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CALIFORNIA: Hiking the John Muir Trail - Southbound This trip continues to garner great media buzz: honored as Outside magazine's 2004 North America Trip of the Year, one of Travel & Leisure's "50 Great American Adventures," and on National Geographic Adventure's list of "top ten trails on the planet!" The John Muir Trail, named after the celebrated naturalist, is arguably the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world, graced by an unsurpassed panorama of 13,000- and 14,000-foot peaks, countless lakes, verdant meadows, and huge granite walls. It begins in the Yosemite Valley, follows the spine of the Sierra Nevada south, and ends 212 miles later at the summit of Mount Whitney (14,495'), the highest peak in the continental United States. On these departures we offer you the opportunity to hike the second, "southbound" part of the trail: from Florence Lake in the John Muir Wilderness to the top of Mount Whitney - a total journey of 146 miles. Most people tackle the trail with heavily overloaded backpacks; on our trip all you'll need to carry is a daypack, since we provide a string of mules to carry the gear. Nevertheless, this is a tough, demanding trip in rugged terrain, and with lots of elevation changes to test your lungs and legs. (If you are interested in the slightly less strenuous “Northbound” half that ends at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, see The John Muir Trail - Northbound.)
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 Itinerary: Hiking the John Muir Trail - Southbound
Day 1 - Travel to Fresno, California, gateway to the Sierra. Days 2-4 - Drive to Florence Lake and meet the horse-packer and mules. Ferry ride across Florence Lake (7,325') and begin hiking to Evolution Lake (10,852'), a gorgeous deep blue lake that's one of the prettiest spots in the Sierra. Day 5 - Cross Muir Pass (11,955') and descend into LeConte Canyon (8,735'), with its impressive vertical granite walls. Meet the first food drop with supplies of fresh provisions. Days 6-7 - Hike to Mather Pass (12,100'), descend to the South Fork of the Kings River, then up to the Marjorie Lakes area, a glacier-scoured basin of stark beauty. Days 8-10 - Cross Pinchot Pass (12,130') and Glenn Pass (11,978'), descending to Charlotte Lake. Meet the second food drop. Days 11-13 - Cross Forester Pass (13,180'), the highest pass on the entire John Muir Trail, en route to a campsite below the Mount Whitney Massif. Day 14 - Optional walk-up attempt of the summit of Mount Whitney. the highest peak in the U.S. outside of Alaska, on an uncrowded route (not via the well-used Whitney Portal trail). Days 15-16 - The last days on the trail pass through the forests and meadows of the remote Golden Trout Wilderness. Overnight in Lone Pine. Day 17 - Drive to Fresno and depart. Detailed Itinerary - CALIFORNIA: Hiking the John Muir Trail - Southbound 1. Download detailed itinerary in a PDF format 2008 Detailed Itinerary (PDF files require that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. This program can be downloaded for free from the Adobe Website.) 2. Or email us your itinerary request at sales@mtsobek.com 3. Or call us at 1-888-831-7526 (USA and Canada) or (510) 594-6000 We’ll email you a copy (Word or Acrobat document), fax, or mail you the itinerary as you prefer. For more information and reservations, please contact: Mountain Travel Sobek 1266 66th Street, Suite 4 Emeryville, CA 94608 USA Toll Free (USA and Canada): 1-888-831-7526 Phone: +1-510-594-6000 Fax: + 1-510-594-6001 Email: info@mtsobek.com |
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