John Muir Trail Day 10: The Biggest Jerk at MTR

JMT Day 10 — 8/13/24
Senger Shoulder to Muir Trail Ranch
Big and Empty Camp to Perfect Day Camp
JMT miles: 4 miles
JMT total: 84.8 miles
Elevation change: 7ft gain, 2,290ft loss

Heading into our second and final rest day of the JMT, neither Flower Power nor I had a great idea of what to expect. Some hikers loved Muir Trail Ranch, while others thought that it was full of jerks. So knowing that hiker gossip is always unreliable, we kept our minds open and committed to forming our own opinions. Jerks or no jerks, all we really needed was to collect our resupply buckets, mailed there over a month ago. As long as our tasty food was present, we could keep our dream of hiking the JMT alive. If the vibes happened to be good as well, that would just be a nice bonus. Well, we soon learned that the bonus was large. Did we just have the perfect day?

6am was colder than usual for some reason. My jacket was just enough to keep me from shivering when I got up to start my morning fiddling, but hey, that ain’t so bad at 10,000ft. Nothing to complain about, just different. Some critter had pushed our cook pot around in the night, but there were only a few chew marks in Flower Power’s cork trekking pole handle as permanent evidence. We finished packing and quickly moved through tea and breakfast, ready to start moving and get warm.

There were only four miles to MTR, and they were all downhill. However, not all slopes are created equal, so we were pleased to find the tread mostly smooth and rock-free. Dewy drops sparkled in the damp meadow where we had collected water yesterday evening, then we plunged back into shade under a high canopy of pine. Stripes of sunlight filtered between the trunks, lighting the belly-high grasses and flowers in a mesmerizing glow. Shadow and light. Puffs of dust from our shoes.

Warm sun in this dewy meadow is a treat on a cold morning.

Quickly we were switchbacking down a sun-drenched hillside, surrounded by manzanita and juniper trees. From the valley below the voices of barking dogs drifted up to meet us. We were close. An hour later, I followed Flower Power past a hand-painted sign directing hikers to the right place. Anticipation and nervousness bubbled in my gut. It had been a while since I felt this way. A while since I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Not that I knew every twist and turn of the JMT, but I knew the Sierra. There weren’t too many surprises left for me in the terrain at this point (cue future me laughing), but humans and their ‘systems’ were always a wildcard. How many people would there be at MTR? Would it be hard to navigate? Where were we supposed to camp? How much small talk would be involved? How many eyes would turn on us when we walked out of the woods? Good grief, peopling was fraught with subtleties and awkwardness.

Way down. All the way down.

Rocky and dry. I guess that’s how the manzanita likes it.

Next time you sit down outside, consider a tree or plant in front of you. It’s probably pretty cool.

Fortunately, all of my apprehensions were unfounded. Nobody seemed to notice us as we joined them amid the canopies and benches in front of a small cabin structure. Like nerds on the first day of class, we read the whiteboard, which explained everything while hikers milled around and poured over wide spreads of bars and trail snacks. This small corner of MTR buzzed with life. Like the mountain men of old, we hikers emerged from the forest to replenish provisions and catch up with one another during this rolling rendezvous.

MTR is very careful to keep hikers off their property, hence the abundant signage. I get it, we’re dirty and an added liability.

Will it be awkward? Will it be chill?

Pebbles and Crunchy, who we’d met on the long climb up Bear Ridge knocked me out of my dazlement with a friendly greeting. It was good to find familiar faces, and we carved out a spot near theirs before collecting our heavy food buckets from the store window.

During the next overwhelming hours, we did our best to stay hydrated and carefully consider and pack all the food we’d mailed ourselves. With no need for a longer detour around a busted bridge, our time until the next resupply was cut from eight days to six. I gladly dumped several bars and a bag of beans in the hiker box. Six days of food would be heavy enough and there was always someone willing to eat your discards. Aside from the mystery bags of powders (protein, electrolytes, soup, etc.), everything would get used. This system was a low-waste recycler.

Getting the lay of the land.

Flower Power is not stoked about the weight of her 5-gallon bucket of food. But hey, it’s here.

Combing through the resupply. With two days of food to discard, what stays and what goes? Couscous is out, peanut butter is in.

Vibes were good as we got to know our new friends better, reminiscing about all the food places that we missed in Portland. Then, I made the unforgivable mistake of admonishing the NOBO progression of the JMT. Though I was talking to friends, another pair overheard my dis and let us know that, hey, permits are tough and you get what you get. So true. There’s no wrong way to hike the JMT other than not to hike it at all if you are able. Don’t let any other loudmouth jerk (me!) tell you otherwise. It was all good in the end, I think, after an apology.

MTR is on private land, and aside from access to the store which sits on the boundary, a wire fence keeps the hikers out. Hiker camping is on public land, just like any other spot along the JMT. It’s a pretty nice spot too.

Flower Power and I finally said goodbye and moseyed to the camping area along the shore of the San Joaquin River. We had our pick of the empty tent pads, choosing one closest to the water and large slabs of granite. It was peaceful and warm. We washed in the water, and basked on the warm stone. We ate bean and salsa tacos, and drank a carton of chocolate almond milk that we had sent ourselves. Finally, as the sun was getting low after hours of sublime lounging and chatting with another friend and some new faces, we cooked up the best meal of the hike so far. A repeat from Red’s with a little extra trail hunger as seasoning. Mac n cheese, green beans, and curry lentils. There could not have been a better finish to a relaxing day. It actually felt like two whole days when I lay down for an early night.

When society collapses you’ll be able to find me here.

The light sunburn on my back was pleasantly warm. The excitement for the next section was palpable while Flower Power and I aired our hopes and fears for the rest of the trail before falling asleep with the bright moon taking over where the sun left off.

This post was originally published on my blog hikefordays.com. Check it out for trip reports from my other hikes including the AT, CDT, and Sierra High Route.