Joe & Emily’s Epic Adventure – The John Muir Trail
When you work to create a lifestyle of freedom, having time to spend with loved ones is a by-product of that lifestyle. That’s exactly what Joe and Emily of The Vantastic Life thought when Emily’s mom, Sue, said she wanted to hike the John Muir Trail. Emily knew time with her mom was precious, and being able to participate in adventures like this was part of the reason she and Joe decided to live the vanlife. Joe said, “People spend their lives going through the motions, and it’s nice to be able to help Sue make her dream a reality.”
The John Muir Trail is an epic 211-mile trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains that extends from Yosemite to Mount Whitney and is named after John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club. As an avid hiker, completing the JMT was on Sue’s bucket list for years, but no one was willing to hike it with her. When Emily and Joe offered to join her, Sue immediately agreed.
Knowing permits could take months for approval and knowing approval was not guaranteed, Emily said applying for the necessary permits was first on her list. On August 30th, 2023, their southbound journey will begin at Lyell Canyon (having already hiked Happy Isles to Lyell Canyon) and will continue for 14-16 days to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48.
Preparation for this adventure is not a simple process.
Providing their tentative itinerary and camping spots, etc. required countless hours of online research. If the JMT is on your list, Emily suggests reading and researching every aspect of the trail as a planned, researched, detailed, logistical understanding of the process is definitely necessary.
Avid outdoor adventurers, Joe and Emily already owned most of the necessary gear needed for the JMT. New shoes, water filtration, fuel canisters and simple things like stasher bowls were a few purchases they made in preparation.
Their biggest surprise in this process was the food planning and preparation. Obviously, carrying in enough food for 14-16 days is not an option, so the process of figuring out what to eat and what locations to ship the resupply boxes of meals to was tedious. Emily and Joe pay particular attention to the food they put in their bodies in their pursuit of stellar health and nutrition, so having control over their food was important to them. Emily tested recipes, referenced blogs, tested numerous batches of food before finally settling on 13 dinners. Once that was decided, she dehydrated and packaged all the food for four hikers, including coffee and snacks and placed them in individual packages.
Emily spent about three hours per meal simply on the cooking and packaging, totaling 48 hours. Dehydration could take up to eight additional hours. No small accomplishment!
Mailing the food was also a surprising challenge. Once finding the right location to send the meals to, it costs $95 simply to hold the food. Not to mention the cost of shipping. Needless to say, this part of the adventure was over $400, so they stress the importance of doing your research.
Preparing for the physical aspect of the JMT was the easiest part of the process for these two, as they are already incredibly physically fit.
If you don’t already know, they are the creators of The Get Better Project, online at-home workout programs for people that want to get into amazing shape with minimal equipment. Overall, they prepared by adding more time on their feet and adding additional weight to prepare for the weight of their pack.
When I asked what kind of weather they expected on the JMT at this time of year, Emily said the weather should be pretty dry, except for possibly a few afternoon thunderstorms. They will be hiking early in the day, and it will be warm during the day and mid 70s-80s at night as they cover altitudes above 6k feet and up to over 14k feet. Hopefully, not too rainy and no snow!
Joe said the aspect of the JMT he’s most looking forward to is unplugging. On a trip to the Grand Canyon, he experienced true unplugging, and hasn’t experienced it since.
According to Joe, “There’s something magical that happens in nature around day 7 or 8. It’s an interesting shift that occurs and suddenly you’re not in a hurry anymore. You can just be.”
He’s looking forward to that process and documenting the hike. Rather than the busyness of a typical day, waking up and only focusing on eating and walking will be a simple existence. Having the ability to be present and feel your body moving forward is a welcome experience.
“Spending time with my mom and making sure she can accomplish this hike is what I’m most looking forward to,” Emily said. She is also looking forward to the extended time off and the ability to unplug from technology for a mental and emotional reset that occurs when you’re in the wilderness for weeks straight. She anticipates that moment on the trail, farther south, when the crowd dissipates and the break away from the busyness takes place.
As for their plans at the end of the John Muir Trail? Joe said they will ease back into life slowly, getting back in the groove and making their way to Park City for a wedding.
A special thanks to Joe and Emily for sharing with us and we look forward to getting to talk again after they’ve been back and settled in to find out about their JMT experience!
Make sure you follow their journey!
@thevantasticlife (IG) and YouTube
Joe Bauer on IG @allaroundjoe
Emily Kramer on IG @emilyrkramer
