Unpopular Opinion: The JMT sucks

[rightstar76]

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[TurboHike]

Frankly, the most popular thru hike trails ought to be structured on the European model: with Alpine huts providing lodging, food, and other services at reasonable intervals along the route. Screw John Muir and his vision of a wilderness without human beings.

There is a hut system in Colorado if that's your thing. Here is the link:

https://www.huts.org/

It's not the same system as in Europe since you still need to bring your own sleeping bag and your own food. But no need for a tent or cooking utensils.

I've hiked hut to hut in both Switzerland and Austria. Their system is nice, but they do not use pack animals to supply the huts. Every hut is serviced with a cable system, similar to a gondola. In the Sierra, could you imagine building a hut at the top of Shepherd Pass, and then also building a gondola that runs up Shepherd Creek? Or maybe a hut near Kearsarge Lakes, with a gondola that runs up and over Kearsarge Pass? I say no thanks. This type of system work in Europe because the towns in the Alps are very close together. Over every ridge is another valley with towns, food, and bus service. This is not the case in the Sierra.

[Wandering Daisy]

I do not know if the original post is a troll, but franklin411 has posted here several times over the years and provided some good information. Obviously his style of hiking is not that much into wilderness thru-hiking, which is fine. Not criticizing that. I do agree that if we get outside our own "bubble" there are others who feel as he does. But that does not justify bending the wilderness rules. And, as others have pointed out, the sheer fact that the JMT is being used, or perhaps overused, shows that there are plenty of younger folks getting into backpacking. Thanks TurboHike, for bringing in some more practical reasons the JMT cannot be turned into a European style hut system. And if we were to supply huts by horses, then the JMT would really become a trail of poop!

The only area I can think of in the Sierra that has the beginnings of infrastructure for a semi-hut system would be the Tahoe Rim trail. There already are numerous ski lifts that could be used to supply top-of-mountain huts. The ski lifts are already permanent structures not located in a designated wilderness. Desolation Wilderness is only a small part of that trail, easily passed through in two days. Problem perhaps solved by renting a tent from one hut and turning it in at another. I do suspect, however, that there would be a public outcry- environmentalism runs deep in the Tahoe area. I also suspect the economics for the ski areas to use their lifts and build huts may be unprofitable. So even if physically feasible, unlikely politically or economically feasible.

For now those who want to hut-to-hut simply go elsewhere.

[TahoeJeff]

I do suspect, however, that there would be a public outcry- environmentalism runs deep in the Tahoe area.

Yeah, no. We really don't need a semi-hut system here.

[AlmostThere]

My dog said to say hi to Beans. What a great little guy - I really enjoyed your trip reports with him.

[sekihiker]

Did I mention my dog?

And I thought I was trolling >_<

troll - a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses and normalizing tangential discussion, whether for the troll's amusement or a specific gain.

First of all, I assumed this somewhat provacative post was for entertainment value. And indeed it has largely succeeded. I admit that I have made several posts that were meant to distract and to amuse me. But they were my apparently unsuccessful attempts at humor. I apologise if my posts have upset people or caused discord. I have posted no more links to dog matters than were made in the initial post for this topic and I hope that this has caused no distress. All the above expressed with tongue firmly in cheek . . . and with love.

[c9h13no3]

First of all, I assumed this somewhat provacative post was for entertainment value. And indeed it has largely succeeded. I admit that I have made several posts that were meant to distract and to amuse me. But they were my apparently unsuccessful attempts at humor. I apologise if my posts have upset people or caused discord.

Lol, yeah. This thread (forum?) is for entertainment. We get your humor.

And I'm not certain trolling *has* to sew discord. I think of it more as just posting things just to get a reaction from people, rather than being 100% serious.

[TahoeJeff]

The Jolly Manure Trench
The Justa Million Tourists

These made me LOL.

[TahoeJeff]

Oh yeah, on most really good troll polls, the final whimsical option is BACON not cake...

[Snowtrout]

When I hiked two parts of the JMT, I never once thought that it "sucked" but it did feel crowded. It felt like a highway during the day and a parking lot at night. Not usually the solitude I am looking for but the beauty of the land made others on the trail tolerable.

A few thoughts:
The JMT already does have a type of hut system in place on the northern part of the trail: MTR, VVR, Reds Meadow, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley. Just have to walk 2-3 days to get pampered.

Don't want to carry all your gear, hire a packer or take a horse, mule, llama or goat.

Lots of off ramps from the JMT highway. You can take the side street route, the gravel road route (un-maintained or vanished trails) or go 4x4 (no trail). Pick what suits you.

Let's talk about dogs some more. Many on here love to hike with their furry friends, taking most of the JMT out of the equation (unless you want to claim they are a service dog). Lots of great options between Yosemite and SEKI that are not crowded and dog friendly.

Lastly, who says you have to hike the JMT? If you don't want to, don't. No one is forcing you to do it. If you do decide to do it, great but one should realize how popular the JMT is and those issues that come with popularity. If you think it sucks after hiking it, maybe the issue isn't the trail nor the people on it......just saying