A while back Sharon and I watched a documentary titled, “Mile – Mile and a Half“. A handful of artsy-fartsy friends gather to through hike the 210 mile length of the John Muir Trail. I ended up not caring much for the folks in the film. But after seeing the amazing scenery, my thought was “Wow!That is definitely on the list!!”
Fast forward a year…an email arrives. Steve Randazzo and Michele Boyer have gotten a permit and are planning on hiking roughly half of the JMT. Would we be interested in joining them? Short answer – yes!!! The long answer was a bit more involved. For a group hike with folks of varying fitness levels and different ideas of “fun” – Steve’s itinerary was deemed to be a bit…aggressive. Steve and Michele planned to use ultralightweight gear made of pixie dust, unicorn blood and baby seal tears, thus enabling them to log major miles every day, with no rest/weather days planned. Steve claims not to be German, but the plan seemed crafted in the finest Teutonic fashion. “Vee hike NOW!Macht Schnell!” This led to an endless series of emails with folks debating distances, different starting/stopping points, people dropping out, agreeing to go, deciding not to, etc. Eventually we managed to agree on a slightly modified version of Steve’s original plan and from that point on the discussion was all about gear, food, logistics…the fun stuff.
Fast forward to Friday, August 19th. Dan Boss Backer, Steve, Michele, Phil Petersen (of Green Bay fame) and I made the long, long, drive from Flagstaff to Mammoth Lakes. We took one short detour (and wild death ride – thanks Steve) to South Lake outside Bishop to leave a vehicle for the end of our trip. A short time later we were in Mammoth Lake with our permit in hand. Next morning, there we were at Red’s Meadow, all showery fresh smiles and delirious optimism, ready to take on the JMT.
Michele, Steve, Dan Boss, Dave, PhilA short distance from Red’s Meadow, we crossed the JMT. Due to permit issues, we had to take the Fish Creek Trail for the first day and a half. Our goal for the first night was the Iva Belle hot springs.
As I prepared for this trip, I purposely did NOT read the countless blogs that gave mile by mile descriptions of the trail, complete with beautifully composed photographs. I wanted (as much as possible) to “discover” the trail all by myself and leave open the possibility of being surprised by what I found. With that in mind, I’d like to offer a slightly different travelogue. We started at Red’s Meadow. Nine days later we came out over Bishop Pass and ended at South Lake. I’d like to simply share a few highlights of the area between those two points…broken down by campsites, high lakes, rivers and memorable moments. Hopefully you’ll like what you see enough to want to explore it for yourself.
Campsites: Pulling into camp was one of the highlights each day – in part because almost all the sites offered amazing views – in part because we were glad to be done so we could relax – and in part so we could relax, chat, eat and get supine.
Camp 1: The joys of supinity at Iva Belle. Michele and Steve relaxed while Dan, Phil and I explored the hot springs.
Camp 1: With a threat of rain, this was the only night I put up the new KB tarp tent
Camp 2: Squaw Lake a bit shy of Silver Pass
Camp 2: Beautiful weather and a beautiful sunset
Camp 2: Camp chairs may have seemed like unnecessary weight for folks trying to go lightweight. It felt soooo good to relax in a chair each night. Dan and Phil used the REI branded Helinox. I had a Crazy Creek which provided additional padding under my sleeping bag.
Camp 3: An amazing late day find a few miles southeast of Lake Thomas Edison at approximately 9,300′
Camp 3: Six of the eight nights I slept under the stars…with amazing views.
Camp 3: Chillaxin’ … journaling…waiting along with the others for the Orb of Death to warm things up before starting the day. Doesn’t get much better than this.
Camp 3: This was such a glorious spot, especially with the early morning sun, no one was in any hurry to hit the trail. This was also where we earned the name “Team Yard Sale”
Camp 4: Marie Lake after a shorter day.
Camp 4: Marie Lake…elevation 10,571′
Camp 4: Leaving camp. In the background the peak I tried to climb the day before. Got driven off close to the summit by a thunderstorm
Camp 6: Paiute Creek in Kings Canyon.
Camp 5: Paiute Creek. Finished early and were able to bathe, wash, lounge and explore. Good day.
Camp 6: Evolution Lake. Weather continued to cooperate, so another beautiful night under the stars.
Camp 6: Dan and Phil’s views didn’t suck. (would have been nicer without a tent…just saying!)
Camp 6: Team Yard Sale hard at work relaxing.
Camp 7: The calm after the storm. Tents pitched in record time just as a massive thunderstorm hit.
Camp 7: Tough guy Dan checking the frosty morning conditions in his shorts…of course. The guys were nice enough to allow me to join them and not have to pitch the tarp tent. Pretty limited space for another tent.
Camp 8: Last night contemplation in the “Land of the Lost”
Camp 8: Dan and Phil with our new friend Jerry from Houston. Nice guy that we picked up at Evolution Lake.
Camp 8
Rivers and Lakes: If you’re in the Sierra Nevada mountains, it is kind of obvious that mountains would be the main scenic feature. They certainly did not disappoint. On our trip along the JMT though, it was water in all its glorious forms…waterfalls, streams, ponds, hot springs, marshes, high alpine lakes, even rain and rainbows that made it such a magical place.
“after ten years of wandering and wondering in the heart of it, rejoicing in its glorious floods of light, the white beams of the morning streaming through the passes, the noonday radiance on the crystal rocks, the flush of the alpenglow, and the irised spray of countless waterfalls, it still seems above all others the Range of Light.” John Muir
“Another glorious Sierra day in which one seems to be dissolved and absorbed and sent pulsing onward we know not where. Life seems neither long nor short, and we take no more heed to save time or make haste than do the trees and stars. This is true freedom, a good practical sort of immortality.” John Muir
Nothing quite so fine as relaxing next to a rushing stream
Never has a stream so cried out for someone to walk barefoot in its flow…
Phil on the JMT…not looking for his car I might add.
Memorable Moments: With the passage of time, memories of a good trip merge together like the seasoning of a fine meal. All the individual ingredients no longer stand alone in sharp relief, but meld to create a warm glow or a pleasant sensation when brought to mind. Pictures and journals help to capture some of the individual memories that make a trip special. Here are a few!
Trail names seemed a natural part of the hike…
“Razor” …really Dan???
“FloJo”…rocking yet another portion of the JMT
“White Stallion” trying to impress FloJo by flexing his thighs…
“Kilt Lifter” demonstrating proper relaxation technique in the camouflage KB Extreme Rain Kilt 2.0
“Yard Sale” Petersen, so name for his somewhat relaxed gear storage technique. Team Mascot
Blister abatement on FloJo’s feet was a constant and (mostly losing) battle. In spite of it all, Michele was an amazing trooper.
Our one bear encounter. The bear never even acknowledged our existence. Had someplace to be …apparently.
An entire herd of pack horses got out of their enclosure and decided to go for a walk…up and over a pass…some ten miles from home. We met their handlers later in the day trying to catch up to them.
The gang (with our new friend Jerry) at Bishop Pass – everything was downhill after this.
Bittersweet. I always hate the end of a trip. Well done Team Yard Sale
“Nevermore, however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessings of one mountain day; whatever his fate, long life, short life, stormy or calm, he is rich forever.” John Muir
It is 2023. I wonder what those streams look like these days? Also I still remember how pissed those handlers were at those horses. They were tromping down the trail with fire in their eye’s
It is 2023. I wonder what those streams look like these days? Also I still remember how pissed those handlers were at those horses. They were tromping down the trail with fire in their eye’s
Looks like everyone had a truly wonderful time!
Indeed we did