Welcome

Welcome and thank you for visiting Hike4Ward.com

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2016 is here and its time to get back on the trail!

On August 3rd I plan to hike to the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp in Yosemite National Park.  After one night stay I will return to Tuolumne meadows and then back to Bishop, CA.

I had planned a longer endeavor of about two weeks to Lake Tahoe but felt it would be best to avoid a long solo trip this season and just stick to the well traveled portion of Yosemite and a night with fellow hikers at Glen Aulin.

Once again, thanks for following along.

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2013: A Look Back:

This year I finally completed the John Muir Trail.
A journey that was 4 years in the making.

4 years ! How can that be possible?

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It started on Super Bowl Sunday in 2010 with a group of friends at a home near Lake Gregory.  We were reflecting on the New Year and the conversation started to go around the table with "What do you want to accomplish this year?"

"I want to cross the eastern divide of the Sierras. To be in the real back country. To be more than a days walk from my Jeep."

There, I had said it out loud.  I am sure no one really understood what I had just muttered.  But to me, I had thrown down the gauntlet.  As a teenager I had hiked most of the trails between Lone Pine and Mammoth.  I have been on top of Mt Whitney three times.  But never once had I crossed over any of the passes that lead west from the Eastern slope of the Sierras.
That would change.

2010:  Map Junkie

Maps.  Maps are the gateway drug to a Hiker's long term addiction.  If you have a weakness for the outdoors, stay away from maps.  I now had my NAT GEO Topo maps from Yosemite to Whitney.  I looked at them constantly.  Soon, I was ready to cross over the eastern divide and fulfill my New Year's resolution.  I decided to do the John Muir Trail.  I would tackle this 230 mile trail in what I would call four Sections.
1. Yosemite to Mammoth
2. Mammoth to Bishop Pass
3. Bishop Pass to Kearsarge Pass
4. Kearsarge Pass to Mt Whitney
I would complete the trail over a few summers. The summer of 2010 was here and it was time to begin the journey.

JULY:  Three of us headed up Bishop Pass Trail for a 5 day hike to Onion Valley, Section 3 of 4.  We turned around at Bishop Pass on day 1.  One of us was feeling the ill effects of altitude and we didn't have an extra day to compensate. Grade: D in planning, A in decision making.

Bishop Pass Trail - 2010

AUGUST: I was back.  Solo.  I hiked Section 3 in six exhilarating, wonderful days.  It was electric to be alone on a trail I had never traveled. My New Year's resolution was completed as I crossed Bishop Pass and reemerged 60 miles south over Kearsarge Pass.  The goal of completing the JMT now seemed attainable. READ MY EVERYTRAIL ACCOUNT HERE.

Mather Pass - 2010

SEPTEMBER: Cherie and I headed for Tuolumne Meadows for a leisurely 3 day hike down to Yosemite Valley.  She did a great job on her first overnighter and we completed half of Section 1 on the John Muir Trail.  READ OUR EVERYTRAIL ACCOUNT HERE.

Together on the JMT near Cathedral Peak -2010

2011: Determination vs Mother Nature

This year I was determined to finish Section 1 and then head south to try  Section 4.

JULY:  This was the year of snow, lots of snow.  Mike and I headed out from Tuolumne Meadows to Reds Meadow to finish Section 1.  We crossed a snow covered Donohue Pass that seemed like a Tibetan expedition to these two newbies from the city.  The thin melting snow fields to the south created twisted knees and bent hiking poles.  We opted to finish short of Reds Meadow via the River Trail at Thousand Island Lake.  We caught the bus at Agnew Meadows and headed home.
Section 1 remained unfinished.

SEPTEMBER:  We would try Section 4, the final piece from Kearsarge Pass to Mt Whitney.  The plan was to be on the summit for a 9-11 tribute.  At Center Basin trail we turned back as the first snowstorm of the season lashed out at Forester Pass and Mt Whitney.  Section 4 would need to be revisited.

2012: Ambition and Pride

This year I would do the entire trail in one shot, solo.  The previous years taught me that this was the way to succeed.  My ambition was fueled by a growing number of bloggers that shared their experience, knowledge and advice.  The likes of Rockin, Wired, Eric the Black and a host of others helped me dial-in every aspect of planning for a solo adventure.

The Highs - 2012

August:  I set out solo from Yosemite headed to Mt Whitney.  Permits in hand and supplies pre-positioned: this was it!  I was on my way.  I even climbed Half Dome for the first time on my way to Tuolumne Meadows. Upon leaving Tuolumne I noticed that I had ripped a deep piece of flesh out of my heel.  My blog on this site chronicles that hike and my decision to leave the trail. 

The Lows - 2012

The rest of that story: What I did not reveal on my 2012 blog is that I also had a bad fall, a face plant to be exact.  I made a decision to continue the JMT despite my heel issues, but while walking through the Devils Post-pile area I tripped and that was it.  I knew I should not continue alone.

Blogging can be a fun way to share your experience in real-time.  But you need to be ready to share your failures as they happen too.  Failure is a harsh word, but that's how you feel when it happens.  Over time you realize that things don't always work out as you planned. But at least you did give it a shot.  And you begin to understand that Ambition and Pride mean absolutely nothing to Mother Nature.

2013:  The goal of hiking the John Muir Trail was now complete.  My New Year's resolution of 2010 was long fulfilled and crossing into the back country of the Sierras is no longer a mystery. The reality is that the John Muir Trail will guide you through some of the most incredible wilderness areas imaginable.  It is full of challenges and rewards.  It was a gratifying and humbling journey.  I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue this goal and the support of my family to achieve it.

And finally:  A great quote from my friend John:

Its ironic that I learned of this quote at the end of my 4 year journey, because it has applied since day one.  It has applied to each success and each failure along the way.  Looking back, this journey was definitely worth it.

Thanks for following

Dave