Guest-blogger Malcolm has put together a blog about our campsites along the trail:
Our JMT campsites starting 7/19/2010 at Toulomne Meadows and ending 8/6/2010 at Whitney Portal:
7/19: Lyell Canyon 5.5 miles south from Toulomne Meadows, right off trail by nice river spot
7/20: Just above Donahue pass to the right on the ridgeline
7/21: Left before the bridge at Garnet Lake behind the large smooth rock, sandy campsite
7/22: Left of trail at the Becks Lake trail junction,
7/23: Madera/Fresno County line, right of trail in the woods
7/24: High point between lake Virginia and Purple lake, right off trail and up ridgeline
7/25: Lake Edison trail 1 mile above ferry landing right of trail
7/26: Vermillion Valley resort
7/27: Bluffs above Florence lake 1 mile from ferry landing, right from trail
7/28: San Joaquin River Valley, right after second bridge in Kings Canyon NP, in the trees by river
7/29: North Evolution lake, across creek at the north end of lake on the ridgeline
7/30: Le Conte Canyon 3 miles below Muir Pass left across the creek
7/31: Woods left of trail about a half mile before the golden staircase begins
8/1: Upper Basin on the south side of Mather Pass, left of trail between the 4 lakes
8/2: Ansel Adams pond, left of trail on small bluff in trees
8/3: Lower Rae Lake, right of trail at first penninsula
8/4: 3 miles below Forester Pass at 90 degree turn in trail on right across Bubb's Creek
8/5: Bighorn Plateau, right of trail in dried river bed
8/6: 1 mile above Guitar lake right of trail
And now, the JMT campsite POWER RANKINGS:
All sites were rated out of 20 in the following 5 categories, scores are out of 100:
S= Scenery. How pretty was it?
C= Campsite. How nice were the tent site and cooking area?
W= Water. A combo of access to water for filtering and the quality of the water itself
M= Mosquitos. How bad were the bugs?
X= X factors. Anything else that contributed to the experience: wildlife, neighbors, weather, etc.
#18: Madera/Fresno County line: Easily our worst campsite. No view, very buggy, and I had to hike 10 minutes down to get water. Not a great night.
S=5, C=10, W=5, M=4 , X=2
Total = 26
#17: Becks Lake trail junction: Bugs were OK until dusk and a decent campsite with good water, but not much of a view.
S=6, C=15, W=10, M=7, X=7,
Total = 45
#16: Lake Edison Trail: We hiked all day and crashed right by the trail. Our only rainy night with a few thunderstorms.
S=8, C=8, W=16, M=8, X=8,
Total = 48
#15: Donahue Pass: Great view, but bad bugs and a good hike down to water.
S=18, C=10, W=4, M=6, X=14,
Total = 52
#14: Above Lake Virgina: Very beautiful...bugs so bad we ate dinner in the tent. Closest water down at Purple lake.
S=19, C=15, W=6, M=2 X=15,
Total = 57
#13: Base of the Golden Staircase: Nice site in woods by the creek, mosquitos controlled by campfire (below 10,000 feet!)
S=8, C=14, W=16, M=9, X=14
Total = 61
#12: Upper Basin below Mather Pass: Exceptional view and good water. Horrible mosquitos
S=18, C=18, W=15, M=3, X=12,
Total = 66
#11: Lyell Canyon: Mosquitos not bad and a lovely riverside spot.
S=14, C=12, W=17, M=12, X=12,
Total = 67
#10: San Joaquin River: Beautiful wooded spot on the rver, campfire helped with bugs
S=12, C=17, W=19, M=12, X=15,
Total = 75
#9: Bighorn Plateau: Majestic views with a nice breeze. Stagnant water and our coldest night...brrr
S=20, C=17, W=8, M=16, X=16,
Total = 77
#8: Garnet Lake: Awesome tentsite and rock for cooking. A little crowded but good water and bugs OK.
S=15, C=19, W=12, M=15, X=17,
Total = 78
#7: Florence Lake: Gorgeous and bug free. No water above the lake.
S=12, C=17, W=7, M=20, X=18,
Total = 79
#6: Le Conte Canyon: Excellent campsite above the creek. Great views, water, and not many bugs.
S=16, C=16, W=16, M=16, X=16,
Total = 80
#5: Ansel Adams Pond: Incredible views, 4-5 good tent sites above the pond on a ridge with a nice breeze to keep bugs away. We couldn't find the yellow legged frogs the ranger told us about...
S=19, C=19, W=8, M=16, X=19,
Total = 81
#4: Lower Rae Lake: Everyboby else camped at the upper lakes, we had this one to ourselves! Great swimming spot, not
many bugs, and excellent scenery. I wish I'd had a fishing pole for all the big trout we saw!
S=18, C=18, W=15, M=15 X=17,
Total = 83
#3: Above Guitar lake: Away from the crowds, and no bugs at 12,000 feet! We ate well and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset. Carried water up from the lake but crossed a few streams on the way. Tented on a sandy flat spot with a rock wall built around it.
S=20, C=18, W=7, M=20 X=19,
Total = 84
#2: North Evolution Lake: Good swimming and water, great view and tentsite, breezy to keep away bugs, and a killer sunset. I though it couldn't be beat, but...
S=19, C=18, W=18, M=17, X=18,
Total = 90
#1: Bubbs Creek: Stunning views, a fast flowing water source, and a tent site bunkered behind rocks with a little meadow in the backyard. Very few bugs and one of the best nights of the trip! Our neighbor gave us some teriyaki chicken, so that didn't hurt either.
S=18, C=20, W=20, M=18, X=17,
Total = 93
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