Well, thanks very much, Celia. Please get in touch anytime I can help you out.

Hi Chris,

Yes, I can give you a personalized trip plan. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your trip. I’ll also email you separately. Thanks for reaching out.

I am looking for a 50-75 mile 5-7 day hike to do this summer second week of June.
Part of jmt.
Happy to pay for your knowledge and planning help

Hi Angel,

This article doesn’t provide a specific itinerary but that’s part what I offer with my my Custom Trip Planning page for the JMT and other trips. Get in touch with me if that interests you. Thanks and good luck.

That’s absolutely true, John, and I hope (and believe) this story conveys the extreme difficulty of this very aggressive itinerary. Even a 15-day itinerary, averaging nearly 15 miles per day, requires proper training and planning, especially keeping your pack as light as possible. See my story “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.”

Thanks for the nice compliments, Steve. I’ve actually written a blog post suggesting gear for the JMT: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-what-gear-do-you-suggest-for-thru-hiking-the-john-muir-trail/. However, that was last year, and of course, there’s new gear out every year. I may update that post eventually, but I suggest you scroll down my Gear Reviews page for links to categories of gear reviews: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-reviews/. And take a look at my tips on ultralight backpacking: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/the-simple-equation-of-ultralight-backpacking-less-weight-more-fun/.

It’s a big trip for you, but I hope you get to thru-hike the John Muir Trail. Make it happen!

Hi Joe, I had used a GoLite ultralight pack on my JMT thru-hike, but GoLite is no longer around. I have not used a Zpacks. In my experience, though, the most ultralight packs, which have essentially no suspension, are only comfortable if you’re keeping total weight under 20 pounds, which requires very judicious packing, especially given how much food you have to carry on the JMT. I like the Osprey Exos packs because they offer enough support for at least 25 pounds, but are still quite lightweight. My review: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-osprey-exos-58-backpack/.

Good luck with your hike.

Good luck. Once you’ve dealt with the permit headaches and have all of the logistics planned out, it’s a great trip.

I was contemplating the approach of trying to get a permit out of Lyell Canyon and doing a dayhike from HI to Tuolumne Meadow. I was wondering, because I believe you did this part without much gear?, would it be allowed to do this with all our gear? I feel like if a ranger saw us it would be hard to convince them we were indeed hiking to Tuolumne with full packs.

I’m also debating if we did this to request a late permit pickup so that we could get the permit and then hike some more or camp at the Tuolumne Meadow’s campground and get the permit the next day.

I’d appreciate any advice on this!

That’s a reasonable goal if you start early and maintain a strong pace. Have fun.

From the north/Tuolumne, Sunrise Lakes to Forsyth Trail looks to be a couple miles shorter than taking the connecting trail off the JMT farther south; and hiking the Forsyth up Clouds Rest is way cool, anyway. That’s a big day, you may need to leave Tuolumne well before lunch to reach Happy Isles by 5. Enjoy, Clouds Rest is quite amazing.

Hi Rich, please explain your question: What do you mean by which route?

Sounds smart. The other key point about tent vs. tarp is that if it’s raining a lot, with a tarp, you’re lying down on wet ground, meaning you’d at least want some ground cloth. Then you’re pushing up toward the weight of an ultralight tent, anyway.

Hi Rich, Your gear and clothing list is very close to what I would use on a late-summer JMT thru-hike. Your choice of lighter or heavier Capilene and Under Armour tops and bottoms depends on how warm or cold you get as well as the long-term forecast at your trip’s outset–it could be lows 40s at night or high 20s. If you decide on the heavier bottoms, I would consider whether it makes sense to just trade out those and your shorts for zip-off pants. I’ve heard from other JMT hikers this summer that they’ve been getting wet. An 8×10 tarp can be rigged to keep the rain off you and your gear, though you may need to seek campsites that are protected from wind if it’s really stormy; but short of getting in some practice with pitching the tarp before your trip, you might be happier with a tent, especially on a two-week trip. Good luck, be safe, and have fun.

Thanks
Richard

Hi Rich, we averaged around 2.5 mph (as you may, it sounds like) and hiked 12 or more hours a day. Yes, there are a number of passes between 11,000 and over 13,000 feet. Hiking north to south gives you a little more time to acclimate before hitting the highest passes. Have a great trip.

Hey Michael, the two experiences you refer to may simply be short-term anomalies, although it would also appear that weather in many areas, including the three West Coast states, has not been following historical norms in recent years.

Hi Rich, thanks for reading my blog and congrats on your upcoming JMT hike. September’s a good time. I’ve almost always used a tarp in the Sierra because I go in late summer, post-mosquitoes. I’d check the forecast, make sure there’s no huge storm coming in. You might find this blog post helpful (even though it refers to August instead of September, much of it is relevant to you): https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-what-clothing-do-you-recommend-for-august-in-the-high-sierra/

Hi Brooke, thanks for the nice comment. Good luck realizing your goal of hiking the entire JMT. I have not yet backpacked the Goat Rocks area, though it’s on my list to do.