Trust Exercise
The John Muir Trail is a 211-mile footpath through the high country of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. It starts in Yosemite National Park and ends atop the 14,505-foot summit of Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 United States.
For many hikers, the JMT, as it’s called, is the adventure of a lifetime, a challenging but rewarding trek through some of America’s most iconic mountain landscapes. Completing all 211 miles usually takes about a month.
My wife and kids and I met our match at mile 135.
It was August 9, 2021. We were on a three-week trek along the southern two thirds of the trail—from south of Yosemite to Mount Whitney.
This trip was my idea. Years ago, I edited a GUIDEPOSTS story about an Oregon family who’d hiked the JMT when their kids were 11 and 13. At the time, my son and daughter were in kindergarten and third grade. I want to do that when the kids are old enough, I thought.
After seven days
