Appreciation post: The ranger station tip that saved my JMT leg day

I was halfway up Donohue Pass on the John Muir Trail last August, totally gassed, when I stopped at the little ranger hut near the top. The ranger told me to ditch my usual water filter and just use the fast-flow creeks off the snowmelt in early morning since they're crystal clear at that elevation. Has anyone else gotten route advice from a ranger that completely changed their pace for the better?

2 comments

2 Comments

janarivera13d ago

And that's exactly the kind of local knowledge you just can't get from a guidebook or an app (I swear half the time they're just guessing). It's wild how something as simple as ditching the heavy filter for a few hours can save you that much energy on a steep stretch.

miles_garcia13d ago

Came across that same thing last summer on a hike in the Sierras. A ranger told me the same trick and I swear I felt like I could go another mile after ditching the filter for an hour. Made me wonder why those apps don't just ask the locals instead of guessing.