John Muir Trail, August 2010
Map of Our Route
We began our 100+ mile journey in Reds Meadow, Mammoth Lakes, CA and ended 10 days later in South Lake, near Bishop, CA. This map gives you an overview of the section of trail - as you can see, it's as much of an west to east trip as it is north to south.
Devil's Postpile
The day before we started backpacking, we did a day hike around the Devil's Postpile with Rob's brother and sister-in-law. They were kind enough to meet us near Bishop so that we could leave our car at the destination trailhead and then dropped us off in Mammoth for the start our trip.
Summer wildflowers
Because of the late spring snow this year, we were treated to lush wildflowers, as well as higher than normal streamflows and ... lots of mosquitos!
Squaw Lake Sunset
We spent our second night at Squaw Lake (10,300'), just below Silver Pass (10,750'). The lake basin faces west and we had the rare treat of eating our dinner while basking in the sun until 7 pm.
Columbines
More wildflower treats: Columbine in different colors
South Fork of the San Joaquin River
The trail follows part of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River for about 4 miles. The river has carved a dramatic canyon and the water is so clear. Luckily most of the crossings of this stretch of the river are on well constructed footbridges.
Evolution Basin Sunset
It was hard to pick which sunset shot to include - we were treated to shows like this almost every night. This is from one of my favorite sections of the trail, through Evolution Basin. The lake in the foreground is Sapphire Lake with Mount Darwin and Mount Mendel, glowing in the early evening sun.
Pika
Every day we got off to an early morning start - up at 6 am, packed and on the trail by 7 am. As a result, we were treated to good wildlife sitings like this tiny pika. Pikas can only live in cold climates in rocky terrain. Climate change is pushing pikas to ever higher elevations and they may soon become extinct.
Dramatic Sky at Muir Pass
The day we crossed Muir Pass (11,980'), we had wild weather. I knew we were in for weather when there were already clouds in the sky at 6 am. The wind blew hard all day and great patches of ominous looking clouds kept moving overhead. The wind seemed to keep them moving and luckily they never got a chance to hang around and turn into a thunderstorm.
Crossing Snowfield Near Bishop Pass
Because we had an above normal snowfall year and snow fell late in the spring, there was still snow on parts of the trail. This snowfield was towards the end of our trip when the temperatures dropped below normal. Since we crossed this one early in the morning, it was stil frozen and a little tricky to walk on.
Sunrise in Upper Dusy Basin
Sunrise in upper Dusy Basin on our last morning - what an inspiring sight to wake up to! Makes getting up at 6 am worth the effort for me, a natural night owl who struggles to get up in the morning.
Push-ups on the Pass!
A short 2-minute video of a new tradition for us: "push-ups on the pass." What???? Watch this and find out...