Here are a few shots from my 17 day JMT hike. August 20th-September 5th 2009. Taken with a Nikon D700 and AFS 24-85. RAW images edited with Adobe Lightroom 2.

Edited by monstertruck on 02/08/2010 18:50:27 MST.

Cool stuff!!!!!!!

Guess I'll have to buy me a canister. Dayum! that's some fine photography though the subject material is suspect ;)

My list of places to go just keeps getting longer and longer...it's not sposed to work that way!

Truly wonderful images Ryan. Thanks for sharing.

I think you have just motivated another 500 hikers to do the JMT this year.

--B.G.--

501 Great job! Looks like a great time. Love California.

Thanks guys. Glad you enjoyed the photos. I need to go back and add some captions.

I've wanted to do this trip since childhood. The majority of my backpacking has been on trips abroad. This was actually my first trip of more than 2 nights in the Sierra even though I have lived here all my life!

Ryan

Beautiful scenery and excellent photos.

let's continue the spot the location game :-)

first image - Sunrise High Sierra Camp, right on the Meadow below, walking towards Cathedral Pass

second - tent set up just before crossing the water below Mount Lyell. JMT goes up the ridge right above your tent.

three - Donohue Pass, looking west-ish.

four - hmmm dunno. Peaks look like northern half of the trail, probably a part I rarely hike on (Reds Meadow to Silver Pass)

five - same as above

six - hard to tell, but since it seems in order north-south, I'd say south side of Silver Pass, just as you get to the section before the steep climb up the left side of the valley before you reach a plateau well above treeline

Seven - one of those Indian-named lakes below Silver Pass, north slope.

Eight - Marie Lake, West Shore looking east

Nine - probably same place looking north east

10 - dunno where exactly, but based on before and after pix, it's either near Muir Trail Ranch or in Goddard Canyon below Evolution Valley.

11 - looking back towards Piute Creek from the steep climb into Evolution Valley

12 - Wanda Lake shoreline - looking back to where you came from

13 Muir Pass Hut

14 - south of Muir Pass, Black Giant cut off on the left image edge

15 just below Helen Lake in Le Conte Canyon

16 lower in Le Conte - but still well above the Meadows. Dusy Basin trail goes up the valley left in the sun.

17 close to Little Pete Meadow

18 peaks west of Le Conte, same range Black Giant is in off the image on the right.

19 just below Mather Pass looking at the Palisades

20 just of Mather, entering the level section in Upper Basin

21 - looks like glacier moraine and some wood - probably a camp site real close to the trail, right side, with water about 200 feet to your west. Been there myself :)

22 - same place looking east at the end of the day

23, 24 - one of the lakes below Pinchot north slope

25 near Pinchot Pass, but not the actual pass.

26 one of the Lakes below Glen Pass

27 - Painted Lady above Rae Lakes

28 - the small lake below Forester Pass just as the trail does a 180 degree U-turn to head out to the exposed ridge area further north before turning back towards Forester

29 Forester

30 some lake between Crabtree and base of Whitney, reflection could be Mount Hitchcock.

Dude, seriously awesome photos. Very inspiring. I need to get out there and hike this thing already...

...as I sit through another frigid Iowa evening. Gives me inspiration to plan my summer!

Thanks again guys! Glad I can provide a little motivation and inpiration!

To Peter. Good Job! You pretty much nailed them all!

Ryan

Hey I was just wondering... Is the net-tent you are using with your DuoMid a SMD Serenity? It looks like a good spacious one-person set-up with room for a dog and gear in the 'vestibule'.

Hey Brandon. Yes it is a Serenity Nettent. I picked it up off gear swap before the MLD version was available. I use a small s-biner and a length of triptease cord with four different loops tied into it so I can vary the pitch of the Duomid and still hang the net at the right height. I am almost 6'3" and barely touch at both ends of the net. I mostly sleep on my side so it works fine. Plenty of room around the net for storm protection for me and my gear. About 26oz all together with a mix of 4 Groundhog stakes and 6 titanium skewers.

Ryan