The John Muir Trail. Alan Castle

Pine at the end of the JMT and also in LA (fairly close to the airport if possible) the night before your flight home. As you may not be able to predict the day that you will finish the JMT and so arrive in Lone Pine, it is not advisable to pre-book accommodation there (and it is always possible that you will not finish the Trail and so need accommodation at a different location).

      Those walking the JMT in August will arrive in Lone Pine at the end of that month, when many Americans have finished their annual holidays and pressure on motel rooms is not as intense. There are several motels to choose from in Lone Pine. The Best Western is ½ mile south of town, and the Dow Villa Motel (PO Box 205, 310 South Main Street, Lone Pine, CA 93545. Reservations 800-824-9317. [email protected]) is recommended.

Maps

      There are several maps that cover all or part of the John Muir Trail. The United States Forestry Service produces a number of ‘Wilderness Maps’ which are useful, covering the JMT outside Yosemite. The John Muir/Sequoia–Kings Canyon Wilderness Map and the Ansel Adams Wilderness Map are the most useful sheets.

      There are several maps available locally which cover the Yosemite National Park. The Inyo National Forest Map is another possible map, and covers the whole area through which the Trail passes. These maps are easily obtainable in the US, but less so outside the country.

      The best maps both for planning in the UK and use on the JMT in America are contained within the John Muir Trail Map-Pack: Tom Harrison’s Maps. The Map-Pack consists of 13 colour topographical, shaded-relief maps depicting the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and numerous side-trails. Campgrounds, ranger stations and information centres are also shown. The maps run from Whitney to Yosemite Valley (sheet numbers 1 to 13), so walkers following the route in this guidebook will use them in the order Sheet 13 to Sheet 1. The sheets required for each stage of the hike are given at the beginning of each daily stage in the route guide section of this book. For further information on Tom Harrison’s maps go to www.tomharrisonmaps.com.

      Tom Harrison’s John Muir Trail Map-Pack is usually obtainable in Britain from retailers such as The Map Shop in Upton-upon-Severn and Stanford’s in London, Bristol and Manchester (see Appendix 6). The Map-Pack is rather expensive, particularly when purchased in the UK, but it is the author’s recommended map for the JMT. The maps are clear and easy to use – although the contour lines are at 80ft intervals.

      Navigation along the John Muir Trail is generally easy, far more so than a route across the Scottish Highlands, for example, and more straightforward than many long-distance routes in Europe. With use of the Tom Harrison maps and this guidebook the trail of the JMT should never be in doubt.

Equipment

      The importance of packing light for the John Muir Trail cannot be over-stressed. The experienced and inexperienced backpacker can usually be differentiated by the much lighter load carried by the former. The inexperienced tends not to know which items of kit are essential and which can be omitted without compromising either safety or comfort.

      Assemble the gear that you think you need for the trip and then try to be ruthless in discarding items that are not really necessary, or replace them with lighter alternatives. Limit yourself to a very small number of luxury (non-essential) items. The American guru of ultra-lightweight wilderness backpacking is Ray Jardine, a man who has probably walked the Pacific Crest Trail more times than anyone else. His philosophy and tips for load lightening can be found in The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker’s Handbook (see Appendix 7 – Bibliography).

      Generally, gear must be selected to cope with a hot, dry climate (it is assumed here that you are travelling the JMT during the high summer season).

      Banner Peak and Mount Ritter seen from Island Pass (Day 5)

      Footwear