Jessica and I are hiking the John Muir Trail which we will follow for 238.8 miles through 6 federally protected areas including Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks. Before the trip we prepared a quick summary of our plans for each day. That way our parents curious folks can follow along. Use this link to see all of the posts. Today is day 5 of our hike.

Today we are hitching a ride from Tuolumne Meadows to the Mono/Parker Passes Trailhead then hiking to Alger Lakes. Here are the details:

	Miles	Feet Elev. Gained	Feet of Elev. Lost
Today	10.75	+ 3238	– 2205
Cumulative	54.34	+ 16,691	– 11,090

Today is a day of goodbyes! Goodbye to Yosemite National Park, goodbye to parts of the trail that Tyler has previously hiked, a temporary goodbye to the John Muir Trail, and goodbye to our light packs as we are now restocked with 13 more pounds of food and fuel!

After stocking up on supplies in Tuolumne Meadows, Jessica and I will grab a ride for about 5 miles to the Mono/Parker Passes Trailhead. Technically, this part of our hike (today and tomorrow) is not on the JMT (it stays inside Yosemite and heads up Lyell canyon). Permits are so competitive for the traditional JMT that our only realistic shot at the hike was to take this diversion. The good news is that this part of the hike is also BEAUTIFUL!

Today we will climb our way out of Yosemite National Park and into the Ansel Adams Wilderness via our first real pass of the trip: Parker Pass at 11,115 feet (see above). As if that isn’t enough fun, we immediately get to cross our second major pass of the trip: Koip Pass at 12,277′.

From Koip Pass we’ll have a view of Alger Lakes (see below) — our planned campsite for the night. This trail is off the beaten path and there is a good chance we’ll have those lakes all to ourselves!