California | Marcus Hellberg

JMT: Lyell Canyon to Garnet Lake

By marcushellberg on 2019-07-302020-06-08

Day 4 – 10.8 miles, 1120 ft ascent.

The night was cold. My watch showed 37F when I woke up. But on the upside, my tent and gear were dry, so a significant improvement over the previous night.

JMT: Upper Cathedral Lake to Lyell Canyon

By marcushellberg on 2019-07-292020-06-08

Day 3 – 16.4 miles, 909 ft ascent.

I woke up to a tent that was drenched from condensation. I had closed my tent’s upwind storm doors, and apparently, it led to a lot of moisture in the tent. I made breakfast and waited for a while for the sun to rise high enough to hit my campsite and dry the tent.

JMT: Little Yosemite Valley to Upper Cathedral Lake

By marcushellberg on 2019-07-282020-06-08

Day 2 – 13.4 miles, 4270 ft ascent.

The first night was warm, and I woke up as the sun was rising. I had a short day ahead of me, so I was in no hurry. I ate breakfast and packed up camp, and was on the trail after 7.

JMT: Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley

By marcushellberg on 2019-07-272020-06-08

Finally, after months of planning and training, I was heading up to Yosemite to start the John Muir Trail!

TRT Section: Van Sickle to Echo Summit

By marcushellberg on 2019-07-152019-09-28

I’m preparing to hike the John Muir Trail in just two weeks, and this was my last chance to dial in my gear and get some trail miles in. With the big snow year that we’ve had in 2019, I wanted to pick a section with a bit of snow so I could also verify that my gear worked well in that.

How I got my JMT permit

By marcushellberg on 2019-07-072019-09-27

Arguably, one of the biggest challenges of hiking the JMT comes months before the actual hike: getting permits to hike the trail. If you really want to hike the John Muir Trail, you can’t leave it up to a lottery.

Video: Sapphire and Emerald Lakes in the Trinity Alps

By marcushellberg on 2019-06-212019-09-27

One thing I wanted to try out on my trip to the Trinity Alps was recording a trip video. You can find the route description and gear list in the previous blog post if you are interested.

Sapphire and Emerald Lakes in the Trinity Alps

By marcushellberg on 2019-06-192019-09-27

The Trinity Alps are a spectacular wilderness area in Northern California, within driving distance from the SF Bay Area. They offer rugged alpine views with a lot less crowds than most places in the Sierra.

Pacheco Falls Loop in Henry Coe

By marcushellberg on 2019-05-112019-09-27

Henry Coe is one of the largest state parks in California Less than an hour from the South Bay Area, it’s a great place to get out in nature without having to drive too far. I often don’t run into more than one or two other hikers on a long weekend trip.

TRT: Richardson Lake to Tahoe City

By marcushellberg on 2018-08-222020-06-07

Day 11. I woke up a few times during the night because I was cold and had to put on some more clothes. As my alarm rang at 5AM, I got out of the tent and noticed that the ground around us was covered in frost.