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A Look At A Day On The John Muir Trail
Continued from, Preparing to hike the John Muir Trail An Anecdote from the Trail One long day during my trek, I planned to camp by a lake that was almost 12,000 feet in elevation. This particular day was going to be another eighteen miles of hiking. Later that afternoon I met an older gentleman (older than me, at least) coming down the same trail I was headed up. We offered the usual greetings, and he asked where I planned to camp that night. After hearing of my planned destination, he asked if I had hiked this portion of the trail before (that should have been a warning sign!). I replied…
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Preparing to Hike the John Muir Trail
Continued from, A Brief History of John Muir and the John Muir Trail I was originally inspired to hike the JMT thirty years ago when I first climbed Mount Whitney. On the mountain, I met a man who was just start ting his weeks-long trek of the JMT. I was hooked, but it took awhile for me to get back to that item on my ever-lengthy bucket list. Preparation to hike the JMT starts months in advance. I found that obtaining a wilderness permit can be the most difficult and confusing part of the whole process. There are very strict quotas for entering the Sierra Nevada wilderness, and the entry…
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Hiking the John Muir Trail – Early Days
I was freezing! Pondering this notion over and over in my head as I lay in my sleeping bag, I decided: Indeed, I am freezing! And freezing every night for the next two weeks was not going to be much fun. Did I underestimate the cold? Did I not pack the right gear? It was far too late for these questions.
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An Ambulatory Retreat: Hiking The John Muir Trail
My blog has been quiet these past couple of weeks, as I’ve been busy hiking the John Muir Trail (JMT). I’d like to spend a few posts sharing my latest adventure with you. These vignettes will, hopefully, inspire you to continue preparing for your own travel adventures. During a recent hike with like-minded local chapter members of American Pilgrims on the Camino, I first overheard the term ambulatory retreat used to describe walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. An ambulatory retreat, in my mind, can be any trek out in nature. It is a restorative trek, a healing one. I don’t remember the woman’s name who used the term,…
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Packing List For The John Muir Trail
When it comes to a gear or packing list, I’ve become a minimalist. Most of what I know I learned from a British friend of mine who has an extensive adventure travel résumé. I’ve also learned from other friends and through my own trial and error from many years of backpacking, mountain climbing, foot racing, mountain biking, and even horseback riding.
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FREE for the next five (5) days!!! A Whimsical Mix of Pilgrim Resources and Camino Musings
I’ve just published my new book “SU CAMINO… 20 Days – 785 Kilometers – Camino de Santiago; A Whimsical Mix of Pilgrim Resources and Camino Musings” “Su Camino…” is now available in eBook (kindle) format on Amazon. Any and all feedback encouraged and most graciously appreciated!!! This project, which I describe as: An introspective global journey to awareness and self-discovery catalyzed by 20 summer days walking the Camino de Santiago, “Su Camino…” is one American baby boomer’s travelogue come preparation handbook full of Camino anecdotes and advice for the contemporary walker of “The Way.” Steeped in travels to the far corners of the world over the last two decades, “Su Camino…” is a layered mélange of:…
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Go Light Go Mega
I simply can’t get away with it every time and Kathey wasn’t going along with my usual minimalist approach when we packed for our wintering over in Playa del Carmen, on the Mexican Riviera Maya. As I’ve learned to be from my adventurous friends
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Safety Pins
Good advice for the long distance backpacker: A small assortment of safety pins weighs less than one nappy pin, and great for many other uses: draining blisters, mending broken pack straps and hanging damp clothes to dry from your pack or on a clothesline. In recent years I’ve witnessed the use of clothespins by young people from Asia. Not sure the connection, simply an observation. Clothespins are cute and retro. But, safety pins work much better: They come in different sizes, when closed they stay put on your pack, and are much lighter, if not adorned by animals. (Good thing I watch BBC America or I wouldn’t know what a…
