Most years we don’t hit the Sierra for a backpacking trip until July, but the changing climate means the summer backpacking season too is changing. With this year’s low snow and the likelihood of wildfires growing with each passing week, we decided we would head out for a short, last-minute trip to scratch the wanderlust itch we were left with after an off-the-beaten-path trip to Grand Canyon last month. We did some research on Sierra trails that are suitable for early season exploration and settled on this one. We hiked it June 10-12, and while we had traveled the middle portion of this route when we did the John Muir trail back in 2015, the beginning and end portions were new and intriguing to us.

Around Thanksgiving 2014 Edith + Jolly's friends, Kelley and Peter, casually threw out an idea: to hike the John Muir Trail. The JMT travels 220 miles through some of the most rugged and stunning mountain scenery in the world, gaining and losing some 50,000 feet of elevation from iconic Yosemite Valley to the top of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous US (see previous Hooves on the Ground posts about exploring the Yosemite high country and Mt. Whitney). The JMT shares most of its route with the Pacific Crest Trail and is widely considered to be the most demanding and scenic portion of that much longer trail.

E+J were more than intrigued: they were up for the challenge. Months of preparation ensued. Permits were secured. Books were read. Maps were studied. The vast resources of the interweb were consulted. Gear was upgraded. Calories were counted. Resupply packages were assembled. Routes were planned. Bodies were trained. Minds were prepared.

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