John Muir Trail Trek Tentative Itinerary
July 15th - August 3rd, 2012
July 15th
Group meets in San Francisco. Each participant will meet their instructors at the airport in the early afternoon, and the group will drive across the fertile central valley of California to the foothills of Yosemite Valley.
July 16th – July 18th
Climbing in South Yosemite. We’ll beat the summer crowds of the park by climbing some world famous granite crags just south of Yosemite Valley. We’ll spend the majority of our three days top-roping to perfect our climbing skills, but there is also potential for more advanced members of the group to get out and do some multi-pitch climbing
July 19th
Scenic drive through Yosemite National Park. Our trailhead lies on the other side of John Muir’s famous valley, but we’ll spend the day seeing the highlights of Yosemite and make our way to Mammoth Lakes, CA.
July 20th
Begin hiking south on the John Muir Trail at Red Cones. We’ll hike approximately 80 miles over the course of the next twelve days. Our group will meander between the the low country drainages (7,000’ – 8,000’) and to the highest points of the JMT at Silver, Donohue, and Sheldon Pass (all higher than 10,000’ in elevation)
August 1st
Last morning on the trail. We’ll descend from Piute Pass in the morning towards Bishop, California. That afternoon we will drive an hour up to Mammoth Lakes, CA to visit Devil’s Postpile National Monument. We’ll also have the opportunity to shower for the first time since our resupply in naturally fed hot springs! That night dinner will be out on the town, and we’ll camp locally to prepare for our road trip the next day.
August 2nd
Road trip from Mammoth Lakes, CA to San Francisco! We will pass again through the picturesque agricultural valley that separates the Sierras Crest from the Pacific ocean. That night, we’ll experiment with an urban lifestyle and have barbeque downtown in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park! We’ll have a our closing ceremony and say our goodbyes before we get off to bed early at our hotel near the airport.
August 3rd
Students depart from San Francisco to their homes!
