day, as well as some of my other backpacking trips I completed over the summer. I wrote a few posts, but not as many as I would have liked. I couldn’t write about how I slid down a hillside like a gymnast on the splits, or how I scared away a large unidentified creature in the middle of the night by violently shaking the lining of my trash bag inside my tent. No, I didn’t write about how I climbed a rope down a crumbling rocky, glacial slope, then crossed a fast-flowing river with a Garmin satellite device clipped to my sports bra, just in case.

Well, lucky for you, I’m back this year to redeem myself.

This year, I am trying to “fastpack” (a combination of trail running and ultralight backpacking) the John Muir Trail (Nüümü Poyo) in 10 days. For those who don’t know the JMT statistics, this trail extends from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States, at 14,505 feet above sea level. The trail traverses some of the most beautiful and spectacular terrain in the world, 211 miles through the Sierra Nevada mountain range, passing through Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks. Resupply options are challenging due to the remote location of this trail. Only accessible by foot, horse, or mule, the JMT takes you to the top of a dozen mountain passes and down to cross several rivers. In total, a hiker will ascend approximately 47,000 feet and descend approximately 38,000 feet. Most hikers take 2-3 weeks to complete this trail and some choose to stay longer. While my 10-day trip will be a personal challenge, it is by no means the fastest time known. Current “FKTs”, depending on direction and support level, are a staggering 2-4 days!

This won’t be the first time I’ve climbed the JMT. From June 2021 to September 2022, I completed the trail in sections, adding approximately 75 additional miles to access the trail this way. This time, I will travel north from one point to another. My boyfriend and daughter are meeting me at Reds Meadow for a stay at the cabins!

Trailhead in Happy Isles, Yosemite

I have plenty of reasons because I want to do this trail again with a backpack. Stay tuned for my next post… «Why the hell am I hiking the John Muir Trail…again?» Coming soon. Coming soon. Pinky promise.

On the JMT with a view of The Needles, Mount Whitney

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