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

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Entering a wilderness area, particularly a mountain environment, always entails a certain amount of risk, which will be greater if the individual travels alone. But, although the John Muir Trail passes through the heart of one of the largest wilderness areas in the United States, the individual will often encounter others along the trail, particularly during the main summer hiking season. The JMT hiker is merely following a narrow thread through the wilderness, rather than disappearing into the vast expanse all around him.

So if the lone walker suffers an accident it is quite likely that he or she will be found within a few hours, providing that the accident occurs along the route of the JMT. In this respect walking the JMT alone in the main holiday season is less hazardous than walking an unmarked route across the Scottish Highlands, for example. So lone walkers, whether from choice or from circumstance, shouldn’t be deterred from attempting the JMT.

Hiking the Trail as part of a group has several advantages. Safety in numbers is one obvious one, as is companionship, but another significant benefit is load sharing. The solitary walker must carry all his equipment, whereas one stove, one tent, one guidebook, one map, one first-aid kit, etc, will suffice for two or three people. Hence the weight to be carried per person should be less when travelling in a group. Job sharing is another advantage of a group, from shopping and packaging of food prior to the trek to division of labour in camp, and so on.