Originally Posted by
Starvin Marvin
The wife and I did the JMT this past Aug-Sept NOBO from Cottonwood Lakes. Permits were as easy as going online to reserve the day you want to start. You should do that in advance, to ensure your preferred start date.
> For more info on this matter, check out Heather Goudreau's site "Hikingthejmt.com"
We flew into Mammoth Yosemite Airport and stayed at Mammoth Mountain Inn ( 9000') for 2 days to acclimate, coming from the East coast at 280' elav. Free shuttle from the airport to the Inn. They have a gondola that can take you to the top of the mountain (11,050'), for further acclimation. M M Inn also has free shuttles to town, Mammoth Lakes, and the town has free shuttle trolleys that take you around town.
From town we took an ESTA bus to Bishop to pick up our permit, and then another bus down to Lone Pine. You can take the bus all the way to Lone Pine, but we (I) wanted to stop at Sage To Summit Gear store, and to get lunch. Great little UL gear store in case you need any last minute items. They also rent bear cans and UL gear.
Once in Lone Pine, we connected with our next shuttle to Horseshoe Meadow. We arranged that thru the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce. Great prices, pleasant informative people, I highly recommend.
We grabbed a campsite at Cottonwood Lakes campground (10,000') and started our journey the next day.
For resupply, we did Mt Williamson in Independence, and V V R. I highly recommend V V R. We skipped MTR, but stopped at Red's Meadows for breakfast.
--Pros/Cons of NOBO--
The previous days higher altitude helped with acclimation. Summiting Mt Whitney was no problem at all. Going from Horseshoe Meadow gives you an extra 2 days hiking above 10,000' that also helps.
- I enjoyed the extra days and miles, some might not have the time.-
There are plenty of bear boxes around in the southern part of the trail, to help with those with overflowing bear cans.
-It is a bit farther to get to MTR, but there are other resupply options to help with this. They require extra miles, days, and or money, but it also makes for a lighter total pack weight.-
There were quite a few sections that I was happy to be going down in elevation instead of up, with a loaded pack.
-I and my knees would prefer to climb steep elevations, but for the climbs out of Yosemite, and the Golden Staircase, to name 2, I was glad we were heading NOBO.-
NOBO JMT permits starting from Cottonwood lakes and Cottonwood Pass include a Half Dome Permit. It removes that part of the equation for SOBO Lottery Permits.
-Some people might not want to do Half Dome, so it wouldn't matter.-
Ending in Yosemite gives you many more options for food, accommodations, and travel, than Lone Pine does.
-You need to check scheduling for that time of the year, as they reduce the number of shuttles after their busy season.-
In the end, all those concerns about going NOBO, starting at a higher altitude, having a heavier pack at the beginning, not being able to fit all your food into your bear can, were a non issue. If I did it again, I would do the same, NOBO.
I have to thank Colorado Rob for his views and opinions on going NOBO. It helped make our planning a bit easier.