John Muir Trail Thru-hike 2002
I completed a North to South thru-hike of the John Muir Trail in 2002. Here is a trip report of my hike. John Muir Trail day 1 – 3 John Muir Trail day 4 John Muir Trail day 5 John Muir Trail day 6 John Muir Trail day 7
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Backpacking | Gear | Hiking | John Muir Trail 2002 | Places
JMT Epilogue
Reflecting on a trip twenty years ago, the author shares insights on what they would alter, such as hiking later into the day to utilize camping spots better, and creating a detailed pre-trip spreadsheet for trails and sites. They also describe an effective, though simplistic, food routine involving freeze-dried meals and powdered milk that fulfilled their needs well. However, the author notes excessive packing of heavy clothing and inefficiencies in water storage, suggesting modern packs with built-in hydration systems as an upgrade.
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JMT Day 21
September 9, 2002 31º-51º @UTY <- previous day | epilogue -> I was up early; and except for the water bottle in my bag still had to deal with some freezing. And since I had pretty much used up all the food, breakfast was a bit skimpy. But I anticipated the pizza slices at the store at…
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JMT Day 20
<- previous day | following day -> September 8, 2002 26º-52º @UTY A cold morning greeted us. The only time on the trip, in fact, that my feet were cold. So cold that it took about twenty minutes of hiking to thaw them out. It didn’t take much motivation to get us going, since we knew we…
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JMT Day 19
<- previous day | following day -> September 7, 2002 28º-43º @BSH The clouds had broken up during the night, and the weather was clear and cold. My water bottles were frozen solid. And all of our gear not under the tarp had a heavy layer of frost on it. We spread it out to catch the…
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JMT Day 18
<- previous day | following day -> September 6, 2002 31º-41º @BSH Up by 8:00, we circled around the very long, and very popular Rae’s Lakes, where there is a Ranger station and a few bear boxes. After passing those, the trail immediately ascends to Glen Pass. We reached Glen Pass (11,978′) by 11:00 or even earlier….
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JMT Day 17
<- previous day | following day -> September 5, 2002 38º-48º @BSH In the morning, we were both freezing. Fixing breakfast and breaking camp, packing our packs, filtering water, were not easy tasks as my hands were frozen. Got out of there by 8:15. Made it to Pinchot Pass (12,130′) by 10:00. Saw Tim and Cheryl there,…
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JMT Day 16
<- previous day | following day -> September 4, 2002 40º-50º @BSH I wasn’t even able to make travel notes this day because for the first time on the trip the weather became a major factor. We left camp 15 at 7:45, and I had noticed a lot of clouds at dawn. Rather unusual, as I had…
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JMT Day 15
<- previous day | following day -> September 3, 2002 42º-56º @BSH Awoke early to get down to the trail junction early, where the escort was to begin. We saw smoke when we got up, and we passed a campsite of NPS fire workers on the way. They told us they’d meet us at the junction. Took…
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JMT Day 14
<- previous day | following day -> September 2, 2002 41º-59º @BSH We left Evolution Lake at 8:00, and made our way up around it, Sapphire Lake and Wanda Lake (named after one of Darwin’s daughters). I thought to myself there was indeed camping available at these spots, and perhaps we could have gone further the day before,…
