Camps

Camp Ecology

Park Rangers would probably prefer that everyone stayed in established campgrounds every night. That way, damage to the ecosystem would be confined to known small areas. Those who decide to try stealth camps should avoid ecologically fragile areas, such as high meadows. We built very few fires, preferring to cook on our stoves. On the few occasions that we did make fires, it was in established campgrounds using existing fire rings. We tried to follow the motto, “leave no trace,” and recommend that others do this as well. Ultra-light hiking and “leave no trace,” go well together.  

One, or even a few long hikes, doesn't make one an expert, but we were able to make a few general observations that might be useful. So take these comments with a grain of salt, and use what you can.

According to Ray Jardine, and other thru-hikers, it's better to “hike high, but camp low.” In other words, try to make your camps below tree-line. The biggest reason for this is to avoid bad weather. Mountain storms, especially electrical ones, tend to be worse near the peaks; something we experienced near Wright Creek. You're simply more exposed higher up. However, Jardine doesn't recommend low basins either. Cold air tends to collect in these, and it can be significantly warmer just a few hundred feet higher.

Most people like to camp near water, either a nice lake or stream. We did this at Virginia Lake, but woke up with drenching condensation all over our tents and gear. Camping even 50 feet higher and among some trees usually avoids the condensation.

It's nicer to sleep on soft ground, but thru-hikers typically carry minimal sleeping pads because of weight considerations. So a sandy area or a spot with lots of pine needle “duff” makes a much softer bed. Campers with “bath-tub” bottom tents must clear all this away to avoid puncturing their tents. Those with bottom-less tents or tarps, don't need to do this. Just toss the bigger items out of the way, and you're set.

Stealth Camping

Jardine is not a fan of established campgrounds. He reasons that these sites become bear-magnets because of the number of people regularly cooking and eating there. An opportunistic bear will often try to get some food from a careless or fearful hiker. Established campgrounds also tend to have hard-packed soil, rodents and noisy human inhabitants. Finally, it's more convenient to hike until early evening, or later and then camp where you are. Jardine calls this “stealth camping.” By filling up your water containers before stopping, it's not even necessary to camp near a lake or stream. A tarp or tarp-tent, has a small camp “foot-print” so it's possible to camp in many places that would not otherwise be suitable.

Our Camps

Despite our desire to use Jardine’s stealth camping technique, we found ourselves using established campgrounds at the end of Lyle Canyon, the junction of King’s River and Piute Creek, Upper Vidette Meadow and a few other places. These camps exist and people use them because they have good locations. They were all at least acceptable, but in retrospect, we could have done better in a few cases. Maybe a mile past the big Lyle Canyon camp, there were some nicer, quieter spots. It would have meant a little climbing, but well worth it. The King’s River camp was almost a zoo; we were really surprised to see so many people camping there. There weren’t many other places to camp in the area though. In contrast, the Vidette Meadow area was pleasant, had bear boxes, ample water, and very few campers.

Our camp along Virginia Lake was nice, but we made the mistake of camping on the flats next to the lake. Condensation the next morning got covered most of our gear. We were tempted to do the same thing at Charlotte Lake, since we got there after dark, but wisely moved a bit uphill from the lake meadow. Incidentally, Charlotte Lake has a very lush meadow which is probably mosquito hell during the hatch yet we had no problem in late August. One of our more comfortable camps was in the sandy burn area just beyond Red’s Meadow. It was ugly with charred wood and debris, but the sand made for soft contoured beds, and there was water nearby. Our camp during a rain storm along Bear Creek was fortunate. In the down-pour, we were anxious to get our tents up, but we were also worried about flooding. We originally wanted to find a little rise, but nothing looked suitable, so we opted for a somewhat sheltered spot, but one which was a bit lower than we would have liked. It had been raining heavily though, and we reasoned that if this spot were going to flood, it would have already done so. I’m still not sure whether it was a smart decision, but it did turn out to be a good one.

The Winnett-Morey Guide to the John Muir Trail provides info about camping spots which we found mostly accurate. Because many people hike the JMT every year, most of the reasonable and easily accessible spots have already been found and used. The guide mentions many of these minor but well-used spots as well as major ones.

 

 

Cooking