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December 26, 2009October 26, 2016

John Muir Trail Day 14: Marie Lake to Selden Pass to Muir Trail Ranch

This post is part of a series called John Muir Trail Journal
Show More Posts
  • John Muir Trail Date Set, Permit Reserved
  • John Muir Trail Planning
  • John Muir Trail Packing List
  • John Muir Trail Journal
  • John Muir Trail Day 1: Yosemite Valley to Clouds Rest Junction
  • John Muir Trail Day 2: Clouds Rest Junction to Half Dome to Sunrise Creek Crossing
  • John Muir Trail Day 3: Sunrise Creek Crossing to Lower Cathedral Lake
  • John Muir Trail Day 4: Lower Cathedral Lake to Tuolumne Meadows
  • John Muir Trail Day 5: Tuolumne Meadows to Donohue Pass
  • John Muir Trail Day 6: Donohue Pass to Thousand Island Lake
  • John Muir Trail Day 7: Thousand Island Lake to Rosalie Lake
  • John Muir Trail Day 8: Rosalie Lake to Reds Meadow
  • John Muir Trail Day 9: Reds Meadow to Deer Creek
  • John Muir Trail Day 10: Deer Creek to Cascade Valley Junction
  • John Muir Trail Day 11: Cascade Valley Junction to Silver Pass to Vermilion Valley Resort
  • John Muir Trail Day 12: Vermilion Valley Resort
  • John Muir Trail Day 13: Vermilion Valley Resort to Marie Lake
  • John Muir Trail Day 14: Marie Lake to Selden Pass to Muir Trail Ranch
  • John Muir Trail Day 15: Muir Trail Ranch to McClure Meadow
  • John Muir Trail Day 16: McClure Meadow to Muir Pass to Lake West of Helen Lake
  • John Muir Trail Day 17: Lake West of Helen Lake to Deer Meadow
  • John Muir Trail Day 18: Deer Meadow to Mather Pass to Main South Fork Kings Crossing
  • John Muir Trail Day 19: Main South Fork Kings Crossing to Pinchot Pass to Woods Creek
  • John Muir Trail Day 20: Woods Creek to Glen Pass to Vidette Meadow
  • John Muir Trail Day 21: Vidette Meadow to Forester Pass to Bighorn Plateau
  • John Muir Trail Day 22: Bighorn Plateau to Guitar Lake
  • John Muir Trail Day 23: Guitar Lake to Mount Whitney to Whitney Portal
  • John Muir Trail: Post Trip Thoughts

Journal entry for August 30, 2009
Approximate distance hiked: 7.9 miles, 12.6 km

I slept until almost 8am when the sun started to roast me. It was a hotter morning than usual. Ryan, Andy and Mike were just getting ready to leave when I got out of the tent.

Pond by Marie Lake
Pond by Marie Lake
Marie Lake
Marie Lake

Selden Pass (10,900 ft., 3322 m.) is only a very short climb from Make Lake. There’s always an exciting anticipation when going over a pass to see what’s on the other side.

Looking back at Marie Lake from Selden Pas
Looking back at Marie Lake from Selden Pas
Looking south from Selden Pass
Looking south from Selden Pass

I saw Mark and Misty on the top of the pass. I moved on ahead knowing we would see each other at Muir Trail Ranch in a few hours. Shortly after I stopped at Sallie Keys Lakes for lunch.

Sallie Keyes Lakes
Sallie Keyes Lakes
Sallie Keyes Lakes
Sallie Keyes Lakes

Making its first appearance on the JMT were manzanita trees which covered the switchbacks going down to the MTR junction. They looked like they were perfectly manicured by a gardener.

Manzanita trees surround the trail
Manzanita trees surround the trail

Mark and Misty caught up to me at the MTR trail junction and we hiked the last stretch together. Muir Trail Ranch is a real ranch, with a lot of horses in it. It’s not really backpacker friendly. You basically just pick up your resupply and go. They don’t sell food or drinks. I was able to buy a knife to replace the one I had lost a few days before. I opened my resupply bucket and started sorting out my stuff. There were also about 5 buckets of stuff there for the taking left by previous backpackers. These “hiker bins” were sorted by categories such as toiletries, dehydrated food, snacks, etc. I exchanged some of my Bear Valley bars for Snickers and Cliff Bars. I was really craving very sweet stuff. I also ate two Snickers bars while stuffing my bear canister. Andy and Mike were also there, and Jack and Kathy arrived shortly after. Kathy and I shared a huge bag of almond M&Ms.

After everybody finished packing their stuff, we all hiked together to the nearby campground. We got there by following the trail to Blayney Hot Springs.

Muir Trail Ranch sign
Muir Trail Ranch sign

There were several suitable camping spots. After settling down, we all went to check out Blayney Hot Springs, which required fording the San Joaquin River. I went barefoot since I didn’t want to get my shoes wet, and as a result I slipped a few times and had a couple of minor scratches on my feet. The rocks in the river were very slippery. The hot spring we found was a big tub. The water was very hot and muddy. We stayed there until the sun started to set.

Back at camp, each of us started to cook dinner. Perhaps feeling sorry for me and my cold food diet, Jack and Kathy were kind enough to share some of their curry noodles with me. We all got together after dinner. Some played cards while others talked about work, travel and other stuff. Good times.

I had completed half of the JMT. The second half promised to be spectacular and challenging, with 12+ miles most days and a series of big passes.

Posted in Travel, Hiking, Photography, Americas, John Muir Trail, United States
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   John Muir Trail Day 13: Vermilion Valley Resort to Marie Lake
John Muir Trail Day 15: Muir Trail Ranch to McClure Meadow   

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kevinstravel

Rough race and not the result I was looking for. W Rough race and not the result I was looking for. Was targeting a sub 2:55 but finished in 3:31. It felt hard from the start and had stomach issues later on. Still proud of the effort and finish.
2 more days 2 more days
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