Early tomorrow morning I leave for California to start a southbound hike of the John Muir Trail. I’ll be driving all day tomorrow; I plan to get to Ridgecrest and spend the night there. I’ve made the drive several times in the past and each time it seems longer than before although the distance remains the same, 570 miles.

On Monday, I will drive to Whitney Portal, leave my car there and hitchhike back to Lone Pine where I have motel reservations. Tuesday, I will catch the Eastern Sierra Transit bus at 6:15 am, ride to Lee Vining, change to YARTS there and ride to Yosemite. After I pick up my permit, I’ll finish the day at North Pines backpacker camp and start walking early Tuesday morning.

I am keeping an account of this trip on Trail Journals. http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=8115 I won’t be posting to Trail Journals while I am hiking. I will keep a pen and paper journal then transfer my notes and observations, probably hugely embellished, to TJ when I return. I am planning 21 days on the trail. My pack will weigh a bit over 20 pounds the first day complete with food and stove fuel. I’ll have an extra pound or so of water on top of that so I won’t be very heavily burdened. I’m glad of that because the first day is a planned climb out of Yosemite Valley to Sunrise Creek; about 4000’ and around 8.5 miles.

Wish me luck and sign my guest book if the mood strikes you
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May I walk in beauty.