+ John Muir Trail Solo Hike +

Day 1
Happy Isles to Sunrise
15.1 miles

After a hectic morning of getting to the valley from my campsite at Hodgdon Meadow and, once there, getting a permit (which I had reserved) and bear canister from the Yosemite Association, I finally started the trail at Happy Isles at 8:30am. I was accompanied for the first few hours by my friend and roommate Heather and her boyfriend Scott. It was great to start the trail with friends and it allowed me to ease into the experience of such a long solo hike. My pack felt monstrously heavy and from experience I knew that it was only going to feel heavier, but the excitement of starting this adventure overwhelmed all other thoughts.

On the approach to Nevada Falls the trail passes under a cool stream of water dripping down from a ledge onto the grateful heads of hikers. I couldn't help but feel it was a sort of christening. We stopped for a break and to filter water at Nevada Falls and continued on to Little Yosemite Valley for lunch. There we saw several deer, one with a huge rack. Rain clouds had been threatening but nothing had fallen yet, and fears of late July being too hot proved to be unfounded—at least for now. My friends and I parted ways at Little Yosemite Valley at 12:30pm and I was on my own for the rest of the trip. I felt some anxiousness about hiking the rest of the trip solo but mostly was excited that all the thinking and planning had become reality. I felt confident that I would make it no matter what lie ahead.

The trail begins a steep elevation gain of 3,000 feet just past LYV. Despite having a good topo map I did not expect this kind of brutal climb this early. I got much better at reading the map and what it meant in terms of difficulty (not just distance,) but at this early stage I was not prepared. This day proved to be the most physically demanding of the whole trip, and probably would have been without the added first-day burdens of a full pack of food and the search for a hiking "groove."

Finally at the top of a series of steep switchbacks, a light rain started despite full sunlight, which made the rain look like a shooting star rain-shower. I stopped to rest and watch the show—such magic in these Sierra's! What a wonderful reward after a brutal afternoon of hiking. A deer appeared and made a honking sound as it passed. Watching the rain I was struck by a fit of practicality, and considered pitching my tent because I had not brought any rain gear, in order to reduce my pack weight. My (perhaps naive) thinking was if rain threatened along the trail, I would simply pitch my tent and wait it out. I would sacrifice time/schedule rather than carry more weight. This strategy paid off as I never encountered heavy rain. Indeed, I was only threatened with rain once more along the trail. The light rain gave me new life and I continued on until I was about a half mile before Sunrise camp, at a nice broad flat rock near a stream. I stopped to filter water and make dinner here so that I could continue on and leave my food preparation area behind, so as not to attract bears to my campsite. This would be a pattern I would continue throughout the trip. There were a group of college-aged kids nearby. They were heading south and were going to summit Half Dome the next day on their way down to the valley.

I continued on to Sunrise after dinner and was set up and settled in by 8:15pm. Sunrise is both a tent camping spot and a "High Sierra Camp." With 20 or so campers with tents it was one of the more crowded areas along the trail. There were bear boxes to store your food, and composting toilets. Although I was exhausted after a long first day that was much harder than I expected, I was able to take in a beautiful sunset that shone a golden light on the rocks, mountains, and meadow that surrounded the campsite. I went to bed still a little anxious, but with increased confidence after getting day one under my belt.