Fail Fast, Fail Often (Even on the Trail)
As in tech, there are always lessons to be learned in backpacking. Here is my list of do-overs for attempting the John Muir Trail.
To bring you up to speed: I have yet to finish the John Muir Trail. Thus far, I’ve hiked 180 of the 210 miles. (Read about my trip recap and why I bailed here.)
A few weeks ago, my family and I tried to go back so I could finish within the season, but as we drove toward the trailhead, a looming thunderstorm kept me off. So I’ll probably attempt the last 40 miles this fall, next spring, or early summer.
Yes, the completionist in me is irked, sure, but I feel lucky that while I was on the JMT, I had great weather and a permit that allowed me to start at Happy Isles. Still, I’ve spent the past month thinking about things I wish I’d done differently to have made the trip lighter, more comfortable, more fun, and more, well, completable.
Gear Swaps
Clothing
My biggest gear mistake was thinking I’d be a bad-ass like most PCT thru-hikers and set off in some running shorts and a long-sleeve shirt. The truth is, though, that I’m not a PCT thru-hiker and am unlikely to ever be one. I just don’t like camping enough. And PCTers are hundreds of miles in by the time they make it to the Sierra Nevadas. I think that makes them more hardy than me.
I did pack some Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Pants and they saved me my first night from mosquitos, but they were not really something I wanted to wear all day. Fortunately in Mammoth Lakes I was able to buy some great Rab Incline Light Pants and a Patagonia Sun Hoodie. I coated them in Permethrin, and for the rest of the trip, with my hood up, mosquitos hardly gave me any trouble. Lesson: Wear lots of light coverage.
Electronics
I went way too ultralight on my charging setup—a single inCharge All in One USB-A to USB-C/Lightning adapter to juice up my iPhone, Garmin EPIX watch, inReach Mini 2, and NiteCore NB10000 battery. At 6 grams, it seems like a great idea, and it was mostly fine on the trail, but it ended up being pretty annoying for charging off the trail. The cable is so short that things hung from the power outlet as they charged. I also couldn’t charge my battery and my phone at the same time. Lesson: Take a lightning cable and a small USB-A to USB-C cable.
Misc
I swapped the carabiner on my inReach for a 3 gram Sea-to-Summit carabiner, saving a few grams, but it ended up being a real pain to use when I needed to unhook the inReach from my backpack. Lesson: Stick with the slightly heavier carabiner that comes with the inReach.
My 42 gram Sea to Summit Cup got used on the first day for coffee, and after that I switched to drinking cold coffee out of my water bottle. Lesson: Leave the cup at home.
I packed a 20℉ sleeping quilt and was too hot more often that not. It’s a very individual and weather-dependent choice, but I might have brought my 30℉ quilt instead. Lesson: It’s all a crap-shoot.
Food and Resupply Tweaks
Probably my biggest amateur hour reveal was here. When I got to Muir Trail Ranch, I had 7 days of food to pack up, and it didn’t all fit in my bear canister. Lesson: Repackaging your food into freezer bags saves a little bit of weight, and if you roll the bags up, you can fit a lot more food into the bear can than when it’s still in the original packaging. You can still cook in the freezer bags, and they also take up less space in your trash bag.
In terms of resupply stops after MTR, I didn’t plan to exit at Kearsarge Pass for more food because I remember that stretch being difficult from years ago. But compared to all the passes I’d done up to that point on this most recent trip, it wasn’t too bad. Lesson: An additional resupply via Kearsarge Pass and Onion Valley would translate into fewer pounds of food I’d need to carry from Muir Trail Ranch.
I also got pretty sick of a lot of my vegan backpacker food. Lesson: Taste-test meals ahead of time, and shop for variety within the classic Mountain House lineup. I ended up ditching anything with chocolate in it a few days in because I just couldn’t stand it anymore.
Rethinking Rest Days
I originally planned to take a zero day in Mammoth Lakes and then finish up the rest of the trail after that. I eventually added another at Vermilion Valley Resort, which was a really good idea. Lesson: Five days is about the max that I really want to do in the backcountry at a stretch.
So if I was doing this over again, I’d plan 3 zero days: One at Mammoth Lakes, one at Vermilion Valley Resort, and one in Independence, probably at the Mt Williamson Motel and Basecamp, which offers a pickup and drop off at Onion Valley for hikers.
Better Physical Training
Also, I think if I’d planned a zero day in Independence, I probably would have finished the trail. Lesson: Six days of back-to-back hiking is just too long for me at my current level of fitness. I simply would have trained more. Fortunately, I live in Tahoe at 6,550 feet, so altitude wasn’t much of an issue for me, and I did a number of longish hikes in the couple of months leading up to this trip. Lesson: Train with bigger hikes, with more than 4,000 feet vertical climb, and do at least a few back to back.
WHAT I’M DOING:
Writing the next newsletter about road tripping in my Volvo C40 Recharge.
WHAT I’M READING:
The Muderbot Diaries by Martha Wells is a really fun sci-fi adventure series that dips its toes in various AI ethics issues.
WHAT I’M RESEARCHING:
The various EV charging adapters I’d need to charge my Volvo C40 just about anywhere.