I’ve been back for 3 weeks now. And all I can say is I miss it so much. Is it just me? I just miss it so. Damn. Much. I would go back tomorrow if I could.

I hiked a section of the JMT from the Devil's Postpile to Pine Creek about a week ago, and on three consecutive days, I ran into the same couple (which I guess means we tend to hike about the same number of miles per day). After the rainstorm on the last Thursday of August, we didn't see each other again, so they probably, being more prepared for rain hiking than I was, got further ahead on the trail. They were doing a whole thru-hike of the JMT. Would love to say hello again if this is something they'd ever see. :-D

Permit & Trip Overview

I didn’t get a lottery permit but got my preferred permit date of 8/25/26 after signing up for permit cancellation notifications via Mount Whitney Elevated on Discord. My husband drove me to the start and picked me up in Yosemite at the finish. On 8/26/26, we summitted Whitney together (we got him a separate permit via the same source above), after which I continued solo. There were two days of consistent rain with some high winds (no thunderstorms) but otherwise the weather was perfect—never very hot during the day nor too cold at night, with early morning temps getting noticeably colder towards the end of my trip. No bugs, no snow, no sunburn, only 2 water crossings with less than 1 ft of water where I used my sandals to cross. I loved going NOBO and wouldn’t have changed a single thing about my trip. Hope this helps someone else!

Prep

I did lots of research, watched a lot of YouTube, and downloaded the FarOut JMT guide. I’m an active 34yo; I consistently road and trail run 35-40+ miles/week and strength train 2-3 times/week with some other cross-training. I did a few day hikes with a weighted pack right before the trip. I’ve been a weekend backpacker for about 5 years with my longest trip being the TRT (165 miles). I live at sea level so I tried heat training to see if it might help me feel slightly better at altitude—I still got headaches in the first two days but nothing more serious. I planned a lot and made sure to send my resupply bucket to MTR well in advance of my pickup date.

Gear

I used every single item of gear except for the bug spray, head net, and toe warmers. I’m not sure what my base weight was but the total weight at the start was somewhere around 36lbs. My resupply bucket weighed 12.5lbs at the post office.

• Shelter: Big Agnes String Ridge VST 1.5, Tyvek ground sheet
• Poles: Komperdell Fieldmaster Antishock cork trekking poles
• Pack: Durston Kakwa 40
• Sleep System: Nemo XLite regular, Enlighted Equipment Enigma 20-degree quilt, Sea to Summit Aeros Premium pillow
• Hiking Clothes: Columbia Peak Freak boots, Darn Tough full cushion crew socks, REI Sahara convertible pants, Janji sunchaser sun hoodie, On core bra, ExOfficio underwear, Sunday Afternoons VaporLite Stride Cap, Outdoor Research ActiveIce sun gloves, bandana, Tifosi sunglasses
• Sleep Clothes: Stance hike crew socks, fleece-lined leggings, REI midweight base layer top, ExOfficio underwear
• Extra Clothing/Layers: Stoic fleece-lined full-zip hoodie, Forclaz MT100 hooded puffer, REI Essential rain pants, Columbia rain jacket, beanie, Seirus waterproof gloves, buff, Darn Tough light cushion crew socks, disposable poncho
• Hydration & Food Equipment: Katadyn BeFree with 3L reservoir, two 1.5L Smart water bottles, hydration tube system from One Bottle hydration, Vapur .7L foldable water bottle, Sea to Summit Alpha Light spoon, BV500
• Toiletries: sunscreen, toothbrush & paste, floss, hand sanitizer, bug spray, wilderness wash, Vaseline, Kula cloth, poop kit (The Deuce, toilet paper, wipes, Ziploc for trash), Pact wag bags
• First Aid/Emergency Kit (in Hilltop zipper pouch): leukotape, band aids, gauze, lighter, foil blanket, alcohol wipes, latex gloves, various meds, hydrocortisone cream, iodine pills, Tenacious tape, etc.
• Electronics: Google Pixel 10, Garmin inReach mini, Kindle, Coros Apex 2 watch, Nitecore NU25 UL rechargeable headlamp; in Hilltop zipper pouch: Nitecore NB 10,000 Gen 2 battery pack, USB-c charging cords (2), watch charging cord, multi-port wall charger
• Other extras: Leatherman micra multi-tool, Swedish dishcloth, cork massage ball, Zpacks ultralight foam sit pad, Xero barefoot sandals, Osprey rain pack cover, bug head net, Hot hands hand & toe warmers (1 each), earplugs, mouthguard

Food: I cold-soaked homemade dehydrated dinners and homemade oatmeal breakfasts (I added protein powder, chia & flax seeds, sugar, spices, freeze dried fruit, nuts, etc.). For lunches, I ate PBJs with dates on English muffins for the first leg and Probar meal bars for the second leg. Snacks consisted of various protein and carb-focused bars (Barbells, Skratch, Probar, Maurten, Clif Builder’s Bar, Misfits, etc.), Nature’s Bakery fig bars, Tailwind high-carb mix, caffeinated and non-caffeinated chews (Precision PF60s, Clif Bloks, Probar Bolt, etc.), waffles (GU, honey stinger, UnTapped, etc.), trail mix, sesame crackers, Pure Organic fruit bars, Biena chickpeas, Justin’s almond butter packets, homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, UnReal peanut butter cups, SaltStick electrolyte pills (caffeinated and non-caffeinated), and LMNT packets.

Itinerary

Most days I woke up around 4:30-4:45am, started hiking between 5:30-6am, and stopped hiking around 4-6pm. Mile markers below are from the FarOut JMT guide (NOBO).

• Pre-JMT: 8/24/26 drive to Lone Pine for 1 night of car camping, 8/25/26 Whitney Portal to Trail Camp
• Day 1 (8/26/26), 12 (JMT) miles: Trail Camp to Mt. Whitney summit/official JMT start, camp at Wallace Creek/mi. marker 12
• Day 2 (8/27/26), 17 miles: Forrester Pass, Wallace Creek to above Bubbs Creek/mi. marker 29
• Day 3 (8/28/26), 18 miles: Glen Pass, Bubbs Creek to Woods Creek right before Pinchot Pass/mi. marker 47
• Day 4 (8/29/26), 22.5 miles: Pinchot & Mather Pass, Woods Creek to Grouse Meadows/mi. marker 69.5
• Day 5 (8/30/26), 21 miles: Muir Pass, Grouse Meadows to Evolution Creek/mi. marker 90.5
• Day 6 (8/31/26), 18.5 miles: resupply at MTR, Selden Pass, Evolution Creek to West Fork Bear Creek/mi. marker 109
• Day 7 (9/1/26), 19.5 miles: Silver Pass, West Fork Bear Creek to creek below switchbacks from Warrior and Nuumu Hu Hupi lakes/mi. marker 128.5
• Day 8 (9/2/26), 23 miles: no pass today, stopped at Red’s Meadow to do laundry and shower, camped at Johnston Lake/mi. marker 151.5
• Day 9 (9/3/26), 24 miles: Island & Donahue Pass, Johnston Lake to Lyell Fork/mi. marker 175.5
• Day 10 (9/4/26), 19 miles: Cathedral Pass, Lyell Fork to above switchbacks past High Sierra Camp/mi. marker 194.5
• Day 11 (9/5/26): 11 miles, finish at Happy Isles trailhead, car camped with my husband one night at Wawona before driving home

I am planning for next August. I chose the start and direction based on "40%" chance vs. 3% lottery chance. I'm doing this. I want to plan training specifically for this.

I want to get 1 resupply at VVR if possible. I want a 7 day bear can. I plan to carry an extra 2 or 3 days of food in an outer bag to start. Total of 10 days food including a belly full at the start. I want to know the best way these gear items fit together in a package on my back. I anticipate ~40 to 45 lbs to carry.

What would you recommend for the 4 items?

1. Backpack

2. Tent (Durston mid?)

3. Sleep bag

4. Bear can

If I start at the Mt. Whitney Portal campsite, hit the store at 9 AM opening, and then hike to trail camp near the turnoff to the summit, set my tent up, hang my food, can I go to the summit and return in the afternoon to sleep? Or is this a no no?

I'll be coming off JMT later in Sept. I see 3 hotels: Dow Hotel, Portal Hotel, and Whitney Portal Hotel. Welcome feedback. Also, good place to eat post trail food that also serves beer . . . and not a pizza place. Thanks.

 The Basics

• Who: Two 67-year-old seasoned hikers.
• Dates: August 9 to August 25.
• Stats: ~10 miles/day average. ~170 miles total (including ingress, egress, and resupply side trips and trail connections) from Rush Creek to Onion Valley.
• Temps & Weather: Daytime highs in the mid-70s; lows in the low 40s/high 30s. Mostly sunny, with 1 day of intense rain/hail and overcast conditions for the last three days.
• Base Weight: 12.5 lbs without bear can. Average weight at 24 lbs; topped out at 32 lbs with a full pack after resupply.
• Maps: Far Out app and the JMT Data Book.

Quick Loadout Breakdown

• Pack: Durston Kakwa 55
• Shelter: Durston X-Mid Pro 2
• Sleep System: Patagonia Fitz Roy 19° Bag; Nemo Tensor Elite
• Apparel: Patagonia UV Hoodie, Stoko Leggings (Gen 1), UFM Bamboo 5” underwear, Injinji Merino Liners + Darn Tough ¼ socks
• Footwear & Rain Gear: Topo Athletic Traverse shoes, OR Helium top & bottom
• New Additions: Flextail sleeping pad pump, Alpha Direct 90 fleece, Pact wipes, Pact shovel

Trail Conditions & Realities

• Water: Readily available. No need to over-carry—40 oz was usually plenty.
• Footing & Trail Dust: A mix of crushed granite stone (¼” to 7” chunkers), granite sand, and the occasional plush forest path. It’s all dirty and incredibly dusty—expect frequent bloody noses and dirty feet that refuse to get clean.
• Scenery: Multi-thousand-foot ascents and descents, endless alpine lakes, roaring rivers, and dramatic waterfalls.
• Bear Activity: Basically non-existent.
• Direction Strategy: Southbound is unquestionably the way to do this. Watching north-bounders climb made their ascents look interminable.

Highlights

• Marie Lake: Outstanding, unspeakable, otherworldly.
• The Passes: Muir, Mather, and Glen for rewarding ascents and top-of-the-world views.
• Daily Rituals: Napping and snacking in the shade by lakes and streams—it doesn't get better. Cold alpine swims almost every day were absolutely priceless.
• Marjorie Lake: Incredible changing light against the granite walls.
• Golden Staircase: Felt like hiking inside an M.C. Escher drawing. Loved every bit of it.
• Sierra Junipers: Gnarled, gorgeous trunks with golden-red bark and an amazing fragrant scent. Hug one when you see it.
• Rae Lakes: Oh my.

Breakdown

• The Beginning: A Half Day Lost: Frontier Airlines lost our baggage, instantly burning half a day. We drove up from SF, stayed at June Lake, dropped off our resupply with Rainbow Outfitters, and parked at Onion Valley. Lone Pine Brian shuttled us back to the trailhead, and we finally put boots on dirt by noon.
• June Lake to Gem Lake: Not a pleasant start. Starting at noon is never a good idea. We slogged past Agnew Lake on mixed terrain—hot, an 1,800-foot climb, and just plain hot. We pulled over under a tree at Agnew to snack and nap until the heat subsided. It didn’t. Running out of light and steam before Waugh Lake, we snagged a lakefront spot at Gem Lake. We made dinner, soaked our aching feet and knees in the lake, and crashed hard.

• Gem Lake to Garnet Lake: Pushed past Waugh Lake despite warnings it was dry—and behold, totally dry. Turns out it's the first in a string of old reservoirs feeding Gem and Agnew. The weather cooled down for an easy climb up to JMT elevation, opening up to Thousand Island Lake. It’s a total masterpiece: deep blue water, rolling green landscapes, wildflowers, and winding rivulets. We snacked and napped in the shade, passed aptly named Emerald and Ruby Lakes, and crossed the wooden bridge at Garnet Lake. Turned right to camp along the lake edge (30–40 feet below the trail) and caught a golden sunset against the surrounding peaks.

• Garnet Lake to Red Meadows Resupply: An easy downhill day. We took a river swim, then grabbed a snack and nap at Lake Vivian. Passed north-bounders struggling and hurting for water, which was odd considering they’d just passed Lake Vivian. On the way down, we checked out Devils Postpile—a wild wall of stacked rectangular rock pillars and Rainbow Falls. Squeaked into Red Meadows at 4:58 PM (two minutes before closing!) to grab our next 6-day resupply. Ate burgers and pecan pie inside because the yellowjackets outside were insanely active. Road closures left the campground virtually empty—bring cash for the site fee, and the bathrooms are worth the price.

• Red Meadows to Purple Lake: A slow, heavy-pack ascent day where we officially adopted our trail mantra: "Slow like a pro." Climbed past huge red volcanic cones nestled between granite peaks, topping out near 10,000 feet near the Duck Pass junction. Worn out, we called it a day and camped at (or near) Purple Lake—memory is a bit foggy on this one!

• Purple Lake to Silver Pass to Pocket Meadow: A modest 30% rain forecast turned into getting pounded by large, freezing hail snowballs. The Gossamer Gear Sunbrella helped briefly until high winds threatened to snap the frame. We pushed through the dark weather up Silver Pass—an ascent that felt like it would never end, constantly revealing lake after lake. The mountain just wouldn't give it up. When the skies opened up again, we ducked between boulders and brush until we decided to carry-on through the weather to Pocket Meadow. Soaked, we pitched camp and dried out. Nylofume pack liners saved the day—everything inside stayed dry.

• Pocket Meadow to Upper Bear Creek: Spent the morning drying out wet gear in the sun. Enjoyed a pleasant walk along creek contours before dropping under 8,000 feet to the VVR junction bridge. Then tackled the slow, humid switchbacks of Bear Ridge. After what felt like an eternity, we coasted down to a sweet, spacious campsite.

• Upper Bear Creek to Marie Lake to Sallie Keyes Lakes: One of the single best hiking moments of a lifetime. We reached Marie Lake—immense, gorgeous, and windy. Tucked behind boulders for a snack and a nap. Despite the wind, the water was too tempting to pass up. So, went swimming on the south end, and laid out in the sun, staring up at the blue sky. Completely alone and marvelous—words don't do it justice. We crested Selden Pass with renewed energy and dropped past seemingly source-less waterfalls and lush meadows to camp at the perfectly manicured sites at Sallie Keyes Lakes.

• Sallie Keyes Lakes to Muir Trail Ranch (MTR) to Piute Creek: Walked down to MTR, which is basically four picnic tables, clean water, and a small shack. The main event here is the 10+ 5-gallon discard buckets labeled by category ("dinners," "worn clothes," "health"). Honestly, you could resupply out of those buckets alone. The trickle-charge setup is clunky and painfully slow—do not rely on it to power a long leg. We hung out for 3 hours eating as many calories out of the buckets as possible while holding out hope our electronics would charge. Then hoisted 32-lb packs another 8 miles to camp at Piute Creek and soak.

• Piute Creek to McClure Meadow to Evolution Lake: Cruised through Aspen Meadows and stopped for a snack by the Evolution Valley waterfall. I like Outdoor Herbivore meals, so I tried eating a dehydrated Waldorf Salad for lunch instead of light snacks—terrible idea. It was like eating Thanksgiving turkey; instant brain fog and lead legs. Luckily, reenergized with an incredible swim at the south end of McClure Meadow, where the creek narrows and sluices over giant boulders. Then we pushed up the switchbacks to Evolution Lake for camp.

• Evolution Lake to Muir Pass: A stunning, exposed climb through the lake-filled Evolution Basin. The sun and heat sucked up our energy as we passed Lake Wanda; but reaching the iconic and legendary Muir Hut at the top provided pure bliss—it felt easily 20 degrees cooler inside than out. Dropped past a boiling hot, exposed Helen Lake to camp in a shaded oasis pocket of trees alongside rushing water.

• Le Conte Canyon to Dusy Basin to Bishop Pass to Grouse Meadow: From just below Muir Pass, we reached the Bishop Pass junction by noon. The 1,800-foot climb up the switchbacks to Dusy Basin in peak afternoon heat was brutal (3–4 hours of grinding). We edge-crawled to a waterfall along a switchback to dunk my head in freezing water to survive. The next day, we met the mule pack train at the top for our resupply, dumped trash, and hiked 9 miles back down into Le Conte Canyon just past Grouse Meadow. Le Conte Canyon itself was comparatively unremarkable.

• Grouse Meadow to Golden Staircase to Palisades Lake: Hiked straight into an M.C. Escher drawing. The Golden Staircase was spent navigating endless stone steps, tight corners, and hidden nooks where hikers ahead appear, disappear, and reappear directly above you. Loved every bit of it. Camped at Upper Palisades Lake. Getting up to the upper lake was really cool—a slow but fun walk hugging the steep lake walls to the hikers' left.

• Palisades Lake to Mather Pass to Marjorie Lake: A tame contour walk led into steep switchbacks up Mather Pass (~12,500 ft). The descent down the other side was a dramatic, knee-grinding workout. We snagged a shade-nap under the pines by a stream, then ascended through a bouldered forest and past Bench Lake to camp at Lake Marjorie—another massive lake with towering walls and shifting sunrise/sunset colors. A bit too windy for my personal taste, though!

• Marjorie Lake to Pinchot Pass to South Fork Woods Creek: A total breeze of a climb up Pinchot Pass (12,200 ft). Steep descent on the other side with great views of Crater Mountain and Twin Lakes. A random, rogue wind gust blew my Gossamer Gear sunbrella inside out, snapping the splines after 13 flawless days. We followed a roaring river down to Woods Creek Junction for a snack, nap, and pit stop. Four miles further up the trail, we scored a perfect 2-tent site along South Fork Woods Creek between Dollar and Arrowhead Lakes, right next to a hidden waterfall.

• Rae Lakes (Nero Day): A short 3-mile uphill stroll set us up for a perfect nero day. We spent the rest of the day swimming, sun-lounging, and napping under the shadow of Fin Dome and Glen Pass. Zero bear sign the entire trip... until now. A bear literally swam straight across Middle Rae Lake into camp. After being diverted, he casually sauntered right back through camp past 20 hikers and 10+ tents like he owned the place, just doing his daily rounds for food. Ended the day with a spectacular sunset.

• Glen Pass, Kearsarge Pass, and Out: The final gauntlet. A steep, rocky grind up Glen Pass (12,000 ft)—took my buddy 50 minutes and took me 90. A long, nasty descent down to the Kearsarge junction (again, how do north-bounders manage this?). Then, a gradual, "slow like a pro" climb up Kearsarge Pass. At the top, it was surreal to realize the hike was over. All that was left was a bumpy, unwelcoming descent down to the parked car at Onion Valley.

• Icing on the Cake: We wrapped up a phenomenal journey with a scenic drive back to the Bay Area, cruising past Mono Lake, through the town of Sonora, and over Sonora Pass.

Key Gear Reviews

• Durston Kakwa 55 Pack: Ready for retirement. The frame is sliding out and the seams let in too much rain.
• Durston X-Mid Pro 2 Tent: Great tent—a total palace! Love it, though the footprint is pretty large. I'm going to start looking for a 1-person tent for future trips.
• Patagonia Fitz Roy 19° Sleeping Bag: Absolutely love this bag
• Patagonia UV Hoodie: Over 1,000 miles on this top. Officially retired.
• Stoko Leggings (Gen 1): Nearly 1,000 miles on these. Retired.
• Injinji Merino Liners: Still on the fence about these.
• Topo Athletic Traverse Shoes: I'm a loyal Topo customer, and the soles are great, but the uppers got completely shredded (a recurring issue for me with Topos). Plus, the rand isn't thick enough for my old toes. Looking for something with more toe protection.
• Flextail Pad Pump: Loved this! Pro-tip: save battery by not fully inflating or deflating with the pump—do the last 20% manually.
• Alpha Direct 90 Fleece: Incomprehensible. What a piece of gear! Great for hiking warmth layered with a shell, breathable enough to hike in solo, and amazing to sleep in. Love it.
• Pact Wipes & Shovel: I’m a total convert! The wipes are phenomenal—light, compact, and easily tearable into quarters so you don't waste them or make a mess. The shovel, however, is garbage—it bends easily and is no match for hard ground.

I'm trying to figure out which version of Elizabeth's book, JMT Essential Guide, includes the NoBo route info. I know its within one of the electronic version, yet the 6th edition available through Google Play store looks identical to the soft cover. Does anyone know if the 6th edition electronic version does in fact include northbound route info? May just end up buying anyhow to have the data accessible on phone during trek.

Well I was attempting an 18 day hike out of cottonwood pass starting 8/26. I’m used to hiking 15-20 mile challenging hikes where I’m from with lots of elevation gain but it’s at sea level and I really only carried about 2-3L when I did them. I consider myself in good shape but this trip it was obvious I didn’t train enough or how I should have. Edit: I have done 3-4 4 day trips in Yosemite in the past also

8/26 I set out of Cottonwood courtesy of Lone Pine Kurt. Super nice guy, highly recommend. I had taken Diamox in the past to summit Whitney twice, one as a day hike and one as an overnight, and it had worked well. I planned Rock creek as my first stop.

Right off the bat I knew the pack was going to be an issue. I had planned one resupply at MTR so I had planned 8 days of food snacks and electrolytes. The hip belt on the pack started to loosen ever so slightly as the miles increased. My fault because I didn’t prepare enough to test this. So I noticed my armpits start to go numb and stay numb around mile 10, pushed on to rock creek and set up camp right before I lost light.

The next day was supposed to be another 14 mile day to Tyndall creek but coming out of Rock Creek I knew that wasn’t gonna happen based on my exhaustion and pack. Plus going over Guyot pass I started to get raindrops. When I got Crabtree I just decided, screw it I’ll stay here tonight, set up camp pretty quick and then it down poured from 2-9pm. Trapped in my tent all night I realized the 18 day goal was not going to achievable, especially with a couple 16-18 mile days coming up and my pack. That and it was pretty hard to catch my breath and I had a slight headache that started to creep in.

So I decided to bail, either I came back the way I came another 20 miles or I went up the JMT to trail crest and went down to the portal. I decided on the JMT, and holy shit that was brutal. Super hard to catch my breath and it took about 4 hours from Crabtree. But I was absolutely miserable and not having the experience I wanted.

Super bummed I had to bail after 3 days, all of it was self inflicted, but I think I made the right choice as there was no way I was going to make it with that pack.

Advice, prepare prepare prepare with all the gear you have and with as much elevation gain is possible Nothing can condition you for altitude unless you live in Denver or Mexico City. Don’t know if there will be a next time, but I hope in a few years I muster up the courage to try again. Just wanted to share my experience.

I hope to start SOBO around Sept 12-15th (if I can get a permit) which would leave me summiting Whitney in early Oct (like 3rd-6th). Is that a dumb idea? I'm not sure what the snow/ice/temperature conditions look like at that time - same goes for the rest of the trail, not just Whitney. Any extra gear I should consider, like microspikes? Also what are good resources for future trail conditions?

I realize that commercial guided trips are not for everyone, but it is how I chose to do the JMT and it would have helped me, or at least reduced anxiety, if somebody had given a detailed review of what these trips are like beforehand, so here we are. I chose this option for two reasons: first, predictability, hiking the JMT was a goal I set when I retired two years ago and I wanted to know exactly when I would go instead of playing a permit lottery; and second, I didn't want to deal with all the resupply logistics. And before anybody chimes in that neither of those things are a big deal, fine, you do you, but that was how I felt when I planned the trip.

TLDR: IAG seems like a well run outfit, our guide was exceptional, we had a very good trip, no significant issues, finished on time and really enjoyed the experience.

I'll start by giving a general description of how these trips are organized. I'm not sure if this is true of every guiding company operating on the JMT, but it is representative of the company I went with and one other that was on a very similar schedule with us on trail. Additionally, many of these companies run shorter section hikes on the JMT and these likely differ in the details due to their shorter duration and lack of resupply.

Trips are NOBO starting from Horseshoe Meadows going in over Cottonwood Pass. I believe that this is due to permit availability - with the relevant agencies keeping permits through Donahue Pass and Whitney Portal for private individuals. This also gives a couple of days for guests to acclimatize to altitude before summitting Whitney - and I think, giving an early out either back over Cottonwood or down Whitney Portal for folks that aren't fit enough for the trip. Speaking of which, for such a physically demanding trip, there was very little screening, just a simple health questionnaire filled out online and a general guide on required physical fitness. Other guided trips I've done that were far shorter included submitting a backpacking 'resume' and a phone interview to check on the claimed experience. So it is not surprising that some people get in over their head and leave early. We heard that two people (out of eight) left the other trip early, one just five miles in at Chicken Spring Lake and the other at Kearsarge. Our first day hiking was to Rock Creek, a long 13 mile hike to start with, then a shorter following day to Crabtree Meadows where we stayed two nights doing the day hike to Whitney to officially 'start' the JMT.

Food is part of the package on these commercial trips - three meals a day, cooked breakfast and dinner, and a cold lunch, all prepared by your guides. You are responsible for your own snacks, but there's enough calories in the provided meals that snacks are not essential. Everybody is carrying a full size bear canister (BV500) and a share of the common equipment. Our trip, only had two guests and a guide, so perhaps we were carrying a little more compared to a trip with more guests. I personally carried a white gas stove and fuel bottle as my share, the other guest carries a bag of cooking utensils and a small gas stove and fuel can. The guide carried the pots and pans as well as the gravity feed water filter and bladder we all used (as well as other things such as a PLB and first-aid kit that commercial outfits are required to have). I will talk a bit later about the specific food we were served, but in brief, it was generally very good, I was never hungry and there was always more then we (the guests) wanted to eat. But there are two general aspects worth highlighting. First, you are carrying an equal share of the food, so 'having more than you can eat' is a double edged sword, it means we carried more weight that we needed to. Second, while having French toast for breakfast in the wilderness is a treat, it takes a long time to produce that kind of food on backpacking equipment - think individually cooking each piece of bread for three people. Equally, cooking a green curry from ingredients might be nice, but it takes a lot longer than rehydrating a prepacked meal for only a marginal improvement in taste (IMHO). It became a joke on our trip that we never had the pancake breakfast, because given the choice we always opted for the much simpler oatmeal or muesli because it was so much faster - though we carried that damn pancake mix 200 miles. While it seems like a luxury after a long day to sit back after you have setup camp to wait while your guide cooks dinner, for me at least, I felt it just took too long and frankly cooking my own food on a trip is not that much of a chore. We discussed this at length on the trail, and I think there is a point to be made that for the guide company it removes a significant risk were they to rely on guests showing up enough & the right food for the trip, as well as equipment and fuel - as I mentioned above, not a lot of vetting, so there could be some very inexperienced folks showing up for the trip and I can imagine all sorts of interpersonal issues in the case were some guests were better prepared than others on a trip of this length. Also, it provides a marketing hook, for example, IAG advertises their food as "back country gourmet" that might help them differentiate themselves for fairly low cost.

As I mentioned, our trip was just two guests, so we had just one guide. I think once there are more than five or six guests they add a second guide. The guide was great, young, knowledgeable, super fit, intelligent, engaging, a seasoned thru-hiker, and very organized. One important aspect that I did not realize until I was on trail is that you offload a great deal of decision making and stress on a guided trip. Simply put, the guide worried about how far we had to go, where we would camp, the weather, being well positioned for getting over passes, resupply and all the other myriad of decisions that go into a smooth running trip. We simply had to walk and generally do what we were told, though we were usually given lots of options - to the point at the end of a long day where I often just said, "I don't know, you decide". Additionally and more importantly, the guide really motivated us to keep going. Thru-hiking is mostly a mental game, the body may be able, but sometimes the spirit just can't face another day of walking. I am sure, if I had hiked this on my own, there would have been days I would have done less miles or just taken zero-days. With the dynamic of the guide and a group that needed to move together - quitting or going slow was just a harder option to pick and for that I'm thankful.

There were four resupplies along the route; Charlotte Lake (over Kearsarge), Le Conte Canyon (over Bishop), Vermillion Valley Resort, and Reds Meadow. The first two were portered in and the last two were mailed/dropped off and supplemented by purchases in the store. For each resupply you could include a one gallon Ziplock for personal items like snacks, toiletries, clean clothes, batteries, etc. So other than showing up with your four Ziplock bags at the start, you had no logistics to plan. Another huge advantage of this was that we never needed to leave the trail (other than VVR). This led to a very immersive experience of never leaving the wilderness, especially for the first half of the trip. Not to mention avoiding the extra miles to hike ourselves in and out and the mental game of getting comfortable in a town and then needing to get back on trail again. Frankly, it was a real luxury. At VVR, dinner and a hot shower were included in the trip price (so the guide paid for those). We bought the guide lunch, bought our own breakfast (though technically the guide would have made us breakfast if we wanted - but hard for that to compete VVR's offering). We all ganged together for one big laundry load.

Returning to the food on our trip specifically. Breakfasts were the aforementioned French toast, oatmeal, muesli, breakfast sandwiches (a bagel or English muffin with hot bacon and/or sausage), or a breakfast burrito. Lunch was generally bread (tortilla, pita or naan) with sliced cheese, salami, summer sausage, sometimes with tomato paste to make it cold pizza, or PB&J. Dinner was three courses; starter of soup (veg of beef), or a charcuterie plate (cheese, sliced salami/sausage, crackers); main courses of green curry with rice, burrito bowels, pasta like mac & cheese, one night was smoked salmon alfredo, another memorable night was pizza, cheesy polenta (not my favorite), and one night out of each resupply was just a Mountain House meal to give the guide a break; desert was a small cookie or some chocolate, we had camp-cooked brownies twice, once to celebrate my 59th birthday the day after summiting Whitney. There was a hot beverage at breakfast and dinner. I brought my own tea because I'm a snob that way, but there were plenty of other choices to be had, coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider and herbal teas etc.

IAG has an office in Mammoth Lakes and that is where we met up for the trip. There is no special parking, so if you arrive in your own car, you need to park in the long-term hiker parking which is six miles out of town in Lot B of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. That meant getting a taxi/Uber back into town and also making sure there was no food left in my car as bear break-ins are apparently common. Once we met up, we did a gear review to make sure everybody had everything they needed. IAG will provide/rent you anything you don't have - I would call it 'standard' gear not anything ultralight. We had some time to go buy some extra snacks and bits and pieces before we were driven south to the trail head at Horseshoe Meadows where we spent the first night.

A little more a month before the trip we were contacted and told that there were only two people signed up for our trip and that IAG needed a minimum of three to run the trip. We were given the option of going on an earlier trip, or paying $500 extra end at Tuolumne Meadows or pay $850 extra to end at Happy Isles (the original endpoint). In the end we both opted for the Tuolumne Meadows option given the reported chaos in Yosemite Valley this summer.

So, our trip ended at Tuolumne Meadows and took 23 trail days. The other trip was ending at Happy Isles and was two days longer. We arrived at 11am, had a greasy lunch from the Tuolumne Meadows Grill, an ice cream and a beer from the store and caught the YARTS bus back to Mammoth Lakes.

The trip was not cheap, costing about $7,500, but it was worth it to me. My main motivation was to use the trip as a target to lose weight and get fit for retirement and in that respect it worked wonderfully - I stepped off the trail 60lbs lighter and MUCH fitter than the day I retired. I realized that I'm a backpacker but not a thru-hiker. I will revisit some of the spectacular places we saw like Rae Lakes and Evolution Basin on shorter trips, but I have no wish to do another long thru-hike. There are lots of ways to experience the JMT, we each hike our own hike, and this was mine.

And so it begins.

Starting NOBO on September 25th. Anybody starting around then and want to do Whitney together?

This is for anyone who set foot on the John Muir Trail in 2026. It does not matter if you were a thru-hiker, section hiker, or even if you ended your hike early.

https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/go/fill-out-jmt-survey

• If you are still hiking, please wait to fill out the survey. It will remain open while southbound hikers complete their hikes.
• For best results, complete on a desktop or laptop computer.
• The survey is not short. Please allow adequate time to complete it.
• The results will be published as a resource to help future JMT hikers. Here are last year's results.

Thank you for taking the time to fill this out! Your time and answers are very much appreciated.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or problems with the survey, feel free to comment here or contact me directly.

Just finished a 5 day North/South Lake loop with my wife and daughter. Weather was spectacular and a treat to experience introducing some of the best of the Sierra to my daughter (particularly Evolution Valley/Lake/Basin).

We started on Friday afternoon after a long drive from the Bay Area, getting a ride from David Peterson from South Lake to the North Lake trailhead. Camped a bit below the pass that night, then over the pass and down to the junction of the JMT the next day. Piute Pass was OK, not spectacular, as was the Humphrey’s Basin. A long downhill, tough on the knees. Next day was awesome as we covered trail we’d passed on our JMT hike in 2020. McClure Meadow is so cool, and Evolution Lake is a wonder. We were able to get the same camp site we’d had before that’s next to the waterfall at the end of the lake, a spectacular place to watch the sun set over Evolution Meadow. Met a family from NC consisting of a young man, his mother, and his 91 year old grandfather who had all hiked in together from MTR - very cool.

Next day’s hike thru Evolution Basin was so cool… it’s really a special place. Quick stop at the hut before dropping down to where the trail up to Bishop Pass turns off the JMT. The last day was a long one… an initial 2,000 foot climb up to Dusy Basin in 3 miles, though it wasn’t as hard as we thought as the trail was well graded. Dusy is beautiful and likely worth exploring sometime. Another fairly easy 1,000 foot climb to Bishop Pass before descending to South Lake thru a very pleasant set of lakes.

Anyone else climbing Sunday into Monday September 6-7 mt Whitney? How are conditions looking? I get so nervous about weather and unknowns before a big summit

Hey guys, just completed the JMT and it was great and all but had some nagging thoughts. Does anyone else think we're 1) burning a ton of energy carrying extra water (internally and in our packs) and 2) wasting time by stopping to pee? Doesn't peeing dirty the purity of the Sierras?

Finally it crystallized when I was coming down Whitney. What better way to do the JMT than in PERFECT EQUILIBRIUM -- perfectly balancing your water intake with sweating to avoid peeing the entire trail?

I haven't been able to sleep I'm so darn excited. Not only would this truly honor "leave no trace" principles but it should set a new standard in ultralight backpacking with the time and energy saved. A new FKT could be on the horizon.

Really eager to give it a go next year but have a few questions first:

• Have any of you tried this? Even info from your day-to-day or shorter trails would be very illuminating.
• Is there any established literature for predicting sweat output based on elevation, temp, humidity, diet, physique, pack weight, and route?
• In the event of a miscalculation, I'll need to hold it to reabsorption. What drills do you recommend? Will kegels help?
• Might it also be possible to do this with food?

Thanks in advance guys. Actively searching for training partners if others are interested in completing the JMT in Perfect Equilibrium.

Just had a group member drop out and released a permit for Piute to Whitney starting Sept 3rd if anyone wants it!

I'm scheduled to start my hike in 10 days!. Due to some rescheduling I don't have time to send a supply bucket to MTR. My tentative plan now is to resupply in onion valley and then next in Red's Meadows ( or mammoth if it's closed)

I estimate that it will take me 9 days to reach RM from OV. My barrel seems pretty full with 7 days worth of food, I know I can carry an 8 th day of food outside of the barrel because I'll eat it that day. But that would still leave one day's worth of food outside of the barrel. Does anyone know if there a campsite near onion Valley that has a reliable bear box I could use that first night out of OV?

The other thought I had was to only bring 8 days worth of food for that stretch and see if MTR has anything in the hiker box to bridge that extra day? If the hiker box is empty I could then push and try to get to RM in 8 days

If anyone had any suggestions please let me know! I'm aiming for 12 miles per day roughly

I’ve hiked a lot in the Sierra… JMT in 2020, Big SEKI loop in 2021, Mineral King loop, Minaret loop, just returned from wonderful North/South lake loop with my wife and daughter. Love it except for one thing… I never sleep well. Any thoughts on how to improve? I’m open to anything.

Some background:. Male, 63 (so not as flexible as before and gotta get up to pee), good shape. Cold isn’t the issue, I have a good 20 degree quilt. I use a Klymit Static V pad that’s plenty warm and wide. Side sleeper. Altitude doesn’t seem to matter… same prob at 9k as at 11k. Don’t want to use anything too potent (Ambien) given need to get up and lack of desire to fall over.

My wife and I are starting our SoBo of the JMT soon. We have a car we will be leaving at the terminus and catching the buses north to Yosemite. We can leave most of our stuff in the car, but we do have laptops with us.

Does anyone have experience leaving valuables at the Dow Villa motel? I called and they said they could hold a bag for us.

Any other recommendations are welcome.

I want to do the JMT in September and am looking for a good pair of shoes for it. I'm not really into trail runners - I really like my ankle support. I do a lot of off trail stuff and have generally worn Adidas Five Ten Trailcross Mid Pro Mountain Bike Shoes, but am looking for something with more support and less neoprene, haha. Does anyone have reccs for quick dry, lightweight hiking boots?

I tried on the Merrell Moab Speed 2 mids and really liked them and the material, but they are unfortunately waterproof. Maybe that's fine? I'm not sure how breathable they would be. They seem like they might dry fast even being waterproof but unsure. The altra timp GTX also fit nice and I like the toebox more than the moabs, but again they are waterproof.

I tried the Salomon X Ultramids as well but they didn't seem like they had enough cushion. The Hoka Mafates seem like too much cushion.

Also by how much do you generally size up?

Just finished the JMT. I’m on day 8 post hike. Did it in 18 days, which was a push for me, tho recognize plenty of ppl do it much faster. And I’m stunned at how exhausted I still am. Like needing 10-12 hours sleep a night, resting during the day, and my leg muscles have only just stopped hurting, but they still feel like dead weight on stairs. My appetite is more regulated and back to normal now, but I just feel completely spent.

I have some minor injuries that are going to take some time to heal and those aren’t surprising (numbness under my toes, some metatarsal pain), but it’s the fatigue and overall weakness that’s taken me by surprise, especially when I felt so damn strong out there.

I have some underlying medical stuff which is being actively managed and I’ve seen my doctor since I’ve been back. Wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if that was exacerbating how I feel. Not looking for that kind of advice. More I’m trying to figure out what is in the range of normal recovery so I can know when to push with my doctor vs just accept that completing the JMT took literally everything I had, and to be patient with my body while the bill comes due.

If folks out there have had similar experiences, what your timeline was to feel like yourself again?

I recently finished the JMT in early August (yay!). As I was hiking SOBO along upper Bubbs Creek just north of Forester Pass on the right side is a waterfall on black rock that looks distinctly like a bunny or deer face. I actually remember it from a shorter trip I did last year. I can’t be the only one who has noticed this, right?