Sierras in Silence: A 22-day John Muir Trail Journey

Sierras in Silence: A 22-day John Muir Trail Journey

In September of 2025, my spouse and I backpacked the unforgettable John Muir Trail (JMT), starting in the Tuolumne Meadows of Yosemite Valley and culminating at the 14,505-foot summit of Mount Whitney. This trip heading south through the Sierra Nevada mountains went through three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia, and crossed 10 tall mountain passes. The vibrant sunrises and the soft alpenglow to starlit nights and shimmering waterfalls in the Inyo National Forest, the Ansel Adams Wilderness, and the John Muir Wilderness were breathtaking.

Over the course of our 247-mile trek, we took side trips for resupplies and even replaced a broken shoe. Across 22 days, we experienced endless mountain vistas, sore muscles, challenging weather, and an overwhelming sense of awe that affirmed the Sierra Nevada is truly a paradise on Earth @HikerAakanksha

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Timestamps:
00:00 Day 1: Tuolumne Meadows – Lyell Fork
02:00 Day 2: Lyell Fork – Thousand Island Lakes
05:06 Day 3: Thousand Island Lakes – Gladys Lake
06:21 Day 4: Gladys Lake – Reds Meadow (resupply point)
07:03 Day 5: Reds Meadow – Lake Virginia
09:48 Day 6: Lake Virginia – Mott’s Lake Junction
12:56 Day 7: Mott’s Lake Junction – Bear Creek
13:35 Day 8: Bear Creek – MTR (resupply point)
14:48 Days 9–11: Detour to Florence Lake due to broken shoe
15:57 Day 12: Piute Creek – Sapphire Lake
18:19 Day 13: Sapphire Lake – Grouse Meadows
21:58 Day 14: Grouse Meadows – Lower Palisades Lake
24:10 Day 15: Lower Palisades Lake – Lake Marjorie
28:02 Day 16: Lake Marjorie – Lower Rae Lake
31:37 Day 17: Lower Rae Lake – Onion Valley (resupply point)
32:32 Day 18-19: Onion Valley – Bubbs Creek
35:24 Day 20: Bubbs Creek – Tyndall Creek
38:46 Day 21: Tyndall Creek – Guitar Lake
42:31 Day 22: Guitar Lake – Whitney Portal
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Resupply Points:
• Reds Meadow
• MTR
• Onion Valley
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Navigation tools:
• FarOut App and GaiaGPS
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Filming Gear:
• Camera: iPhone 15 Pro
• Editing App: Final Cut Pro
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Preparation for John Muir Trail:

John Muir Trail, California, USA

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Music track licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

•CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

•Meditation Impromptu 01 by Kevin MacLeod
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100163
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

•Meditation Impromptu 03 by Kevin MacLeod
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100161
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Other music tracks
Peaceful Mind – Astron, Lights – Patrick Patrikios, Somnia Variation – Reed Mathis, Dreamland and Til Death Parts Us – Aakash Gandhi, Hear The Bells – John Patitucci, Lord Of The Dawn – Jesse Gallagher, World’s Sunrise – Jimena Contreras
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#johnmuirtrail #backpacking #wilderness @rei @COROSGlobal @BlackDiamondEquipmentLtd@raybanmeta @stravainc @GaiaGPS @NationalParkService @NatGeo @patagonia @arcteryx @smartwool
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