Hiking the John Muir Trail has been a dream of mine almost my whole life. I decided to do the trail after my 80-year old father completed his coast-to-coast bike ride while undergoing chemotherapy. The idea of a fastpack came about because I have two young children who can't go with me and I didn't want to spend a lot of time away from them. After researching it on the internet I found several people who were completing record-setting fastpacks in self-support fashion and I decided to follow this model for myself.

I acclimated for my hike by backpacking with my family up the Miter Basin in Sequoia National Park for 8 days. I departed Whitney Portals at 5:10 a.m. on August 14, 2008.
I hiked to the Summit of Mt Whitney in 4 1/2 hours and departed at 10:00 a.m. Kept hiking till midnight and camped at Rae Lakes. The next day I felt tired going over Pinchot and Mather passes, and camped on the Kings River.

The third day went better. I made it over Muir and Seldon passes. This was my favorite part of the whole trail and I hope to go back there someday to explore. The fourth day also went great and I made it to Devils Postpile for the night. Leaving Devils Postpile the next day, I came upon a small wildfire, attempted to put it out as best I could and called 911 with my cell phone - which worked! I felt very good about doing something to protect this gorgeous wilderness. That afternoon my left leg developed a horrendous cramp and I limped into Tuolumne Meadows for the night. The next morning I felt a little better and hiked the 24 miles to Happy Isles, where I was surprised to find the bridge missing. My wife and kids met me here and took me down to Cathedral Beach so I could soak the dirt off of my feet and drink a beer. My total time on the jMT was 5 days, 5 hours and 18 minutes (not that I was keeping track).

This was a very exciting and challenging 5 days...and I'm thinking about doing it agian. Also, I like the way it removed my "love handles". Through the whole trip I had doubts about being able to finish this trail and I was pleased every time I passed an exit trail and kept going. This helped build my confidence and made me feel real good.

Congratulations Mark!!

Great job!!!

Talk about being in shape..........!

What did that pack weigh? I can't read the scale in the photo.

Congratulations...

"The idea of a fastpack came about because I have two young children who can't go with me and I didn't want to spend a lot of time away from them."

I completely understand...this is why I go fast when I'm out there.
Thanks for the report.

Thanks Bob,
I had an 18 pound pack, 8 for base and 10 for food.
Hiking light sure is fun. Beats the 70 pound pack I have when I pack with the family. But I do prefer having the company. someday it will all come together.

Great story!

What kind of gaiters are you wearing in the photo?

congrats on a challenging and successful hike!

it's beautiful country down there (i guess that's the only bad part of hiking in the dark... you can't see much of it!).

Mark, well done, for me my family is also the most important part of my life.

Can you give us a brief overview of your gear? And more importantly what would you change (or not take next time).

Edited by rogerb on 09/07/2008 12:36:42 MDT.

Hi Mark,
I am amazed about your fastpack since I also had limited time (two young kids) and I did the JMT in early August in the opposite direction. I trained for 40 miles per day and was happy with my results. Starting at Happy Isles, I was able to get to Island Pass by the end of the first day, which I consider to be the hardest day of hiking I have ever experience. I estimated that the first day I climbed around 15,000 ft. After a slow start, I started feeling a lot better and luck was on my side – this part of the JMT has the least climbing – I was able to get to Silver Lake Pass. The third day I was able to get to Evolution Meadow; the fourth to Lake Marjorie; the fifth somewhere before Crabtree (this was a hard day, mainly because my did not like the descend of Forester Pass); and finally I was in Whitney Portal by the morning of the sixth day. Mark, I amazingly took about the same amount of time but I left my watch in my backpack and purposely did not time myself. My pack started at 20 lbs (8.5 lb base plus 11.5 lbs of food and water loaded up) and I did it without any food pick-ups.

I agree with you Mark, after this trip I was fired up and was already looking forward to doing this again sometime in the future. It was amazing to see the whole JMT within a week’s time, and of course, I would love to go back and explore many of the spots I saw, given enough time. Furthermore, something to keep in mind if you have not already done this but in July, I was able to do the TRT in four days (it was also a lot of fun). Great job Mark!

This was all the gear and food I used on this hike.

The things I would change start with the 40 degree sleeping bag. I have exchanged it for a Golite ultra 20, because I was very cold at night. I usually sleep very warm , but after the long days of hiking into the night I needed a warmer bag than normal. I think good sleep is very important and it sure makes the trip more fun.

My converted xc skating poles (4 oz) worked great, but I have removed the Leki metal tips and glued on Leki rubber tips. I think these will work much better on rock slabs, won't stick in soft soil, be quieter, and give some cushion.

My gaiters were from REI, but I only used them one day. The dirt was not that bad without them and I would not take any on my next trip. I would rather bring more socks.

I used a Katadyn filtering water bottle and it worked great. It is nice to be able to refill it with water without even taking off my pack, and carrying less water lowered my pack weight.

My shoes were Salomon xa pro 3d with a Sole insole. My feet were very comfortable with no pain on the soles at all. Toed socks stopped any blisters from forming.

My food was Hammer Perpetuem and Recoverite, which work great and was very light, but I would add more variety next time. A couple of gels and power bars each day would be good. Another item that worked was Hammer Endurolytes. These are electrolytes replacement caps and are a must have in hot weather.

Otherwise all I would do is trim an ounce or two from some of the other gear.

Another gear issue is a bear container. I did not take one. I talked about it with the permit issuing ranger in Lone Pine, and we worked out a plan of using bear storage lockers till outside the container required area. I stayed at the Tuolumne Meadows Hiker Camp for the one night in Yosemite NP. After calling 911 to report a small wildfire at Trinity Lakes I pasted the ranger responding to the call. She asked me about my bear container and I told her I was hiking all the way to Tuolumne Meadows. I don't think she believed me, but let me kept hiking any way. I was hoping to use a Ursa bag, but it seems they lost their approval last year.

And yet another issue was the WAG Bag in the Whitney Zone. Again, I did not have one, and I ended up running fast for the boundary past Crabtree. There seems to be some confusion between the different government agencies. The NP ranger at Crabtree (I talked to her on my family backpack trip) said that I would not need one (I don't think she wanted hikers to drop them off at her station in a used condition). The USFS ranger did want me to use one and then carry it to Yosemite (not going to happen). This is a small glitch in an otherwise very successful program.

The sign on the Wag Bag pickup box at Crabtree was pretty clear- Only required for those exiting at Whitney Portal.

So for those doing the JMT- Southbound only. Northbound not required.

Mark and Carlos both of your hikes are amazing. I did well to finish in 15 days last month considering I hadn't backpacked in several years and did limited conditioning. After the trip I started thinking of "next time" and figured somewhere between 9 and 11 days would be the fastest that I would attempt. The idea of a family trip immediately before to acclimate would be great.

Jim

Edited by jimqpublic on 09/08/2008 09:56:29 MDT.

Mark,
I met you on top of Whitney finishing my Southbound. Man did you looked ready and rearing to go! Congratulations on your awesome fast-pack.
Jim

Carlos, sounds like you had a wonderfully successful hike. I too had doubts about the final outcome of my hike. There were so many things that could go wrong. It wasn't till my last day that I started thinking I would finish the trail, but most days I was still very happy with my progress. I knew that my good luck could change at any time. I'm going to do some trails up here in Oregon this fall. Circumnavigating the Three Sisters is about 45 miles and would be a good one day run/hike. The solo aspect of these hikes does add to the risk and this is part of every decision I make. A simple fall could be a major problem. For me everything had to be going great or I would bail out early. I feel I could always come back and hike another day. I guess I have a lower acceptance of risk that some people. I wish you many happy miles.

Hey Mark, how did you get ready for your fastpack? What type of training do you do? The idea about fastpacking the JMT came to me from an article written by Michael Lanza in Backpacker magazine (December 2007) on thru-hiking the JMT. Here is the link to Michael Lanza homepage where the article is in pdf format:

http://www.michaellanza.com/uploads/Ultralight.pdf

These group of people where able to complete it in 7 days and talk a little about their training. So after reading this article and getting fired up to do it, I knew I had to train harder than they did because they suffered a lot on their fastpack. I started training like hell and about a month before my attempt on the JMT, I was doing 40 miles per day, 3 days a week.

After showing my wife your JMT post, her comment was that “it seems that Mark and you are driven by the same fire.” I don’t know about you Mark, but over the last few years I have tried numerous times to find similar people with similar interest in doing longer day hikes (around 40 miles per day) and have not found any. Is that the same for you? I would have loved to have crossed paths with you on the JMT. That would have been something. Reading your and Kevin Sawchuk (Done in a Day) posts has really given me sense of “I am not the only one who is doing this,” and it makes me feel great. Keep up the great work Mark.

Edited by cfigueroa on 09/09/2008 20:26:14 MDT.

Hey Guys,
great job to both of you. I myself am planning a JMT for next July/August. While I am a runner so I am in a constant state of training, I am actually using the goal of preparing for a semi local mountain marathon as my training for the trip. Once I have completed the marathon I feel as though I will have a very appropriote base, so I will start heading to the local trails after work with a pack on my back to get some more specific training in. I am def not planning to blitzkrieg the route like you to did, but rather am planning a 9-11 day trip. I am really looking forward to really get moving on some of the trails out there. Here in New England the hiking is pretty slow by comparison so the change will be great.

Hey Carlos,

I'm also located in the Bay Area and really interested in doing some 40+ dayhikes, in preparation for JMT as well as some ultramarathons I'm hoping to run in late '08 or '09. Keep me posted on your training plans, and let me know if you are ever looking for a training buddy!

Jesse

Hi Jesse, send me an email at cafiguer "at" gmail.com and lets talk. I have many long hikes that are really great in the Bay Area and some that I have yet to attempt. I look forward to hooking up with you.

--Carlos

Read pages 154/155 of The Last Season. There's a little blurb about trail-pounders.

Mark
Great job.

Edited by asandh on 05/02/2010 23:28:56 MDT.

Hi Art and thanks for the encouragement

Perpetuem was my only on the trail energy food and it functioned great! My stomach never gave me problems and I always had plenty of energy (never hungry). At the bottom of long up hills I would tank up on 2 servings and then drink water with endurolytes the rest of the climb. The dreamsickle flavor was OK. I used a filter bottle for treating water and just squeezed water into a sport bottle to mix and drink the perpeteum. Lately I have been using a steripen and a 1 litter bottle. I mix the perpetuem after the treatment and use a hands free drinking tube. I consume more liquid this way and my kids wanted my filter bottle. Also a whisk or whisk ball is very useful to mix the powder.

The recoverite was easy and seem to do it's job. again, I was never hungry and digestion was not a problem. I had about 2 pounds of food per day and that was much more than I needed.

My time was from the summit. I just got my reservation from the USFS for this summer and I hope to improve on last years time. My total pack weight should be about 10 pounds and I have a warmer sleeping bag so I won't freeze.

I hope that info was useful
Mark

Mark

So how many calories a day did you consume?

Edited by asandh on 05/02/2010 23:29:51 MDT.

I've been drinking Perpetuem as well for a while now. It works well for me. I don't need to eat much but I never feel hungry.

My plan was to take in about 3200 calories/day. This worked well as I felt good the whole time, both for energy and gut happiness. I did lose about 8 pounds in five days, and I did need a steady supply of perpetuem to feel strong. Without a supply of water at any part of the hike I would have been unable to mixed the perpetuem, which would have lead to a crash. This almost happened getting to Garnet Lake.

I planned 8 servings of perpetuem per day x 260 calories/serving = 2080 calories/day. I used somewhat less than this.

I used 3 servings of recoverite (540 calories) at my afternoon rest and at the end of the day. This totals to 1080/day.

I also used fish oil caplets, which added another 100 calories.

I premixed both the recoverite and perpetuem with Emergen-C, Ibuprofen, glucosamine, conjointin, and endurolytes. Plus a little caffeine in the perpetuem. This made using these items automatic.

I'm very happy with the Hammer Nutrition product line (no they don't support me). In the future I will throw in a power bar or gel to add a little diversity to the diet, but the basic idea of a liquid diet on a hard, hot hike is very sound.

Thanks again, Mark

"I've been drinking Perpetuem as well for a while now. It works well for me. I don't need to eat much but I never feel hungry."

My experience matches yours, Johann. It's all I use between breakfast and dinner when backpacking. I should think it would adapt very well to fast packing, especially if one has packed on a few pounds of body fat before starting out. Recoverite, or its equivalent, right after stopping for the day also makes a lot of sense in terms of replenishing glycogen stores during the critical 30 minute post exercise window. I use Ultragen, a Recoverite analog, but they are functionally equivalent. It's a flavor issue for me.

I use Heed, Perpetuem and Recoverite for road bike racing, but never gave much thought to using it for longer hikes. What have you guys found to be the easiest way to mix it while hiking? How do you package it? I've heard of numerous ways from ultramarathoners (ie. put it into balloons, ziplocs, etc). I would think ziplocs and some sort of cardboard funnel would work fine with a wide mouth bottle.

I would think that making a concentrated 4 hour bottle (like 4 servings worth into one bottle to be sipped every 15 minutes or so) would work more efficiently as it would be less mixing time.

I wouldn't use a bladder for this--I've done it for mountain biking and found that the perpetuem would clump up and block the hose.

Works fine packaged in superlight PET bottles like water bottles if you're doing 1000+ calorie amounts. I will premix up to 4 hours if it's cold out but in the heat I rarely mix more than 2 hours. If it's got protein in it, it goes bad fast.

I don't use perpetuem anymore, just mix my own but the concept/execution is the same. Ziplocks work okay too but pouring and storing bulk (1000-5000calories) seems to work better in bottles in my experience, esp if they get buried in a pack.

I'm thinking of using this for a 2-3 day effort, so I'm not sure how many empty bottles I would want in my pack (though there wouldn't really be that many). I just like having my pack volume shrink as time goes on.

"I would think ziplocs and some sort of cardboard funnel would work fine with a wide mouth bottle."

Hi Zack,
Another way is to clip a small section off one corner of the zip lock bag and pour the Perpetuem into your bottle through it. Works like a charm. When you pour it out of the regular bag opening, the powder tends to hang up on the zip lock ridge and pour rather messily.

"I would think that making a concentrated 4 hour bottle (like 4 servings worth into one bottle to be sipped every 15 minutes or so) would work more efficiently as it would be less mixing time."

This is pretty much what I do, only I mix it double strength. But that's strictly personal preference. It's definitely more efficient.

Great insight from everyone's perspective, and thanks for the ideas for my JMT attempt this Aug. I can't take Perpetuem, but I'm gaining some good knowledge from everyone. Any suggestions on the packs used for about 5-6 days? Thanks

Paul,
"I can't take Perpetuem, ..."

Someone is forbidding you to take it?

Or you can't consume it?

Aloha Greg - I trained with Sustained Energy for years doing IMs and ARs - no issues. Years have passed, and tried Perpetuem for months training for 100 milers. After 4 hours, system gives way. The soy content is high for my system, therefore, I can't take it. Sure, weak stomach I guess. I use Clip2 and Clif Shot mixed per 26 oz.

I have also been using Hammer products for many years for IM races, however in the past two years, I have been using Infinit Nutrition, their IM blend, and it has worked out great, especially in hot weather, compared to Perpetum I would say it is not as thik...has anyone used it for fastpacking?

Mark,
Congrats on the JMT! The Three Sisters Loop is really nice hike, and provides a variety of sights. Here is a trip report I did about my 3/4 loop around them.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=10125


There are also plenty of side trips through lava flows and along waterfalls in the area. Mike Little has documented some great hikes in the area.
http://members.tripod.com/mikelittle/index.htm

what kind of training do you do ?

Edited by asandh on 07/13/2010 00:55:15 MDT.

Art,
For "ultra" distance/days I would focus on quality training that improves you overall cardio and power levels and spares your body of constant pounding.

Specifically, 1 to 2 hour efforts at LT-10 a couple a times a week, an interval day, and only one long day. Approaching your target date you will want to do back-to-back-to-back to verify and build confidence. But I would be wary of multiple 100+ mile weeks.

"Specifically, 1 to 2 hour efforts at LT-10 a couple a times a week ..."

Terminology -- what does "LT-10" mean? I presume something like 10 bpm, or 10%, off Lactate Threshold?

Thanks.

Edited by blean on 05/23/2009 11:10:25 MDT.

Terminology -- what does "LT-10" mean?

"10 heartbeats below Lactate Threshold"

Your all day cruising pace with a pack will probably be around 30 beats below LT. To train your endurance you want a little more stress, over a couple of hours.

A big part of training is learning how Your body works. LT-10 is a good starting point, but as always, YMMV.

Ultrarunning.com and other sites have a lot of info on training.

Hi Art,
I agree almost with everything Greg has said but consider this: if one plans on doing continuous 40+ miles per day, you better have continuous training as well. How do you know whether your body can handle those kinds of miles without doing those kinds of miles?

I am currently getting ready for the Colorado Trail at the end of August and here is the training regiment that works for me. For the past 4 months, I have been doing high quality training hikes three times per week at 20 to 25-mile days (with a 20 lb pack) as my base training. My weekly numbers are about 60-70 miles per week with about 12,000 ft of elevation gains. Now I am starting my continuous long-day training for the next 8 weeks. I will slowly increase my mileage until I can do continuous 30-35 mile days with some 40+ miles days thrown in there. In fact, I will be doing a test run on the TRT at the end of July. Then I will start slowing down about two weeks before the Colorado Trail so that I am well rested. If you are doing too much, your body will let you know immediately so either step back a notch or take some time off. I periodically take off a whole week several times during the year to let my body rest. I used this training schedule last year and was able to complete three long hikes (JMT, TRT and OT) at these paces and felt I was well prepared both mentally and physically. A key point to remember is that this training works for me – you need to figure out what works for you.

Good luck on your JMT attempt, it sure is one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever done.

I got a workout just reading this post! Time to hit the couch with some hand weights and pass-out watching girls tennis.

Carlos, it makes sense that a long fast-pack is the best way to train for a long fast-pack. Unfortunately for me I don't have the time to train this way. I do intense and short training sessions instead. Running is my primary exercise for conditioning. At home I run the Black Rock trail at either 9 or 15 mile distances depending on how I feel. This trail goes from the Deschutes River up to Lava Butte at 4500 ft and has a great view of the Cascades. It is also a very HOT trail and is good for heat training. When I'm at work, on a ship at sea, I am limited to the treadmill located in the laundry room. I try not to dwell on how pathetic this is. There I run for an hour at 7 to 8 mi/hr. I also use 1 lb. wrist weights. This year I built a squat bar for our weight machine to build more leg strength, which I determined I needed last year. I do 40 to 60 reps of 240 lb squats. I'm working up to reps of 100. In the winter we tie the ship up in Portland and I can run in Forest Park. This is an awesome place to run and I either run 10 hilly miles or a very steep 6 miles. At home in the winter I xc skate ski at Mt Bachelor, which is real fun and the most aerobic activity there is. This summer I'll do a couple of long day hikes in the Three Sisters and an easy backpack in Redwoods NP with the family. I hope to do the JMT again this year in early August south to north. Maybe I'll see you on the trail.

Interesting mix of workout routines.

Edited by asandh on 07/24/2009 23:25:22 MDT.

Inspiring! Mark, Thank You for the report! Good job N-2-S Carlos!!

Mark,

Thanks for posting this report. I know it was awhile ago, but it was indeed inspiring as the last poster noted. I'm planning a JMT through hike for 2011 in July. I really needed to see this. Thanks again... Oh, and Carlos, congratulations to you as well.

Kendall

Edited by socalpacker on 12/08/2010 20:45:55 MST.

Mark,

I'm so impressed. Guys like you make me believe we are capable of far more than we know.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Ryan Commons

Mark:

Following up on your old trek report; I got a couple of those Katadyn bottles for some fastpacks I went to in 2010. The bottles were very convenient. I saved lots of time and weight. I basically used one. The other one was for "just in case". However, I did think that, at 7+ oz of net weight per bottle, the 'ole Aquafina bottle/pill combo was most likely going to return to my pack. This year however, I am trying Sawyer's "Squeeze Water Filtration System". This system comes in with three different bag sizes and a filter. The system's weight is three (3)oz. That is a 4+ oz savings from the Katadyn bottles' net weight.

I'm going to try this system out in Yosemite and the TRT before heading out N2S in September.

Has anyone out there tried the Sawyer system?


jd

Just came across your post while doing research for a possible fastback of JMT next summer and went to your site. Great articles!

Thanks,

Brad
Brooklyn, NY

Great article. I'm considering making a fast and light bid on the JMT this coming summer. Hope to use ya'll as helpful references. I did the 50+ mile Red Peak Pass loop in Yosemite in under 48 hours this past summer (it begins and ends at Glacier Point). I can think of no finer training loop yet encountered. Approximately 8-10k vertical on the first day (26 miles) and almost all level or levelish for day two. Only saw people after hiking into Washburn Lake and beyond on day two...if anyone wants deets hit me up!

I've done the Rea Lakes Loop 8 times now. 6 of them in one day, the other two in 2.
This is an excelent training loop.