Dale and I are preparing to hike the John Muir Trail in the California Sierra. It starts at Yosemite Valley, passes through Kings Canyon and Sequoia, and ends at the top of Mt. Whitney, 210 miles away. We will have to climb over several 11,000 and 12,000 foot passes on the way.
Dale left this morning in my van so he could pick up the Troverts (X and N) and their friend Dr. Suuz at LAX and then head on up to Mammoth Lake, where they will acclimate for three days. I will fly up to join them on Friday (yes, there is an airport at Mammoth Lakes), losing a couple of days of acclimatization to take care of some things here before I leave the low country. From Mammoth Lakes we will take a shuttle up to Yosemite on Saturday and start the hike on Sunday.
The JMT is not like the Appalachian Trail that Dale (Castaway) hiked last year. The AT passes through many towns along the way with lots of opportunity to resupply. The JMT is almost entirely in wilderness. We will be able to get supplies in Tuolumne Meadows, but otherwise we had to pack 3 boxes and send them ahead to be waiting for us at a couple of wilderness “ranches”. In one case we had to mail a box to a mule driver who will pack our supplies over a pass and meet us on the trail. I hope we both arrive on schedule.
The other main difference between the JMT and the AT (besides being less than 1/10 as long) is the high elevation. After the first day we will not drop below 8000 feet, while the AT peaks at 6600 feet and much of the way is below 3000 feet. That thin air takes a toll, especially in the first few days before your body gets used to it.