Story:
Six Days on the John Muir Trail: Bishop Pass to Kearsarge Pass.
OVERVIEW: This was a six day solo trip in the Sierras. Although I have backpacked near Bishop Creek many times, this was my first though-hiking experience; and certainly the longest distance I have ever attempted: 58 miles. The route on this website is hand drawn since I did not have a GPS to link and download, Therefore the Every Trail mileage only computes to 46 miles.
DETAILS:
August 17-22, 2010
Miles = 58
Elevation: +13,612' -14,268' Total = 27,880' Net = -656'
GEAR: See End of Story
DAY 1: I got an early start at the Bishop Pass trail head near South Lake and bolted for familiar Bishop Pass. My legs and lungs carried my 41.5 lbs pack easily to the top but I could tell that my altitude acclimation was lagging behind my enthusiasm. After one last dizzy look down onto Long Lake, I turned towards the vast Dusy basin and headed down into the enormous beauty of the Kings National Park. For the next 6 days each step would be on new uncharted trails; new for me that is. Being on my own, that moment was thrilling, frightening, exhilarating, and sobering. It was time to put on the A game: think ahead, be predictable, be smart, be safe. I stopped at the lower Dusy Lake for lunch and a water refill. The sweeping descent towards LeConte Canyon made it an easy choice to keep going. Soon I was talking with Ranger Rick (really...RR) at the LeConte Ranger Station. After a friendly chat about "no bear sightings" and nearby campsites, I formally joined the John Muir Trail and headed south in search of my first campsite. The towering canyon walls accelerated the onset of darkness and I began to hurry south looking left and right for the "right" spot. Finally, after 14 miles I pitched my tent and did my camp chores. I headed to bed with a belly full of excellent dehydrated Chicken Teryiaki. Yum.
Day 2: Visitors. I have visitors! Fortunately it was Bambi and not Yogi. A dozen white tailed Mule Deer were all around my camp area. They lingered nearby as I finished my oatmeal, coffee and repacked my gear. This would be common throughout the hike. A fine testament to the many hikers these deer have seen, but show no reason to fear. Soon I made the turn to the east and began the long journey up the Palisades Canyon. My goal was to get to the upper basin and pop over Mather Pass. Right? Not quite. Three factors were churning through my head. 1. Weather was moving in fast. Climbing a Pass at the end of the day in an angry Sierra sky was not a good idea. 2. The "Golden Staircase" that connected the lower valley to the upper basin was no minor hill on the trail. 1,500' actually. 3. The 14 miles from the previous day was too long and my Day 2 body was protesting.
As soon as I made a mental commitment to stop short of Mather Pass my spirits rose. The "Golden Staircase" became awesome and not dreadful. The upper basin was spectacular and not a thorn in my mileage plan. Those corny metaphors made sense now..."can't see the forest for the trees"... "life's a journey not a destination"... "Never get involved in a land war in Asia." Indeed, slow down and enjoy the trip. So after a mere 7 miles I picked a camp spot abeam the far end of the last lake and headed to bed with Two New Trail Rules. 1. Plan on about 9 miles a day. 2. Try to position your next Mountain Pass at the doorstep of your camp, so you conquer it first thing in the morning: rested, fed, and more likely in good weather.
Day 3: My first back country Pass! Mather Pass was mine by 845am. It was a moderate switchback to the top. A classic Sierra trail carved somehow through the granite slabs and boulders. It was unlimited visibility with light winds and a brilliant blue sky. There on top I met Rick and Julia, and Sean and Jerry. They were true JMT hikers on their 16th day. We were all strangers for awhile but soon knew a short version of what brought us all together on that beautiful spot at 12,000'. To the south I could see the next day's Pass. Pinchot Pass. Below me was a barren slope that ran south for miles, slowly picking up the trickle of mountain streams and creating the headwaters of the South Fork of the Kings River. Patches of green spread wider as the river became bigger. The King flowed to the bottom of the valley and took a right turn to the west. It was just like the TOPO map in my hand. The 900' bump from the floor of the King up to the plateau leading to Pinchot Pass was now very apparent. My Trail Rule for the Day: Don't overlook the small bumps on the map. Like the Golden Staircase and this 900' climb to the plateau near Pinchot. They may not have a formal name like each Mountain Pass, but they will work you over just as well. After nine miles I pitched camp near a small lake one mile prior to Lake Marjorie at the foot of Pinchot Pass
Day 4: I rigged my fishing pole and gave myself one hour to fish lake Marjorie before climbing up Pinchot Pass. Thin 8" Brookies would slam my elk hair caddis as the water filled bubble splashed on the lake. Reel them in, shake them off, and do it again and again two dozen times. Pinchot Pass trail was more sweeping and gradual than the steep nature of most passes. The rust red peaks nearby were clearly visible the previous day and reminded me to look back towards Mather, now a droopy low spot 10 miles north. Pinchot was narrow, steep, and craggy. Like Mather, the weather was spectacular. A wicked zigzag trail led me down to a rugged valley filled with small lakes and connecting streams. The trail stays on high solid ground to avoid the convoluted nature of the rugged watershed. Mount Cedric Wright was my southerly compass. Twin Lakes is at the foot of Mt C.W. and I planned to make a fishing camp there. The knoll that looks down on these twin lakes is full of excellent campsites with a small lake just yards from the trail. However, the trail never reveals a convenient place to get down to Twin Lakes. Instead, I continued down Woods Creek intent on getting to the suspension bridge to camp. Along the way, the alpine scree turned to fern filled grottoes much like LeConte. At one point in an area filled with ferns and sunbeams from the low afternoon sun, a green and yellow striped garden snake ran across my path just as a full grown antlered buck raised his grazing head. What was that Avitar planet? Pandora? For a moment it seemed so. When you hike solo, you look around for a confirming witness. None found, you shake your head, smile and walk on. The rest of Woods creek rushed me towards the junction leading up to Rae Lakes. The last few miles is a path with a luxury box view of this cascading creek with its waterfalls and deep pools. Finally after weaving through thick manzanita groves, there it is. A bridge. So welcome, so out of place, so cool, so... how did this thing get here? After nine miles, night #4 with another full moon and granite nightlights near my bed.
Day 5: A short 8 miles up to Rae Lakes. The trail is gentle but makes a steep effort to get up to Dollar Lake. Dollar should be named Million Dollar. It is modest in size but just so beautiful with flat campsites on the northeast shore. Soon Arrowhead is in view as well as the famously spectacular Fin Dome rock pinnacle. I grabbed a campsite abeam Fin Dome on the most northerly Rae Lake. I spent the rest of the day fishing for small brookies and recon'ing the campsites closer the the start of tomorrow's climb to Glen Pass. Disappointingly, most of the sites were heavily used and the barren land was further trampled and soiled by hired stock. The small ranger cabin was unoccupied when I knocked. A modest 10' square set of wooden walls with a canvas roof pitched overhead. The night sky threatened rain but never unleashed its potential, despite my muster drill of getting all my gear inside my lifeboat tent.
Day 6: As I walked south along the 1.5 miles of Rae Lakes towards the climb to Glen Pass, I was treated to witness the first rays of sunrise hitting the towering top of Fin Dome. Awesome. I could see the small speck of a snowfield near Glen Pass. I had my eye on it all day, the day before. Now it was my singular goal. An impossibly small speck. So far. So high. As I came around a rock corner, there on a small ledge was one person sitting cross legged next to his tent. A book in one hand and closed eyes facing the full rising sun. He paid me no heed. Again, I looked to my invisible partner and said, "man are you getting this?" Again, alone I shake my head, smile, and walk on. The rainy clouds of last night are replaced by brilliant blue sky with a bitter cold wind ripping at my face. As I get to the rocky switchbacks, it is showtime. Up we go. This switchback up to Glen Pass is the Sierras at its best. Someone actually decided to build this! It is basic but miraculous. And at this moment in time, it is here just for me. I look down and the snow field is now below me, I am there. At the top, the trail is like a dragon's spine. A foot or so wide and 20 yards long before it starts down. Jagged scales of iron ore stick upward menacingly. The fierce wind, this spot, this moment, it is exhilarating. And so; as it usually happens, a stranger makes the summit soon after. The victorious fist pump. The awestruck first glace downward. Then the customary exchange of cameras. The pose. The Hero Shot. The nod. And you walk on, alone. From Glen Pass you head south and down into the "volcano" as I call it. A small lake is in the caldera below with a quick turn to the west to exit. The trail stays high and well above Lake Charlotte. The terrain is steep and rocky with an unspoken feel of "no shortcuts". The trail signs are helpful to guide you to stay on the JMT, or go to Charlotte, or exit to Keasarge Pass. I head for K-Pass via the high trail above Bullfrog Lake. As you get to the spot above Bullfrog Lake you will see what I think is the 'Most beautiful view in the Sierras." With Bullfrog below, you are looking straight ahead at the massive East Vidette Buttress with its expansive Vidette meadow below. NOTE: Water: (If you stay on the high trail you will find two spring fed creeks that cross the trail after the Bullfrog Lake overlook and before the start of the switchbacks to K-Pass. After the Pass the next water is about 2 miles downhill near Flower Lake) A fast paced hour latter I am on top of Kearsarge Pass, my exit point. Now the last 4 miles to my waiting wife and our best buddy Leland. The city dog finds his city dad in the forest once again.
Thanks for visiting. DW
GEAR:
Tent: Double Rainbow by Henry Shires' Tarp Tents (tarptent.com)
Bag: Big Agnes Mystic 15 Deg, 800 Fill Down (So Cozy)
Pad: Thermarest NEO Air 25"x77" 17 oz. (Wide & Awesome)
Pack: REI Ridgeline 65L (Fantastic Harness, I love this pack!)
Bear Vault BV500 (Superb)
SOTO Stove (same boil time but less fuel)
SPOT Messenger with Tracking (Reliable Hardware, quirky Software)
Maps: NAT GEO TOPO, Calif. 7.5 USGS Quad. (This is a very good program)
Six Days on the John Muir Trail: Bishop Pass to Kearsarge Pass.
OVERVIEW: This was a six day solo trip in the Sierras. Although I have backpacked near Bishop Creek many times, this was my first though-hiking experience; and certainly the longest distance I have ever attempted: 58 miles. The route on this website is hand drawn since I did not have a GPS to link and download, Therefore the Every Trail mileage only computes to 46 miles.
DETAILS:
August 17-22, 2010
Miles = 58
Elevation: +13,612' -14,268' Total = 27,880' Net = -656'
GEAR: See End of Story
DAY 1: I got an early start at the Bishop Pass trail head near South Lake and bolted for familiar Bishop Pass. My legs and lungs carried my 41.5 lbs pack easily to the top but I could tell that my altitude acclimation was lagging behind my enthusiasm. After one last dizzy look down onto Long Lake, I turned towards the vast Dusy basin and headed down into the enormous beauty of the Kings National Park. For the next 6 days each step would be on new uncharted trails; new for me that is. Being on my own, that moment was thrilling, frightening, exhilarating, and sobering. It was time to put on the A game: think ahead, be predictable, be smart, be safe. I stopped at the lower Dusy Lake for lunch and a water refill. The sweeping descent towards LeConte Canyon made it an easy choice to keep going. Soon I was talking with Ranger Rick (really...RR) at the LeConte Ranger Station. After a friendly chat about "no bear sightings" and nearby campsites, I formally joined the John Muir Trail and headed south in search of my first campsite. The towering canyon walls accelerated the onset of darkness and I began to hurry south looking left and right for the "right" spot. Finally, after 14 miles I pitched my tent and did my camp chores. I headed to bed with a belly full of excellent dehydrated Chicken Teryiaki. Yum.
Day 2: Visitors. I have visitors! Fortunately it was Bambi and not Yogi. A dozen white tailed Mule Deer were all around my camp area. They lingered nearby as I finished my oatmeal, coffee and repacked my gear. This would be common throughout the hike. A fine testament to the many hikers these deer have seen, but show no reason to fear. Soon I made the turn to the east and began the long journey up the Palisades Canyon. My goal was to get to the upper basin and pop over Mather Pass. Right? Not quite. Three factors were churning through my head. 1. Weather was moving in fast. Climbing a Pass at the end of the day in an angry Sierra sky was not a good idea. 2. The "Golden Staircase" that connected the lower valley to the upper basin was no minor hill on the trail. 1,500' actually. 3. The 14 miles from the previous day was too long and my Day 2 body was protesting.
As soon as I made a mental commitment to stop short of Mather Pass my spirits rose. The "Golden Staircase" became awesome and not dreadful. The upper basin was spectacular and not a thorn in my mileage plan. Those corny metaphors made sense now..."can't see the forest for the trees"... "life's a journey not a destination"... "Never get involved in a land war in Asia." Indeed, slow down and enjoy the trip. So after a mere 7 miles I picked a camp spot abeam the far end of the last lake and headed to bed with Two New Trail Rules. 1. Plan on about 9 miles a day. 2. Try to position your next Mountain Pass at the doorstep of your camp, so you conquer it first thing in the morning: rested, fed, and more likely in good weather.
Day 3: My first back country Pass! Mather Pass was mine by 845am. It was a moderate switchback to the top. A classic Sierra trail carved somehow through the granite slabs and boulders. It was unlimited visibility with light winds and a brilliant blue sky. There on top I met Rick and Julia, and Sean and Jerry. They were true JMT hikers on their 16th day. We were all strangers for awhile but soon knew a short version of what brought us all together on that beautiful spot at 12,000'. To the south I could see the next day's Pass. Pinchot Pass. Below me was a barren slope that ran south for miles, slowly picking up the trickle of mountain streams and creating the headwaters of the South Fork of the Kings River. Patches of green spread wider as the river became bigger. The King flowed to the bottom of the valley and took a right turn to the west. It was just like the TOPO map in my hand. The 900' bump from the floor of the King up to the plateau leading to Pinchot Pass was now very apparent. My Trail Rule for the Day: Don't overlook the small bumps on the map. Like the Golden Staircase and this 900' climb to the plateau near Pinchot. They may not have a formal name like each Mountain Pass, but they will work you over just as well. After nine miles I pitched camp near a small lake one mile prior to Lake Marjorie at the foot of Pinchot Pass
Day 4: I rigged my fishing pole and gave myself one hour to fish lake Marjorie before climbing up Pinchot Pass. Thin 8" Brookies would slam my elk hair caddis as the water filled bubble splashed on the lake. Reel them in, shake them off, and do it again and again two dozen times. Pinchot Pass trail was more sweeping and gradual than the steep nature of most passes. The rust red peaks nearby were clearly visible the previous day and reminded me to look back towards Mather, now a droopy low spot 10 miles north. Pinchot was narrow, steep, and craggy. Like Mather, the weather was spectacular. A wicked zigzag trail led me down to a rugged valley filled with small lakes and connecting streams. The trail stays on high solid ground to avoid the convoluted nature of the rugged watershed. Mount Cedric Wright was my southerly compass. Twin Lakes is at the foot of Mt C.W. and I planned to make a fishing camp there. The knoll that looks down on these twin lakes is full of excellent campsites with a small lake just yards from the trail. However, the trail never reveals a convenient place to get down to Twin Lakes. Instead, I continued down Woods Creek intent on getting to the suspension bridge to camp. Along the way, the alpine scree turned to fern filled grottoes much like LeConte. At one point in an area filled with ferns and sunbeams from the low afternoon sun, a green and yellow striped garden snake ran across my path just as a full grown antlered buck raised his grazing head. What was that Avitar planet? Pandora? For a moment it seemed so. When you hike solo, you look around for a confirming witness. None found, you shake your head, smile and walk on. The rest of Woods creek rushed me towards the junction leading up to Rae Lakes. The last few miles is a path with a luxury box view of this cascading creek with its waterfalls and deep pools. Finally after weaving through thick manzanita groves, there it is. A bridge. So welcome, so out of place, so cool, so... how did this thing get here? After nine miles, night #4 with another full moon and granite nightlights near my bed.
Day 5: A short 8 miles up to Rae Lakes. The trail is gentle but makes a steep effort to get up to Dollar Lake. Dollar should be named Million Dollar. It is modest in size but just so beautiful with flat campsites on the northeast shore. Soon Arrowhead is in view as well as the famously spectacular Fin Dome rock pinnacle. I grabbed a campsite abeam Fin Dome on the most northerly Rae Lake. I spent the rest of the day fishing for small brookies and recon'ing the campsites closer the the start of tomorrow's climb to Glen Pass. Disappointingly, most of the sites were heavily used and the barren land was further trampled and soiled by hired stock. The small ranger cabin was unoccupied when I knocked. A modest 10' square set of wooden walls with a canvas roof pitched overhead. The night sky threatened rain but never unleashed its potential, despite my muster drill of getting all my gear inside my lifeboat tent.
Day 6: As I walked south along the 1.5 miles of Rae Lakes towards the climb to Glen Pass, I was treated to witness the first rays of sunrise hitting the towering top of Fin Dome. Awesome. I could see the small speck of a snowfield near Glen Pass. I had my eye on it all day, the day before. Now it was my singular goal. An impossibly small speck. So far. So high. As I came around a rock corner, there on a small ledge was one person sitting cross legged next to his tent. A book in one hand and closed eyes facing the full rising sun. He paid me no heed. Again, I looked to my invisible partner and said, "man are you getting this?" Again, alone I shake my head, smile, and walk on. The rainy clouds of last night are replaced by brilliant blue sky with a bitter cold wind ripping at my face. As I get to the rocky switchbacks, it is showtime. Up we go. This switchback up to Glen Pass is the Sierras at its best. Someone actually decided to build this! It is basic but miraculous. And at this moment in time, it is here just for me. I look down and the snow field is now below me, I am there. At the top, the trail is like a dragon's spine. A foot or so wide and 20 yards long before it starts down. Jagged scales of iron ore stick upward menacingly. The fierce wind, this spot, this moment, it is exhilarating. And so; as it usually happens, a stranger makes the summit soon after. The victorious fist pump. The awestruck first glace downward. Then the customary exchange of cameras. The pose. The Hero Shot. The nod. And you walk on, alone. From Glen Pass you head south and down into the "volcano" as I call it. A small lake is in the caldera below with a quick turn to the west to exit. The trail stays high and well above Lake Charlotte. The terrain is steep and rocky with an unspoken feel of "no shortcuts". The trail signs are helpful to guide you to stay on the JMT, or go to Charlotte, or exit to Keasarge Pass. I head for K-Pass via the high trail above Bullfrog Lake. As you get to the spot above Bullfrog Lake you will see what I think is the 'Most beautiful view in the Sierras." With Bullfrog below, you are looking straight ahead at the massive East Vidette Buttress with its expansive Vidette meadow below. NOTE: Water: (If you stay on the high trail you will find two spring fed creeks that cross the trail after the Bullfrog Lake overlook and before the start of the switchbacks to K-Pass. After the Pass the next water is about 2 miles downhill near Flower Lake) A fast paced hour latter I am on top of Kearsarge Pass, my exit point. Now the last 4 miles to my waiting wife and our best buddy Leland. The city dog finds his city dad in the forest once again.
Thanks for visiting. DW
GEAR:
Tent: Double Rainbow by Henry Shires' Tarp Tents (tarptent.com)
Bag: Big Agnes Mystic 15 Deg, 800 Fill Down (So Cozy)
Pad: Thermarest NEO Air 25"x77" 17 oz. (Wide & Awesome)
Pack: REI Ridgeline 65L (Fantastic Harness, I love this pack!)
Bear Vault BV500 (Superb)
SOTO Stove (same boil time but less fuel)
SPOT Messenger with Tracking (Reliable Hardware, quirky Software)
Maps: NAT GEO TOPO, Calif. 7.5 USGS Quad. (This is a very good program)
Comments (3)
Hi DW, Thanks for the outstanding feedback. The two things that Spot does vell is very important to me (for my family). I really appreciate the feedback so I can make an informed decision. I feel like I'm being teased by Spot's GPS potential. In addition to tracking a route, I really like to track my elevation profile and it sounds like this would detract from the keeping friends notified feature and would probably be a total pain and unreliable anyways.
I guess I'll have to decide if I want the benefits of the Spot or of a GPS. I like to keep my pack light so having both a Spot and a GPS would probably be total overkill, but I love maps. Dilemma!
Thanks again for the info. You should provide your feedback in a Spot review. I've search hi and low for info and there's not much out there!
by ncalcamper on Jan 03, 2011
I guess I'll have to decide if I want the benefits of the Spot or of a GPS. I like to keep my pack light so having both a Spot and a GPS would probably be total overkill, but I love maps. Dilemma!
Thanks again for the info. You should provide your feedback in a Spot review. I've search hi and low for info and there's not much out there!
SPOT does 2 things well. 1. Keeps your friends and family aware of where you are, via your web page. 2. Summons Emergency help if you request it (feedback from a backwoods ranger at LeConte/JMT).
Everything else works, but it takes some effort by you to make it happen. 1. SETUP: Do not buy this thing the night before your trip. It takes time to register, activate, and get used to the profile pages before you hit the trail. 2. TEST: Once you get the hardware and software dialed in test it out with a walk around the block. Use the buttons to transmit your OK and start and stop Tracking (if you subscribe) Learn to watch how the LED lights come on after you press them and how long they take. 3. FEEDBACK: Go back home and go to your web page and see if the signals showed up. Is the info accurate, usable and what URL do I send to my friends so they can watch my progress? For me I trial and error-ed this process a few times and felt confident I could work the SPOT on the trail and my family wasn't getting confusing data on a difficult to open web page.
LESSONS LEARNED: During setup the software has a space to send an email note to friends, just copy the URL and use your own email server. The SPOT setup times-out too quick, doesn't link to your address book... it's just a dumb feature, bypass it.
Waypoints only last for 7 days... I think. They will be in view on the profile web page for 7 days and then disappear. You can import them to Google Earth or EveryTrail.com but they wont be there after 7 days. HOWEVER; in the setup menu, there might be a way to convert them to GEarth or another format as they arrive.
SPOT Tracking: was a fairly successful feature. It propagates to your web-page without notifying anyone. The I am OK feature worked OK too and it does email/text friends according to how you do the profile setup pages. HOWEVER, it was somewhat confusing on the trail switching between these two modes. Both modes wont work at the same time. I would walk in tracking mode, then if i came to a trail point that i wanted to send an IMOK (Mtn pass, bridge crossing etc) i would need to turn off the tracking, (watch the LEDs) then turn on the IMOK (watch the LEDs again),then wait/walk for 30-40 mins to ensure the IMOK was sent and hopefully rcvd by the server...then reverse all that to get back into the tracking mode. On a 6 day trip it was a bit of a novelty i was happy to do so. If i was on the full JMT, i would save my batteries and do an IMOK at the start and end of each day plus key geographic features that my followers could easily correlate to the JMT and my itinerary. If i went off-trail or was on a day trip the tracking would be smart. FAMILY FEEDBACK: They agreed with this. Keep it simple. If you stop for a long period of time, turnoff the tracking mode.
BATTERIES: SPOT demands that you use Energizer Lithium. Do it. they work great and last a LONG time.
SPOT needs to face the sky. Figure a way to lash it to the top of your pack facing up.
SPOT $$ account works on an automatic annual fee renewal. Its in the terms of agreement when you activate your account. Its is pretty cheesy, but you agree to the ToA or not. If you want the cancel, do so early before next year bills your credit card.
Product Feedback: Nearly every praise or gripe you can find about SPOT will touch on the above areas that I experienced. The hardware itself has been 100% reliable.
FINAL Thoughts: Go back to the top and read what 2 things the SPOT does well. It may take a little work to get there. I had the time and patience to make it work and I intend to use it again. As a solo hiker the #1 feature was priceless. That being said. I would recommend buying the SPOT at REI or someplace where you can return it with zero hassle, just in case you think the SPOT is not right for you.
Happy Hiking
DW
by Hike4Ward on Jan 03, 2011
Everything else works, but it takes some effort by you to make it happen. 1. SETUP: Do not buy this thing the night before your trip. It takes time to register, activate, and get used to the profile pages before you hit the trail. 2. TEST: Once you get the hardware and software dialed in test it out with a walk around the block. Use the buttons to transmit your OK and start and stop Tracking (if you subscribe) Learn to watch how the LED lights come on after you press them and how long they take. 3. FEEDBACK: Go back home and go to your web page and see if the signals showed up. Is the info accurate, usable and what URL do I send to my friends so they can watch my progress? For me I trial and error-ed this process a few times and felt confident I could work the SPOT on the trail and my family wasn't getting confusing data on a difficult to open web page.
LESSONS LEARNED: During setup the software has a space to send an email note to friends, just copy the URL and use your own email server. The SPOT setup times-out too quick, doesn't link to your address book... it's just a dumb feature, bypass it.
Waypoints only last for 7 days... I think. They will be in view on the profile web page for 7 days and then disappear. You can import them to Google Earth or EveryTrail.com but they wont be there after 7 days. HOWEVER; in the setup menu, there might be a way to convert them to GEarth or another format as they arrive.
SPOT Tracking: was a fairly successful feature. It propagates to your web-page without notifying anyone. The I am OK feature worked OK too and it does email/text friends according to how you do the profile setup pages. HOWEVER, it was somewhat confusing on the trail switching between these two modes. Both modes wont work at the same time. I would walk in tracking mode, then if i came to a trail point that i wanted to send an IMOK (Mtn pass, bridge crossing etc) i would need to turn off the tracking, (watch the LEDs) then turn on the IMOK (watch the LEDs again),then wait/walk for 30-40 mins to ensure the IMOK was sent and hopefully rcvd by the server...then reverse all that to get back into the tracking mode. On a 6 day trip it was a bit of a novelty i was happy to do so. If i was on the full JMT, i would save my batteries and do an IMOK at the start and end of each day plus key geographic features that my followers could easily correlate to the JMT and my itinerary. If i went off-trail or was on a day trip the tracking would be smart. FAMILY FEEDBACK: They agreed with this. Keep it simple. If you stop for a long period of time, turnoff the tracking mode.
BATTERIES: SPOT demands that you use Energizer Lithium. Do it. they work great and last a LONG time.
SPOT needs to face the sky. Figure a way to lash it to the top of your pack facing up.
SPOT $$ account works on an automatic annual fee renewal. Its in the terms of agreement when you activate your account. Its is pretty cheesy, but you agree to the ToA or not. If you want the cancel, do so early before next year bills your credit card.
Product Feedback: Nearly every praise or gripe you can find about SPOT will touch on the above areas that I experienced. The hardware itself has been 100% reliable.
FINAL Thoughts: Go back to the top and read what 2 things the SPOT does well. It may take a little work to get there. I had the time and patience to make it work and I intend to use it again. As a solo hiker the #1 feature was priceless. That being said. I would recommend buying the SPOT at REI or someplace where you can return it with zero hassle, just in case you think the SPOT is not right for you.
Happy Hiking
DW
Hi, nice report. I'm planning the JMT for next summer and was interested in using the SpotII to record the trip. Was wondering, what worked and didn't work with your Spot?
by ncalcamper on Dec 20, 2010
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