John Muir Trail

Day 2: Top of Half Dome

We hiked in from Sunrise Lakes trailhead, summited Clouds Rest, camped the night at the Half Dome/JMT junction. We agreed to wake up early (5am-ish) and hopefully see sunrise from the top of Half Dome. Unfortunately, the sun came up too fast, but we were still able to catch golden hour from the top! Duke and I were full of energy knowing that our JMT journey was underway!

Day 2: Top of Half Dome

Feeling good after our early start, and decided that we would try to make it all the way to Cathedral Lakes! This would push our day from an 11-mile hike into a 17-mile hike, making it our longest hike ever. 

Day 2: Sunrise High Sierra Camp

After hiking through valleys of burnt-out trees and rocky switchbacks, we made it to our original campsite, Sunrise High Sierra Camp, and were immediately greeted by this view of the meadows. We only had another 4-5 miles to go until Cathedral Lakes, but those storm clouds up ahead did not look promising...

Day 2: Cathedral Lake

While we avoided the bulk of the storm, we did get caught in a brief barrage of rain/hail/lightning. The good news is that the skies starting clearing up just as we arrived at Cathedral Lake which allowed us to set up our tents and enjoy the view.

Day 2: Cathedral Lake

Cathedral Lake is often touted as one the best campsites along the JMT. On this evening, with this sunset, I understood why. 

Day 2: Cathedral Lake

Sitting at the edge of Cathedral Lake and enjoying the sunset, it dawned on me the feat we accomplished. Climbing to the top of Half Dome and then hiking 17 miles (including Cathedral Pass) was not easy, but it gave me confidence that we would finish the JMT.

Day 3: Cathedral Lake

I'm not a morning person, but I also don't like carrying a 3.6lb tripod and not using it. 

Day 3: Cathedral Lake

Since we had hiked extra miles on the previous day, Duke and I knew that Day 3 would be a short and quick 5.5 mile day. With the extra time to mess around, we decided to hike around the lake and try some random log crossings.

Day 5: Lyell Canyon/Donohue Pass

With the full squad present, we were ready for the first major pass: Donohue Pass. After reading trip reports earlier in the season, I wasn't sure what to expect. Earlier hikers braved major snow fields, but, as you can see, we didn't have any issues.

Day 4: Donohue Pass

While most of the pass is made of rock and snow, the approach is clear water and lush greens. We decided to walk through the shin-deep ice cold water for our first river ford. Naturally, we celebrated with shots of Fireball once we made it to the other side. 

Day 5: Island Pass

The south side of Donohue Pass was incredibly picturesque. We pulled off the trail numerous times to rest and enjoy the beautiful scenery passing by.

Day 5: Island Pass

As we approached Thousand Island Lake, we couldn't help but notice a massive mountain looming in the background. No matter which way the trail turned, Banner Peak was always in sight.

Day 5: Thousand Island Lake

Once we saw the full beauty of Thousand Island Lake, we were left speechless. We dropped our packs by the trail, hiked up to a vantage point, and sat in awe of what was in front of us. 

Day 5: Thousand Island Lake

Once we realized that Garnet peak aligned perfectly with the Milky Way, we knew that this shot was happening. My alarm rang at 11pm, and we grabbed our tripods and sprang into action. With no wind in the air, we were able to catch the reflection of the Milky Way in the calm waters of Thousand Island Lake. 

Day 5: Thousand Island Lake

Day 6: Thousand Island Lake

After sleeping for only a few hours, we were again woken up by the blare of our alarm. I struggled with knee pain and begrudgingly hiked up to our previously scouted location. We arrived just in time to see the sun crest over the hills and light up Banner Peak.

Day 6: Thousand Island Lake

Thanks Jamie for talking me into making this morning hike. Looking back, if it hadn't been for our conversation at this lookout, I don't think I would've had the mental strength or resolve to finish the trail.

Day 6: Thousand Island Lake

The unparalleled beauty of the JMT takes your breath away, and sometimes all you can do is stand and stare. 

Day 7: Trinity Lakes

With winter quickly approaching, the cold morning air had settled in a foggy layer above Trinity Lakes. My knee prevented me from hiking at my normal pace so I opted to leave earlier than Duke and Jamie. I'm not a morning person, but i was slowly becoming one.

Day 9: Lake Virginia

After picking up our first resupply at Reds Meadow, our packs were all much heavier than we were used to. We wanted to optimize our time to Vermillion Valley Resort so we hauled our heavy pack 15.5 miles to Lake Virginia, and WOW was it worth it.

Day 9: Fish Creek Bridge

We had to ford through a handful of rivers but the really big ones were nice enough to come with a bridge. Not shown in this photo are the thousands of mosquitos at this bridge.

Day 9: Silver Pass

Silver Pass is probably my favorite pass on the JMT. It has everything: big lakes, rushing rivers, patches of wildflowers, and snow covered trails. The view from the bottom is great, but the view from the top is spectacular.

Day 9: Silver Pass Lake

A few hundred yards after the pass, we found a big lake with the perfect campsite. Even though it was barely noon and we had only hiked for 7 miles, we called it a day. 

Day 9: Silver Pass Lake

Because of the wet winter, there was a staggering amount of wildflowers on the JMT. We learned the names of only a handful of flower and made up names for the rest of them. Like "wild mountain edamame".

Day 10: Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR)

Our plans changed and we ended up hustling down to catch the 9am ferry to VVR. This meant that we had the whole day at VVR to eat, drink, and be merry. Oh, and catch AMAZING sunsets.

Day 10: Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR)

Same sunset, different view. Still AMAZING.

Day 11: Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR)

As our only planned zero day, I wanted to sleep in. However, the little voice in my head had different plans and I found myself privy to an amazing sunrise.

Day 10: Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR)

Thank you little voice in my head.

Day 11: Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR)

The zero day turned out far more fun than I could have ever imagined. It's hard to put into words all the great people we met and all the stories we heard. Also included in this zero day was Jenga, kayaking, some fishing, and a 12 pack of beer. In the middle of all the festivities, we found time to walk down to the lake and catch this beautiful sunset.

Day 13: Marie Lake

I was expecting the ankle and knee pains, the days of endless walking, the feeling of insatiable hunger. I was not expecting to see so many breathtaking sunrises. Sure, some mornings were cold and icy and some mornings had fierce winds, but some mornings were perfect.

Day 13: Marie Lake

A hot coffee, two packets of oatmeal, and the calm and quiet sunrise over Marie Lake; a winning combination.

Day 13: Marie Lake

From Marie Lake, Selden Pass was less than a mile away. From the top of Selden though, looking back, brings a sense of scale to what the full trail mean. 

Day 13: Sallie Keyes Lake

In the Sierra's mountain lakes are crystal clear. All of them. Every last one. 

Day 14: Evolution Meadow

"If you wanted to take a photo of every waterfall, it would take you 9 days to get through Evolution Meadow" - Octane 

Well the joke's on your Octane: I'm only taking photos of the streams!

Day 14: Evolution Lake

"MOM I'M FINE"

Day 14: Evolution Lake

The last mile just before Evolution Lake was a long stretch of uphill switchbacks (pretty much the last thing you want after a long 14 mile day). The sunset view from the lake was well worth the struggle.

Day 14: Evolution Lake

What do you do after eating the most delicious Luna berries and greek yogurt protein bar? You climb a mountain to catch a sunset. That's what. 

Day 16: Palisade Lakes

Although beautiful, our campsite was also incredibly exposed to the elements. On this night, the howling wind made the inside of our tents sounds like a booming thunderstorm. There were moments during the night when I clutched my trekking poles wondering if the tent would blow away. I don't think anybody slept longer than 45 minutes at a time. 

Day 18: Just Before Rae Lakes

We started early in the morning to avoid the incoming storm but some things are just unavoidable. Luckily for us, all the rain storms we encountered lasted only a few minutes. 

Day 18: Arrowhead Lake

Blue morning skies quickly gave way to gray rain clouds. The boys built a quick rain shelter up ahead and we enjoyed a hot cup of tea before heading up over Glen Pass.

Day 19: Vidette Meadow

While we didn't see any bears, we were constantly reminded of their presence. 

Day 19: Vidette Meadow

Day 20: Crabtree Meadows

On our final day and we took it nice and slow on our approach to Guitar Lake. 

Day 21: Guitar Lake

Duke and I started out earlier than the rest of the group (12:45am to be precise), because of our various injuries. Staring up at the top of Mt. Whitney on a perfect night, we were definitely ready to get moving.

Day 21: En Route to Mt. Whitney

"No matter how hard the wind blows, the mountain cannot bow to it" - Emperor in Mulan

Day 21: En Route to Mt. Whitney

With 2hrs before sunrise and only 2 miles to the summit, we decided to look down and see everybody else's progress. 

Day 21: Summit of Mt. Whitney

We made it!

Day 21: Summit of Mt. Whitney

Muir Hut offered us a small, cozy, and windproof room in which to hide from the elements. WE MADE IT!

Day 21: Summit of Mt. Whitney

Photography was a large part of this trip for all of us. We planned a lot of our camp sites around potential view sites, committed to early sunrises and late sunsets, and scrambled up rocks for a better view. Looking back on the +1000 photos, it was all worth it.

Day 21: Dow Villa Motel, Lone Pine

We had a very relaxing day at the Dow Villa Motel (sometimes all you need is a shower). After a 4000 calorie meal at McDonalds, a western double movie special of Cat Balou and Pale Rider, and an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, we were ready to get the heck outta Dodge.

Day 22: Bishop

Since we finished the JMT a day early, we took our time returning home. It was my first time at the Buttermilk boulders in Bishop, and wow those are some big rocks. Some day I'll come back and flash a route or something.