The John Muir Trail Author:Don, Roberta Lowe Nowhere does magnificent scenery, a vast network of interconnecting trails and beneficent weather come together so gloriously as in the High Sierra of California. Traversing most of the length of this exceptional terrain is the John Muir Trail that heads south from Yosemite Valley for 208 miles across lush meadows and high alpine tundra, past pr... more »ecious tarns and lakes of assorted shapes and sizes, far above timberline over lofty passes and through immense valleys and basins rimmed by awesome peaks and ridges to the summit of 14,500 foot Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. Along with the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails, the John Muir Trail is one of the classic backpacking routes. Because of the many access (and egress) points, the route can be done in segments if desired, and a bonus in doing so is that backpackers have the pleasure of experiencing more of the High Sierra. This guide will take you every step of the way along the John Muir Trail. The Introduction whets your appetite for the trip and then tells you how to take care of all the paperwork: planning your itinerary, obtaining a permit and referring you to recommended books on geology and natural and cultural history of the High Sierra. Using the best entry and exit trails as boundaries, the book is divided into 10 sections, since most backpackers won't be doing the John Muir Trail in one session and, for further clarity, the descriptions for lateral trails and side trips are set in a different measure so they easily can be skipped if not relevant to the reader. Detailed maps showing trails, campsites, contours, etc. are correlated with the descriptive text and the elevations profiles that accompany each of these maps show the amount of climbing and descending along that particular stretch. The guide is generously illustrated with black and white photos.« less