The John Muir Trail: Mile by Mile, One Second at a Time (Northbound 2015)
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- Опубликовано: 20 фев 2016
- This video documents a mile-by-mile account of a Northbound John Muir Trail thru-hike in the summer of 2015.
Photos in Instagram: / hittheroadzak
FAQ:
Q1: How did you hike 270 miles on a 211 mile trail?
A1: Side trips. We went up Half Dome, Clouds Rest, over Kearsarge Pass twice, up to Mount Whitney from Whitney Portal, and several other smaller side trips.
Q2: How did you record every mile?
A2: I had a GPS. I looked down at it every once in a while and when a mile had passed I would take a few seconds of video.
Q3: What map did you use to plan your trip and what was your itinerary?
A3: I really liked the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map. It's stapled like a book and made the 20 days of navigation easy.
Itinerary is something like this: The format below is Time in video, Day number, Distance hiked in miles (mi) and kilometers (km), total Elevation Gain for the day in thousands of feet (k’) and (km), then the Passes and Destinations are listed with their respective elevations in k’ and (km).
Start by driving to Yosemite, leave one car, drive to Whitney Portal
Start July 11th
0:59 Day 1 - 3mi (4.8km), 2k’ (0.6km), Whitney Portal 8.3k’ (2.5km) → Outpost Camp 10.4k’ (3.2km)
1:04 Day 2 - 16mi (25.6km), 4.1k’ (1.2km), → Mt Whitney 14.5k’(4.4km) → Crabtree 10.7k’ (3.2km)
1:28 Day 3 - 15mi (24km), 3.5k’ (1.1km), → Forester Pass 13.2k’ (4km) → Next Lake 12.3k’ (3.7km)
1:54 Day 4 - 16mi (25.6km), 2.5k’ (0.8km), → Kearsarge Pass 11.8k’ (3.6km) → Onion Valley 9.2k’ (2.8km) (RESUPPLY) → Gilbert Lake 10.5k’ (3.2km)
2:18 Day 5 - 9mi (14.4km), 2.5k’ (0.8km), → Kearsarge Pass 11.8k’ (3.6km) → Glen Pass 12k’ (3.6km) → Rae Lakes 10.6k’ (3.2km)
2:33 Day 6 - 14mi (22.4km), 3.5k’ (1.1km), → Pinchot Pass 12k’ (3.6km) → Lake below 11.5k’ (3.5km)
2:56 Day 7 - 10mi (16km), 2.1k’ (0.6km), → Mather Pass 12.1k’ (3.7km) → Lower Palisade Lake 10.6k’ (3.2km)
3:14 Day 8 - 14mi (22.4km), 2.9k’ (0.9km), → camp before Helen Lake 11k’ (3.3km)
3:33 Day 9 - 10mi (16km), 1k’ (0.3km), → Muir Pass 12k’ (3.6km) → Evolution Lake Outlet 10.9k’ (3.3km)
3:50 Day 10 - 15mi (24km), 0.3k’ (0.1km), → Muir Trail Ranch 7.7k’ (2.3km) (RESUPPLY)
4:11 Day 11 - 9mi (14.4km), 3.3k’ (1km), → Selden Pass 10.9k’ (3.3km) → Marie Lake 10.6k’ (3.2km)
4:26 Day 12 - 13mi (20.8km), 2k’ (6.6km), → Pocket Meadow 8.9k’ (2.7km)
4:43 Day 13 - 13mi (20.8km), 3k’ (0.9km), → Silver Pass 10.8k’ (3.3km) → Lake Virginia 10.3k’ (3.1km)
5:01 Day 14 - 19mi (30.4km), 0.5k’ (0.2km), → Reds Meadow 7.6k’ (2.3km) (RESUPPLY: store & restaurant)
5:32 Day 15 - 12mi (19.2km), 2k’ (0.6km), → Devils Postpile National Monument → Rosalie Lake 9.4k’ (2.8km)
5:52 Day 16 - 12mi (19.2km), 1k’ (0.3km), → Thousand Island Lake 9.8k’ (3km)
6:08 Day 17 - 17mi (27.2km), 1.5k’ (0.5km), → Island Pass 10.2k’ (3.1km) → Donahue Pass 11k’ (3.3km) → Lyell Canyon 8.9k’ (2.7km)
6:41 Day 18 - 22mi (35.2km), 1.1k’ (0.3km), → Tolumne Meadows (RESUPPLY: store & restaurant) → Cathedral Pass 9.3k’ (2.8km) → Sunrise Camp 9.3k’ (2.8km)
7:14 Day 19 - 17mi (27.2km), 3k’ (0.9km), → Camp at JMT / Clouds Rest Trail Junction 7.3k’ (2.2km) → Daytrip Clouds Rest 9.9k’ (3km)
7:41 Day 20 - 14mi (22.4km), 1.8k’ (0.5km), → Half Dome 8.8k’ (2.7km) (Permitted in 2015 with Happy Isles listed as the exit trailhead) → Camp → Happy Isles 4k’ (1.2km)
Finish July 30th
End by driving from Yosemite back to Whitney Portal to pick up other car, then → Home 0.1k’ and 12 hours in a pillow-top mattress.
Q4: How did you get food resupplies on the trail?
A4: There are multiple places along the trail where you can mail yourself food (see itinerary above). You ship a 5 gallon bucket to Muir Trail Ranch and they go into town and get it for you. There was so much extra free food there it was ridiculous. Then there's Reds Meadow and Tuolomne Meadow, which both have stores and restaurants to buy food, and they accept mailed packages.
Q5: What camera did you use and what software did you edit the video with?
A5: I filmed it with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 with an Olympus 12-50mm lens. Everything was editing in Premiere Pro and After Effects. It was my first time playing with video, and I had zero prep, but I think it turned out OK.
The most original post for the JMT I have seen. Excellent job gentlemen.
Thanks Dave!
I come back to this video all the time. I swear I've watched it at least 100 times - and it still gives me butterflies. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
Sonia Gutierrez Wow, Sonia. I'm honored. Thank you.
Great job. You truly did more with less. Gives a real flavor of what a hiker would expect to see. On the other hand, I could have watched more than an hour of this. Keeps me inspired to get out more. Echoing a comment by others: Thanks for the low key, mellow sound track. I go backpacking for the awesome silence of nature.
Thanks for sharing what my 65 year old knees will never get me to. Magnificent!
+Jacque Davis Thanks for the kind words, Jacque! It's always my pleasure to bring the beauty of the world to as many people as I can.
As an Explorer Scout in the mid 60's I was fortunate enough to spent two weeks in the southern area of the JMT near My Whitney. Awe inspiring and thank you so much for this video. It gave me chills.
Amazing video. You really were able to capture what it might be like to do the trail. I'm sure the real life experience is 100 times better.
A million times better :) I hope you're able to get out and experience it in person soon
PCT 2016. I still can't watch footage like this without feeling sick to my stomach with nostalgia.
What a beautiful journey.. Can't imagine your bucket list!
The Sierra Nevada is incredibly beautiful! I need to get moving on this bucket list soon or the bucket is going to get moving on me
Many thanks for this marvelous video.
wow, this is absolutely jaw-dropping beauty and incredible editing skills! i just found out about the JMT and would be privileged to do it myself one day. thanks for sharing this amazing video!
Wonderful video. Many, many thanks. (Love the hats!)
Really well done. Thank you for letting us see this beautiful place.
+Vincent Miceli Thanks a lot, Vincent! It's an incredibly beautiful world out there. I can't help but share it.
Really enjoyed that. It brought back great memories.
+The Outdoor Adventure Thanks a lot! I'm glad to have been able to help you reminisce.
That was a huge feel trip. I miss the mountains. If any of you watching this haven't ever gone backpacking, put it on your bucket list. Get into nature, man.
+Kyle Olsen This right here is gospel.
Absolutely lovely!
Dude this is incredible. well done!
+Ryan Wilkes Thanks a lot, Ryan!
Thank for the beautiful and silly video! Nice work on your trip. I liked the pack string cameo.
Thanks :) Those were some strong mules. They took a spill coming down silver pass, but kept on pushing through. They were loving the sweet grass at Virginia lake.
this makes me want to hike it more now than ever!
That was a lot of work but well worth it, guys. So cool. Been at several of those spots but never on the entire trail. Really pulled things together for me. Now I long to do the whole thing.
+Beverly Millson It is incredible out there. I'm glad I could help bring that all together for you.
Fantastic job editing and really appreciative of all the factoids and map info you shared in the beginning. I feel inspired to do the JMT some day!
+Alen S Go for it, man. You won't regret it!
What resource was most helpful in planning for the trip?
+Alen S I used the National Geographic guide to plan it all out. It's a great trail map with marked camping spots, water sources, location names, and has a nice elevation profile to give you an idea of what kind of elevation change you're going to have to deal with. It's stapled in the center like a book with 48 pages, so it's pretty easy to use. I sat down with that for several nights and got an itinerary put together. That's what I spent the most time with. It even has a suggested itinerary, if you're interested. Take a look.
www.amazon.com/Topographic-National-Geographic-Trails-Illustrated/dp/1566956897
There's also the a 304 book by Elizabeth Wenk that's very detailed, if more detail is what you're looking for. I haven't used it, but I've heard it's good.
www.amazon.com/John-Muir-Trail-Essential-Americas/dp/0899977367
Amazing NatGeo book, seems to be all I will need. Thank you!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for watching.
Beautiful video, beautifully edited.
Thanks, Ava. It was my first time editing. I'm happy with the results.
wow! awesome job! thanks for sharing!
Very cool, thanks for sharing!
absolutely beautiful
This is awesome, reminded me of a 110 mile hike I did with my dad
+Harry Wills I'm glad I could help bring back those memories.
very nice. would like to have seen more like 10 sec. clips. brought many memories of when I hiked the PCT in 1976
I would watch all 20 days of this.
WOW! Amazing video guys!!! I am planning on doing this. Hopefully I can get there soon!
BrynnOverBored I hope you can get out there this season!
Looking forward to hiking this next summer!
have an incredible trip!
Great video thank you for making it!
Great video, thanks for sharing! Took me out of my cubicle and into the wild for 8 mins haha...
+Derek Thom Haha! I'm glad I could bring nature to your cubicle.
G'day! That's awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent video you guys are a riot and you did WAY MORE WITH WAY LESS 🏃 🏔👌🇺🇸
Fantastic video!! Thanks!
Thanks a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Congratulations!! Great vid!
Thanks!
loved it, thank you :)
That arete on clouds rest is fkn a sight to see. Nice vid!!!
Haha. My buddy wouldn't walk that arete with me. Something about a fear of dying. Glad you enjoyed the vid!
Awesome footage
5:29 That's the best feeling after being in the back-country.
+xchek32 Seriously one of the best showers I've ever had.
Wow. Congratulations!
Thanks, Haupi!
I love this, thank you.
Jon Gaddis Thanks, Jon. This brought back some great memories.
this is great; makes me want to go backpacking
+Seungil Ha I can't encourage it more! backpacking through the wilderness give you a whole new appreciation for life in general .
The mountains are calling and I must go!
+Zac Siems I don't know how they got my cell number, but I'm OK with that.
Great vid great quality .
+Chri Sas (C2447) Thanks a lot, Chris!
Awesome vid!
Great video dude!
+TheFlojj Thanks a lot, man!
Awesome movie, felt like I lived it :)
+Darren Malone Thanks a lot, Darren. The Sierra Nevada is an awesome place!
Great video and nice tents!
+Tarptent Haha. Thanks a lot! Those tents are a piece of perfection. I tell everyone who asks about my gear to check out www.Tarptent.com. Spectacular!
Beautiful.
It's incredibly beautiful out there
Really cool and funny, thanks. Works well at 2x speed too. Keep it up!
Haha 2x gets a little intense.
Great job on this video ! This is the best on the trail video I have seen, there are a few more that are enjoyable to view, but so many trail videos are crappy ! The worst are a guy with the camera on his face the entire time yacking non stop---UGH !! Thank you for sharing !
Very Cool!
Atta boys!.....................ya did it! Great little video, I loved it....Thank you:)
+G. William Whaaargargle Thanks a lot!
+HitTheRoadZak How much did the whole trip cost?.....what would you do different if you did it again?
+G. William Whaaargargle After getting to the trailhead, the hike and food associated, including some splurging when I got to restaurants, was less than $200. You could do it for less. The gear and transportation to the trailhead are some of the bigger expenses. You may be surprised how much it costs to get good gear and go live like a homeless person.
+G. William Whaaargargle If I did it again I would have given a little more attention to getting better quality video. The trail itself was amazing! I wouldn't change a thing!
Just watched your video. Kudos!!!
Planning my 2019 JMT hike. What advice do you have?
Cool, thanks!
Heyyyyy, I remember you! I was randomly looking for a specific type of video, clicked yours, and the first thing out of my mouth was "HEY, I KNOW THAT GUY!" I met you twice in a couple years! Once was on Glen pass! I can't remember the other spot off the top of my head. I have pictures! I think i've emailed you as well! Ah! Great video! Very well done! You still hiking the JMT? I finished it in 2020! But likely will do it again with my new wife!
Well done!
Thanks a lot!
Awesome video!
Thanks, Brandon. It was fun to put together
Loved your unique approach to documenting the journey. What was your approach to keeping the electronics powered during the trip?
Charles Bechtel Thanks for the kind words, Charles. Charging batteries was accomplished by a mix of a portable solar panel, wall outlets when they were available, and a very generous car camper's 12V car outlet. I was running on almost dead several times, but I managed to record everything I wanted.
Great video as it shows a great summary. Did Half Dome in 2014 and Reds Meadow to Whitney in Aug 2015. Is there a more stunning enviroment anywhere in the world?
Tony C Cool you were able to experience those parts of the Sierra. It is definitely some of the best nature in the world.
Amazing video! We are planning on hiking the JMT late June- what do you think the snow cover will be like that time of year? Any advice for the trail would be highly appreciated! :) Thank you!
This year the snow will be more plentiful than it was last year during the 5th consecutive drought year. I would think it will be more plentiful, but definitely passable, and there will be plenty of delicious fresh snow melt. My best advice is take care of your feet! Dry them out any chance you get, change your socks frequently and dry the other pair on your bag, and never hike with wet feet. Wear shoes that have room for your feet to swell. loosening the laces helps. An infected blister can take you off the trail easy. You're going to have an incredible trip!
1:17 - G'KNIGHT? Great video btw. Looks like a blast.
+mnehls1 You've got it! One of the higher alcohol content beers I could find. Gotta make carrying beer to the top of Mt Whitney worthwhile!
Very nice trail, this is challenge.
+Adventures with Nik It was incredible. I highly recommend you add it to your list of adventures.
wow awesome
awesomeness
Good job. I'm planning on doing something similar myself.
I can't encourage it enough.
i noticed you didn't use fire pans, is it common to be able to build a regular fire, on the JMT in JULY? loved the way you filmed, agree less is more. Awesome work!
Below certain elevations on most of the trail fires are permitted year round. The fire "pits" we used were all existing before we got there. A fire was particularly nice after a wet day!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Great little video. Will there be a directors cut? Too short! Need more.
+RDJim Given the amount of time this took me to put together, a the best I can do for a longer video is to advise you watch it at half speed. Haha. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome video! My family and I were on the trail at the same time! What dates were you on the trail? We might've seen you guys!
+Katie Friedrich Thanks! We were out there July 11th to 30th. If you saw anyone in a Conical Asian Hat and a Sombrero then there's a 99% chance it was us.
Very creative, I'll have to keep this in mind for my future videos out on trails. Keeps all the sounds of nature, unlike time lapsed video. How did you know to stop each mile or did you just approximate?
+Matt Outdoors Thanks a lot, Matt! I watched my GPS for when a mile had passed and then took a few seconds of video when it did. Each second that made the cut is from somewhere within that mile
Cool. What GPS do you use? I've been looking at getting a Garmin eTrex 20, primarily for geocaching use.
+Matt Outdoors That's the GPS I used. It's no google maps, but it gets the job done. There's a lot of room for improvement, but I'm not sure what's better. Smart phones don't need a cell signal to track with GPS and you can download maps. A lot of PCT hikers use an app called Guthooks PCT guide and Halfmile's PCT. Great apps that will work out in the middle of the High Sierra. I'll try that next time and keep the Garmin as backup. If you do get a garmin check out Open Street Map. It's a great community generated map, and it's free. Garmin charges a lot for their maps.
Thanks for the advice, I'll look into some of that before I buy.
Did you dorks wear those hats the whole trip? Loved it! Awesome video!
+Ape Man Haha. Dang right we did. Seriously the best hiking hats we've ever worn. I'm glad you liked it!
Would love to know how you guys packed and prepared for that journey
+Diego Y Thanks for your interest. Someday I need to put together the details. Until then, check out this guy. He covers it all pretty dang well
socalhiker.net/backpacking/jmt/john-muir-trail-overview/
I saw some wildlife in your video - were those sightings common? Did you see any bear or cougars? Any other interesting wildlife that you didn't get on camera? Did you lose any weight from the hiking experience? I'm planning on hiking it next summer.
We saw tons of rodents, birds, and a few deer. We didn't see any bears on this trip, but some other JMT hikers did. Spotting a cougar is very rare. I've never seen one. I lost about 20 pounds in those 3 weeks. My buddy lost about 15. A lot of that is water weight, but there was definitely some fat loss there. You're going to have an incredible hike!
What side trips did you do off the JMT? How did you add 60 miles to it?
+Lauren Thompson The big ones were to Onion Valley over Kearsarge, twice, Half Dome, Clouds Rest, and down to the Whitney Portal. There were a lot of smaller excursions as well. Unless you get a helicopter ride off the top of Mt Whitney you're guaranteed to do more than 211 miles in your trip if you hike the whole JMT.
This place has a striking resemblance with ziarat, pakistan, home to the world second largest juniper forests
In the process of trying to get permits now and contemplating a NOBO hike because of how hard it is this year :(
+Kristina Cary it was hard to get SOBO permits last year, too. NOBODY permits were easy to get. Check out an elevation profile of the trail. Many passes are more appealing heading North. And the stretch from Whitney to MTR is easier to resupply out of onion valley. You'll have an incredible trip either direction!
What are the names of the lakes at mile 132 and 194? Awesome trip, thanks for posting
+Chili.B.rad 132 is Marie Lake and 194 is Garnet Lake. 200 at 6:09 is Thousand Island lake. Amazingly beautiful lake. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'll be posting my photos of those lakes soon over at facebook.com/HitTheRoadZak is you want to check it out.
+HitTheRoadZak Thank you for the response! I live in Oregon, but man I would love to see that area. How do you keep batteries charged while on the trail for 20 + days? Do you carry a few spare batteries? Only turn it on when you are ready to record? ( I just 'liked' your FB page )
+Chili.B.rad I had a solar charger and 3 batteries. Even still, we had a lot of cloudy days and keeping them charged was a challenge. I used the outlets and Muir Trail Ranch and got a full charge on all of them. Next time I'll bring a more powerful solar charger and more and better batteries. The cheap ones I had could not hold a charge like the factory battery I had. I made the video with the aid of a GPS. I monitored the GPS and when a mile had passed I would take a few seconds of video. It made the batteries last a lot longer.
You gotta get down to the Sierra Nevada! It's worth the drive!
very cool, but how did you get those food deliveries?
+TheParachutePeople You send it yourself in advance.
+TheParachutePeople Thanks! You can mail yourself packages at Muir Trail Ranch, Tuolumne Meadows, Reds Meadow, and other places along the trail.
How did you manage to not run out of battery life on the camera used?
+W Edfalk I had 3 batteries and a solar charger. I watched my GPS for when a mile had passed and then took a few seconds of video when it did. We had a lot of clouds so it was hard to keep batteries charged, but it worked out.
Thanks!
What camera did you use?
+Ross Kulick Olympus OM-D E-M5. Great little camera.
What was your start date and end date?
+Stephen Sutter July11th-30th. Thanks for the comment, I've added that to the description now. My whole itinerary is in the description, if you didn't already see it.
How were the crowds?
+Loren Tolley Not that bad. We were headed north, so we would briefly pass by most people on their journey south. We saw maybe 30 people most days at the beginning. Then as we got closer to Donahue Pass it was more like 50. They limit the number of people given Donahue Pass permits to 45 per day.
Why do i feel like eating a nature grain bar right now?
Day 2 needs more rocks.
+AnythingFPS Way too much green stuff on day 2.
I wanted to let you know that me and my girlfriend really enjoyed watching your video! Very well done. Loved how you edited it with short clips. Couldn't look away for a second. Really good stuff & brought back so many memories. Maybe you can check out some of my videos too :) Happy trails!
+Jon Harting Thank a lot, Jon! It was fun to edit and put it all together. It's my first time messing with video. I'm happy with the results. Cool part of the world! I'll give your channel a look.
Is it the whole trail marked.???
The whole trail has signs at the trail junctions so you know which way to go. The miles are not marked, though. I did that with my GPS.
OK thank you very much. ;)
when i did that i always wanted mcdonalds to open a branch every 10 miles
footwear?
+Kermit Airsoft I was really happy with my Merrell Moab Ventilators wide width, so I went with the Moab Waterproof wide width on the JMT. They did not work out well and I wouldn't use them again for my feet. I ended up with a quarter inch bump on a partially collapsed sole near the ball of my right foot that hurt like hell for the last 100 miles. My feet swelled at least a shoe size, and the wide width couldn't handle it. Next time I'm hiking in 4E shoes, and it looks like for waterproof I'll need to go with New Balance. That's a bit of a bummer because their soles are inferior to the Vibram soles on the Merrells. Man, that's a lot of words of response for a one word question comment.
Very nice! I've been there. Let's be friends with RUclips.Take care ~:D:D
Silver Pass is the absolute STUPIDEST pass I have ever been over. Instead of simply going over the low point of the ridge, the trail crosses a point at least 100 feet higher!! The trail in that section must have been built by the Three Stooges!!!
Could not watch for more than 3 pix.
+Skandalos It's definitely not a style for everyone, but thanks for giving it a chance
I have seen every single video that there is to see about the John Muir trail. People are so quick to quote him and display captions of his quotes respectively. Sure, he designed some great national parks but the volunteers that actually brought in the trees and mountains never even saw a paycheck. There are a lot of dark truths about him that people don't know or just ignore altogether. Nobody talks about how he introduced Abraham Lincoln to Adolph Hitler. It was at their first meeting where the three of them came up with Socialitarianism, which is a horrible and degrading thing. he also had a penchant for throwing onions at people if they made fun of his hot pink rucksack. People, choose your people of inspiration wisely.
Make longer scenes, these make me dizzy.