hi yall! i snagged a sobo permit from happy isles for sept 8. i do a fair amount of hiking and almost exclusively in chacos. anyone know of folx who have completed the jmt in chacos?

Hi fellow hikers, I was so happy this morning when I found out that I got a reservation for Lyell Canyon on my first try. The hiking gods were good to me. Who else is starting on September 16 (+/- a couple days) from there?

Hello Folks, As a first time hiker to Sierras i have no knowledge of the trail head. Lottery confirmation website page needs various details on trail head exit point and campsite information for first day of the trip to confirm the Lottery.

Any recommendations on what to select for the "Exit point" and "First night's Camp area" would be valuable.

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Which Station is better for Lyell Canyon SOBO to picking up the permit?

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With the various closures at Tuolumne Meadows, does anyone know if the store will be open this summer? And assuming it is open, are they typically well stocked? We are wondering if it is safe to restock food on-sight (for two more nights as we are northbound) as opposed to mailing a package to the post office.... we are afraid of showing up there and finding that they are cleaned out on that particular day.

Hello folks, I'm doing the JMT segment from Reds Meadow to Happy Isles in late July and am wondering if hiking boots are essential or if water proof sneakers would be sufficient. I live in New England where trails tend to be full of boulders so boots are often necessary here but I've found that many places out west tend to have better groomed trails.

Has anyone started this late before? I’ve sectioned a few parts but never have done the whole thing and finally have a chance.

We are thinking about staying a Thursday night before starting Friday on the North Lake to South Lake loop in the last week of August. We think we’d only be able to arrive late afternoon and are conscious there are only a dozen or so campsites on - first come first serve basis. Has anyone been at a similar time or know what it might be like?

Thanks!

Does this NOBO itinerary seem aggressive for a 50yo in decent shape? Wife is joining as well. We're flat landers that are in decent shape but are a bit worried about the long days, especially in the beginning. I'm used to training for marathons, an Ironman, etc. but I'm pretty concerned as the large amount of ~15 mile days seems daunting.

My dates can't be moved because of my PTO availability but I could chop out the Onion Valley resupply if I could figure out how to get to MTR. The sticking point is that Chicken Spring Lake doesn't have a bear box. and I'm not sure getting to the box at Rock Creek on the first day is something I want to try and do.

Pack weight will be around 35 pounds with a base weight of ~15 pounds in case that helps. And I understand we won’t always stay at the places I’ve noted but it’s a zero sum game so shorter or longer days all add up to the same thing in the end.

From LA (or perhaps Vegas?) what is the best way to get to Cottonwood Pass for a NOBO without a car? Or is this not possible?

I'm an Australian and will be hiking the JMT starting from Cottonwood Pass on July 3rd. I'll be flying from Sydney, Australia to LAX about 3 days before. What should I do regarding resupplies? Let's say I wanted to resupply at halfway, Muir Trail Ranch. Should I post my resupply bucket from Australia weeks beforehand? Or is there a better way to do this that I'm missing?

And any general thoughts on how this July season of hiking is looking in regards to snow and wildfires; and anything else. Thanks! Also, just double-checking that the permit I have allows me to hike the whole JMT?

Inyo National Forest - Wilderness Permits - Permit
Area:  Cottonwood Pass
Type: OvernightExitingMtWhitney

Heading out on the JMT with a Jul 25 ‘24 start date.

I have a 30F limit quilt (MEC Talon 0C) and a 4.5R sleeping pad (Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite NXT). I’m also planning on bringing a down jacket (Patagonia down sweater) that I can throw on at night if I need.

Will I be ok with nighttime temps, or should I upgrade my quilt?

I have a permit to go from Taboose Pass down to Horseshoe Meadows in September, but am looking to shorten the end of the hike and hopefully take a more direct route to Old/New Army Pass. I am pretty sure I have seen trip reports of off trail routes to Crabtree Lakes from Cottonwood Lakes but am having trouble locating any online. If anyone has some suggestions for a route from Crabtree to Cottonwood or Crabtree to Meysen Lakes (if that is doable) I would be most grateful.

SOBO from Happy Isles with Donahue pass exit permit. Putting weather and natural elements aside, is it legal to camp on Whitney? I've seen a couple videos of people camping up there, and I love the idea of watching sunset and sunrise from there.

Is a finish date in mid October a bit too risky in terms of potential snow storms and resupply locations being closed? I have another permit to start on 9/2 from Mono.

So I got lucky and ended up landing a SOBO permit for happy isles -> Past LYV (Donohue pass eligible) for 4 on April fools day of all days. Couldn’t believe it wasn’t a joke at first. But anyways I selected our exit as Mt. Whitney (trail crest exit). I didn’t see Whitney portal on there and want to make sure I got it right before it’s too late to change anything. Do I need to switch it to anything else? I tried finding more info on this trailhead for the JMT permit process, but I couldn’t dig up much on exit specifics on this trailhead apart from info from the old reservation system. I also listed sunrise lakes for the first campsite, this is an eligible campsite correct?

I’m also starting to look into logistics for food stops and YARTS for the trip. Any tips there?

New gear, food, plane tickets, transportation… Can you hike the trail when you are low on budget?

This is my first thru-hike, and I'm wanting to be as light as possible (naturally), so I can enjoy the trail without a kitchen sink in my back. Here's my lighterpack.com list.

https://lighterpack.com/r/ni0925

Thanks for your suggestions on trimming down the weight.

What am I doing wrong here. I'm a 42 year old, 213lbs, 6'1" tall dude, with easily 15 pounds to lose. With 6 days of food, and 2 liters of water on me. This seems heavy, I've weighed everything I have so far that is going in my bag to the gram so I have no illusions of the weight I'm carrying on my heaviest days.

What am packing that I can do without? Ideal world, my pack fully loaded with all the things is 38 pounds. I've been training to 40 pounds and it is feeling fine on my long hikes with 2,500 ft of elevation gain here on the East coast, but doesn't mean I want to carry that much at 10,000 ft.

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On a serious note, I looked at postholer.com and it looks like this year's snowpack is fairly in line with average. I'm curious if anyone has gone in early June in previous years (2023 and 2017 excluded) and how much snow did you have to deal with.

Hello everyone. I am headed NOBO from cottonwood pass in late June. I am going with some buddies up until Kearsarge pass and then I am going solo to HI from there. My question is to those that have hiked it solo. How did you do it? How did you overcome the mental challenges? Physically I know I am more than capable. But in the past I have mentally struggled with my longer hikes. Any tips?

Lost out on the lottery last week, trying again this week… do I really have to pay $10 every time to enter? Seems like a proper rip off. I understand it’s generating money for a good cause but as a foreigner I could well spend hundred of dollars failing to gain a permit.. and never experience the wilderness.

Hi y’all, I got a permit starting 5 September to do a sobo. A little bit worried that it will be cancelend due to wildfires. How was it the latest years? When do they notice you? Is it just a section you have to skip or almost the whole trail?

• any people who already did the trail sobo in September? I would be nice to chat!

Hi! Just got awarded a lottery for a 9/3 start on Lyell Canyon. I got awarded today and accepted it, but now really, really want to start in LYV and do the full hike (with Half Dome on top).

Is there a way to change my permit request? Can I see if anything opens up this Friday? Or is it better to just get a walk up once it's closer for just that portion from LYV > Lyell Canyon?

Hello all I’m a 25M with no overnight backpacking/camping experience. I would say I am in great shape and run ultramarathons so I’m not as worried about the physical aspect more the camping aspect. However, me and my friend got permits to hike NOBO early July but he has to leave after only 10 days (he is somewhat experienced hiker with a few multi day backpacking trips under his belt). I was planning on doing the rest of the hike by myself but I am worried that I’m too inexperienced. I could do 2-3 solo weekends camps before that. But what do you think am I in over my head? Thanks!

Hello, I am planning the Agnew Meadows to Happy Valley Yosemite hike; what is the best permit to get?
Two questions:

1. From Everything that I have seen one must pick up the permit in Yosemite, which is not reasonable since the idea is to start on Agnew Medows and finish in Yosemite Valley
2. Do I need two permits? one for the Yosemite part (Donohue Pass to Happy Valley) and another for the Inyo Wilderness (Agnew Meadows to Donohue Pass)? Is that the only way

thanks in advance

Which microspikes would be best suited for the JMT SOBO? Can they be purchased at REI (I have some coupons/vouchers there).

Leaving July 21 from Little Yosemite Valley.

Hi All,

Is it possible to hike through the areas where bear canisters are required, therefore not needing to bring one?

EDIT: To clarify, I was asking if it was possible to avoid camping in the areas that required one and be able to get away with a bear hang/ursack instead. Have no intention of trying to do something against the rules.

I am starting a JMT northbound hike on September 3, 2024 from the Cotton Wood Pass Trailhead at Horseshoe Meadows and am looking to rideshare with someone from Lone Pine early in the day. I would be willing to split a shuttle fee or pay for a tank of gas in a private car. Please reply if interested and we can work something out.

Happy Hiking!

Would you rather:

1. Spend 2 nights @ VRR, one night camping, one night in one of their motel rooms.
2. Spend 1 night camping @ VRR, hitch to Mono Hot Springs the next day and spend 1 night in their cabins.

Thoughts? Many thanks!

Working on gear list for JMT section hike from Cottonwood to Whitney, 2nd week of July:

Hiking Shirt: Option 1: Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodie Option 2: Patagonia Stretch Long Sleeve Button shirt - Nylon

Insulation: Option 1: Nunatak JMT Ultralight Sweater - Apex Option 2: Feathered Friends EOS Jacket - Down Both will be used with a Alpha 90 Fleece mid layer.

Thanks

Thanks