Sarah

Cheers,

Pete KJ

Thanks so much for the kind words, Meredith! Really appreciate it!

Thank you! I am a newbie to long hikes and found your site to be a fount of valuable information.

Best,
Amri

Looking for some advice. I’m looking for a trip (potentially point to point, but loop would be ideal) that’s in the 40 – 60 mile range, and is accessible in mid-May or potentially as late as late June. I’m bringing my father, who is not particularly experienced, is ~65 years old, and I don’t want to have to carry water or deal with anything too crazy.

Thanks!

Do you have an email to get in touch about sending product demo? Thanks!

I am not sure why the crystal cove route colors you list are different than the colors on the state park guide. For example, you list the red route as 5.5 miles and moderate. Whereas the Crystal Cove State Park guide lists the red route as 8.97 Miles and Strenuous? Here is a link the guide I am referring to: http://www.crystalcovestatepark.com/hiking-info/crystal-cove-map-handout-10.pdf

First time reader, loved going through your blog. As an avid hiker in up here in the Northwest I could relate with many of the experiences you shared. So Cal really came to life in your posts. I was there a year back but could not find a feasible hike which fit my schedule, wish I knew about this website.

A few of my mates in Seattle got together after college and found that reaching nice hiking spots was challenging in the absence of a car. We tried using buses, but the planning was a pain in the neck. So being nerds in today’s age, we made an app: totago.co

I am curious as to what you think of transit hiking and our initiative to facilitate it? Also if you are interested, we can send you a custom itinerary for your next hike.

Love to hear back from you.

Best,
Varun

Welcome to SoCal–and to SoCal Hiker! On each of our hike guides we have an info box near the top of the page that shows the mileage, the difficulty level, the vertical gain, and the best time to hike. For the higher peaks these are usually free of snow during the months we’ve listed — but obviously we can’t predict with 100% certainty. That’s why we also include a 4-day weather forecast for the trail on the guide as well (down near the bottom of the guide). As for the wind? It’s USUALLY pretty windy when you get to the peaks, year round.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/333849817/horn-and-purveyor-charge-on-the-go-backpack

By backing Horn & Purveyor, you will not only be helping us meet our goal. But you will also be making history. We at Horn & Purveyor are the first e-backpack company in Philadelphia, PA USA that will donate backpacks to children throughout the city to make an impact on the way that children stay connected. Your backing will also help stimulate the economy because we are proud to use 100% U.S.A. labor. Your backpack will be designed, manufactured, quality controlled and shipped directly from Philadelphia, PA.

Horn & Purveyor Backpacks are made with water resistant environment friendly materials that are durable and made to last a lifetime. Every backpack comes with a built-in hand fob that has a high output LED light and a USB charging port. Once you charge your hand fob your backpack will have hours of stand-by power that will keep any electronic device charged for hours.

Horn & Purveyor is an innovator of modern and durable goods that are made with the environment in mind. We stand by every product made and ensure that everything that bears our signature woven patch is quality controlled to the utmost standards. ​ Organic fibers, soft to the touch materials & original designs are just some of the major attributes of Horn & Purveyor which places us as a forerunner in the modern age of wearable technology. We passion ourselves on making life lasting products & thank you for your interest and patronage with Horn & Purveyor.

Never will you have a dead electronic device under the watch of Horn & Purveyor. Designed & Crafted in the Untied States of America.

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Patty, there is a link in the Black Star write-up to the trailhead (just below the section heading “Hiking to Beek’s Place”). That opens the trailhead in Google Maps. From there you can click the “pin” and then lookup directions from any location. Here’s a direct link to driving directions from Los Angeles: http://goo.gl/maps/LhpXW

I’m planning a 2014 JMT thru-hike and have been reading your trip log, which has been informative. I’m trying to navigate the permits right now, and just had a question about the backpacker’s campground you stayed at in Yosemite the first night. Do you need a reservation for that? Or does the wilderness permit one gets allow one to stay there? Thanks,
Mark

I recently moved here to SoCal early this fall from upstate New York. I’m an experienced four season backpacker/camper with basic experience in light mountaineering. I left my entire social network (including outdoor recreation friends) back east and am looking to meet like minded individuals to bag some peaks in and around the San Bernardino / Antonio ranges this winter. I’m geared up and psyched to get out there… just need a partner or two. Any thoughts on where to turn to find hiking buddies without getting involved in in organizations and academic programs (unless there are some dynamite ones worth checking out)?

Thanks,
Jesse

Any JMT plans for 2014?

Not for me… but maybe in 2015. 🙂
We are thinking about our big trip for 2014 and pointing towards either the Lost Coast in NorCal or the Coast-to-Coast walk in England. I have been itching to lead some hikes again — so stay tuned!

Coming from Switzerland, i will be spending a few days in the area of Anaheim. I was wondering if you could send me information about the hiking possibilities in this area as i would very much like to discover your nice region walking.
I can walk for 15 miles with no problems and going uphill does not frighten me! I am looking for hiking tours in some of your nice parks in this region and would like to get from you a few nice proposals for me to organize my stay there.

Many thanks in advance for your answer,

Best regards,
Pierre

1). I notice that you have a section titled gear and tips, and I was curious how you decided how to select products to go into that section. As I mentioned, we’ve sold rain ponchos and umbrellas for almost 30 years. Considering how hikers get caught out in the rain from time to time, I would think our products would benefit your readers/customers.

2). I’m really interested in seeing if we could write a guest article about the benefits and importance of bringing rainwear to protect yourself from the weather while hiking. We are trying to build our online reputation, and having an article/link on your website would be a big step for us gain exposure. I’m from Crawfordsville Indiana, so if you would like me to take a different spin on things and write about the numerous hiking trails near there, I could do that as well. Really anything you would like for us to write about would be fine. Like I said we’ve been around a long time, and we have plenty of stories to tell.

Let me know if either of these options interest you. I’m really thrilled with the thought of working together, and I’m eagerly waiting on your response. Thanks for your time!

-Mark Clements

Adidas is holding a photo contest, called “all in moment”. I went “all in” during a trip to Montana, (which I had never visited before), and was fortunate enough to do some beautiful hiking and see the Gallatin valley, Beartooths Mountains, and Crazy Mountains! I am looking for someone to help me win by voting for my picture! If I win, I could get an all-expenses-paid trip to switzerland! I’ll be sure to bring you back some chocolate if I win!

please do me a favor and share this link by any means you know how!
http://www.terrex-experience.com/submission/23/Grayce_Vogelsang

Thanks a million. Karma will treat you well, friend.

My name is Cameron. I am with http://seattlebackpackers.com/ We are helping find advertisers for a few intermediate size hiking, backpacking websites. Could we discuss you joining us? Would be happy to talk about who we are working with and how our relationships are arranged.

May I give you a call?

Thanks

Cameron
206-491-5207 Please delete this post after you read it. Thanks

I’d like to use some of your photos in a report I’m producing on green access in San Bernardino County for a nonprofit called The City Project. Here’s a link to see our last report on Los Angeles County: http://www.mapsportal.org/thecityproject/socalmap/images/CityProject_LosAngeles_ENGLISH_040411.pdf.
I’d be happy to credit your photos however you’d like and will give you an opportunity to review/approve photo placement and credit before we release the report. Let me know if you’re interested!

Thanks,
Anahid

We completed our JMT in August 2010 (my second time). You can see our itinerary here: https://socalhiker.net//2010/02/itinerary-for-the-john-muir-trail/

From our last resupply point at Muir Trail Ranch, we had 9 nights — 10 days of hiking. Some of the other JMT thru-hikers we ran into had friends hiking in over Kearsarge Pass to meet them with resupply packages, but you can do it from MTR. Another option is pack service (see my reply to Larry below).

Good luck with your trip, and let me know if I can help!

Larry, we carried 10 days of food from MTR out to Whitney Portal. The hard part was getting it all to fit in a bear canister. We ended up hanging some food for a couple of nights (there are places in Kings Canyon where bear canisters are not required), and managed fine.

That said, here’s what the Muir Trail Ranch website says about their pack service:

Pack service to Backpackers

After topping off with a resupply at Muir Trail Ranch, your pack just got up to 25 pounds heavier, and for the next seven to nine miles, there will be a whole lot of steep trail. To ease the pain, we offer to haul your pack for you to either Heart Lake near Selden Pass going north, a gain of 2,800 feet, or Evolution Creek at Evolution Meadow going south, a gain of 1,500 feet.

We can haul up to three packs on a single pack horse, totaling 150 pounds, and a packer can lead as many as five pack horses. You can get together with other hikers to split the cost, too.

This service is limited to backpacks only, no riders, and is only offered when we have a packer available and U.S. Government-allocated permission to be on the trail with pack stock. Besides your payment, we will need your Wilderness Permit number.

The fees: Packer and horse $250 per day, Pack horse/mule $125 per day

From http://www.muirtrailranch.com/backpacker.html

Larry

Marne, unfortunately you won’t be able to take a dog down the entire JMT. While some parts do allow it (the National Forest jurisdictions, I believe) the National Parks do not. It’s both for the safety of the dogs and the “keeping the wildlife wild” mantra of the NPS. Not a bad thing at all.

Having said that, they do allow pack animals (horses, mules, even llamas). And on my JMT thru-hike back in August I saw one dog (part of a pack train) just south of Silver Pass. It might be legal there, or they may have been wagging more than their tail at the law.

Thanks.
-mlb

Thanks Julielani! Tell your husband and daughter to just yell “Jeff!” There will be two “Jeff’s” in our group, so odds are good they’ll bend our ear. Hope they have a great trip!