Showerthought: People keep overlooking the east side of the John Muir Trail

I mean, everyone talks about the Whitney Portal start, but I've done the route from Cottonwood Lakes three times now and the views are way better, plus you avoid the worst of the crowds. It adds maybe 15 miles total, but you get a full day of quiet hiking before hitting the main trail. Has anyone else tried starting from the east and noticed a big difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

troy9962mo ago

Tell everyone about the secret spot, see how long it stays quiet.

margaretf402mo ago

My cousin posted a picture of this little creek by the old mill last summer. It was packed with people by the next weekend, trash everywhere. I mean, it's totally ruined now. I get wanting to share a cool place, but some spots just can't handle a crowd. It feels like you can't have anything nice anymore.

the_val1mo ago

Ugh, that's so frustrating. But I gotta push back a little on the idea that the spot is totally ruined forever. Places can bounce back if people care. The real problem is that crowd didn't have any respect, you know? They treated it like a disposable photo op instead of a real place. Maybe if your cousin had posted the pic with a strong message about packing out trash, it could have been different. Doesn't that shift the blame a bit?