How to hike it yourself
Permits
Getting a John Muir Trail permit is harder every year. Recreation.gov has been a frustrating experience for most users — Wired even wrote a story about it. If you can't land a northbound Whitney-zone permit, section-hiking opens up far more options: you can enter from side trailheads like Onion Valley (Kearsarge Pass), South Lake (Bishop Pass), or Cottonwood, and stitch the trail together over several trips.
Gear that worked
- Aarn Featherlite Freedom body pack — a game changer. I hiked the whole trail without load on my shoulders and without pain, walking upright with an erect back rather than hunched under a pack.
- Tarptent Double Rainbow Li — a 27 oz two-person tent I shared with my hiking brother Durgi. It sets up quickly on all kinds of terrain and in the rain, which mattered on the stormy days.
- Pacer Poles — no shoulder fatigue on long ascents and descents, and almost impossible to use wrong. There's a learning curve and Heather sends you homework before you head out; it's worth doing.
- Nikon Z50 with the 16–50 VR — the camera I carried for the photographs in this book.
Section-hiking, piece by piece
I never set out to thru-hike the John Muir Trail. I walked it in sections over eight years, and I'd recommend that path to anyone who wants to photograph the Sierra rather than race through it — you get to choose your weather, return to the places you love, and see the range in every season.
Photographs for this chapter are being curated.