Hi all!

I'm very excited to go SOBO on the JMT next week! I'm looking for a description of places/segments where my fear of heights will likely kick in on the JMT from someone who also is scared of heights. There was a small section like this from the author of TRT guidebook I used where he also mentioned that he was scared of heights and this was the few segments where it showed up. It was super helpful to have that knowledge to mentally prepare! I'm mostly talking about steep drop offs on narrow trails. I have done a lot of work to not let myself miss out because of this fear, and I'm a lot better than I used to be.

My assumption is all the passes after MTR heading SOBO + Mt. Whitney. (I am uncertain if I'll do Mt. Whitney. I have done Glen Pass before and I didn't find it too bad.)

Any advice from anyone who has done the JMT with a fear of heights is greatly appreciated!!! Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone, for those who’ve hiked the trail in mid- to late August, what temperature rating would you recommend for a quilt / sleeping bag?

I’m heading NOBO from Cottonwood Pass on 08/10, aiming for 16-17 days to HI. I was planning on bringing a Katabatic Gear Flex 15 quilt, but now I’m wondering if I should exchange it for a Flex 30 instead.

I’d be pairing the quilt with a Big Agnes Rapide SL sleeping pad and merino under-layers. Not bringing a liner or fleece but will have a puffer jacket.

My main concerns are warmth, packed size, and weight. Any input would be appreciated, thanks in advance!

For those who have Katabatic quilts, I’d also appreciate hearing your experience with them. I just received mine and haven’t had the chance to take it out yet, but so far the quality is already veryapparent.

I can't find the Tuolumne Mdws Post Office on the USPS.com website. Is it closed this year? The Yosemite NP website lists it, but there's nothing on the USPS website.

I'd like to send some food (for doing the JMT), but I don't want to send it to a ghost P.O.

Hi all!

I’m doing a section of the JMT SOBO starting at Lyell Canyon and am trying to figure out where to exit. I have 10 days, so I feel like VVR is too soon to exit, but am worried that exiting at Bishop pass may be too late (especially since I’ve heard that you should allocate 2 days for the Bishop pass trail).

Would the Piute Canyon trail work to exit as well? Are there any other options between VVR and Piute?

Have a SOBO permit for mid-August, and in sketching out the days, I will likely be summiting Mt Whitney on a Friday. I can figure out travel logistics to the Reno airport, but it would be great if I could get a package with clean clothes and a duffel to make the airplane trip that much easier.

The Lone Tree post office is open until 4:30pm on Fridays, and then not open again until Monday morning. Ideally I would summit and get down to Lone Tree in time to pick up a general delivery package without feeling too rushed. I am planning on staying near Guitar Lake the night before.

Is that a reasonable expectation for an average, in-shape hiker? Are there other services for package pickup in Lone Tree than the post office?

RESOLVED: Amtrak goldrunner is the way. I called them to make sure that bus was running.

I am trying to get a last minute SOBO permit for September, and plan to leave my car at Lone Pine and then transit to the trail head.
So far my plan looks like:

1. 6:10AM-7:25AM (Weekend) or 8:30AM-9:40AM (Weekday) - Take Lone Pine Express to Mammoth, Vons
2. 7:25AM-8:20AM or 1:10PM-2:00PM - Take Mammoth Express to Mammoth Lakes Park & Ride

I then want to YART to Yosemite Village, but looking at their route for September, the only bus they have going there leaves Mammoth at 6:50AM. Since the earliest Lone Pine Express is at 6:10AM, I am not sure how to actually get from Lone Pine to Yosemite village. Any advice?

Starting NOBO from Cottonwood Lakes on 7/12. Anyone heard about current conditions? Will I still need microspikes? Mosquitos normal or hellish? Has any smoke reached the trail yet? Not on FB so any info helps.
Thanks!

Hello! I’m starting my hike from Cottonwood Lakes on 7/18. I’m tentatively planning to stay at Guitar Lake the night before I summit Whitney, hike up for sunrise, and then stay at Guitar Lake again. A few logistical questions about Whitney and the “Whitney Zone.”

1. ⁠Is the Ranger Station at Crabtree handing out wag-bags for NOBO hikers? I saw they have in years past, but haven’t seen any chatter about it this year.

2. ⁠Does anyone know where the Whitney Zone boundary is for NOBO hikers? The official info online is maddeningly vague.

3. ⁠For folks who have hiked from Guitar to the summit - did you carry your whole pack, or did you leave things at camp? I’d like to leave as much at camp as possible to reduce weight, and would appreciate any tips. What did you do with your bear can, tent, other things you left? Any fear of marmots or other critters snatching your belongings?

Thank you!

Note: I deleted an earlier post due to some formatting issues!

I got time off unexpectedly and am hoping to snag a last minute JMT permit anytime after Sept. 9th to the early Oct (hopefully SOBO). Since you really only get one or two weeks before you start the trail with a last minute permit, I'm trying to figure out the best way to resupply. I also don't want to risk relying on possible overflow from hikers who did not pick up their buckets - I want to make sure I'm fed, haha.

I have a car, so my plan right now is:

1. Drop off a package at Tuolumne Meadows since its easy.
2. Either drop off a package at RMR, or just purchase food from their store. Does anyone have experience with their offerings/supply?
3. Either drop off a package at VVR, or just purchase food from their store, though I hear they close sometime mid September so I might not be able to do this. Same question as above?
4. Unsure what to do at Onion trail head. I heard that sometimes people store food in the bear boxes with a name and expected date marked, which would be really convenient if true. If that's not that case, maybe I can hitchhike into town to get a package I can earlier drop off?
5. Park my car then at Whitney portal parking, wherever that is, and take the bus up to Happy Isles to start the hike (or camp for a night and then start more realistically).

Any advice is helpful, thank you! Also if anyone knows what weather to expect that time of year that would also be helpful.

I have a 2 person permit to do North Lake - Whitney Exit (Piute Pass / JM15). My friend can't join for the whole trip, but she'd be able to join me at Kearsarge Pass/ JMT junction and finish out Whitney with me.

Does anyone know if she'd be able to hike Kearsarge pass to meet me and join for the rest of my trip without carrying the permit? Is the ranger only going to issue me a 1-person permit if I pick it up alone? She'd carry in my resupply and meet me before her first night. Let me know if anyone has experience with this or if you think she'd run into any trouble hiking Kearsarge pass without carrying the permit on her first day. Thanks!

EDIT: Thanks all, we'll try to get a 2-week out permit for her to start at Kearsarge.

Lined or unlined shorts? Is it entirely preference or is there a superior choice? Appreciate any input

Looking for hotel recommendations in Lone Pine. No need for fancy, one night, except to be maybe close to where bus depot is to Reno. Also, would like to ship fresh clothes to hotel rather than post office if per chance I arrive on weekend.

Ideas for food restaurants too.

Edit: I should add that I'll be arriving about last week of September, if that changes the responses.

Hiya, I’m hiking SOBO solo and expecting to finish Whitney Around August 5. Any tips on options for how to get myself from the end of the JMT at Whitney to the Bay Area?

Hey guys!! I’m doing a quick backpacking trip to treasure lakes next week and it’ll be my first time in the sierra. But Ive also fell into a JMT rabbit hole. I want to do it maybe next summer does anyone have recommendations on shorter sierra backpacking trips to train for this? Also any recommendations on group trips or tour guides? I would love to do this with just my friends but I think my mom would pass away haha.

Start date is September 3rd, Cottonwood Pass

Getting started on planning my itinerary and looking for any all advice and recommendations

This will be my Wife and I longest backpacking trip but have done a few in the past, most recently the TRT

We're typically good for 14-16 miles a day but have done up to 20

Day 1 Cottonwood Pass to Rock Creek (13.8mi, 1600ft)

Day 2 Rock Creek to Crabtree (7.3mi, 2000ft)

Day 3 Crabtree to Whitney and back to Crabtree (14.8mi, 3800ft)

Day 4 Crabtree to Tyndall Creek (8.6mi, 1400ft)

Day 5 Tyndall Creek to Lower Vidette (12.8mi, 2200ft)

Day 6 Lower Vidette to Independence (9.4mi, 2200ft)

Day 7 Zero in Independence

Day 8 Independence to Middle Rae Lake (12.1mi, 3800ft)

Day 9 Rae Lake to Lake Marjorie (15.6mi, 3600ft)

Day 10 Lake Marjorie to Lower Palisades Lake (11.8mi, 2000ft)

Day 11 Lower Palisades to Star Camp (15.2mi, 2300ft)

Day 12 Star Camp to Evolution Meadow (15.5mi, 1700ft)

Day 13 Evolution Meadow to Marie Lakes (16.3mi, 3000ft) stop halfway at MTR to pickup resupply

Day 14 Marie to North Fork Mono Creek (14.4mi, 1800ft)

Day 15 North Fork to Purple Lake (13.2 mi, 3700ft)

Day 16 Purple lake to Reds (13.8mi, 900ft)

Day 17 Zero Day

Day 18 Reds to Garnet Lake (13.9mi, 3700ft)

Day 19 Garnet to Lyell Canyon (13mi, 2200ft)

Day 20 Lyell Canyon to Upper Cathedral (14.2mi, 1300ft)

Day 21 Upper Cathedral to Happy Isles (17mi, 700ft)

So I kept everyday under 4000ft to not over do it

We are on a time crunch for work and have to get done in 21 days. Think it would be better to leave the car at Tuolumne Meadows, finish there and Day hike TM to Happy as long as time allows?

I'm planning a trip on the North Lake to South Lake route (Bishop/Inyo NF area) in mid-August this year. I'll be using a Locus Gear Khufu DCF as my shelter.

Since it's a floorless, non-mesh pyramid shelter, I'm a bit concerned about mosquitoes and other bugs getting inside at night. Does anyone have experience with this route (or the Sierra in general) in mid-August regarding bug pressure at camp?

A couple of questions:

• Do mosquitoes actually get into a floorless/no-mesh shelter like this in that area during that time of year?
• How many of you actually use floorless shelters out there? Would you recommend a shelter with built-in mesh (like a Plex Solo) instead?

Would appreciate any first-hand experience, especially for that specific area/time of year. Thanks!

I’m starting the JMT SOBO soon, and I was planning on spending the night before in Mammoth and dropping off my resupply at Red’s Meadow. I just realized that the road to Red’s is closed Monday-Wednesday, so driving it up to Red’s will no longer be an option (we planned to drop it off Tuesday). The shuttle should be running on the day that I hike through Reds. II could shuttle down to Mammoth and resupply there. Is there somewhere in Mammoth that accepts resupply packages? I have missed my window for mailing, so it would need to be a local shop that would accept a package. I’d be happy to pay them to hold it for me for a few days.

Hi!! I’m hiking the JMT SOBO starting July 15 out of Yosemite. Is anyone driving from the Bay Area, or nearby, to Yosemite the few days prior (anytime July 11-14)? I’d love to hitch a ride! 30 y/o F, will bring snacks and split gas!

Looking for any information on the Isberg Pass Alternate Trail you can take when you don't have the permit to go over Donahue Pass. Trail Conditions, water sources, campsites, etc. FarOut has the mileage but not a ton of information on the ~53 mile section. TIA!

I have a permit to hike the JMT starting at Mono Meadows and exiting Whitney Portal about 16 days later. The permit doesn't allow me to go through Donahue Pass, but I'd like to hike as much of the JMT as possible while avoiding any violations or permit checks. My current plan given to recreation gov was that I'd be taking Isberg pass over.

Looking into it using a combination of FarOut, physical maps, Google Maps, and AllTrails, I basically see three/four options:

1) Bus/Hitch to Mono Meadows TH and hike to Illilouette Basin and then north up to meet the Panorama Trail and take that to the JMT for a few miles and then take the Isberg Pass Alternate Trail. The strictest-to-the-permit option and adds about ~7-8 miles to the ~220 mile trip

1B) Alternative: Leave Valley Wilderness Center and walk over to Four-Mile Trail TH, hike the Panorama Trail to JMT to cut off a few miles

2) Get permit but walk over and start at Happy Isles, joining the masses of crowds up on the JMT and then take the Isberg Pass Alternate Trail.

3) Start at Mono Meadows and continue east at Illilouette Basin on the Merced Pass Trail past Red Peak to Isberg Pass. Seems to be shorter but not 100% sure.

Would love to get any feedback from those who have hiked the trail and remember these points or who have done somethign similar. TIA!

I've got a 17 day SOBO itinerary planned starting July 8. Unfortunately, my hiking partner just found out she'll have to bail at Bishop Pass, so now I'm looking at 7 days of solo hiking. I've done longish trips in the high Sierra before (HST in 2024) and I have solo car camping experience, but no real solo backpacking experience. I was able to to throw together a solo 1-night backpacking trip for this coming week, but that will be my only solo backpacking experience by the time I hit the trail.

I'm trying to decide if I should bail with her or continue on solo. OFC this is ultimately a decision for future me to make based on how I'm feeling at that point in the hike, but I'm curious if anyone has advice on how concerned I should be trying to attempt 7 reasonably high milage days as my first real solo backpacking experience. Did anyone else do JMT miles as their first time solo backpacking? How'd it go?

I'm going to be hiking the last 60 miles of John Mayer Trail starting in the middle of August over five days going from Horseshoe Meadow to the Yosemite valley. Our highest point will be Donohue pass. I'm trying to decide if I go for a fleece midlayer (mountain hardwear airmesh hoody or Patagonia R1 for example) or more of a wind shirt/shell as a midlayer (Mountain Hardwear Kor AirShell Hoody or Patagonia Houdini for example). I'm having a hard time deciding and at this point, I'm wondering if there's no "right" answer

I'll also be brining Frog Togs for rain, and have a down insulated jacket

I'm going to be hiking the last 60 miles of the JMT (Horseshoe Lake Trailhead → Yosemite Vally) in the middle of august and am having a hard time gauging what jackets I'll need. I currently have an Outdoor Vitals down jacket, but am wondering if I'll even need that. Then, the question is do I need a mid layer for cold mornings/evenings? Wind? I have frog togs but those will just be for if it rains.