Muir in 1892, for nearly 40 years. Ansel Adams died at the age of 82 in April 1984.
His life’s work in landscape photography and conservation has been honoured by the designation of part of the Californian High Sierra wilderness as the Ansel Adams Wilderness.
The Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is the father or perhaps the very big brother of the John Muir Trail. The US has three great ultra-long walking trails that stretch from north to south across this huge country. The Appalachian Trail in the east was the first to be established in 1937. It starts in the southern state of Georgia and heads north for 2100 miles to finish in Maine near the Canadian border. The newest, longest and hardest of the three is the Continental Divide Trail, which runs between Mexico and Canada along the watershed of the United States. But perhaps the most impressive in terms of the grandeur and diversity of its scenery is the Pacific Crest Trail, which also stretches from Mexico to Canada, but through the three western states of California, Oregon and Washington, a total distance of 2665 miles.
Pacific Crest/John Muir Trail signpost just outside Tuolumne Meadows (Day 4)
Although the PCT coincides with the JMT for much of the length of the latter, there are sections where the two long-distance paths go their own ways. In particular the JMT and PCT do not coincide at the northern end of the JMT (ie. between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows) and at the southern terminus of the JMT (the PCT leaves the JMT a little before Crabtree Ranger Station and omits the traverse of Mount Whitney). In all about 175 miles of the JMT are coincident with the PCT.
The PCT is a trail of extremes, as it passes through six of the seven ecological zones of North America, from near sea level to over 13,000ft in altitude, from the ferociously hot deserts of southern California to the High Sierra mountains, from the temperate rain forests of the Pacific North-West to the volcanic peaks and glaciers of the Cascade Mountains. The highlights include the Mojave Desert; the Sierra Nevada including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks; Marble Mountain and the Russian Wilderness in Northern California; the volcanoes of the Cascades, including Mount Shasta and Mount Hood; Crater Lake; Columbia River Gorge; Mount Rainier; and the Northern Cascades.
Every year around 300 or more of the world’s best long-distance backpackers gather at the end of April for the now traditional send-off party near the Mexican border, and the following day take their first steps northwards on a truly marathon hike through the US to Canada. Many of these ‘Thru-Hikers’ fail to complete the PCT in one season, but the determined few make it to Canada by early October.
Nearly all PCT Thru-Hikers head north because the logistics of walking north to south in one season are unfeasible. Most head through the High Sierra country through which the JMT passes during the month of June, so they have to contend with much more snow than the summertime JMT walker, and river crossings can be extremely hazardous as the many streams are swollen by melting snows high up in the mountains.
The chances of a southbound JMT hiker during the summertime encountering a northbound PCT Thru-Hiker are therefore pretty slight. However, for every Thru-Hiker there are many hundreds of other backpackers who walk sections of the PCT every year, and you are sure to see some of these. It is the cherished ambition of some American backpackers to complete the PCT over a number of seasons, and many do a week, fortnight or monthly stage every year. Most take half a lifetime or more to complete the Trail. Many thousands more are content to return to the wilderness occasionally for short adventures of a few day’s duration.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA – see Appendix 6) is the best source of information for anyone contemplating an attempt of all or a section of the PCT, perhaps after their appetite has been whetted by first walking the JMT. But do remember that the JMT is only about 10% of the length of the PCT. After a few days on the JMT you will no doubt have great respect for PCT Thru-Hikers! The PCTA also provides good, reliable information on the JMT.
Using this Guide
This next two sections of this Introduction, ‘Planning Your Trip’ and ‘Walking the Trail’, could be subtitled ‘Before You Go’, because they give all the information needed to plan and organise a hike along the JMT. There is greater emphasis on the preparation and planning stages of this walk than is usual in guidebooks to long-distance routes in Europe and the UK and/or routes where there are no sections in extensive areas of wilderness. This emphasis on pre-route planning is deliberate, and is imperative with an adventure such as the JMT; good preparation will result in a happy, stress-free trek, and provide you with one of the most incredible experiences of your life. Topics such as hiking in bear country, applying for wilderness trekking permits, the filtering of water and the danger of giardiasis, and the packaging and posting ahead of food packages for collection along the Trail, which may not be familiar to walkers from outside the US, are an essential part of hiking the JMT and are explained in detail.
The ‘Route Guide’ describes the route of the John Muir Trail. The Trail has been divided into 21 stages, each of a day’s duration, although inevitably some stages are longer and/or harder than others. Each day stage has been designed to end at an area where there are good or at least reasonable camping possibilities (these are listed in Appendix 1), although other places where a camp could be set up are also indicated. The average reasonably fit and experienced backpacker should be able to cover this itinerary comfortably each day. Some may wish to travel further and faster, and certainly a very fit walker would have no trouble in doing so. But this is mountain country of really outstanding character and natural beauty, and to move fast through this landscape would in many respects be defeating the whole reason for being there. Savour this spectacular wilderness. A few hikers may wish to travel more slowly, but those who do so must carry more food supplies. This is not a problem on the first half of the Trail, but to take longer than the suggested time on the southern section of the JMT, from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney Portal, would require carrying in excess of 10 days’ worth of food, or else making very lengthy detours to restock supplies.
Cathedral Peak (Day 3)
Each day stage opens with two tables. The first gives the total distance for the stage, the cumulative distance from the start of the Trail at Yosemite, the total ascent and descent for the stage, and the cumulative figures for ascent and descent from Yosemite. (The total ascents and descents for each stage are given to the nearest 50ft.) The length and severity of the stage can thus be gleaned at a glance. The second table gives a breakdown of the route, with heights above sea level of the various intermediary points and a breakdown of distances between these locations, allowing progress during the day to be easily assessed. Next, the map sheet number(s) required (from the recommended Harrison JMT Map-Pack; see ‘Maps’, below) for the stage is given for easy reference.
The route description opens with a summary intended to give an overview of the day, and could be read in camp the evening before to give a feel for the nature of the following day’s trek. Finally a detailed route description is given, with the main features and places in bold, which is intended for use on the Trail.
Topographical height versus distance profiles are provided to enable the amount of ascent and descent along the Trail to be easily assessed, and sketch maps of the route allow the user to gain an overview of the trail for planning purposes. The sketch maps and guidebook are designed to be used in conjunction with the relevant Harrison Map-Pack. One should never venture out into wilderness areas, even on a waymarked trail, without an accurate and detailed map.
The book ends with a number of appendices which contain detailed and summarised information for both the planning stages and when out on the Trail.
The abbreviations
