John Muir Trail Adventure Part 1 planning

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”
― Jack Kerouac

The John Muir Trail has fascinated me for a while. When Ryan and I got married we had the JMT book by Wenk down on our registry. Despite this and living so close neither of us have made it down due to other adventures and work obligations. In February I decided to put in for the lottery and see what happened. We got lucky and got our first pick of a full moon weekend. Initially we had planned to fast pack together, but as the date grew closer we decided to see what I could do on a solo unsupported attempt. The timing was good with an early season 100 miler and Trans Rockies Run 2 weeks out. About 2 weeks out I started hearing about the Rough Fire and contemplated pulling the plug. This would also be my last chance to do this for a while as we are hoping for a baby next year.

In the end the hotel in Lone Pine was already reserved and permits are hard to come by so we decided to drive down and see what it looked like. The smoke on the drive down was awful and it was looking like I'd be bailing at some point of my journey. Having never been on the trail before I was game to try and get some experience on the trail before pulling the plug. 

I'd done quit of bit of reading on the trail and of other reports to get as much information as I could since I was doing this blind. I was hoping to not have to bring a bear can, but after doing research I ended up carrying one and was happy with the decision. It opened up my sleeping options and I didn't have to worry about making it to the permanent bear box locations in SEKI or hanging food while in other areas. After experimenting with several packs I went with the Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20L. I pulled out the back liner and put in a z-pad that had been cut down from shoulders to hips. It fit perfectly in the pack and gave it some rigidity for the weight I'd be carrying.  I chose the Sea to Summit Spark II bag because it was light and offered some warmth. I tend to get cold easy and decided I could live with being uncomfortable, but I didn't want to freeze. I brought a poncho that would serve multiple functions. It would work great in the rain, but would also be a ground sheet to sleep on and wrap around my bag like a bivy to add some extra warmth. I brought 2 Black Diamond Storm headlamps with 1 extra set of batteries. I wanted one extra in case one headlamp broke. For maps I went with the John Muir Trail Pocket Atlas. I also use the Gaia app on my phone with the entire map downloaded beforehand. I use this app all the time for trail finding in snow conditions and love that you don't need cell service to find your location as long as maps are already downloaded. To save battery I turn my phone off or to airplane between uses. I used a sawyer water filter for the first 2 days and then became too tired to continue so I used iodine tablets. The sawyer worked well, but the time to stop and squeeze each time became frustrating. For tracking we use a delorme regularly and I love it. According to their website the battery is supposed to last 100 hour on 10 minute tracking. When I started I thought I'd be okay using 1 hour tracking, but after the first day I was already down to 72% so I started turning it on and off to conserve. I like that I can two way message and know if my message has been received. If things go sideways it would be nice to know that someone is aware and coming. Ryan was running a 100K on Saturday in Truckee, but other that that he was ready to pack in and help if I needed it. I packed my credit card and drivers license with me in case I hiked out and needed a place to crash until he could come.



Z-Pad placed against my back for protection and provided rigidity. Bear can placed in on top of poncho so it wouldn't sink to the bottom. All other items were loosely placed inside.

Ultimate Direction Fastpack 20L (removed back liner)   472g
Therm-a-rest z lite pad cut to fit shoulders to hips           150g
Bare Boxer Contender 101                                               750g
Black Diamond Storm x2                                                 224g
extra batteries x4                                                                46g
Sawyer filter +bag                                                              88g
JMT pocket atlas minus some pages                                  60g
delorme                                                                             196g
Sea to Summit Spark II                                                    526g
Rain poncho/ground sheet/bivy- frogg toggs                   196g
REI puffy                                                                          286g
buff                                                                                     50g
gloves                                                                                 66g
fleece                                                                                 160g
arm warmers                                                                       44g
extra socks 1 pair                                                                38g
shorts                                                                                 114g
meds/tape                                                                            38g

total weight 3504g= 7.7lbs

Food
Sunflower seeds                                                          2700 calories                  450g
Perpetuem                                                                   7040 calories                1800g
Justins Nut butter hazelnut mixed with coconut oil   10200 calories                1602g

total calories 19940 =3904g=8.6lbs

I missed some items when making this list like water bottles, NUUN (2 tubes with 1 wrapped in duct tape), toothbrush (I have braces and must clean my teeth), small container of sunscreen and desitin, cell phone, credit card and ID

Pack weight was 19lbs with both bottles filled at the trailhead. Items I wore at the start were not added in to pack weight. 

Upon getting to Lone Pine I discovered that I left my poles (Black Diamond z-lite) at home and made a last minute rush to go find some. We lucked out at a fishing store and found some decent telescoping ones. Not what I planned on, but in adventures sometimes you just have to roll with what happens and not let it freak you out.

My dirty gear upon getting home. Should have gotten a before photo when it was all neat and orderly. 

I absolutely love this pack. It fit everything I needed without being too big to allow me to bring stuff that I didn't need. The external mesh pocket was great for stashing gear that I was taking on and off frequently. There were nice little loops to attach my socks or other clothes to dry on the outside. 

Just under 20 pounds fully loaded with food and water.

Not too bad considering I'm carrying a bear canister.

 Off I go.....