This Intro Page is all about my gear and food on the John Muir Trail, and has lots of text about the Whys, the Wherefores, and The Resupplies, plus two spreadsheets for Type A Hiking nerds, and almost no actual hiking action. If you want Real JMT Hiking Action you would be advised to skip this page (and maybe even Day 00), and go directly to Day 01.
The Whys: I decided to hike the full southbound John Muir Trail after Vicki and I returned from our aborted attempt to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington State back in June. During that trip, Vicki suddenly came down with some nameless fatigue, and now she was asking her doctor about it. Doctors take forever to get anything done, so I made my own plan. I wasn’t very happy about it, because I knew that I’d be hiking solo yet again, just like last year, in 2024, when I hiked the full 500 miles of the Sierra PCT. This time I would only be hiking about half that distance, but I would still be solo. At least it would only take me a month or so. But it was better than sitting at home, wasting the rest of my Summer. When you’re 67 years old, you don’t want to waste any part of Summer at all. How many more did I have? I thought about going all the way back to Washington, but no. Maybe next year. The High Sierra, however, was a better consolation prize than almost anything else I could think of. So that became my plan.
The Wherefores: I spent a couple days on my computer, planning my campsites on a CalTopo Map. I hoped to hike about ten to twelve miles per day. Easy Peasy. Why rush the prettiest part of the Sierra? Then I spent another day on the bus, food, and motel logistics. I came up with a doable plan to drop off all of my food resupply packages and get myself to and from each end of the trail without needing Vicki’s help. She had enough problems. I booked everything I could online once I figured out my start date, which didn’t happen until I had a valid Wilderness Permit with a Whitney Exit from recreation.gov.
The Resupplies: An important part of the plan was the quantity and locations of my food resupply packages. My bear canister could realistically hold seven days of food, but carrying less would be better if I could swing it. Food is heavy. I chose to ship seven days of food to Muir Trail Ranch in a bucket, and did it right away, because it can take up to three weeks for it to get there. From the car, I would drop off three days in Tuolumne Meadows, five days at Reds Meadow, and four days at Onion Valley. I planned to carry two days with me when I started in Yosemite Valley. Twenty one days total for 215 miles of JMT.
It would take me a couple of days to drop off the food, and a couple more days to take the bus north to Yosemite, but I would end the hike at Whitney Portal, and my car would be there waiting for me. That way I could drive home right away. Because I knew that I’d want to be home in the worst way. Much like I wanted to be in the Sierra in the worst way right now! Just the same, I enjoyed a few weeks at home with Vicki while I got ready for the big trip. I was getting excited again.
GEAR
After deciding to hike the full JMT (and doing the planning for it), the only thing left was getting all my gear and food together. Having hiked 650 miles on the PCT in 2023, and 550 more in 2024, deciding on gear was a lot easier than it would be for a first-time backpacker. All I really had to do was rake it into a pile and double-check that everything was clean, the Ten Essential supplies were refilled, and all of my zip-lock baggies were new. Other than that I felt pretty confident in my gear choices.
True, my backpack’s Base Weight (weight without food or water) was quite high by PCT standards, but I never intended to be an uber-ultralight hiker. I’m getting old, and I like my comfort items. Plus, since I was hiking less than 250 miles this time, with even fewer miles per day, I had plenty of time to enjoy the High Sierra. If five-plus pounds of extra weight slowed me down a bit, well, that meant I’d have to stop more often for rests, thereby compelling me to take even more photos and videos! This sounded fine by me. Realistically, I’d call myself a “Light Backpacker” rather than an ultralight one. Sleeping on a thin half-pad of foam was suitable only for masochists; I preferred a full length air mattress for properly restful sleep (mine was the best one in terms of warmth to weight ratio). In other words, I wanted comfort, but I also wasn’t afraid to spend the extra bucks to get the lightest comfort items possible. The gear I bought in order to shave weight was often very pricey. Luckily, I’ve been upgrading my gear one piece at a time for many years, so it didn’t happen fast enough to shock my wallet or my innate sense of frugality. This is the first time I ever added up the cost of everything, and I can truthfully state that I am now utterly amazed! Over Eight Grand of Gear for a long Summer hike? That’s nuts! But there it is, listed in a spreadsheet like an accusation of prodigality.
Yes, I admit it: I bought it, I carried it, and I loved it!
| Item | Weight | Unused | Luxury Item | Cost (2024) |
| Backpack (in/on) | ||||
| Osprey Exos 58 Backpack | 2 lb 15.3 oz | $260.00 | ||
| Osprey pack rain cover | 4.0 oz | $45.00 | ||
| thermometer | 0.3 oz | Luxury | $7.50 | |
| Carbon Hiking Pole (Locusgear CP3) | 5.7 oz | $58.35 | ||
| butt pad (closed-cell foam) | 0.8 oz | Luxury | $2.00 | |
| Frogg Toggs Rain Suit | 9.5 oz | $20.00 | ||
| TEVA Sandals (creek crossings) | 14.5 oz | Luxury | $55.00 | |
| Dry Bag 13L (for shoes) | 1.5 oz | Luxury | $32.95 | |
| Subtotal | 5 lb 3.6 oz | 1 lb 1.0 oz | $480.80 | |
| Tent | ||||
| Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 | 3 lb 2.9 oz | $499.95 | ||
| Sleeping System | ||||
| Western Mountaineering Summerlite Bag (32°F) | 1 lb 6.4 oz | $500.00 | ||
| Thermarest Xtherm & inflatable pillow | 1 lb 4.2 oz | Luxury | $239.95 | |
| 1/8” foam pad (Gossamer Gear) | 2.8 oz | $22.00 | ||
| Western Mountaineering Flash Jacket (down) | 10.0 oz | Luxury | $460.00 | |
| Western Mountaineering Flash Pants (down) | 7.4 oz | Luxury | $310.00 | |
| Down Booties (generic) | 4.0 oz | Luxury | $24.99 | |
| Compression Sack (10L Sea to Summit) | 2.3 oz | Luxury | $32.93 | |
| Subtotal | 4 lb 5.1 oz | 2 lb 11.8 oz | $1,589.87 | |
| Food/Cooking System | ||||
| Jetboil Stash (stove w/ pot) | 8.2 oz | $149.95 | ||
| fuel canister (small) | 7.4 oz | $6.95 | ||
| Ziplock Twist-n-Lock container/cup | 1.7 oz | $2.95 | ||
| spoon (MSR Folding) | 0.4 oz | $3.46 | ||
| toothbrush (chopped in half) | 0.2 oz | $0.00 | ||
| Bearikade Blazer Carbon Fiber Bear Can | 2 lb 1.0 oz | $384.00 | ||
| Subtotal | 3 lb 2.9 oz | $547.31 | ||
| Water/Hydration System | ||||
| Platypus QuikDraw Filter | 3.0 oz | $39.95 | ||
| CNOC Vecto 2L collection bag | 2.7 oz | $20.99 | ||
| screen coupling (CNOC) | 0.3 oz | $2.99 | ||
| AquaMira 2-part chlorine drops | 3.4 oz | Luxury | $14.95 | |
| Smartwater bottle 1.5L | 1.7 oz | $2.48 | ||
| 1L Platypus bladder w/ cap | 0.9 oz | $12.95 | ||
| 1L Platypus bladder w/ cap | 0.9 oz | $12.95 | ||
| Platypus Water Tank 4L | 3.8 oz | Luxury | $31.00 | |
| 2L Platypus Hoser Bag | 1.7 oz | $33.95 | ||
| Platypus drinking hose | 2.0 oz | $14.66 | ||
| Subtotal | 1 lb 4.4 oz | 7.1 oz | $186.87 | |
| Clothing | ||||
| Dry Sack blue (clothes) 5L | 1.5 oz | $29.95 | ||
| long sleeve shirt Smartwool | 5.9 oz | $52.50 | ||
| long johns Smartwool | 5.5 oz | $67.50 | ||
| Socks Darn Tough Crew | 2.7 oz | $24.95 | ||
| liner socks smartwool | 1.6 oz | $16.00 | ||
| Dry Socks Dexshell | 2.9 oz | Unused | $21.99 | |
| Neck Buff | 0.9 oz | $16.00 | ||
| Seirus Gloves | 3.7 oz | Unused | $44.95 | |
| Hard Shell pants/jacket XeroDry GTX REI | 1 lb 7.2 oz | $235.86 | ||
| Subtotal | 3 lb 15.9 oz | 6.6 oz | $509.70 | |
| Electronics | ||||
| Solar Charger 28W Big Blue | 1 lb 5.1 oz | $79.99 | ||
| 5000mAH Battery for solar charging | 4.7 oz | $39.95 | ||
| Anker 26800mAH Battery | 1 lb 5.8 oz | $108.99 | ||
| Garmin InReach Explorer+ | 7.6 oz | $449.00 | ||
| USB cables, 12” (2) | 0.4 oz | $12.00 | ||
| Headlamp Nitecore NU-25 | 1.9 oz | $32.00 | ||
| Subtotal | 3 lb 9.5 oz | $721.93 | ||
| Ten Essentials etc. | ||||
| CTUG dyneema wallet | 0.3 oz | $19.00 | ||
| Map (Nat Geo JMT) | 2.6 oz | Unused | $14.95 | |
| compass (oil-filled) | 0.6 oz | Unused | $6.84 | |
| First Aid kit (custom) | 0.6 oz | Unused | $20.00 | |
| Leukotape P for foot blisters | 0.4 oz | $23.79 | ||
| Space Blanket Mylar | 1.7 oz | Unused | $3.99 | |
| Knife (2” folding) | 0.8 oz | Unused | $6.99 | |
| lighter (spare) BIC Mini | 0.4 oz | Unused | $2.00 | |
| Leatherman Micra mini-tool | 1.7 oz | $49.95 | ||
| vaseline, sunscreen | 1.6 oz | $5.00 | ||
| towel (microfiber) | 0.9 oz | Luxury | $15.95 | |
| Rope (tent guyline) 60ft | 0.6 oz | Unused | $7.99 | |
| deuce shovel | 0.6 oz | $14.95 | ||
| Toilet Paper | 2.4 oz | $1.00 | ||
| Alcohol Wipes (Wet Ones 20 pack) | 3.5 oz | $1.00 | ||
| bug spray 1.5 oz 100% DEET Bens | 1.9 oz | $7.49 | ||
| Whistle (loud!) | 0.4 oz | Unused | $6.95 | |
| Pen | 0.4 oz | Unused | $1.00 | |
| Aspirin 325 mg | 0.5 oz | $1.00 | ||
| Caffeine 200 mg tablets | 0.7 oz | Luxury | $7.95 | |
| Weed w/ pipette | 0.8 oz | Unused | Luxury | $50.00 |
| Subtotal | 1 lb 7.4 oz | 8.9 oz | 2.5 oz | $267.79 |
| Fishing Gear | ||||
| Tenkara carbon Fly Rod (Iwana 12 ft) | 3.3 oz | Luxury | $170.00 | |
| Fishing gear bag w/ CA license | 5.6 oz | Luxury | $170.45 | |
| sunglasses (polarized) | 2.7 oz | Luxury | $17.50 | |
| Subtotal | 11.7 oz | 11.7 oz | $357.95 | |
| Item | Weight | Unused | Luxury Item | Cost (2024) |
| Backpack Base Weight | 25 lb 15 oz | 15.5 oz | 5 lb 2.0 oz | $5,162.17 |
| Worn While Hiking | Weight | Unused | Luxury Item | Cost (2024) |
| Clothing | ||||
| Merrell Moab 2 Vent shoes | 2 lb 6.1 oz | $89.00 | ||
| Gill Deckhand Fingertip Gloves | 2.6 oz | $28.95 | ||
| Gaiter (Dirty Girl) | 1.7 oz | $20.00 | ||
| T-shirt smartwool | 4.3 oz | $60.00 | ||
| liner sock smartwool | 1.6 oz | $16.00 | ||
| Crew Sock (Darn Tough) | 2.7 oz | $24.95 | ||
| Long Sleeve Shirt (Bimini Bay Flats V) | 7.2 oz | $36.00 | ||
| Cargo Pants (nylon) | 12.3 oz | $38.89 | ||
| Hat (Panama Jack Safari) | 3.3 oz | $46.95 | ||
| Subtotal | 4 lb 9.7 oz | $360.74 | ||
| Electronics | ||||
| Pixel 8 Pro 512GB | 9.6 oz | $1,179.00 | ||
| Garmin Enduro 3 SmartWatch | 2.2 oz | $899.99 | ||
| Kindle eReader | 5.5 oz | Luxury | $129.99 | |
| GoPro Hero 11 | 5.4 oz | Luxury | $329.00 | |
| Subtotal | 1 lb 6.8 oz | 10.9 oz | $2,537.98 | |
| Weight | Unused | Luxury Item | Cost (2024) | |
| Total Worn Gear | 6 lb 0.4 oz | 10.9 oz | $2,898.72 | |
| Backpack Base Weight | 25 lb 15.3 oz | 15.5 oz | 5 lb 2.0 oz | $5,122.22 |
| Total Electronics (both in pack and worn) | 4 lb 14.2 oz | 10.9 oz | $3,259.91 | |
| Total Gear | 31 lb 15.7 oz | 15.5 oz | 5 lb 12.9 oz | $8,060.89 |
So there it is: My JMT Hiking Gear in all its splendor. Much of it was unused, yet necessary in case of an emergency. And the luxury items were totally worth it! I slept quite well, and not only because I was exhausted.
My “Sleeping System” is of my own design. I sleep cold, so I need more insulation than others. I tried carrying my 10°F Sleeping Bag (Western Mountaineering Ultralight with extra down added) back in 2023, but discovered that it was often too hot when I went to bed at sunset. I would wake up sweating by 10pm, even with it completely unzipped! By 1 or 2am, however, the outside temperature dropped precipitously so that my soggy shirt would have me shivering, and then I would finally be comfortable with it fully zipped. Not a perfect situation. Plus, that 10° bag was much heavier than the 32° Summerlite, which was far too wimpy for frosty nights. What to do? I decided to dump the heavy bag for the light one while adding the Western Mountaineering Flash Jacket and Flash Pants. These doubled as a warm layer to wear in camp as well as serving to augment the Summerlite after midnight! Goose Down Layering! It really works! But it doesn’t come cheap…
If you would like to see photos of my hiking gear, you can view them on the intro/gear page for my 2023 PCT Hike. Only a few items have been upgraded or were left out for this year’s JMT hike.
FOOD
Everyone is different, so I was hesitant to publish my daily food consumption. Also, I freely admit that I have very boring tastes in food, and that I can easily eat the same exact thing, day after day, and be perfectly happy. My wife, for example, would go insane on this diet. But I thrive on consistency.
This list of food totals about 2000 calories per day, which is woefully inadequate from a nutrition standpoint. If you ate this every day you would eventually die of starvation. So be warned! I would love to lie to you and say that I had to lower the “calories per day” to an amount of food which would fit within my bear canister, but that simply isn’t true. Or it was only true for my seven-day food carry from Muir Trail Ranch to Onion Valley. I could have carried more the rest of the time. The truth is, I’m just not that hungry at high elevation, especially during the first few days of a trek. The true “Hiker Hunger” doesn’t kick in until your body goes into Starvation Mode after a month of long hiking days, like on the PCT. It’s a well-known fact among PCT hikers that every JMT hiker is carrying WAY too much food, which makes them great sources of beggable extra calories while out on the trail!
In his blog, Erik the Black states that 3,500 cal/day would be good for the first month of a full PCT trek, and 4,500-5,000 cal/day after that, as your daily mileage goes up and the terrain gets steeper. I would recommend that you follow his advice and not mine. Under my plan, I lost about a half pound of weight per day! It’s true that I was happy to lose ten pounds, so it all worked out OK. However, the conventional wisdom is that you should carry about two pounds of food per day, not the 1.1 pounds that I show here. You have been warned!
| FOOD ITEM | Per Day | Calories | Weight (g) | Protein (g) |
| BREAKFAST | ||||
| Instant Oatmeal, Quaker | 2 packets | 320 | 86 | 8 |
| caffeine tablet 200mg | 1 each | 0 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Vitamins (multi- and C) | 2 gummies | 20 | 0.5 | 0 |
| LUNCH | ||||
| Pop-Tart, frosted | 2-pack | 370 | 96 | 3 |
| DINNER | ||||
| Ramen Noodles, chicken flavor | 1 packet | 370 | 90 | 8 |
| Pedialyte Packet | 1 packet | 30 | 9 | 0 |
| SNACKS | ||||
| Skittles | 1 ounce | 110 | 28 | 0 |
| Cosmic Brownie | 1 packet | 270 | 65 | 2 |
| Cheese crackers (Ritz) | 1 packet | 200 | 41 | 2 |
| Reeses Pieces | 1 ounce | 140 | 28 | 4 |
| Pringles chips / Cheeze-its | snack bag | 225 | 40 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 2055 | 1 lb 1.1oz | 28 | |
| (484 grams) |
So that’s it! After all the preparation, planning, and fretting, I was finally ready to begin my 250 mile John Muir Trial backpacking trek. All I needed now was a few extra days to drop off my food caches, spend that time acclimating to high elevation, and take the bus(es) north to Yosemite Valley. Onward!
Please note: This entire JMT Trek can be read as one long journey, like a novel with each day likened to a chapter, but it won’t be a perfectly enjoyable read in that many facts and activities are repeated due to the daily routines of life. This repetition was done on purpose by me, and it is due to the nature of my readers on the internet, who are brought to specific pages based on keywords via search engines. Because of that, each page must stand alone, like a short story in an anthology. This can detract from the Big Picture and lead to boredom during a “binge” reading, or, even worse, lead my readers to conclude that either I am forgetful, or that I think they are. Rest assured; neither of those are true. Please think of these repetitions as a Literary Device, of sorts. Thanks for your understanding.
Second Note: This is a work of Fiction, because it says “Mostly True” up on the header of every page. The names of real people, whether living or dead, may or may not have been changed to protect the innocent. The innocent had their chance to ask me to make changes. If they didn’t avail themselves of it, well, tough luck! The guilty can’t say they weren’t warned, back when I started hiking with them!
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
Onward to Day 0 >> 
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