John Muir Trail Itinerary

I have the ambitious idea to finish the John Muir Trail in 12 days. Most hikers take 18-21 days to finish the trail, but I was only able to get 2 weeks off of work. For the 211 mile trail I will need to average 17.5 miles a day. I know it sounds like a lot but if I start hiking early in the day I should give myself enough time to make my miles while keeping a good pace.

I have used data from various resources to find great campsites at each of my "Ending Locations". I tried my best to only pick campsites that had a description that included "great views" or "incredible views". If I am only going to be out there for 12 days, I want every campsite to be memorable.

Here is my itinerary for my hike on the JMT:

Day	Date	Starting Location	Ending Location	Daily Miles	Total Miles
1	8/31/2014	Happy Isles Trailhead (Yosemite)	Upper Cathedral Lake	17	17
2	9/1/2014	Upper Cathedral Lake	Lyell Canyon	15	32
3	9/2/2014	Lyell Canyon	Rosalie Lake	15.5	47.5
4	9/3/2014	Rosalie Lake	Duck Creek	22.6	70.1
5	9/4/2014	Duck Creek	Vermillion Valley Resort	17.5	87.6
6	9/5/2014	Vermillion Valley Resort	Heart Lake	14.5	102.1
7	9/6/2014	Heart Lake	McClure Meadow	16	118.1
8	9/7/2014	McClure Meadow	Grouse Meadows	20.1	138.2
9	9/8/2014	Grouse Meadows	Upper Basin	18.7	156.9
10	9/9/2014	Upper Basin	Rae Lakes	15.1	172
11	9/10/2014	Rae Lakes	Bighorn Plateau	21.8	193.8
12	9/11/2014	Bighorn Plateau	Guitar Lake	9.5	203.3
13	9/12/2014	Guitar Lake	Mt. Whitney Summit	7.7	211

Here are some images of where I'll be campaign on the trail. I think it is pretty cool to note the different terrain and landscape that the trail crosses.

Upper Cathedral Lake	Lyell Canyon
McClure Meadow	Rae Lakes
Bighorn Plataeu	Guitar Lake

Food List: John Muir Trail Thru-Hike

Food is what worries me the most about this hike. Most of my main meals will have to be dehydrated meals, which doesn't sound to appetizing. I figured I will only have dehydrated meals for breakfast and dinner to start and end my days with a lot of calories. These meals are great because they provide a ton of calories that I will need and all they needs are a couple cups of boiling water to make. I tried the Chili Mac with Beef and it was actually pretty good! For lunches I will be just constantly snacking on a few items. 

Breakfast:

Backpackers Pantry: Bananas and Granola with Milk

Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal

Nestle Breakfast Essentials

Starbucks Via packets

Lunch:

Tortillas with Peanut Butter 

Banana Chips

Beef Jerky

Trail Mix

Ritz Crackers with Cheese Slices

Cliff Bars

Pop Tarts

Gu Energy 

Jelly Belly Energy Beans

Dinner:

Mountain House Mexican Rice with Chicken

Mountain House Beef Stroganoff 

Mountain House Jamaican Jerk Rice with Chicken

Loaded Instant Potatoes (side item)

Fully Cooked Bacon (side item)

Dessert:

Sour Gummi Worms

What you see above is just for my first 3 days on the trail. I will then pick up my resupply package at Red's Meadow Resort. My resupply will contain another 3 days worth of food. After that, I have another resupply waiting for me at the Muir Trail Ranch, and that will contain 6 days of food (That pack will be HEAVY!!). I have repackaged post of the items into small Ziploc bags to save on space and weight. I hope I packed enough!

Resupply Buckets for Red's Meadow and Muir Trail Ranch.

Gear List: John Muir Trail Thru-Hike

Over the past 9 months or so I have been reading up on blogs and other online resources to see what kind of gear I will need for my hike. I literally had zero campamping equipment as of last November. After reading up on equipment, I decided to start making some purchases. What you see below is what I will be using for my hike on the JMT. 

Note, that many backpackers these days like to go "ultralight" and carry as little extra weight as possible. While this is a great tactic, it sometimes is not practical. I want to enjoy my time on the trail and have certain items. I have remained weight conscious but will not sacrifice items that I want to save a couple of ounces. 

Gear:

Osprey Exos 58 Pack

Marmot Trestles 30 Sleeping Bag

Marmot Limelight 2 person Tent

Alps Mountaineering Sleeping pad

Osprey 2.5 Litre H2O Reservoir

Black Diamond Trekking Poles

Osprey Pack Raincover

Alcohol Stove Kit (In Green Stuff sack)

Clothes:

Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover

Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants

Merrell Ventilator Boots

Eddie Bauer Quarter Zip Pullover

Marmot Shell Rain Jacket

Marmot Beanie

North Face Gloves

DriFit Shorts (Camp clothes)

Cotton Thermal Long Sleeve (Camp clothes)

North Face Long Underwear

Compression shorts.

Bandana.

And yes, this will on fit in that backpack with my food!

My First Hike - The John Muir Trail

What is the John Muir Trail?

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a 221 mile trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite,Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The trail begins Southbound from the Happy Isles Trail head in Yosemite National Park and ends at the summit of Mount Whitney. The JMT is a section of the Pacific Crest Trail that spans from Canada to Mexico.

Why did I pick the JMT?

The JMT to me seem to have so much history. After reading up on John Muir himself, he gave a lot of his life to preserving these lands, and that in itself if very inspiring. The JMT is also one of the most beautiful trails in the country and also would be a great challenge for me to accomplish. 

How long will hiking the JMT take?

I plan on hiking the 221 mile trail in 13 days. Most hikers take three weeks to complete the trail but I was only able to free up 2 weeks to get it done. I will be starting my hike on August 29th, 2014.

Welcome to Peaks and Passes!

Man-made creations are great but what about the creations that were formed naturally?

We rarely get to experience these creations and yet they are all around us, and very easy to access. This site is about exploring America's great wilderness and see what it really has to offer. Yes, a skyscraper is a very impression piece of architecture. But what about mountains, peaks and passes? (See what I did there?). 

I find in this day in age that we are too ingrained in our concrete jungles. That we use the landscape around us rather than become immersed in it. It's time to get back to our roots and not only learn more about the world, but about ourselves. 

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” - John Muir

My name is Patrick Zilch and I am slowing becoming and outdoors-man. I currently work in digital advertising in my hometown of Cincinnati, OH. The reason I want to go out and explore nature is to rid myself of the consumerist culture that has defined us as Americans. We spend loads of money to go on vacations, only to spend more money once we get there to enjoy ourselves. I wanted to find somewhere that wouldn't ask anything of me once I arrive. The answer is nature. Nature will ask nothing of me but time, and will give me more than I can ask for. 

Throughout these journeys I will be documenting it all here in this blog. I invite all of you to subscribe and learn a bit more about the great places our country has to offer. I will also be covering a lot of hiking techniques and ways to make your time in the wilderness more enjoyable. 

Happy reading!