The mountains are calling!

There is something about Yosemite that keeps calling me back, as there is no reason why one would put them through torturous hikes just for the fun of it. Exactly about 356 days ago I started on my quest to complete the John Muir Trail (JMT), and was able to complete it from Tuolumne Meadows. The part of trail from Happy Isles (HI) to Tuolumne Meadows (TM) eluded my hiking partner, and me and we wanted to complete this section before our one-year anniversary. We set out to through hike the section of JMT from HI to TM in a single day, as obtaining a permit for this section was next to impossible (only 5 permits can be reserved starting from HI).

Since this was going to be a one-day hike, we had to plan logistics on both ends, so ended up parking a car at TM the day before. We would ideally start our long hikes early in the day around 6 am, but given that we had to arrange the logistics on both ends, we ended up starting the hike around 8 am. The initial part of the trail was very familiar as we had been on mist trail numerous times as part of either hiking Half Dome, Clouds Rest, or just up to Vernal/Nevada falls. By the time we decided to take the JMT all the way (avoiding the mist trail via Vernal falls), we had already reached the Vernal falls footbridge. About 100 meters past the footbridge is where the diversion for JMT would take its own route and this is the place where we departed from the mist trail.

The trail from this junction goes through a series of switchbacks before you could get a glimpse of Nevada falls. About a mile into the hike, you will reach a junction that would take you to Vernal falls, and this is where the trail begins to open up and provide spectacular views of Half Dome and Nevada falls. With our eyes on Nevada falls we continued on the trail towards Nevada Falls, and reached at top around 10 am. We were surprised with our own speed, but we knew we had to cover the distance quickly if we were to reach TM with even a little sunlight left. 

We took a short break on top of Nevada falls and continued on the trail with our next break point set for Clouds Rest trail junction. Once we passed through Little Yosemite valley, we knew the switchbacks getting to half dome junction would be our next big challenge. Thankfully most of the trail here is shaded and we reached clouds rest junction right before noon. The trail up until clouds rest junction was very familiar, and we took our next break at the junction before proceeding on JMT further. The trail gets out of the shade from here until you reach the ascent towards sunrise lakes junction. We continued on the trail as we gained gradual elevation and the landscape dramatically started to change. This part of the trail was burnt down, and it was clearly visible by looking at the tress. Among the burnt down trees were a few flowers that made the landscape look scenic.

Our plan was to stop at the next 2 junctions so we wouldn’t lose track of JMT. First up was the Merced Lake junction, which was another rendezvous point before we could move further along the trail. Shortly after the Merced Lake junction we hit the sunrise lakes trail junction, which you can also take to go towards sunrise lakes or a round about way to get to clouds rest. The scenery took another turn here with distant views of Yosemite Valley behind us (and half dome), and views of Vogelsang peak on the right. When we reached the second junction towards sunrise lakes we knew the biggest challenge on the trail was right ahead of us, and we were not looking forward for it. The trail takes a steep ascent about half a mile from sunrise lakes trail junction and this is one of the hardest climbs on the trail. A series of never ending switchbacks (most of it in shade) split our group and each pair ended up hiking along this section at different pace. 

By the time we got through this part of trail, most of us were tired and were looking forward to reaching sunrise high Sierra camp, before making our final push towards TM. We even contemplated taking the sunrise lakes trail back to Tenaya Lake as we were tired. With the hardest part of the trail behind us, we started descending towards sunrise high Sierra camp. About a mile into the descent, the trail opens up into a beautiful meadow, which marks the entrance of sunrise high Sierra camp. The sunrise high Sierra camp did not open this year, so there were not a lot of people around in this area. We took a much needed lunch break here and a short 10-minute power nap as we stared at the 10 more miles board towards TM. 

By the time we got out of sunrise high Sierra camp it was 4 pm and we had to maintain the pace to make it to TM in time. I was rejuvenated after the lunch break and was cruising along the trail from sunrise high Sierra camp. The trail is flat throughout until you hit the ascent towards Cathedral pass, which is the final ascent on the trail. The ascent towards Cathedral pass was not long, but did take a lot of energy out from our tired souls. We knew that the trail was going to descend after Cathedral pass until we reached TM. The group again split into half, and two of us started heading towards TM with a little more pace so we could reach there before sunset.

As we started descending from Cathedral pass, picturesque views of Cathedral peak were towering to the right. We started gaining pace on the descent before we could reach the junction of cathedral lakes. The trail takes a steep descend from the Cathedral lakes junction and we were getting increasingly close to the end. As we continued down the trail we started to realize that all markers of mileage did not make any sense, as we were trailblazing but it felt like we were going around in circles. We ran into a few hikers who were headed towards cathedral lakes for the sunset views. With the sunlight disappearing every minute we finally hit the last section of descent before we could hear the sound of cars passing by. We ended the hike at cathedral lakes trailhead around 7:30 pm, and waited out for the rest of the group. I managed to hitch a ride from Cathedral lakes trailhead to Lembert dome so I could drive our car back, and so everyone in the group didn’t have to make the painstakingly boring walk to reach the car. It took us a good 12 hours to cover the distance, and though we decided to not do long day hikes (more than 15 miles), I am pretty sure we will go back and do such crazy hikes again!

Difficulty – Very Hard Insanity Level – 10 Distance ~ 26 miles Elevation ~ 7000 ft Time ~ 12-14 hours
Directions: Happy Isles Trail Head – Mist Trail – John Muir Trail – Vernal Falls Cutoff – Glacier Point Trail Junction – Nevada Falls – Little Yosemite Valley – Half Dome Junction – Clouds Rest Junction – John Muir Trail – Merced Lake Junction – John Muir Trail – Sunrise Lakes Trail to Clouds Rest – John Muir Trail – Sunrise High Sierra Camp – John Muir Trail – Cathedral Pass – Cathedral Lakes – Cathedral Lakes Trailhead