Welcome

Welcome to my JMT (John Muir Trail) Journal.

In June of this year, I quit my job at Digilent and decided to enroll in classes at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. In the space between my job and starting school, I’ll be hiking the John Muir Trail a 221 mile stretch in California.

This journal is to help bring you along the journey, and what I am looking for while I am out there. I’ll be posting intermittently as cell phone signal isn’t the most reliable out there (thank goodness).

What is the John Muir Trail?

The John Muir Trail passes through what many backpackers say is the finest mountain scenery in the United States. This is a land of 13,000-foot and 14,000-foot peaks, of lakes in the thousands, and of canyons and granite cliffs. The John Muir Trail is also a land blessed with the mildest, sunniest climate of any major mountain range in the world.

The trail is 211 miles long and runs (mostly in conjunction with the PCT) from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, in California. Winding through the famed Sierra Nevada, the JMT visits some of the crown jewels of America’s park system: Yosemite, John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. The John Muir Trail section of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail will mark you forever.

–PCTA.org

I was able to get a “Golden Ticket” permit earlier in the year that begins at Glacier Point in Yosemite Valley on July 23 and ends at Whitney Portal August 23. For an entire month, broken up in 5 sections, I’ll be hiking across the Sierra Nevada.

There are some practical things that have to be addressed as a solo-traveler this season. The Sierra Nevada has had an epic snow-pack and that will pose challenges for river crossings, mountain passes and bugs. There are also issues with resupplies and being physically able to do the routes. All of those I have been preparing for and am pretty confident :-).

During this time I am looking at it as a Father-Daughter trip, between me and God. My own relationship with my earthly father has never been one of strong identity formation, affirmation and encouragement… and I am hoping that this time in the wilderness I can allow God, the Father to reparent me. This journal will be very much about those thoughts, observations and experiences.

I’d love for you to follow along!

1. I have a MapShare link- Read more here
2. You can follow me on Instagram
3. This blog – jmtlarissa.travel.blog
4. You can reach out to Ryan who in addition to helping watch Keiko, he is running my resupply and home base 🙂

I count this time as supreme privilege to have the ability to go out and see some of the most beautiful parts of this country, spend time with the Father and have your love, prayers and support.