Options for Summer 2013

There are three routes I've been scoping out recently to hike this summer.  Since I've already hiked the 211 mile John Muir Trail a couple of times, I want to add another segment that I haven't done before.  There is an interesting, 154 mile hike called the Big SEKI Loop (SEKI is the government acronym for Sequoia-Kings Canyon [National Parks]).  This route was linked to a John Muir Trail group forum on the Internet, and it was suggested as a possible alternative or addition to the JMT:

Big SEKI Loop

It looks really cool, as there are portions that I've never hiked before, and I'd like to tinker with more trail that connects through it.  I have also read about experiences on the same John Muir Trail forum about combining the JMT and Tahoe Rim Trail.  The Tahoe Rim Trail is 165 miles long and is part of the much larger 2,663 mile Pacific Crest Trail, which extends from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, spanning California, Oregon and Washington state.  I think combining these two would be an awesome, extremely adventurous 376 mile experience.

Tahoe Rim Trail

The third option and the one I'm most leaning toward is combining the JMT and the 49 mile long High Sierra Trail.  I think it would be fun to hike the John Muir Trail southbound, rest and replenish in Lone Pine (near the JMT's southern exit, Whitney Portal) for a couple of days, then head west toward Lodgepole in Sequoia National Park.  I've hiked portions of the High Sierra Trail, and it would be nice to complete it this summer.

High Sierra Trail

I am taking more precautions this summer in order to prevent injuries, and foremost among them is reducing overall pack weight.  I always experiment with different types of equipment in order to reduce weight, minimize the amount of items I bring, save room, improve weight distribution, and the like, and this summer I think I'm going to experiment with taking only a backpacking tarp for shelter.  Another major experiment I'm considering is not bringing a stove and fuel canisters.  I've read about an extreme minimalist who pours water into his dehydrated dinner packets in the morning and fastens it to the top of his backpack with foil under it to reflect the sun all day, and in the evening, when it's nice and hot, he'll eat it.  I think that would be very interesting to try.

Busted Knee and Busted Hike

     This past summer, I enjoyed my second attempt at through hiking the John Muir Trail.  I was able to complete it, but not in one outing, known, as mentioned above, as a through hike, or more commonly among backpackers spelled "thru-hike."  True to form, I got injured again, about half way through the 211 mile trail.  About noonish, I was crossing a shallow but very slick creek with large, smooth rocks covered in algae.  I was about a third of the way across when I slipped, and I reflexively shot my right leg out to prevent myself from falling, but I over-compensated and my knee locked very awkwardly.  It was no doubt due to the weight of my backpack, which was about 65 pounds, but I was able to stay on my feet and gradually walk off the funny feeling (not really pain) on the other side of the creek.

     I felt nothing after I got back up to a steady pace, but later that evening it started aching, but it wasn't significant enough to stop for.  The pain subsided that night and I woke up good to go, but this time the pain returned earlier than it did the previous evening, so I reluctantly took a couple Ibuprofen tablets and rested a bit.  It worked, but by the late evening it was pretty much throbbing, so I stopped and camped earlier than usual.  On the third day, I hadn't hiked more than a half hour before it started hurting again, and I tried to ignore it until I became a gimp, then began popping Ibuprofen every couple hours, which was becoming less and less effective.  Wanting to prevent long-term damage, I decided to hike out the nearest exit, rest and recover, and pick up where I left off near the end of summer.

     I did just that, and here are some cool pictures I snapped on those adventures.