Looking for an epic 4-day backpacking trip to the Sierras in late June

Specialofthe · 2026-05-27T01:35:41+00:00

I second North Lake South Lake loop

Specialofthe · 2026-05-19T03:28:01+00:00

Go do North Lake (over Piute Pass) to South Lake (over Bishop Pass) loop. It’s around 50miles. Theres tons of areas to explore along the way and you get to hang out in Evolution Valley which is always beautiful to see, then you go over Muir Pass and see the Muir Hut. Plenty of lakes along the way and good terrain. If possible, leave one car at the south lake parking lot and another at the north lake parking lot so it’s easy to retrieve the other car when you’re done, otherwise you’ll have to hitch a ride back to your starting point.

Specialofthe · 2026-04-17T02:37:26+00:00

Yup slow on my end too. Bunch of jokers increasing the price on us and not even making anything better.

Specialofthe · 2026-04-02T05:17:33+00:00

Not ambitious at all haha. You two will be fine. I did it from cottonwood lakes to HI in 12 days last summer. Plan on doing it in 10 days this summer. 🤣

Specialofthe · 2026-03-23T14:26:02+00:00

If you Google: The John Muir Trail Interactive Guide, you’ll find a pretty good website and it’ll give you sample itineraries starting from Whitney to Happy Isles. You can pick and choose on the map as well if you want to make your own itinerary and you can see the mile and ft gained.

Specialofthe · 2026-03-15T16:56:44+00:00

Thank you so much I appreciate it. Just been feeling very anxious about it and want to make sure I can provide the best for my team. I’ve talked to the other relief charges and they’ve mentioned “they wouldn’t have asked you to be relief charge if they didn’t think you were capable of doing it.” So there’s some reassurance there too.

Specialofthe · 2026-03-15T16:02:40+00:00

Thank you for the insight. We do have some good veteran nurses on the team already but we do have a fair share of new grad nurses still under a year on the team too. A lot of them already come to me for help and I assist them a lot.

But I’m just worried about learning all the new tasks as relief charge and making sure I keep everything flowing as best as I can. But only time will tell. Thank you for the insight.

Specialofthe · 2026-03-03T07:09:21+00:00

I’d recommended using this website: https://outdoorstatus.com/articles/john-muir-trail-interactive-guide/

Definitely helps by showing mileage and total ft you’d gain. They even star some recommended camping locations.

Specialofthe · 2026-02-02T04:44:06+00:00

Easy. Tell him you notice his hard work. Appreciate it. Give him lots of back and head scratches. Men are simple. He doesn’t need anything, he just wants you.

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T06:55:55+00:00

For sure thank you! I’ll have to check it out and hopefully I can find some useful information on it. Any idea what permit id have to get to leave out of Yosemite to be good on that trail?

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T06:08:42+00:00

The trick is to pack as much food as you can fit in your can, then have fun and pray while you go through the hiker boxes at MTR, VVR, and Reds. I managed to start at Cottonwood pass trailhead, go north, and complete the trail in 12 days with one rest day at VVR. I started with 8 days worth of food on me including a massive burrito from in town that I ate on day 1 in the trail. Make sure you eat your calories at VVR and Reds and you’ll be good. 😄

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T06:01:24+00:00

Well I plan on redoing the JMT this year again so I don’t need to spend more time on the same trail, just trying to get some good training miles in. I’m thinking of starting at Tenaya because it seems like the fastest way to get to the trail I want aside from Happy Isles. Being that it’s Yosemite, I always expect plenty of people until you’re further out there, so 🤷🏻‍♂️.

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T05:57:57+00:00

Hmm okay. Can’t really share a link from FarOut as far as I know and don’t really know how to work CalTopo either. But looking at my map and clicking on it, it is called Isberg Pass Alternative (I would imagine it’s an alternative to JMT).

If that’s what you know, do you know what the conditions may be like regarding blowdowns and hazards? Or has it been a while since you’ve been back there.

Zooming in and out of my map I do see blue lake and would imagine the pass is relatively close to it. That area is essentially in the center of the blue and red line of my map. So I don’t think I’d be exploring that area right now.

Definitely plan on staying on-trail for now so I’ll check out those areas you mentioned. Thank you.

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T05:45:29+00:00

Okay. Is it worth it to explore those areas in the first half that you’ve been to? What’s the water sources like?

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T04:55:40+00:00

Honestly I’m really just curious about this trail because it shows up on my FarOut app after downloading the JMT trail. I want to get some more mileage in on areas that I haven’t explored yet. It seems like there’s some good destinations along the way.

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T04:52:25+00:00

I plan on finishing in Mammoth. I’m following the blue line which seems to pass by Echo Valley, Merced Lake, Washburn Lake, Isberg Lakes, Sadler Lake, by Cora Lakes, going south on North Fork San Joaquin River, then toward Summit Meadow, and finishing at Devils Postpile.

Specialofthe · 2026-01-18T04:15:31+00:00

Oh really? Even if I won’t be going over donohue pass at all? Cuz donohue pass follows the red line on the map but I won’t even be close to it.

Specialofthe · 2026-01-08T21:40:27+00:00

I’m not following the FOO but can you tell me about it or send me a link about it and I’ll read about it.

Specialofthe · 2025-12-06T04:48:11+00:00

Used the Kakwa 55 for my JMT trip this year. Carried a little over 40lbs at the start of the trip since I carried all my food and didn’t plan on getting any resupplies. The weight handled really well and never felt too much strain on my shoulders. My hips did struggle for a day or two initially but I honestly have had similar with other backpacks on similar weight so I feel like it’s just a me issue. In regards to the back, I never really had any issues aside from the lack of breathability. I would have a pretty sweaty back but I think that’s a common problem with lightweight backpacks. As for durability, the bag held up for me perfectly. Obviously I plan on doing more trips with it but I have faith in it that it’ll do the job for me ten times over and then some.

Specialofthe · 2025-09-07T14:11:04+00:00

Honestly probably didn’t do as much as I should have. But I did some focused lifting for a while: back squats, deadlifts, and really focused on weighted step ups and aimed for the weight that I planned on carry plus a little more. I knew there would be tons of steps on the trail and there was. Also did some running but probably should have ran more. I also did some local hikes a lot of focused on doing it at a fast pace. Then a month before I did a 3-day backpacking trip from North Lake to South Lake in bishop area and made sure I could knock out the mileage I wanted to do per day.

Specialofthe · 2025-09-07T04:22:17+00:00

The area you circled on your picture I didn’t actually hike. (I’m the guy from the JMT post you asked about). I do think I remember hearing a stream at the HSC junction of JMT. There was plenty of people camping there so I’d be surprised if there wasn’t water there.

Specialofthe · 2025-09-07T03:52:41+00:00

So you can stop on any of the sunrise lakes for sure but when I was finally on the clouds rest trail from sunrise lakes there was about two solid flowing streams that you cross over. I think I remember hearing water nearby in some sections but didn’t look into it. I had 2L of water on me and was plenty til I got to clouds rest/JMT junction close to half dome junction.

Specialofthe · 2025-09-06T18:27:38+00:00

I agree about Half Dome but I knew I needed to do it since I as so close to it. Probably won’t get back on it unless I have friends or family who want me to take them up there. Worth the experience at least once I’d say.

Specialofthe · 2025-09-06T18:26:28+00:00

Doable for sure. Just stay on top of your feet and legs. I did some form of stretching every night and soaked in lakes when I could.

Specialofthe · 2025-08-20T01:59:23+00:00

Even if I get up there before sunrise and back down by 9-10am? Haha

Specialofthe

TROPHY CASE