That steep climb on the John Muir Trail near Muir Pass taught me a lesson

I was on the JMT last summer around mile 80, right before Muir Pass. The trail got super rocky and I was pushing hard to make it before dark. I had my pack loaded down with 45 pounds of gear and food, way more than I needed. After 12 miles that day, my knees were shot and I could barely walk the next morning. I ended up taking a zero day at a camp near Evolution Lake just to recover. Now I never pack more than 30 pounds base weight, no matter the trip length. What do you do when you realize your gear list is too heavy mid-route?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.river23d ago

Just ditch stuff and mail it home.

pat_murray1622d ago

You mentioned "just ditch stuff and mail it home" but that's easier said than done, especially if you're deep in the backcountry with no post office nearby. I've been in that spot before (on the PCT actually) and realized halfway through a long stretch that my pack was way too heavy. The problem is, you can't exactly drop a package in a bear canister and hope the rangers pick it up. What I did was stash my extra gear in a bear box at a campsite and flag down a hiker heading the other direction who agreed to drop it at a ranger station for me. Another option is to cache it at a trail junction and come back for it, but that eats up time and miles. So yeah, mailing stuff home works if you're near a town, but if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere you gotta get creative.