This is a belated post I intended to make when I got back from my hike at the beginning of September. This year, I had a whole bunch of plans up in the air and the reservation windows for Yosemite and Inyo National Forest passed by before I got my act together and decided what I was going to be able to do. Most of the reservation options were closed to me for both SOBO and NOBO, although I could have done a flip flop pretty easily. However, I decided to try something different and was able to very easily secure a permit for the High Sierra Trail starting in Sequoia National Park at Crescent Meadows. The quotas were not full for several days in August at the time of my inquiry. I faxed in my request and a couple of weeks had my permit (cost: $15). I also made reservations for two nights prior to the trip at Lodgepole campground so I could hike the giant sequoia groves. That is a MUST see in my opinion and the trails aren't crowded in the groves outside the main attractions.

This option was fantastic and the High Sierra Trail is beautiful and relatively uncrowded after getting past Bearpaw High Sierra Camp and Hamilton Lake. It is about 48 miles from Crescent Meadow to the JMT junction at Wallace Creek so it is a long approach but the trail deserves to be hiked on its own merits. It is a further 12 miles southbound on the JMT to Mt. Whitney. From there I turned around and started hiking the JMT northbound. The SEKI permit is good for as far as you want to go northbound. You could even go to Tahoe.

I hiked the 60 miles from Crescent Meadow to the Whitney summit in almost exactly 72 hours - 3 days so if you are fit it need not take the 6-7 days recommended on SEKI's trip planner.

Anyway I highly recommend this approach to the JMT and I'm perplexed that more people aren't using it.

Here is information from SEKI on the HST:

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvis...erra-trail.htm

Photo album from the HST:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=2197917540