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.
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.
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.
I think you have some interesting ideas Illya, and I enjoyed the initial planning stages you’ve taken when referring to your hike. The planning eases my mind, because, for some reason, I had the notion that you just went for these extremely difficult hikes without going through a thorough preparatory stage. Also, I have to say good luck on the pacific coast trail; that’s quite an adventure.
ReplyDeleteI like that you broke it up into three parts; one for each trail. You should definitely go more into specifics about the equipment you'll need. It'll give the reader some insight to your blog, as well as useful information if they ever decide to take up hiking. Have you ever climbed Half Dome? It seems like you would have. If you have, you should definitely write a blog about that! Maybe also go into details as to why you're leading more toward the second trail mentioned. As always, good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post this week for a few reasons. I like that you are detailed and plan these out. I tend to do things like this without planning ahead and something always goes wrong. Very, very smart of you to keep all details under consideration! I also like that you pay attention to other people's hiking experiences as well and you know what types of things the "minimalist" does to keep packing light. It seems like you have much dedication and devotion to hiking and I enjoy keeping up with your experiences. Very interesting!
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