Unsupported, northbound JMT FKT attempt

I have dreamed of hiking the John Muir Trail since high school when I first heard about it. The trail is considered one of the most beautiful routes in the whole world. Nüümü Poyo is the original name of the trail by the indigenous people who used it as a trade route long before John Muir came to the Sierra.

It has been nearly three weeks since I finished the SPS list and I still haven't fully processed the adventure. Since my legs are strong and the weather is good, I figured running the JMT would be an excellent way to tour the Sierra one last time this season.

During the project I hiked about 70% of the JMT to access the peaks in the High Sierra but have yet to piece it all together as a continuous journey. My main goal is to reconnect with all of my mountain friends that stand alongside the trail and feel their presence again.

My secondary goal is to go fast. The overall unsupported FKT is 72 hours and 47 minutes set recently by a fellow I really admire, Jeff Garmire, running north to south. Although many talented mountain athletes have run the JMT, there has yet to be a sub 3 day unsupported effort.

I have never done a multi-day adventure like this, and I've never even run more than 50 miles in one push. Chances are I will fail, but if there is one thing the SPS list taught me, it's to try. As the legend Peter Croft said, "better the magnificent failure than the mediocre success."

Whether I finish the JMT or not, I am sure it will be magnificent! I'm starting at noon at Whitney Portal on Wednesday, September 7.

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