Backpacking The John Muir Trail Documentary

[Music] all of my greatest Adventures begin with a dream and no dream had I held longer than my desire to hike the John Mir Trail as Julia and I drove North on the 395 towards our starting point in yosee it was an eerie feeling to look up at the summit of Mount Whitney from Lone Pine some 10,000 ft above us it would take us 210 M with 80,000 ft of elevation change while passing through Yos King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks I was reminded of the words of Merryweather Lewis before his famous Expedition with William Clark I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my [Music] life we began our first day early at 5:00 a.m. charged and ready despite the darkness before we had even made it one mile a soul shaking Blast Of Thunder put shivers down my spine thunderstorms are anathema on a plan through hike but a part of the process you just have to accept this wasn't how I envisioned our adventure starting off but the outdoors will teach you patience and perseverance the rain began to clear as we approach the Merced Lake Junction towards Sunrise Lakes the landscape was beginning to shift into a softer pallet of greens and reds just as the The Horizon begin to draw Us in with the kind of views you'll only find in yosee it was just the burst of inspiration we needed to climb up and over Sunrise Mountain to reach our Lunch Spot of High Sierra Camp after leaving High Sierra Camp behind the John mirre Trail cuts through Long Meadow with stunning views of Cathedral Peak and Columbia finger Long Meadow was followed by a final climb up and over the 9,700 Ft Cathedral pass and a long descent into talami Meadows where the rain caught back up with us Julia and I had fast packed our first day and picked up the bulk of our food and supplies that we had mailed ahead to The talami Meadows post office we then waddled over to the talami Backpackers camp and quickly pitched our tent to stay dry before the next wave of precipitation rolled in anyone who spent a night sleeping outside can tell you how magical backpacking can be there's something about the warmth of a sleeping bag in the cold black of night the smell of wood smoke and food shared around a fire after a hard day on the trail it hearkens back to another time and puts us all in touch with where we've come from from and who we used to [Music] be on our second day of hiking Julie and I hit the trail just after Daybreak with nothing but Clear Blue Skies overhead the lush green landscape of Lyall Canyon pulled us forward and the warm sun began the process of thawing us out from a night of damp near freezing temperatures it was the perfect way to gain momentum on our way to the 11,050 Ft Donahue [Music] pass a series of switchbacks took up and out of Lyle Canyon and into a stretch of trail that delivered my first of many Transcendent JMT moments glacial lakes bubbling creeks and towering snow capat Peaks were in every direction there were wild flowers and Bloom trout splashing and bird singing all under a pitch blue sky with puffy white clouds I was overcome with a humble sense of appreciation and in the moment felt incredibly fortunate just to exist a short Spade of thunder and hail chased us from Don hu pass faster than we had hoped for but as the skies turned gray our Spirits stayed [Music] bright the view of banner Peak up ahead was a lighthouse in the wilderness pulling us forward in a sea of green slopes Mountain Towers babbling Brooks and trampled Earth we made it to our campsite A Thousand Island Lake and found a flat outc crop situated just out of the direct path of the howling wind as I looked out onto the shimmering Waters I couldn't help but think of all the places I've laid my head to rest I'd be hard pressed to name one more beautiful than [Music] [Applause] this upon leaving Thousand Island Lake the John Mir Trail took us past emerald and Ruby Lakes before descending a series of switchbacks to Garnett Lake where we retreated to early morning views of the Ethereal Mount Ritter the mild bobbing of the water was hypnotic as the clouds painted the sky in veiled sheets of white everything in me wanted to call it a day and set up camp right there at 9:00 a.m. but there were more miles ahead [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we passed by Devil's postpile National Monument just before arriving at Red's Meadow where we made our second resupply of the trip we also took time to enjoy some delicious burgers and lemonade from the Red's Meadow Restaurant from there we put in a few more miles and made Camp just off trail near Deer [Music] Creek the silence and Solitude of a mountain Sunrise brings a lot of clarity to the Mind 93 million miles away we watch the sunrise to signify another day the moment is forthcoming when I've likely seen more sunrises than I'll see in the future to feel like you're making the most of each day and living your life to the fullest is truly a moment of pure happiness from Deer Creek we hiked uphill to purple Lake and continued on before being stopped dead in our tracks by the shimmering Waters of Lake Virginia it was the perfect spot to stop for a long early morning break [Music] the downhill hike from Lake Virginia to hly hole was pretty steep but offered up a series of spectacular views it wasn't long before we were hiking back uphill towards the 10,900 Ft silver pass we decided to Camp high for the night and found a spot just over silver pass at silver pass [Music] Lake [Music] not all sections of the John mirre Trail feel like a stroll through Heaven's Gate the climb up a Dusty track of switchbacks towards Bear Ridge comes to mind all I kept thinking about were the Alpine leges we had seen in the miles before in life and on trail you have to be careful what you wish for because shortly after growing tired of the dusty Bear Ridge a creek did emerge and we were swarm with mosquitoes during our afternoon stroll through Rosemary Meadow the buzzing bites were abated by a healthy application of De and I went back to admiring the Cloudy Skies Conifer forest and angular Peaks that had a striding forward into a postcard and onto our campsite for the night the 10,500 55 ft Marie lake this was the point on the trail that signified we had walked 100 miles it was all going by so quickly every great story seems to feel this way where the climax and ending come far too soon and it's only looking back on it that you can truly appreciate how special the journey [Music] was we hiked up and over Seldon pass before making a descent into Mir Trail Ranch to grab the biggest resupply of our trip our packs were heavy on weary legs so we decided to set a snail's pace as we ambled along the South Fork of the San waen [Music] [Music] River not much further down the trail we were introduced to the undulating power of evolution Creek and the Cascades dancing [Music] downhill it wasn't long before we reached the crossing of evolution Creek where we only had to wait kneed deep through the water due to it being a severe drought year our campsite for the night was kobby Meadow with sunset views and ambling deer [Music] nearby we reached a series of switchbacks and just after the sun began to dominate The Horizon we were standing at 10,850 FT on the banks of Evolution Lake we were now into the back half of the John mirre Trail and it was pretty amazing to watch the landscape transition to a canvas of gray Peaks Talis fields and blue Alpine Lakes as we continued to gain elevation over the next 5 and 1/2 miles we would hike up to the 11,955 Ft Mir pass with the iconic Mir Hut along the way we were stopped dead in our tracks by the stunning Blue Waters of Wanda Lake filled with an abundance of Tad pools swimming under the reflective [Music] [Music] Waters [Music] [Music] a [Music] the downhill stretch from Mere past was as equally spellbinding as the uphill with Incredible views looking down into Big Pete Meadow although it was still early in the afternoon the sun was blocked by the walls in the west making for a very pleasant end to the day we found a secluded spot in grous Meadow and made camp for the night with no company but the deer the most interesting thing about camping in a deep valley is that the sun sets early and Rises late with towering mountains on either side of our campsite it was a surreal feeling to beheld in such a lingering and sustained stretch of Dusk and Dawn from grous Meadow we readied our legs for an 11 M 4,100 ft climb up what is known as the golden staircase to the 12,080 Ft Mather pass this hike was Steep and Relentless but offered a nice place to break at lower Palace Lake just before the landscape goes completely Barren lifeless and gray amidst gradations of Talis scree and granet Towers my lungs were really starting to feel the lack of oxygen and my feet were feeling the acute force of every Jagged Stone [Music] underfoot we made our way down the switchbacks for ma pass and took time to enjoy the views of the tarns below the upper Basin was truly spectacular we followed the Setting Sun in Golden hours of daylight past the south fort King's Crossing to our campsite near the shores of Margery Lake the mind and body quickly forget what things were like at home sleeping in a tent and eating dehydrated meals feels as familiar as your own reflection life on the trail is true happiness waking up and walking is one of my favorite expressions of Freedom my mind and body fully in tune my legs and feet conditioned and hard ready for whatever the day has in store while my mind can explore its own expanse just as my body explores the terrestrial expanse of the Wilderness from margerie Lake we hiked up to the 12,000 130 ft Pino pass where we were greeted with gusting winds and mischievous looking Skies up [Music] [Applause] ahead [Music] as we approached the alluring landscape of the Ray Lakes Basin we could see the skies growing dark over the 11,926 Ft Glen pass Ray Lakes is one of the most popular backpacking destinations in the Sierra and it's pretty easy to see why Julia and I had decided to take a long break and enjoy the Ray Lakes Basin despite the darkening Skies we met a couple near the Ray Lakes range station that said although the skies were dark the conditions on the PA were actually quite favorable we decided to push on and give it a [Music] go The Climb towards Glen pass is a series of switchbacks taking you away from the blue and green beauty of Ray Lake's Basin and into an Alpine Lake dotted Granite Wonderland that is pretty breathtaking in its own right although we begin to experience a little precipitation some Thunder and a scary Spade of dark clouds it was hard not to be optimistic we had made it this far and only had a small climb [Music] left as we entered into the final 35 miles of the John Mir Trail before before reaching the summit of Mount Whitney my mind was a wash with the mix of emotions that seems to swell up at the end of every great adventure it was the excitement of accomplishing a long-held dream alongside the sadness of knowing this incredible moment in time would soon be coming to an end we only had the 13,200 Ft Forester pass left to climb until we would reach the shores of guar Lake for our final night on the JMT it was the song of a body in harmony one foot foot in front of the other my footsteps the metronome of my life my breathing in Perfect Harmony my lungs in tune with the air but we still had an additional 16 mil until we'd reach Guitar Lake those 16 miles came smooth and easy as we passed through the Martian landscape of the Big Horn Plateau while being teased with passing glances of Mount Whitney to the east the final climb to Guitar Lake was pretty tiring on weary legs but with places like Timberline Lake to take breaks it wasn't so bad we made it to Guitar Lake a few hours before Sunset and took in the festive atmosphere in a Land of Open Space and secluded campsites Guitar Lake was a festival type Campground in comparison with at least 30 tents scattered about the shores we woke up and walked the final miles of the John mirre Trail in the early morning darkness before reaching The Junction at Trail crest just as we arrived at the Keeler needle the sun broke above the Horizon from there it was only a few more steps until we were standing on the highest point in the contigous United States this was it after 210 mil of hiking on a journey that began in yosee we had reached our destination the summit of Mount Whitney my mind was once again a wash with an overflow of thoughts and emotions the mountains draw Us in and show us a glimpse of who we are who we once were and who we want to be our minds are like the sunset the passing of the clouds and the ephemeral nature of all that is fleeting you have to pay attention be vigilant most of all you have to be present looking back it isn't the memory of that Summit that sticks with me the most it's the daily process the day in and day out each step each Rising Sun each Photon of light and each unbroken thought the storms roll in and the storms roll out we're just here to observe it the time is always now and this world stops for none of us I'll take that with me wherever I go and know that even when perspective seems lost I can always come back to find it on the trail [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] a [Music] oh [Music]

Channel: Drew Robinson

Views: 220,659

Keywords: hike, hiking, backpacking, trailtopeak, drew robinson, john muir trail, yosemite, mt. whitney, donahue pass, muir pass, glen pass, mather pass, adventure, travel, camping, evolution lake, lake virginia, thousand island lake, reds meadow, tuolumne meadow, muir trail ranch, documentary, movie, video, narration

Id: 3vDpf7NDwTI

Length: 23min 17sec (1397 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 13 2016