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  1. #21
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    For most part jmt is easy walking, compared to AT.
    My experience is pretty much limited to GSMNP, but I would agree... the JMT has lots of switch backs that for the most part keeps the trail from getting as steep as I'm used to experiencing.
    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    I passed a lot that stopped at 2-4 pm. When it doesnt get dark until almost 9 pm in summer.
    That's on of the complaints I've been hearing over the years in the Yahoo and Facebook JMT groups. Many people are stopping for the day around 3pm at the popular campsites.
    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    but most peoples mileage limitation is self inflicted somehow. There were downhills after passes that were easy 8-10 mile downhill walks...but someone cant do 10 mpd? Hiking.....is about....hiking. you walk. Thats what you do. Thats all you do. Walk. This point always escapes a few people that find their way onto trails.
    I had several 23-25 mile days without trying, and i didnt get up till sun was bright, and never hiked till dark. 730 am-630 pm
    And that's where we get back into different abilities by different individuals. I pretty much woke with the sun, rested an hour for lunch, and hiked until 5-6pm just about every day. But there was only 1 day that I managed to get anywhere close to 20mpd... and that was the day after I stopped early at 2pm after climbing the Golden Staircase.

    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    By the time he was naming the 3 rd university committee....it registered...ahhh ..youre an a$$hole...
    LOL

  2. #22
    Registered User JPritch's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    For most part jmt is easy walking, compared to AT.
    I have to disagree with that point. I had heard it alot leading up to my hike and was banking on it to make some big mile days. But for me anyway, the JMT was probably a little tougher mile for mile compared to the AT (I've done GA, some NC, and lots of VA). Yes, the JMT overall had more groomed trail. But it was also super steep in many parts, rocky as hell in many parts, and those damn stairs.
    It is what it is.

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    I have to disagree with that point. I had heard it alot leading up to my hike and was banking on it to make some big mile days. But for me anyway, the JMT was probably a little tougher mile for mile compared to the AT (I've done GA, some NC, and lots of VA). Yes, the JMT overall had more groomed trail. But it was also super steep in many parts, rocky as hell in many parts, and those damn stairs.
    I dont remember any super steep parts, its a trail specifically graded for stock. Perhaps altitude made it feel that way. Yeah, golden staircase sucked , i remember resting and catching breath, , but it wasnt really steep.

  4. #24
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    But it was also super steep in many parts, rocky as hell in many parts, and those damn stairs.
    Generally speaking, the JMT was no steeper, and usually less steeper, than the trails I generally encounter in GSMNP.

    Hiking SOBO, I only recall three sections of trail that felt particularly steep:
    1. Coming out of Yosemite Valley, starting at an elevation of about 9,000', the trail suddenly gets real steep for a 500' climb... but I think the real challenge here is that it's the 1st steep part of the trail at a significant altitude.
    2. Climbing to Glen Pass, the last 1,500' of elevation change is steeper than at other passes.
    3. Golden Stair Case

    Nothing else on the whole trip really seemed to stand out as a challenging climb or challenging walk. Yes, there's places where the trail is on rock, talus, or scree. But usually the rocks were fine enough that they still made for fairly easy walking. I do recall an interesting arrangement of rocks in some places... particularly climbing to Forester Pass. To make a relatively consistent climb, the trail was constructed by building a wall of boulders on either side of the trail, and then filling in between the boulders with smaller boulders. But even in these situations, because the trail has been designed to be utilized by horsed and mules, even rocky sections like this seems easy.

    Now I've never hiked the PA section of the AT, but from what I've read in the past, is sounds like there's some serious ankle twisters in sections. Nothing on the JMT came close to the horrors I've read about the PA section of the AT.

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    For most part jmt is easy walking, compared to AT.

    I passed a lot that stopped at 2-4 pm. When it doesnt get dark until almost 9 pm in summer.


    Theres nothing wrong with that, but most peoples mileage limitation is self inflicted somehow. There were downhills after passes that were easy 8-10 mile downhill walks...but someone cant do 10 mpd? Hiking.....is about....hiking. you walk. Thats what you do. Thats all you do. Walk. This point always escapes a few people that find their way onto trails.

    I had several 23-25 mile days without trying, and i didnt get up till sun was bright, and never hiked till dark. 730 am-630 pm . I had days cut short due to rain. One 10 mile day where i pitched to get out rain near another hiker at 1 pm, and stayed due to interesting company even though rain quit by 230 or so.

    In spite, john ladds survey had reported most that quit... (25%!)..Couldnt do the required miles....
    Poor shape, too much weight. Youd think people would be smarter. But average jmt hiker is very inexperienced.

    I had lunch with a father and daughter at VVR getting off after 2-3 days...they had 65 lb packs. Both Dr.s. but apparently never heard of internet as information source..It wasnt hard to figure out the father was an overbearing know-it-all that probably ignored any advice. When i asked simply " what do do you do for a living?", By the time he was naming the 3 rd university committee....it registered...ahhh ..youre an a$$hole...
    I passed lots 90+ liter packs while I was heading down to WP as they headed up...REI must push the 90+ liter packs to the poor clueless souls in Ca after they sell them loads of crap needed to fill them. I had a LARGE lady face plant in front of me who nearly got knocked out from her Garcia can that was strapped about a foot over her head on the top of the pack...I had to contain my self while I helped lift her off the ground by her pack...she was flopping around like a fish out of water.....I was surprised by all the heavy haulers struggling to do 10 mpd.....needless misery...


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  6. #26
    Registered User JPritch's Avatar
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    The tough parts that stand out to me from the JMT:
    1) climbing to Whitney
    2) Glen Pass
    3) Climbing out of YV
    3) Golden Staircase
    4) those 2-3' rock stairs cut into the trail, especially going down
    5) the 2 mile or so section heading toward Whitney Portal was the poorest graded trail I've ever been on. It was all poorly cut rock.

    I would certainly agree that both pack weight and altitude were factors, as I was heavier and higher than I ever hiked before. But it would be tough regardless. I routinely do SOBO Priest as well as Three Ridges for training, so I know steep and rocky, but the JMT has my respect.
    It is what it is.

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    The tough parts that stand out to me from the JMT:
    1) climbing to Whitney
    did in dark at 1-3am, dont remember much except when finally saw some more lights below me start. All the peoples that talked about an early start....started at least 1 hr after they said they would.
    In dark at 330 am, a few times I wondered was I really on the summit trail...but intuition said keep going. Lights of LP thru the Pinnacles, 10,000 ft below was awesome, as was sunrise. totally worth the early start. As was seeing dayhikers from trail camp show up later in short sleeves at 630 am when it was still 26F
    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    2) Glen Pass
    I have no recollection of Glen pass at all. Strange. I have photo, looks vaguely familiar. I think I met a Japanese hiker there....Is it racist if he was from Japan and spoke broken english?. good thing his english was better than my japanese. .Come to think of it, I met another on Pinchot, and another on Silver, and a large group of 12 or so south of Donahue. Who says only white people hike.
    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    3) Climbing out of YV
    Did mist trail day before no pack, wouldnt want to do it with pack.
    LYV -TM...steady mild uphill all day...lots of elevation gain. I recalls a little amazed I only did 16 miles at 5pm when stopped for thunderstorm. Lower cathedral lakes was awesome. One of quietest night I ever had on trail, total deafening silence. Could hear myself blink. and reflection of mountains off of glass smooth lake.

    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    3) Golden Staircase
    yeah, GS sucked. But I was trying to catch up to another guy Id met previously. Trail leading to it was so bushy I had flashbacks of Vietnam, and I wasnt there, only a tot.

    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    4) those 2-3' rock stairs cut into the trail, especially going down

    Ive no idea what you refer to

    Quote Originally Posted by JPritch View Post
    5) the 2 mile or so section heading toward Whitney Portal was the poorest graded trail I've ever been on. It was all poorly cut rock.
    Yep, that trails POS and so is the map. The trail resembles the map in no way at all. Rocks were in the trail, spaced just so I couldnt take regular stride. Very aggravating to hike miles that way. made one of my knees sore.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 10-19-2017 at 21:55.

  8. #28
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    How ironic. They could easily afford the latest and greatest weightless gear.
    He probably duplicated the gear he used in high school or college because Father knows best.
    Wayne


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  9. #29
    13-45 Section Hiker Trash
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    Lot's of discussion on the average mileage per day, and I have to agree with those that say that the trail is fairly easy. It is well graded, and similar to many of the nicely graded portions of the AT. The only difference is the altitude, and that's probably the deal breaker for some people as far as how much mileage can be done per day...it totally depends on how you handle hiking above 10,000' for several days.

    I did a 20 day thru of the JMT when I did it, and it wasn't because I could only handle 10 - 12 miles per day, it was because I wanted to go that slow to drink it all in...and I'm happy I did it that way. Had I gone faster I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. Anyway, if you want more detail I posted my journal from my 2013 thru here: http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/414703.
    AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
    JMT: 2013

  10. #30
    GSMNP 900 Miler
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    Quote Originally Posted by Berserker View Post
    ...The only difference is the altitude, and that's probably the deal breaker for some people as far as how much mileage can be done per day...it totally depends on how you handle hiking above 10,000' for several days....
    There's a Facebook group and Yahoo New group devoted to dealing with altitude sickness, acclimatizing, and how to use medications such as diamox to help deal with the altitude.

    Once I got above 9,000', I could feel the effects of the altitude making it more difficult to climb. But by the time I reached Red's several days later, I could feel the difference in my body having acclimatized to the altitude. Passed Red's, I didn't feel like the altitude was affecting my abilities.

    Of course we're all different. The rate our bodies acclimatized to altitude will vary, and a minority of people simply will not acclimatize very well.

  11. #31
    13-45 Section Hiker Trash
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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    Once I got above 9,000', I could feel the effects of the altitude making it more difficult to climb. But by the time I reached Red's several days later, I could feel the difference in my body having acclimatized to the altitude. Passed Red's, I didn't feel like the altitude was affecting my abilities.

    Of course we're all different. The rate our bodies acclimatized to altitude will vary, and a minority of people simply will not acclimatize very well.
    Agreed. For me it starts between 7,000' and 8,000' where I can begin to feel the affects of the altitude. I typically haven't had any issues with it other than just getting winded and light headed. A few days at altitude resolves all of those weird effects for me though. That's why before I even started the JMT I purposely stayed at higher altitudes for a couple of days to begin my acclimatization. Unfortunately when I did the JMT in 2013 there was a big fire, and I was in smoke for roughly 6 days. That threw a big monkey wrench in as I found I am sensitive to smoke. That made those 6 days of hiking pretty tough on me. If I had to do it again I would just skip the smoke covered sections...it was my first time doing the JMT though and I really wanted to finish it.
    AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
    JMT: 2013

  12. #32

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    You can resupply from hiker boxes at MTR if you want to take a chance and willing to take what you can get. When we were there in Sept '14, this would have been easy to do. We mailed resupply in 5 gal buckets. We budgeted 9 days of food heading south to Whitney and Whitney Portal. That worked fine for us.
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