Mountains are calling and I must go ~John Muir
Mountains have been calling me as well, but my responsibilities at work and home were screaming much louder :). Finally it is time to show my allegiance to them and indulge myself with treats they offer.
As most of you know my endeavor that I started last year to hike and photograph America’s most beautiful hiking trails John Muir Trail. Last year, after hiking 110 miles, I exited the trail on 12th day from Muir Ranch Trail. A cautious decision due to my weight loss and slightly sprained back muscles. I’m going back this year again to finish the trail from where I stopped last year. Nothing changed much in the pack (still 45 lbs.) except food. I’m not carrying as many calories as I did last year, but carrying what I definitely eat. The challenge is higher this year in terms of elevation gain. There more number of mountain passes this year. All of them over 12000 ft. and some of them are notorious, including summating Mt. Whitney.
I’ll start my hike on Sunday to reach Muir Ranch (6 mile hike from Florence Lake). I’ll camp at Muir Ranch on Sunday to get acclimatized. I’ll be on JMT starting from Monday, 8/17/2015 and expecting to finish the trail on 8/28/2015.
You can track my progress at following link. It points my location live on map once in every 10 minutes.
You can stay in touch by send message thru same web page (click on message icon, web server send the message to my satellite communicator)
https://share.delorme.com/llmswamy
Here is all the planning that is required for long distance backpacking. I try to follow more or less day to day plan on trail, but some time, change as I go. Nevertheless it’s important to have a plan in hand.
Happy Hiking
Swamy
llmswamy Photography 