John Muir Trail

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The John Muir Trail was my very first thru hike. Prior to the trip I thought I had no idea what I was doing and planned the trip excessively: I picked out a camp site for every night, typed up all my meals typed up in a spreadsheet, and studied weather patterns across the Sierras. I’m happy I overprepared for this hike, because I learned a lot about what it takes to plan for a backcountry trip, but the moment I stepped my foot on trail I instantly became aware of the simplicity of the thru hiking life. I experienced what it was like living simply: just walking, eating, walking some more, and sleeping.

Choosing the John Muir Trail as my first long hike has spoiled me a lot. I don’t think you could easily find a well established route that is this remote and so dense with beautiful mountains. Every single day on the Sierras was epic to say the least. For a friendly hike for all experience levels, I think this one’s hard to top.