Читать книгу The John Muir Trail. Through the Californian Sierra Nevada онлайн

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The JMT bids farewell to its big brother travel companion, the Pacific Crest Trail, a little before Crabtree Meadow. The appropriately shaped Guitar Lake lies below and to the west of the Whitney massif, and from here a zig-zagging climb leads to Trail Junction, where backpacks can be thankfully abandoned for a time while Mount Whitney (14,496ft) itself is climbed. The last pass of the journey is Trail Crest (13,600ft), which is easily attained before the seemingly never-ending descent leads out of the wilderness down to Whitney Portal.

Walking a Wilderness Trail

For British backpackers and long-distance path walkers, the major difference between the JMT and longdistance routes in Britain and western Europe is the large expanses of wilderness through which the JMT passes where there is no permanent human habitation and no basic facilities. The only possible form of accommodation is a backpacking tent, and the only food available is that carried in by walkers themselves. There are no cafés, restaurants, mountain huts or B&Bs – nothing whatsoever.