Love this video. We did the Rae Lakes Loop clockwise from Bubb's Creek in July 2021, a fantastic trip. Spread my good friend's ashes over the creek below from the swinging bridge... It'll always be special to me.
Thank you so much! We haven’t done the Loop yet, but we’d love to that soon! I can imagine that your trip will always hold a special place in your heart. ❤️
I'm watching your Onion Valley to South Lake RUclips video...... Fantastic!!!!!! You guys look great and so is the video. But.... Damn, I didn't expect to get so nostalgic for the trail and cry a little watching it... 😢.. I'm such a goober.... 😂😂😂
Great to hear from you Gerry! Dani mentioned you reached out 😊 And thank you for your kind words 💛 Pinchot and Mather did bring back great memories! That’s where we met y’all at! 👍🏻 Hope you’re doing well brother
I am impressed with how nonchalant you are about the lightning! Scares me like nothing else in the mountains. We did Duck Pass to Kearsearge Pass this summer - heading SOBO. It was wonderful to see the same passes from the other side in your video. I struggle with altitude sickness; I'd like to do the entire JMT but it may never happen. I'll treasure what I was able to do though. So amazing! I also really appreciate your showing picking up the trash. I picked up a couple of pounds of stuff that had been strewn about by animals, at Paiute Creek. Since we had 7 days ahead of us, I talked a father/son into carrying it down into MTR, just a short walk for them. Teamwork!
I might have looked nonchalant in that part of the video, but I’m with you! I do not like the lighting at all! Had way too close of an experience in the past near Kearsarge Pass😳 It’s nice that others will “leave it better than you found it” as well. If we could all do our part, it really can make a difference out there! Hope you’re able to complete the trail. If anything, maybe take it in sections… maybe that will help with your altitude issues some?? You’re right on how neat it is seeing the passes from the opposite direction… a whole new perspective for sure! Happy trails!😄
Great video. I camped in Onion Valley in June of this year and did a day hike up to Kearsarge Pass. The approach going up near the pass is steeper than it looks in most videos I've seen.
Thanks Crow!😊 I bet your son had a blast! We did the thru-hike in 2019 and the experience is something we’ll always treasure! It was AWESOME! Have a great time when you hike the JMT!😄
Awesome adventure! Thanks for taking is with you. It almost looks like a diff trail in the opposite direction. Well worth the effort IMO. Great option for those that can't hike the whole trail in one shot. My BV500 maxes out at 7 days anyway. 😅 P.S. Please share your excercize/diet info. You are looking great!
Thank you so much! We're so glad you enjoyed it! Yeah it is crazy how different the trail is from SOBO. We're going to do the whole thing in sections going NOBO, so I'm still up in the air which way I prefer. Yes, I agree it is a great option for a NOBO section hike for sure! One of my favorite parts of the trail. Regarding training (thank you for your compliment :-)), we are more active than average, but not too crazy. We MTB a few times a week, run a couple times a week and hike every few weekends during the summer. If it's a big hike like Whitney, or the JMT (full), then we do some high elevation hikes before heading out. On food for the hikes, see our JMT video, but it is basically oatmeal for breakfast, tuna or similar on tortilla for lunch and a dehydrated meal for dinner. Pretty important to make sure you have calories for long days. Even more important is to make sure and not only drink plenty of water, but also supplement with electrolytes daily. Pretty easy to get dehydrated out there.
that was a super fun video....made better with the two of you. Is there anything better than sharing such a place with your wife? It is the only downside to my solo hiking....Its not completely awesome until seeing it with my wife next to me. I suffer through the best I can. There are worse places to suffer. cheers
I’m so grateful that she loves to backpack just as much as I do. We are perfectly in sync out there and it’s so awesome to enjoy the beauty and these adventures together😊 I can imagine hiking solo is great too, but maybe soon your wife will join you!
I noticed that you used a Dyneema tent? I just bought one from ZPacks and intend to use it on the same route as you this summer. Would you be able to give me any advice about using this tent in the Sierra? Durability? Condensation? Stability in windy conditions? Does it get drafts at night? Any advice that you could share with me would be greatly appreciated!🙏🏼
We loved this tent! It was the first trip we’ve used it on and we were so happy with it! The 1st night we used it, we had the flaps closed. We ended up getting condensation on the inside (which we just easily dried off with a small microfiber cloth). It had just stopped raining before we put the tent up, so there was definitely a lot of moisture in the air already. On all the other nights, we actually left a 1/2 flap open on both sides and we never had that problem again. As for the durability, it held up really well. We did use a tyvek ground cover, so I’m sure that helped a lot too. It never got too crazy windy, but with what we had, it did great and we didn’t feel too much draft (although a little more than our Tiger Wall). We have the Zpacks Triplex and this thing is ROOMY! We love it! Have fun on the trail… it’s a beautiful hike!
You didn't say which tent you chose, but I can tell you you will never be sad you bought it. I've used the duplex for 3 seasons now and its perfect up there. I only had condensation issues once and it would have been bad in any tent out there. parked right next to Garnett lake on the southside and woke up to everything inside and outside soaked to the bone (oddly the down in my EE quilt never got wet) not a tent issue. As far as durability goes - my worst night backpacking was in a shit ton of wind at guitar lake - thank god no rain - I'd be guessing at the wind speeds...maybe 30 ish but straight on. My two pole lines had to stake out to rocks as I was on a rock for the most part. Everything was great until the minute the sun went down...I spent about 7 hours like Hercules holding my two poles from collapsing in on me with both feet up against the wind wall that had the single guy line. I will tell you I have no idea how that held...I was positive the tent couldn't take that kind of wind. I knew it was going to shred. It held like a champ. Incredible the punishment this tent took. I finally had to give up, pack up and move on up to whitney cause there was no point in any more time in the tent. So light, so easy to set up and unbelievably strong. I could have done a few things to save the night but at 12000 ft around 3 am your brain just doesn't allow for much extra thought. I've also found that condensation be damned..I rarely close the doors...never all the doors. The difference in warmth is zero - like cowboy camping with rain and bug protection. When are you going? I'm considering this trip as well...I'm going to finish watching but a cool addition would be to go a bit further and exit the north lake trailhead. Best of luck to you.
@@nedanother9382 thank you very much for taking time to explain to me about your ZPacks Dyneema tent! I settled for the ZPacks Free Trio in the end. My wife and daughter and myself will try to squeeze inside the tent this summer. It was quite a challenge to get permits, but we managed to secure one for the Kearsarge Pass Trail from Inyo National Forest. We will exit at MTR/Florence Lake.
@@lohyewcheong That'll be a great trip. Kearsarge is a great starting point. If you're not used to elevation, I would strongly recommend spending the night at the trailhead prior to leaving. Theres a little campground there (separate reservations) or you can sleep in the car. The elevation there is about 9300 ft...I've found it to be the perfect elevation to spend a night and then walk past 10000 ft without a problem. If you stay in town and then drive to the trailhead its almost a lock that someone will get sick right after you pass Flower lake at about 10500. Staying at 9300 should allow everyone to walk right over the pass without issues. Best of luck.
Thank you! Love the holder, works great. It's made by Justin's Ultralight. He has a FB page, as well as an Etsy store. I think the FB page is just justinsul
Really loved your video! Is it challenging to obtain a section hike pass for this section during the summer?? And how were the mosquitos (I'm from Florida, so my scale is prob skewed!). Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much! Yes it's always hard getting a permit, but do able. Just make sure and get on the computer 6 months before you want to go out and at 7am PST. Good luck!
Oh yeah- the mosquitos were pretty bad at Bench lake, which is why on the video, we decided NOT to stay there. Everywhere else wasn't too bad really. We spray our clothes with Permethrin before the trip and it seems to work pretty well.
What do you all do to get in shape for this hike? Awesome video! ive watched your others too and they are so cool as well. Also how did you do the whole car/shuttle transportation thing for this trip?
Thanks so much Kevin and glad you enjoyed the videos!😊 As for getting in shape for the hike, we’re pretty active on our mountain bikes, do a little running and do some shorter local hikes on the weekends. We dropped our car off at South Lake and took the small shuttle that runs almost every day (at set times)down to Bishop. From there, we grabbed another shuttle (Eastern Sierra Transit) to Independence. One of the friends that we started the hike with was arriving the same time as us so she picked us up in town and drove us to the trailhead campground. Hope this helps!
thanks for not only putting up your hiking video but actually documenting and explaining the logistics of the trip. it really helps. Not everyone has the time for a massive thru-hike or the desire. for me hiking in nature isnt a form of sport or challenge but rather to tune into a different frequency than that of civilization and to take time to actually look around, smell the aromas of the forest. Section hike is my deal trip. Did you plan and map out this section hike by yourself? is there a resource website for sierra section hikes? would love some info on it . thanks!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the video 😊 We agree with you… we did the entire JMT SOBO in 2019 and it was awesome, but wanted to do the trail NOBO as well. We don’t have the time to take off to hike it all at once, so we’re putting together smaller section hikes and plan on completing it by 2024. For planning all the hikes, we use the Tom Harrison map for the whole JMT. We just plan our days based on daily miles, passes, water availability, etc. Not sure about websites specifically for information, but we are on the FB John Muir Trail group and got a lot of information (and can ask questions) from that group. Let us know if you have any other questions. Have fun hiking this season!😃
Thank you! Awesome video, photography, adventure. And, thank you for your wonderful attitudes. Love it!!!!! Can't say it enough.
You're so kind! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Love this video. We did the Rae Lakes Loop clockwise from Bubb's Creek in July 2021, a fantastic trip. Spread my good friend's ashes over the creek below from the swinging bridge... It'll always be special to me.
Thank you so much! We haven’t done the Loop yet, but we’d love to that soon! I can imagine that your trip will always hold a special place in your heart. ❤️
I'm watching your Onion Valley to South Lake RUclips video......
Fantastic!!!!!!
You guys look great and so is the video.
But....
Damn, I didn't expect to get so nostalgic for the trail and cry a little watching it... 😢..
I'm such a goober....
😂😂😂
Great to hear from you Gerry! Dani mentioned you reached out 😊 And thank you for your kind words 💛
Pinchot and Mather did bring back great memories! That’s where we met y’all at! 👍🏻 Hope you’re doing well brother
So beautiful!!
Yes it was!
The Scenery is very beautiful my friend
Thank you- yes it is amazing out there 👍🏻
Great backpacking of JMT. I sincerely hope you two enjoy trekking in CA. If I were in 50, I would try treking. Have gorgeous trekkings.
Thank you very much 😊
Thank you for the aweseom video!
Glad you liked it! Thank you for watching! 😃
Ya'll are freaking awsome!!
Thank you so much!!😄
I am impressed with how nonchalant you are about the lightning! Scares me like nothing else in the mountains. We did Duck Pass to Kearsearge Pass this summer - heading SOBO. It was wonderful to see the same passes from the other side in your video. I struggle with altitude sickness; I'd like to do the entire JMT but it may never happen. I'll treasure what I was able to do though. So amazing!
I also really appreciate your showing picking up the trash. I picked up a couple of pounds of stuff that had been strewn about by animals, at Paiute Creek. Since we had 7 days ahead of us, I talked a father/son into carrying it down into MTR, just a short walk for them. Teamwork!
I might have looked nonchalant in that part of the video, but I’m with you! I do not like the lighting at all! Had way too close of an experience in the past near Kearsarge Pass😳
It’s nice that others will “leave it better than you found it” as well. If we could all do our part, it really can make a difference out there!
Hope you’re able to complete the trail. If anything, maybe take it in sections… maybe that will help with your altitude issues some??
You’re right on how neat it is seeing the passes from the opposite direction… a whole new perspective for sure! Happy trails!😄
Video well put together. AAA++++Rating
Thanks so much!😊
Love the video you guys .
Gerry and I will be on the trail again in August through September next year.
Hope to see you two out there again.
Thanks Brad!😊
That would be awesome to meet up again out there this summer… keep in touch and we’ll plan it!👍🏻😄
Great video. I camped in Onion Valley in June of this year and did a day hike up to Kearsarge Pass. The approach going up near the pass is steeper than it looks in most videos I've seen.
Thank you so much!
Yeah it's a little ass kicker for sure! I think it's mostly because it's day 1, and we were still acclimating.
The JMT looks beautiful. My son did a thru-hike this past year of it and now I want to go as well. Nice video and channel. New follower here. Crow✌️
Thanks Crow!😊 I bet your son had a blast! We did the thru-hike in 2019 and the experience is something we’ll always treasure! It was AWESOME! Have a great time when you hike the JMT!😄
Awesome adventure! Thanks for taking is with you. It almost looks like a diff trail in the opposite direction. Well worth the effort IMO. Great option for those that can't hike the whole trail in one shot. My BV500 maxes out at 7 days anyway. 😅
P.S. Please share your excercize/diet info. You are looking great!
Thank you so much! We're so glad you enjoyed it! Yeah it is crazy how different the trail is from SOBO.
We're going to do the whole thing in sections going NOBO, so I'm still up in the air which way I prefer. Yes, I agree it is a great option for a NOBO section hike for sure! One of my favorite parts of the trail.
Regarding training (thank you for your compliment :-)), we are more active than average, but not too crazy. We MTB a few times a week, run a couple times a week and hike every few weekends during the summer. If it's a big hike like Whitney, or the JMT (full), then we do some high elevation hikes before heading out. On food for the hikes, see our JMT video, but it is basically oatmeal for breakfast, tuna or similar on tortilla for lunch and a dehydrated meal for dinner. Pretty important to make sure you have calories for long days. Even more important is to make sure and not only drink plenty of water, but also supplement with electrolytes daily. Pretty easy to get dehydrated out there.
that was a super fun video....made better with the two of you. Is there anything better than sharing such a place with your wife? It is the only downside to my solo hiking....Its not completely awesome until seeing it with my wife next to me. I suffer through the best I can. There are worse places to suffer. cheers
I’m so grateful that she loves to backpack just as much as I do. We are perfectly in sync out there and it’s so awesome to enjoy the beauty and these adventures together😊
I can imagine hiking solo is great too, but maybe soon your wife will join you!
I noticed that you used a Dyneema tent? I just bought one from ZPacks and intend to use it on the same route as you this summer. Would you be able to give me any advice about using this tent in the Sierra? Durability? Condensation? Stability in windy conditions? Does it get drafts at night? Any advice that you could share with me would be greatly appreciated!🙏🏼
We loved this tent! It was the first trip we’ve used it on and we were so happy with it! The 1st night we used it, we had the flaps closed. We ended up getting condensation on the inside (which we just easily dried off with a small microfiber cloth). It had just stopped raining before we put the tent up, so there was definitely a lot of moisture in the air already. On all the other nights, we actually left a 1/2 flap open on both sides and we never had that problem again. As for the durability, it held up really well. We did use a tyvek ground cover, so I’m sure that helped a lot too. It never got too crazy windy, but with what we had, it did great and we didn’t feel too much draft (although a little more than our Tiger Wall). We have the Zpacks Triplex and this thing is ROOMY! We love it! Have fun on the trail… it’s a beautiful hike!
@@chooseoutside8586 thanks so much for taking the time to reply to my question!🙏🏼
You didn't say which tent you chose, but I can tell you you will never be sad you bought it. I've used the duplex for 3 seasons now and its perfect up there. I only had condensation issues once and it would have been bad in any tent out there. parked right next to Garnett lake on the southside and woke up to everything inside and outside soaked to the bone (oddly the down in my EE quilt never got wet) not a tent issue. As far as durability goes - my worst night backpacking was in a shit ton of wind at guitar lake - thank god no rain - I'd be guessing at the wind speeds...maybe 30 ish but straight on. My two pole lines had to stake out to rocks as I was on a rock for the most part. Everything was great until the minute the sun went down...I spent about 7 hours like Hercules holding my two poles from collapsing in on me with both feet up against the wind wall that had the single guy line. I will tell you I have no idea how that held...I was positive the tent couldn't take that kind of wind. I knew it was going to shred. It held like a champ. Incredible the punishment this tent took. I finally had to give up, pack up and move on up to whitney cause there was no point in any more time in the tent. So light, so easy to set up and unbelievably strong. I could have done a few things to save the night but at 12000 ft around 3 am your brain just doesn't allow for much extra thought. I've also found that condensation be damned..I rarely close the doors...never all the doors. The difference in warmth is zero - like cowboy camping with rain and bug protection. When are you going? I'm considering this trip as well...I'm going to finish watching but a cool addition would be to go a bit further and exit the north lake trailhead. Best of luck to you.
@@nedanother9382 thank you very much for taking time to explain to me about your ZPacks Dyneema tent!
I settled for the ZPacks Free Trio in the end. My wife and daughter and myself will try to squeeze inside the tent this summer.
It was quite a challenge to get permits, but we managed to secure one for the Kearsarge Pass Trail from Inyo National Forest. We will exit at MTR/Florence Lake.
@@lohyewcheong That'll be a great trip. Kearsarge is a great starting point. If you're not used to elevation, I would strongly recommend spending the night at the trailhead prior to leaving. Theres a little campground there (separate reservations) or you can sleep in the car. The elevation there is about 9300 ft...I've found it to be the perfect elevation to spend a night and then walk past 10000 ft without a problem. If you stay in town and then drive to the trailhead its almost a lock that someone will get sick right after you pass Flower lake at about 10500. Staying at 9300 should allow everyone to walk right over the pass without issues. Best of luck.
Good video. What water bottle holder do you have on your backpack straps?
Thank you! Love the holder, works great. It's made by Justin's Ultralight. He has a FB page, as well as an Etsy store. I think the FB page is just justinsul
Really loved your video! Is it challenging to obtain a section hike pass for this section during the summer?? And how were the mosquitos (I'm from Florida, so my scale is prob skewed!). Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much!
Yes it's always hard getting a permit, but do able. Just make sure and get on the computer 6 months before you want to go out and at 7am PST. Good luck!
Oh yeah- the mosquitos were pretty bad at Bench lake, which is why on the video, we decided NOT to stay there. Everywhere else wasn't too bad really. We spray our clothes with Permethrin before the trip and it seems to work pretty well.
What do you all do to get in shape for this hike? Awesome video! ive watched your others too and they are so cool as well. Also how did you do the whole car/shuttle transportation thing for this trip?
Thanks so much Kevin and glad you enjoyed the videos!😊 As for getting in shape for the hike, we’re pretty active on our mountain bikes, do a little running and do some shorter local hikes on the weekends.
We dropped our car off at South Lake and took the small shuttle that runs almost every day (at set times)down to Bishop. From there, we grabbed another shuttle (Eastern Sierra Transit) to Independence. One of the friends that we started the hike with was arriving the same time as us so she picked us up in town and drove us to the trailhead campground. Hope this helps!
thanks for not only putting up your hiking video but actually documenting and explaining the logistics of the trip. it really helps. Not everyone has the time for a massive thru-hike or the desire. for me hiking in nature isnt a form of sport or challenge but rather to tune into a different frequency than that of civilization and to take time to actually look around, smell the aromas of the forest. Section hike is my deal trip. Did you plan and map out this section hike by yourself? is there a resource website for sierra section hikes? would love some info on it . thanks!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the video 😊
We agree with you… we did the entire JMT SOBO in 2019 and it was awesome, but wanted to do the trail NOBO as well. We don’t have the time to take off to hike it all at once, so we’re putting together smaller section hikes and plan on completing it by 2024. For planning all the hikes, we use the Tom Harrison map for the whole JMT. We just plan our days based on daily miles, passes, water availability, etc. Not sure about websites specifically for information, but we are on the FB John Muir Trail group and got a lot of information (and can ask questions) from that group. Let us know if you have any other questions. Have fun hiking this season!😃