Unpopular Opinion: The JMT sucks

[mike999]

Just discovered this thread today. Great reading.

Have spent a lot more time in the last 10 years off trail than on. (Yes that makes me awesome.) One notable exception was few years ago while my group was resting at Amphitheater Lake after coming down Cataract Creek Pass, and looking at the talus field between us and the direct route to Upper Basin, we decided to drop down to the JMT and go over Mather. We are all very happy we did it. Yes it was crowded, but the Golden Staircase was something to see as was Palisades Basin.

Maybe if we saw a bunch of discarded (thrown off a cliff) boots and shoes by solo hikers inspired by Wild we'd judge harsher, but we didn't see any, and I'm told that fad was very short-lived anyway.

[gdurkee]

Rightstar: No. Hadn't seen that and don't know what their outreach is.

They've got some good people there but there's second hand rumors (and I emphasize 2nd hand to me) that their main people don't listen to experienced hikers. Don't know anything beyond that. Still, I guess we'll see what they come up with.

g.

[richlong8]

One thing that is positive about the JMT: so many people are using it, and its "kissing cousin", the High Sierra Trail, that it leaves the lots of areas that are just as scenic, relatively empty of people. Like many, I have done most of it, but now tend to only use small sections of the trail to get to other areas. One thing that cracks me up is when all the people on the JMT will seem to congregate in "camping zones", all crowded in with each other.... to each his own, that is not my idea of a wilderness experience.

[richlong8]

I forgot about this incident: This is from my Gardiner Basin backpack post a couple of years ago: The last time I was on the JMT, a non planned stop at the Rae Lakes, this happened- I originally had wanted to camp at lovely Dragon Lake, instead of the Rae Lakes, on my last night, but it was almost dark when I reached the Rae Lake camping area. I saw a couple of people by a bear locker with all their stuff on top sorting things out. I looked in the locker, and I could not believe it... the locker was full of bear canisters! Being quite tired instead of just being quiet, I asked, could you help me and answer a question? Why would someone put their bear canister in a bear locker? I thought the idea of a canister was the canister protected you from food pilfering. They replied quite seriously, "well putting the canister in a locker protects it, that keeps the bears from rolling your bear canister around where you can't find it". Oh, I said, I didn't realize,its kind of like Yogi Bear, and Boo-Boo sort of thing. I didn't wait for their reply, and quickly hightailed it out of there to find a place to camp for the night.....Me and my smart mouth!

[Bishop_Bob]

I forgot about this incident: This is from my Gardiner Basin backpack post a couple of years ago: The last time I was on the JMT, a non planned stop at the Rae Lakes, this happened- I originally had wanted to camp at lovely Dragon Lake, instead of the Rae Lakes, on my last night, but it was almost dark when I reached the Rae Lake camping area. I saw a couple of people by a bear locker with all their stuff on top sorting things out. I looked in the locker, and I could not believe it... the locker was full of bear canisters! Being quite tired instead of just being quiet, I asked, could you help me and answer a question? Why would someone put their bear canister in a bear locker? I thought the idea of a canister was the canister protected you from food pilfering. They replied quite seriously, "well putting the canister in a locker protects it, that keeps the bears from rolling your bear canister around where you can't find it". Oh, I said, I didn't realize,its kind of like Yogi Bear, and Boo-Boo sort of thing. I didn't wait for their reply, and quickly hightailed it out of there to find a place to camp for the night.....Me and my smart mouth!

I wonder what they planned to do in areas without a bear locker.

[maiathebee]

the locker was full of bear canisters! Being quite tired instead of just being quiet, I asked, could you help me and answer a question? Why would someone put their bear canister in a bear locker? I thought the idea of a canister was the canister protected you from food pilfering. They replied quite seriously, "well putting the canister in a locker protects it, that keeps the bears from rolling your bear canister around where you can't find it". Oh, I said, I didn't realize,its kind of like Yogi Bear, and Boo-Boo sort of thing. I didn't wait for their reply, and quickly hightailed it out of there to find a place to camp for the night.....Me and my smart mouth!

There are reports of bears rolling canisters off cliffs in Yosemite, and of bears at Rae Lakes that learned how to open the BearVault style, and they were banned for a while there. (Here's an ancient BPL thread about it.) But STILL, even with that, don't take up space in the locker. Just wedge it somewhere where it will make a noise you can hear if a bear starts messing with it.