With the John Muir Trail about to kick off, one Pacific Northwest backpacker's lead-up offers a handy window into what preparing for a 211-mile Sierra trek actually looks like — and the lessons apply to any multi-day hike.
First up: gear. A borrowed Osprey Atmos, previously through-hiked on the PCT, seemed like a win — but the hip belt pockets sat awkwardly behind the wearer and the side bottle pockets jabbed painfully into the ribs. The fix was REI's Flash 55, a sub-3lb pack that has quietly built a strong reputation among gear nerds for outperforming its price bracket. The takeaway for anyone gearing up: borrow or test a pack with real weight in it before committing, because a pack that suits one hiker can be miserable for the next.
Then came the shakedown hike — the ritual of carrying everything you'll take on the big trip, on a smaller trail where mistakes cost little. The author built a 12-mile loop with roughly 3,000ft of climbing around Butte Camp on the flanks of Mt St Helens in Washington, linking the Loowit Trail before an easy 3-mile walk out the next morning. Bear can, all the JMT gear and even a couple of beers for ballast went in. Verdict? Clothes need a stuff sack (not everyone can embrace the scruffy 'fill the gaps' packing style), and rolling a sleeping pad wastes time — stuffing it, puncture fears permitting, is probably fine.
The road south became its own mini trip. A three-day drive from Washington to Oakland, deliberately slowed to spend most of a day at Mt Shasta, ended at family in Oakland — where the final prep played out: washing gear with Nikwax treatments, repacking, charging electronics, and plenty of yoga. From there it's a hop to Yosemite to start walking.
One serious note for anyone heading to the Sierra: a fire ignited in southwest Yosemite on September 15th, growing to around 4,000 acres at 15% containment while this hiker was en route. Two people died in a helicopter crash while fighting it. Wildfire season is now a genuine planning factor for California trips — check current conditions and closures before you go, and spare a thought for the crews (and incarcerated firefighters) on the lines.
Why care? If you've ever fancied a long trail like the JMT, this is the unglamorous part made useful: swap ill-fitting gear early, run a proper shakedown, lean on friends for logistics, and build slack into your travel days. And if you're simply planning a Mt St Helens or Yosemite trip, it's a reminder of how good those areas are — and how quickly fire can reshape plans.
